Lazy afternoon

The sun was warm, the wind was cool, salt-scented. Wavelets whispered on the rocks. A flock of peeps flew by, peeping loudly. In the distance a mixed flock of shorebirds idled, some on the rocks, sleeping or preening; wigeons and mallards in the water nibbled on shredded sea lettuce. When I walked towards them, ever so slowly, all the gulls and turnstones pulled up stakes and moved farther away. So I gave up and sat on a log; the gulls went back to sleep.

Gulls, black turnstones, and a pair of wigeons.

More wigeons. Males have the white cap and the wide green stripe on the back of their heads.

A wigeon couple.

Gull and turnstone showing off their wings.

A line of beakless gulls.

Gulls sleep with their beaks tucked under their back feathers. And at least one eye open most of the time. Sleeping in a flock is a safety measure; some of the gulls will be alert at any given moment. In this group, the gull on the far left is awake. If I come any closer, or if an eagle flies overhead, he'll wake up the whole flock.

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Una tarde tranquila. La brisa estaba fresca y olía a sal; en mi espalda sentía el calorcito del sol. Una bandada de pajaritos playeros pasaron volando, emitiendo sus silbidos característicos. Cuando volvieron a sentarse el único sonido era el susurro de olas que se rompían en las rocas. En la distancia, un grupo mixto de pájaros descansaban, algunos durmiendo o acicalándose, otros, en el agua comiendo lechuga marina. Cuando me acerqué, caminando despacito, las gaviotas y los vuelvepiedras se alejaron otro tanto. Busqué un tronco seco y me senté; las gaviotas se volvieron a dormir.

1. Gaviotas, vuelvepiedras negros (Arenaria melanocephala), y una pareja de silbones (Mareca americana).
2. Silbones. Los machos tienen la cabeza blanca, con la franja verde atrás del ojo.
3. Una pareja de silbones.
4. Una gaviota y un vuelvepiedras estirando las alas.
5. Una hilera de gaviotas sin picos.

Las gaviotas duermen con los picos escondidos bajo las plumas de la espalda. Y por lo general tienen uno o los dos ojos abiertos. Dormir en bandada es una medida para su seguridad; algunas de las gaviotas del grupo estarán alertas en cualquier momento. En esta bandada, la gaviota a la izquierda está despierta. Si yo me acercara un poco (o si pasa volando un águila), esta gaviota despertará a todas las demás.

Rocks, water, sky, turnstones

Just birds on rocks. But what birds?

Black turnstones.

They're Black turnstones. I put off posting this because I didn't have much hope of identifying them; just dark birdd-shaped specks in the distance, but then that one caught in flight was a dead giveaway.

AllAboutBirds photo.

Dislodges shellfish and other marine organisms from rocks using the short, chisel-like bill. (AllAboutBirds)

It didn't look like there was much to be found on those bare rocks, but the turnstones were busy. Their eyes are better than mine.

Turnstones, Oyster Bay, Oct. 2017

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Pájaros y piedras. ¿Pero qué son esos pájaros?

No tenía muchas esperanzas de identificarlos a esa distancia; solamente eran pájaros oscuros, y tan lejos. Pero el diseño de las alas y la espalda cuando vuelan era la clave.

Son Arenaria melanocephala, conocidos como vuelvepiedras. En Latín, pájaros de arena con cabeza negra.

Desalojan moluscos y otros organismos marinos de las piedras, usando sus picos cortos y en forma de cincel. (De AllAboutBirds)

No parecía que hubiera mucho para encontrar en esas piedras, pero los vuelvepiedras estaban muy ocupados; tienen mejores ojos que nosotros.

A Skywatch post.

Toyota brainstorm

My car sometimes runs on autopilot. I thought I was going inland to look for deep snow, but the car stopped at Oyster Bay Shoreline Park, where the snow didn't even top my shoes.

The car has good ideas, some days.

Afternoon light on trees, deciduous and evergreen. Looking inland, over the protected wild field.

Sit and rest awhile. The seat is cushioned.

Lichens (3 species) on cottonwood

I walked through the field and small patch of bush, then on to the south end of the shore.

All very peaceful. Quadra Island on the left, Mitlenatch on the right (the small, pale line just south of the barge), and the frozen mainland straight ahead.

Carex macrocephala, reduced to soft, yellow blades. But the treacherous seed cases still lie in wait on the ground, as sharp and stiff as ever. Two are visible here, near the upper left third lines.

On the shore, mounds of fresh bull kelp have been tossed up to freeze. The cold splits the thick-walled floats; I saw dozens like this. Usually, they dry intact. 

Grasses in the dunes just inland of the log jam.

And north to the far end of the bay, to look at the lagoon and its birds.

On the far spit, a flock of Canada geese sleep in the sunshine. Ducks, mostly mallards, wigeons, and mallard hybrids paddle slowly back and forth, though always just a bit faster than I could walk, trying to get closer.

I saw couple of loons, a few harlequin ducks, and diving ducks, these last always caught just as they disappeared underwater. Along the water's edge peeps small and large foraged. A few sparrows joined them in the drier areas; not a usual place for them, but their field and woods are under snow.

Black turnstone and frozen salt-tolerant plants.

Turnstones in flight show a dramatic pattern in black and white.

They almost look like butterflies here.

And back to the car, shortly before sunset. (At 4:29 PM.)

Last light on a snake-rail fence.

Good thinking, car! I enjoyed the walk!

Bonus

Sneaking up on Canada geese, watching their eyes, trying not to disturb them, I didn't even notice the turnstones. But they were there all the time.

"Tras lomita" (Mexican expression, "Just over the little hill.")

After the geese left, I walked around the tip of the sandbar and found them waiting for me.

Five black turnstones, Arenaria melanocephala. The Latin name means Sandy dark-head. Others of our peeps have more white or beige on their heads.

Follow the leader. I make the sixth in the procession.

In flight.

Oyster Bay, at mid-tide.