Black Oystercatcher

the cottage we rent at Campbell River, south end, is just superbly situated with the garden opening onto the rocky foreshore where gulls, waders and wildfowl are in abundance; you can just walk out of the garden and stand amongst so many birds and contra to the UK most of them don't both at all -- all three of the west coast rocky waders were there with Black Turnstones the most numerous but a few Surfbirds and up to 40 Black Oystercatchers the latter typically noisy and obvious

more from the Pacific Rim September 15th

a similar pattern on the 15th with visits to more isolated beaches but fewer waders but it was much duller with a stronger wind and onshore waves attracting a myriad of surfers-- a flock of Sanderling held two Western Sandpipers and a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper a new bird for my ABA list which took me to about 536 species from Ontario, BC, Alberta, California, Texas and Arizona -- considerably more species than I have seen in Britain in 48 years
Savannah Sparrows feeding in the tide wrack, kelp piles,