Black Oystercatcher

I went out a few mornings ago to take some nice photos of local birds and after a few hours I came away with a much better appreciation of excellent wildlife photographers' work. You know, those crystal clear photos where every feather is in perfect detail. Birds are small, paranoid, jumpy creatures and while I've seen a few interesting ones lately, here's the only one that stood still long enough and near enough so that I could photograph him. It's one of a pair of Black Oystercatchers that were hunting up some lunch on the rocks below the Westsong Walkway. These are also identified (in Peterson's "Field Guide to Western Birds" and Wikipedia) as American Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani). Stay tuned - I've got some Common Goldeneyes, some loons and a Common Merganser in my sights if they ever just relax and float quietly for a bit....