Limpet Lunch

While strolling along the West Bay Walkway yesterday I was pleased to see this Black Oystercatcher (Haemotopus bachmani), the first I have seen this year. I had begun to think that they had forsaken this stretch of shoreline due to some environmental problem but I'm guessing now that it has just been chance that we haven't met for some time. This one and a partner were busily cleaning limpets off the rocks during this low tide.

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

Rain, rain, rain for the last three or four days, mostly that Pacific Coast specialty we call drizzle. However, it let up yesterday afternoon long enough to encourage me out for a walk along the West Bay Walkway. There I was happy to find a pair of Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani), one of which is pictured above. I suspect these birds are monogamous since they almost always seem to move around in pairs. I was particularly happy to get the photo above because I have just started a new project - collecting photos for my Birdwatchers Life List. Enthusiastic birders compile such lists where all the species they have seen are named. Of course I have seen Black Oystercatchers before this; they are quite common here. But this is the first photo I've taken of them that meets my criteria for my Life List. I still have several hundred species to go before I have even covered local birds....

Shorebirds

Earlier this week I was down at Clover Point and was able to photograph this nice group of shorebirds, two Black Turnstones and three Black Oystercatchers as well as the ubiquitous seagull.

You wanna piece o' me???

This Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) really is pretty tough - you've got to be if you're going to make your living eating shellfish and you've got no hands. I took these photos near noon so the morning feeding session was pretty much over and this bird was settling down to do some preening. Otherwise I would have captured some video of how dexterously they unfasten limpets from their rocky beds and pick the meat out of the shells with those big red beaks.

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

Well, here it is Christmas Eve and I'm still posting photos of birds I've recently seen, this one being the Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani). However, I do have an excuse for not being more seasonal: I'm in the process of moving so everything is helter-skelter this weekend. In any case, all you kind folks who visit here have my very best wishes for a Merry Christmas. I hope it finds you in good health and good heart. Happy Holidays!

American Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

I don't know whether it has just been bad luck for me or whether Black Oystercatchers are not around so much this year. In any case I haven't seen any on my daily walks this year along our shoreline in Vic West. This photo was taken last year in January near Spinnakers on the Westsong Walkway.

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When I posted the photo to the left last week I hoped someone would tell me the name of this little bay. Visitor Ngawangchodron sent me a link to a map of the area that identifies the bay as Horseshoe Bay. The point of land jutting out to the left is Finlayson Point. Thank you Ngawangchodron for that information. I will take this opportunity to recommend a visit to Ngawangchodron's Flickr photostream for a splendid collection of photographs in and around Victoria.

Cattle Point

I was going to post another sunrise photo today but I realized that they are a little like cupcakes - one is fine but a steady diet is a bit overwhelming. After I had glutted myself on sunrise yesterday at Willows Beach I went down to the end of the beach marked by Cattle Point. I was amazed by the variety and busy-ness of the wild life off that point. All these photos were taken within a few minutes.

Above is a female American Wigeon. There were lots of Mallards as well and a few other kinds of duck but the latter were so shy I was unable to get close enough to identify them. On the left, poking about among the rocks was a Black Oystercatcher. These birds always amuse me because they seem to be trying to be inconspicuous but those eyes and that beak are a dead giveaway. To the right, seemingly traveling in tandem, are one of our local seagulls and a Harbour Seal.

There seem to be more than the usual number of seals around lately. I see one or more pretty well every time I am down near the shoreline. Last night while on the West Bay Walkway I spent about a half an hour watching one dine off a dense school of thousands of small silvery fish that were swimming directly below the walkway.

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....