Feb. 9, 2014 - Oystercatchers

In the United States, we have two species of oystercatchers. This is a Black Oystercatcher and I photographed it in Pacific Grove, California, during our west coast trip last October. At 17½ inches (the same size as a crow), it is a large, stocky shorebird. Only the head is pure black; the rest of the body is dark brown. It has a long, thin, bright red bill. Its yellow eyes are surrounded by thin rings of red feathers.

OystercatcherBlackMileDrivePacificGrove20131027

Black Oystercatchers have short, sturdy, pink legs. They are birds of the Pacific coastline and they range from Alaska to California. Their main food items are mussels and marine worms but they will eat Limpets and other shellfish. That knife-like bill comes in handy for prying open mussels and shellfish.

OystercatcherBlackMileDrivePacificGrove20131027

Here’s the Black Oystercatcher’s habitat: rocky, coastal shoreline. This oystercatcher is standing on a bed of mussels. For the most part, these birds are year-round residents. Food is the most important factor for them and mussels are always available.

OystercatcherBlackAsilomarBeachPacificGrove20131026

Here’s a funny picture. I caught this bird in mid-air as it was jumping from one rock to another.

OystercatcherBlackjumpingMileDrivePacificGrove20131027

Now that we’re in Florida, I’m seeing American Oystercatchers. They are about an inch bigger than the Black Oystercatchers but in other ways they are quite similar. The main differences are a lighter brown back and a pure white underbelly.

OystercatcherAmericanGeorgeIslandStatePark20140127

The food source for oystercatchers here in Florida really is oysters. These photos were taken at St. George Island State Park on the Apalachicola Bay. Oysters are plentiful here and harvesting them is an important industry in this area. I’ve heard that 10% of all oysters consumed in the United States come from this bay.

OystercatcherAmericanstretchingGeorgeIslandStatePark20140127

The oystercatcher in the previous two photos was accompanied by this one. Notice the bands on its legs. I reported this sighting to a national bird banding web site. They told me the bird was banded June 19, 2012, at St. Catherine’s Island off the coast of Georgia. It hatched that year and was too young to fly at the time it was banded. So, this bird made a pretty long trip to get all the way over here to St. George Island in Florida. (See the comment below with new information about this bird.)

OystercatcherAmericanGeorgeIslandStatePark20140127