Tag: Black Turnstone

North Coast

by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting, OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

haystack rockI spent a warm sunny morning around Cannon Beach and Seaside. The first stop was Silver Point, just south of Cannon Beach, for a sea watch. There were plenty of birds out there, way out there. It is what I call birding at the edge of imagination. You have an idea of what you are seeing, but realistically, there is a lot of guessing involved. I did see the wing flash of Sooty Shearwaters and several flocks of White-winged and Surf Scoters, but most of what I saw were unidentifiable specks. Nala was waiting somewhat patiently in the car, so we soon went to Tolovana Wayside and walked to Haystack Rock.

harlequinsThe tide was coming in, so I couldn’t get too close to the rocks. Still, you could see several Harlequin Ducks. Here is a male and female, with a Black Oystercatcher on the right. I didn’t see the Oystercatcher when I was in the field, only when I developed the photo.

oystercatcheranother Black Oystercatcher

crow eatingA log, which has obviously been in the water for a long time, had washed up on shore, and the American Crows were busy picking at the barnacles.
crow

nala in streamNala, taking a break

turnstones sleepingThe next stop was the Cove, at Seaside. As is often the case, there was a nice congregation of Black Turnstones on the rocks.
IMG_3241

surfbirdsThere were also good numbers of Surfbirds.
surfbirds vertical

Heermann'sHeermann’s Gulls should be heading south very soon.

caspiansOur last stop was the Necanicum Estuary. This spot is very hit-or-miss, with either lots of birds or none. Today was closer to the latter. But along with the few California Gulls were several Caspian Terns still feeding young. Most Caspian Terns have already moved south, so it seems late to have begging fledglings still around.

Shorebird Class 7 September 2013

by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

rockpipersI took my shorebird class to the north coast. We ended the day with 14 species of shorebirds, plus one that got away unidentified. Our first stop was The Cove in Seaside. The tide was very low so the birds were far away, but we still found a nice selection of rockpipers. Here is a large flock of Black Turnstones with a couple of Surfbirds.

pectoral 1Stanley Lake hosted two Pectoral Sandpipers.
pectoral 3

semipalm 1Semipalmated Plover, also at Stanley Lake
semipalm

heerman'sWe visited the Hammond Boat Basin, hoping for Whimbels and Marbled Godwits. Instead, we had to “settle” for several hundred Heerman’s Gulls (above), along with Brown Pelicans and Elegant Terns. It was a lovely sunny day at the coast.

The North Coast

by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites, rarities, seasonal movements

I made two trips to the northern Oregon Coast for my recent shorebird class. The “autumn” migration is well underway.

The Seaside Cove has a nice gathering of gulls. This California Gull is undergoing a rather extensive molt, I believe from second cycle to third. The severity of feather loss has actually created some interesting patterns.

This adult California Gull is showing a little wear, but nothing like the previous individual.

The Cove is a favorite hang-out for Heerman’s Gulls.

Young Heerman’s Gulls are a rich chocolate brown. I believe this is a second-cycle bird, given the smattering of gray feathers coming in.

This female Harlequin Duck was near the southern end of The Cove both days.

Black Turnstones, which spend the winter here, are back.

The best bird of the day Thursday was this Ruddy Turnstone, an uncommon migrant along the coast. Unfortunately, he did not stick around for my shorebird class field trip on Saturday.

Caspian Terns, seen here with California Gulls, were common on the beaches. Note the young tern in the center of the photo.

More Caspian Terns with Brown Pelicans and a Western Gull

These Elk tracks were on the beach near the south jetty of the Columbia River at Fort Stevens State Park.

At high tide, the Hammond Boat Basin has been hosting large flocks of Marbled Godwits and Whimbrels (and an unidentified dowitcher species in the middle of this image). Similar roosts in Washington attract rare migrants every year. I hope the same is true for the Oregon side of the river.

Seaside, 11/10/2011

by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

Here are a few more images from a recent trip to the coast.


Black Turnstone at The Cove in Seaside (Birding Oregon p. 121)


Surfbirds blend in with the rocks very well until someone opens their wings.


California Gull in extremely worn plumage. Notice how the primaries have worn down almost to the shaft.


Dragonfly on the water, Neawanna Wetlands


Hooded Mergansers, Neawanna Wetlands


Fox Sparrow

Tillamook Bay, 9/24/11

by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites


I took my Portland Audubon class to Tillamook Bay (Birding Oregon p. 125). We found strong winds, high tides, and rough seas, but the weather was warm and mostly sunny. This photo was taken on the bayside of Bayocean Spit. The water was high enough to cover the mudflats, so we didn’t find any shorebirds, but we did find good numbers of gulls loafing in the shallow water.


Here is a first-cycle California Gull with two adult Western Gulls and a probable third-cycle Western Gull.


The largest concentration of birds was at the Bay City Oyster Plant. This little jetty was covered with gulls, Brown Pelicans, and Black Turnstones.


Western Gull, two Heerman’s Gulls, and a California Gull


Brown Pelicans


juvenile Brown Pelican and Heerman’s Gull


We found at least four Black Oystercatchers at the Three Graces Tidal Area.


At Barview Jetty, the rough seas and howling winds kept the expected seabirds out of the channel. But the big waves did reveal lots of Ochre Sea Stars.


This lone Black Turnstone was the only shorebird we found braving the rough conditions.

Seaside, OR 8-4-11

by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, rarities, seasonal movements

I spent the day birding sites around Seaside, OR (Birding Oregon p. 121).


The tide was the lowest I have seen at The Cove, revealing its sandy bottom.


The low tide allowed lots of beach-combers to wander along the rocky edges, so the only shorebirds present was a small flock of Black Turnstones.


This is a Western Gull in very worn plumage. Note the black-tipped primary just starting to grow in. The lumpy neck on this bird was caused by the large sea star he had just swallowed.


Heerman’s Gulls are normally one of the most beautiful gull species, but this individual was also extremely worn.


These birds were in better shape.


California Gulls are starting to gather along the Oregon coast. This juvenile was keeping company with an adult Western Gull.


At the north end of town is the Necanicum Estuary, also at very low tide. The exposed mud and aquatic vegetation attracted nice numbers of shorebirds.


Semipalmated Plover


Least Sandpipers


Western Sandpiper


The rarest bird of the day was this Semipalmated Sandpiper.


Notice on these shorebird tracks that the toes are partially webbed, or semipalmated. So these tracks were made by either a Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, or Semipalmated Sandpiper.


These tracks don’t show any sign of webbing, so they were probably made by a Least Sandpiper.


The estuary is a favorite hang-out for Caspian Terns, here joined by California Gulls.

 

North Coast

by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites

I made two trips to the coast for my shorebird class last week. Migration is picking up, and the sun is actually making  occasional appearances.


Three Arch Rocks, viewed from Cape Meares (Birding Oregon p. 129) This is the site of large seabird nesting colonies, but the rocks are too far out to see much. The small rock on the far left is a favorite haul out site for Steller’s Sea Lions, which you can see with a decent scope.


Two Coyotes were hunting in a meadow along Tillamook Bay. There is no shoulder along much of Bayocean Road, so I had to make a brief stop in the middle of the road to snap a couple of photos. I was struck by how dark these animals were, compared to Coyotes I see inland.


Keeping an eye on me. Coyotes are right to be nervous whenever a vehicle slows down nearby. Luckily, this human was only pointing a camera.


Black Oystercatcher on Barview Jetty (Birding Oregon p. 125) This jetty was recently rebuilt. As a result, the surface is smooth and easy to walk on, allowing you to go out much farther than before. But please don’t get the impression that it is EVER safe to walk out on a jetty. Even though you don’t have to hop from rock to rock, sneaker waves can still knock you onto the rocks or into the ocean. The jetty might have to age a bit before it attracts as many birds as before, since newer rocks don’t have as much sea life encrusted onto them.


Black Turnstones and Surfbirds at The Cove in Seaside (Birding Oregon p. 121) These birds put on a great show for my shorebird class.

Studies in Gray; Heerman’s Gull

by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, species profile

The rocky shore of The Cove in Seaside (Birding Oregon p. 121) is a favorite loafing spot for Heerman’s Gulls. The gray stones match the velvety gray of the gulls, and make the flash of brilliant red from the gulls’ bills even more stunning. Heerman’s Gulls are certainly among the most beautiful birds in North America.


Black Turnstones also blend in with the rocky shore.

Rockpipers

by John Rakestraw, posted in species profile

Two of the more common rock-loving shorebirds along the coast are Black Oystercatcher and Black Turnstone. Both species hang out on rocky shorelines in the intertidal zone, probing the wave-splashed rocks for mollusks.

black oystercatcher
Black Oystercatchers would be very hard to see against the dark rocks if it weren’t for their bright red bills.

black oystercatchers

black turnstones
Black Turnstones nest in Alaska, but spend the winter along the west coast from Canada to Baja California. Their backs blend in with the rocks, but their underparts are bright white.

black turnstone

limpets
Limpets are among these birds’ prey species.  The shorebirds use their stout bills to pry the animals off the rocks to reveal the soft underparts.