February 2016
Salish Sea, PNW
I saw my neighbor RAy and his missus the other day in their backyard.
RAy is the banded Black Oystercatcher I’ve been observing there for the past couple of years. His backstory is in this Bucket from February 2014, and this happy followup shortly after. I’ve reported on them occasionally since then in comments. Here’s the latest.
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After a winter of frequent foraging on this beach, I didn’t see them at all last summer. I assume they were at their nesting site on an offshore island. Black oystercatchers need remote sites since they nest on the ground...any spot accessible to people, dogs, cats or machinery means certain nest failure, so I wasn’t surprised by their absence from this shoreline by the road. Last fall RAy appeared intermittently by himself, which was a little worrisome to me since I know for certain he has lost at least one mate. But he’s been showing up with her for the past few weeks, both industriously feeding at this favorite beach. It’s a mix of sand, mud, small rocks and boulders where oystercatcher prey is common at medium to low tides. In the photo above RAy is exploring the mud for prey while she keeps watch nearby.
After a few minutes banging at something under water, RAy came up with his beak inserted into a clam. Oystercatcher beaks are strong and flat as a knife, perfectly adapted for levering limpets off rocks and prying clams open. Around here oystercatchers rarely eat oysters. Limpets are abundant, and Purple Varnish clams, like the one RAy caught, are very common too (if you’re interested in this beautiful mollusk, a non-native but non-invasive species, I wrote up its backstory here).
Three minutes from hammering to the clam stripped clean. RAy then climbed onto a rock to do some tidying of his plumage. When I headed home the two of them were still perched there like that.
These two oystercatchers behave liked a mated pair, and in a few months it’ll be breeding season. I can’t be sure this female is the same one he joined two years ago, or I saw with last year, but oystercatchers have longterm bonds and will stay together, barring catastrophe. I wish them well with their nesting this summer. Eat all the clams you want RAy and Mrs RAy!
oooOOOooo
As alway, all nature observations are welcome in the comments below. Tell us what you’re seeing in your own natural neighborhood.
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