Summer Shoreline, Part 1 - Turnstone Territory

The Ruddy turnstone is the most common, and the most colorful, sandpiper at Halibut Point during August.

Ruddy turnstone adult

Adults have been here since the beginning of the month, working their way south from their tundra breeding grounds. They depart from those upper latitudes before their chicks have matured, presumably to leave as much food as possible for the young ones who will have to start their first migration unescorted.

Ruddy turnstone, juvenile

Juveniles begin to show up at Halibut Point in late August or early September. Their bright orange legs identify them distinctively on the shoreline.

Turnstones are named for one of their feeding methods when searching for small mollusks and crustaceans at the tide line.


They become adroit foragers at the edge of the sea where morsels are churned up in the turbulence. They always keep at least one eye on those beneficent waves.

 



At the beginning of August turnstones share the shoreline with only a few other bird species.

Herring gull

Perhaps it's their quickness that allows them to get along amicably with omnivorous gulls.

Common eider

With ducks they're no more than a passing curiosity.

Juvenile (l) and adult (r) turnstones with a Black-bellied plover

Eventually other shorebirds stop at Halibut Point in the fall migration to the southern hemisphere.

Ruddy turnstone landing beside
a juvenile Spotted sandpiper (l)
and a Semipalmated sandpiper (r)

American oystercatcher in background

Turnstones bring an end to the ornithologically drab summer months on the shoreline. Feathered as they are, it's an extravagant turning point.