Along the Larry Scott Memorial Trail with Marrowstone Island in the foggy background.Despite the overbearing foggy gray skies, we ventured out on our favorite walk to see if any birds had shown up during these bleak days.
We found Black Turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala) on the shoreline and rocks. We had not seen them before, and discovered they make a wonderful sound when they spring into the air and fly inches above the water. Ten or twenty birds often take off at once, making quite a rattle and dry chattering sound.
What was truly surprising though was the stunning black and white color produced by their bold wing pattern, only visible in flight. The pattern is created by the white feathers at the base of the leading edge of the wing, a white wing stripe, and a white lower back.
Watching them fly definitely took the edge off of the blah November fog and made our hearts rejoice.
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