Here are a few birds that I see around some of the ponds that I frequent here in northern Arizona. These birds are seen throughout much of North America though, in various water areas.

Cormorants are fish eating water birds. They have four webbed toes. They roost in trees, on rocks or on sandbars, erect near any water’s edge, including coasts, bays, lakes, rivers or sea cliffs. They dive for the fish they eat. The double-crested cormorant are generally all black with two crests on head, although sometimes the crest if not evident.

Great egrets are white with yellow beaks and dark legs. They forage in shallow water such as ponds, shores, mudflats, or grassy marshes. They have a forward leaning pose when they prey on fish and other aquatic creatures, they use slow movements when hunting.

A killdeer is a plover, which is a wading shorebird. Killdeer have two distinct black breast bands. They are found along water’s edge, as well as open ground areas like short grass fields, lawns, or mudflats. They are often in small groups. They make loud, insistent, and repeated calls.

Click here for more water birds.