During the first visit, the most plentiful birds were American Coots. While this species can be found throughout the United States, I have rarely seen this many together (a few hundred). Since they were grouped together, we had a lot of fun watching their behavior. These birds are too heavy for a quick take off when they are startled, so instead of flying to another area, they end up just getting their feet high enough to make it look like they are running across the surface of the water, splashing the whole way!
During the second visit, we saw one of my favorite birds...the Long-billed Curlew! While I saw a few of these along the Texas Gulf Coast, there were over 100 gathered at the refuge during our trip. This picture shows a small portion of the group and the different bill lengths. We were able to identify them by their bills and the reddish color under their wings when they flew, but since some of the bills were shorter than others, it looks as though both juveniles and adults were present. There are some small shorebirds in the middle that are most likely Sanderlings.
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/bitter_lake/