Their calico-cat like coloring sets these shorebirds apart from the others, but their behavior on the beach is a lot like the pipers and other “peeps.”
Standing around in small groups or on their own, they wait for the ocean to reveal something to eat.
Walking along the edge of the surf, this Ruddy Turnstone was proactively looking for a snack, racing ahead of the flowing water.
Botany Bay Island, August 4, 2019.
A large portion of the marsh behind Botany Bay Beach is cordoned off to keep humans from interfering with breeding shore birds. Their nests are nothing more than depressions in the sand and aside from the obvious egg destruction by human feet many of these birds just don’t like to be disturbed by man or his pets while raising their young.
Breeding season was over when I took these images but a few young stragglers were on the beach on August 4th.
This young tern didn’t seem to know what to do. The sun had just come up and he probably should have been looking for breakfast.
An adult was nearby, but I didn’t see them interact.
This may be the same young bird, I spotted a bit further down the beach.
Willets are shore birds that tend to mind their own business and with their sand coloring it is easy to miss them. As the sun was coming up this one decided to take a stroll away from the water and there was a bit of contrast between him and the hard packed sand. The line shadows behind him were created by a dead tree standing in the ocean surf.
Then he took off, first showing me his patterned underwings…
…then revealing a nice view of his the upper side of his wing, and a cool shadow.
I didn’t capture his shadow in this last image but I did like the driftwood background as the Willet flew away.
Botany Bay Island, SC, August 4, 2019
My position and timing were big factors in capturing these images of a Ruddy Turnstone exploring a barnacle covered tree.
The incoming tide was pretty calm, creating just a small splash behind the bird.
The bird was in almost constant motion, not waiting for the perfect combination of splash, his position, and my readiness.
Botany Bay Island, SC, August 4, 2019
Low over the incoming surf a pair of American Oystercatchers flew down the beach.
Botany Bay Island, SC, August 4, 2019
The receding tide uncovered a blob of mud and left a pool of water perfect for a Ruddy Turnstone to poke around in for breakfast.
The sun had just come up casting a bit of orange glow on the water.
The Turnstone feeds by probing in the mud or sand for small crustaceans. This mud was pretty dense and was not something I wanted to step in but this little fellow found it appealing.
Click on any image for a larger view.
The water was still and the air was hot. A few gulls and terns occupied old posts standing in the pond while an Anhinga dried off on a stump.
Even though it was early morning when you expect to see the birds feeding there wasn’t much going on.
Trees and grasses on the other side of the pond made interesting reflections in the water.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC, 8/12/2019
An easier to identify shore bird than some due to their pretty rusty colors and calico like pattern, the Ruddy Turnstone breed in the tundra of northern North America but non-breeding Turnstones can be found along most of the eastern and western US coastlines.
I came upon a small flock after Sunday’s Sunrise, and this one was acting like an intrepid adventurer as the tide came in.
Covered in barnacles, there are a number of dead trees that have been knocked over by storms laying in the water here.
The American Oystercatchers I featured in yesterday’s post, American Oystercatchers Flying In, landed fairly close to me but back lit by the just risen sun. I continued down the beach past them, then turned back to see what they were up to.
They were strutting around in the low surf. True to their name, they mostly eat oysters or will probe for other food.
There was no oyster bed here and these two didn’t seem interested in hunting. They soon took off.
Just after the sun came up on Sunday I heard these two coming and fortunately for me they were flying towards the sun.
They flew out over the ocean, past part of the dead tree “boneyard” before touching down in the surf.
Click on any image for a larger view.
