The Dusty Dog

Today's Walk along the Bay

Today, my dusty doggie and I took a wonderful walk along the bay. It was dead low tide, so the birds were feeding like crazy. I got some shots that completely made my day. When I'm out shooting, I really don't always know what I'm focusing on. I just try to get a good shot, and identify the species later. A favorite subject of mine are the egrets. They are always around, but shooting them can be a bit tough. Today however, were two species that I never saw before, and as luck would have it, they were more than happy to be photographed. In fact, so was this one particular egret. How unusual. I was hiding in the brush, and dusty doggie was unhappily complying with my command to sit still. I love this dog.

Click on the images to enlarge....

The egret strutted past these two shorebirds, obviously on its way to something yummy that it had eyed.


This same beautiful egret caught a fish moments later, and I caught it catching the fish. Color me happy.


Turns out these shorebirds, which I had no idea what they were when I was shooting, are Ruddy Turnstones. At least, I think they are Ruddy Turnstones. According to the The Sibley Guide to Birds, the very orange legs seem to be the most distinguishing characteristic among shorebirds. Fact is, these shorebirds, sandpipers, etc. are sometimes quite difficult to tell apart. Also, according to the Sibley guide, if these are indeed Ruddy Turnstones, they are merely migrating through, and are on their way to their summer habitat at the northern fringes of this continent. How cool is that?


As we were leaving the beach, I decided to take one last look along the water, and lo and behold was this fabulously billed something-or-other. I started shooting like crazy. This bird turns out to be an American Oystercatcher, which appears along the east and west coastlines of the United States.

The Sibley Guide to Birds is a great resource. It was a wonderful investment for me, given how much I love shooting birds. Today was a great day.

posted by Dusty Dog at 5/28/2006