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| Black Turnstones on the beach. |
Today we went to the breakwater for a stroll, between the raindrops. It was lovely out there - no wind to speak of, clear water (the better to watch the sea life), and not too cold. Besides the apparently healthy kelp beds, sea lions feasting, fish jumping, and sunfish and starfish sightings, I also spotted a few birds hanging around on the shoreline. At first I thought they might be black oystercatchers, but upon closer inspection I realized they didn't have the signature red feet and beaks; they also had a bit of white on the underside of their wings and tail feathers which the oystercatchers do not; and besides, they weren't as large as the black oystercatchers I'd seen on Hornby Island. However, their call resembled the oystercatchers as they flew off. And so I was determined to figure out what kind of bird they were when I got home. I took this photo with my iPhone before they managed to fly away.
It is not a good photo by any means, but it did serve as a reminder to their colouring and size when I looked up my copy of the Stokes Field Guide to Birds. I believe they might be Black Turnstones. I will have to remember to bring my real camera with me next time. Who knows, maybe one day I'll become a wild bird photographer!
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