The weather has continued to be challenging. Sunny during the week when I'm at work and then overcast or actually raining on the weekends when I have free time. Although, it still hasn't really been enough rain down here to make an appreciable dent in the drought (Northern California seems to be doing a bit better than we are). We're at the end of January and I still don't really see this El Nino materializing into actual storms - certainly not as compared to the last big El Nino where my house practically floated away!
All this by way of saying that I'm still reaching back to a sunny day in September for my birding pics. The last couple of weeks I've shared the Surfbird and the Ruddy Turnstone so this week, it's time for the Black Turnstone:
I've found the Black Turnstones to be much more numerous on our beaches that the Ruddy Turnstone. Everywhere I visited, the BTs were out in force, but there would usually only be 2-4 RTs.
The BTs were very enjoyable to watch, though. Masters at ferreting munchies in the wrack or the sand...and then incredibly single minded in pursuing them. The entire pile of sand in this picture was flicked up by this single bird's beak over the course of just a few minutes.
And then he moved onto a new location and did it again!
Daring me to just try and take his seaweed!
The only time he stopped pursuing food was when a big dog walked by behind me...he froze and I used the opportunity to grab as many shots as I could.
And then it was right back to digging...
Look at that sand fly!
Presiding over the mess he's made.
When he was done with the sand, it was time to move on to the rocks for possible snack opportunities.
My favorite thing about this shot as the last rays of the sun were slipping away is that the feathers on his upper back revealed this tiny amount of green iridescence that you would never guess was there if you didn't see him in just the right light. Of course, he still has sand on his beak LOL!
KJ
