Wait, wait!

There's an artificial tidal pool just down the road from my place; all rocks, no sand, no seaweeds, difficult walking on either steep, sliding banks, scattered logs, or rocks that may roll underfoot. I was heading south to better beachcombing grounds, when I noticed the birds out on the breakwater.

Stones, logs, rocks, black birds, white birds.

The pool was created by the Rotary Club some years ago, to provide a safe place for kids to swim, because the tide here is so strong, racing along the Strait at 35 km/hr, and so cold. The rocks soak up the heat of the sun at low tide, and slow down the current, going and coming. And warm the birds' feet while the tide is too high for foraging.

A bit of the breakwater, with gull and 4 oystercatchers. And guano.

I heard the oystercatchers before I saw them; while they sat on the breakwater, they were silent, but every so often, a small flock would lift off and head south, calling as they went. "Weeep, weeep, ..." is how I heard the call, but they may have been saying, "Wait, wait, wait!"

They fly low over the water, and very fast.

Zooming in on a pair.

The tide was going out. When I arrived on the beach, the breakwater and island were thick with birds, black and white. When I left an hour later, they were accessible on foot (with some difficulty), and only a few gulls remained.

Critters on this beach tomorrow.