December 15 - Point Roberts Shorebirds

Here's a different post from Point Roberts, it only features some smaller shorebirds, no ducks, loons or cormorants.

For some reason there were a number of smaller sandpipers/shorebirds on site on this Saturday. The other usual birds were also present, but they have been featured many times recently. The common sandpipers at the rocky beach are Black Turnstones and Sanderling. they were both present on this day.

Turnstones get their name from their feeding behaviour, they turn over the stones on a beach looking for small crustaceans, mollusks and insects. The one below has found something...


Black Turnstone - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Only a minute later, it looks like the shell has been cracked open.


Black Turnstone - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

It's hard to get a good photo of this species as the dark head hides the eyes. This shot below is somewhat successful.


Black Turnstone - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

The other shorebird present today also likes the rocky shoreline. It is much different looking from the Turnstone.


Sanderling - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Here's the two of them together in a short video.

This video shows a couple of Turnstones in the surf.

And finally here's a video of a large number of shorebirds. I did not get an identification but I suspect they were mostly Sanderling.

That's it for this post, there may be one or two more visits to Point Roberts in 2018.