American avocet (Recurvirostra americanaRecurvirostra americana)

Still working my way through a week's worth of postworthy pics from last Friday's two-hour stop at Hayward shoreline, energising myself after a stressful morning so as to be focused and safe on the drive to Sonoma. It worked. This avocet was not (at least not yet) in breeding plumage. S/he was, however, busily demonstrating feeding technique. The posture is pretty species-specific, as is the sidewise flicking of the bill that a still photo doesn't show.