Rain and heavy overcast broke a bit this afternoon and evening. Though it remained overcast, there were brighter patches.
I had intended to go look for good examples of the two common tree mosses that are here (there’s also a third less common species) this evening.
I did ultimately do that, but not before going down to the beach to look for a Ruddy Turnstone I had received a message about.
I was looking along the upper part of the beach while two others were scanning the shoreline where some gulls were resting. I was starting back towards them when the birds on the beach took off.
It seemed unlikely that I was the reason, and sure enough, an eagle came flying from over the trees.
It did not look like the eagle was going to give chase to the birds that had taken flight (I’ve never seen an eagle catch any when they have). I heard DK ask if I saw the Ruddy Turnstone flying, so I turned my attention to the shorebirds that had taken flight with the gulls and ducks.
Looking through my binoculars I saw one shorebird that seemed to be flying differently. I could not make out enough detail/color in the evening overcast light (with binoculars that are in serious need of repair), but I suspected it was the Ruddy Turnstone. Unfortunately, in bringing my camera up, I ended up picking up and following a different bird. It may have been too late by then, as DK said the turnstone had flown off towards the airport (and probably peeled off from the others shorebirds which looped back to the beach around the time I switched to my camera.
I looked back to the beach and noticed the eagle standing down closer to the water. It took a moment to register, but I realized the eagle had something. Moments later, it took off and flew up towards the forest. Its bill was bloody and it had a lifeless immature gull in its talons.
I’m a little bummed I missed how it caught the gull. Maybe I misinterpreted what I saw when it looked like the eagle pulled up to stop pursuing the birds which had taken flight. In hindsight, it’s possible that it had actually hit a slow reacting gull that was behind the others, then brought it down to the ground. I had only given it a short glance at that point, with my greater attention directed towards a desire to see the Ruddy Turnstone.
In conversation with KJ (she got a look at the Ruddy Turnstone – a lifer for her) and DK, I mentioned I thought Ruddy Turnstones showed up about half the years. DK wondered if it was really that often. He also mentioned that he thought they used to be more common than they’ve been in recent years.
Looking through my photos (I think I’ve taken photos all of the years I saw one), I have seen them in six springs, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2019. In addition, I’ve seen them in Fall 2007 and Fall 2008. (When I have seen them, I’ve tended to see them multiple times in the season.) In addition, Connor got photos of them in Spring 2015 and 2016, as well as July 2016 and September 2017.
In the end that works out to be about half of the years, though I’ve not seen them quite that often. Looking further back, in the 1980s, Marge and Tedin’s record show sightings every year, but their Ruddy Turnstone observations became much less frequent in the 1990s (despite them spending more time out).
I did pick up a few of the tree mosses (Leucolepis acanthoneura and Pleuroziopsis ruthenica). I’m planning to take a set of photos and maybe write up a little ‘how to distinguish them’ page.
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
