Sunday, February 19, 2017

Feb 19 - White Rock Turnstone Quest - Part 2

Back in early January I wrote a post detailing my quest for a Ruddy Turnstone that had been seen near the White Rock Pier. January 7 Part 1 - White Rock Pier

I saw  many species that day including Black Turnstones but did not see the rarer Ruddy.  The Ruddys are common in the East, but are only seen occasionally on the west coast, usually in the Fall migration southward.

It was a rainy Sunday and I had to force myself to go out. Luckily, The rain let up for a while.

The last sighting was just east of the White Rock, so I walked out along the shore in that direction. I was looking for any shorebirds as species tend to intermix.

I passed the Rock and had not seen too much, but then there was some movement. There were a couple of Killdeer foraging in the rocks. This was my first sighting of this species in 2017.


Killdeer - White Rock Shoreline, White Rock BC - 2017 Bird #70


Killdeer - Shoreline, White Rock BC

By this time another birder had arrived and he helped me spot the Turnstone in with the Killdeer. It is just a bit smaller and blended in with the rocks quite well.  

Ruddy Turnstone (left) - White Rock BC - 2017 Bird #71

The Turnstone was not concerned by our presence and we were able to get some nice close-ups. 


I did not realize I had the shot below until I reviewed my photos at home! Turnstones get their name from their foraging practice of overturning stones looking for food. In this case, it hit the jackpot.


This is about five minutes later. I'm not sure if this is the occupant of the shell.


The rain started up again and I made my way back to the car. I'd seen Mew Gulls here back in January and spotted this one today.

Mew Gull - White Rock BC

It flew out as I passed it.


Only a few species seen on this day but well worth the effort.



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