Birds on rocks

The sun came out! And the tide was going out, exposing stony stretches of beach. I abandoned my errand in Willow Point, and just kept on driving until I saw cormorants on a rock, parked and hiked down the beach to get within camera range.

Looking back (north) to Willow Point, from Shelter Bay. The birds are behind me.

Out on the far side of the channel, rafts of ducks and other diving birds whiled away the afternoon. On this side, the bird population was staying dry, standing on rocks just offshore.

Mew gulls, I think.

These are small gulls, with yellow legs, a yellow bill with no rings or spots, and black wingtips with white spots. They stood there, ignoring me until I started scrambling from rock to rock to get closer; then they lifted off and exchanged rocks, as if they were playing musical chairs, still ending up standing on the same set of rocks. They were still there when I passed them on my way back. This time, they didn't bother moving.

Next, a great blue heron stood alone on a bigger rock, not fishing or crabbing; he was too far above the water for that. Digesting lunch, probably.

Taking a cormorant pose, while the cormorants in back just sit there.

He had flown away, complaining noisily, as I approached, then returned when I hid behind that big pale rock. When I emerged on the far side, he left again, squawking; "These horrible people with their bustle and clatter! Pah!"

And finally, the cormorants, all lined up, with a loon in the background.

And they didn't mind me, at all. After all, there's all that water between us.

It looks like that rock isn't usually submerged at high tide. Or else the cormorants have been very busy painting it today.