Forty years ago, I was climbing a seastack (don’t do this) and when I pulled myself level with the top I was eye to eye with a black bird with that brilliant enamel colored eye, staring right back at me.

That was my first close view of a black oystercatcher. I have seen a few since. We cannot miss their cry, a quick flutey scrawl. We particularly look forward to that sound during nesting season.

According to Oregon Fish and Wildlife, “The black oystercatcher is a large, long-lived shorebird about 38 centimeters (15 inches) in length with a long, thick, reddish-orange bill, a yellow eye encircled by an orange ring, and pink legs, all of which are strikingly set off by entirely black plumage.  Juveniles have somewhat browner plumage and a dark tip on the bill.  Oystercatchers are monogamous, returning to the same nesting territories to pair with the same mate each year.” Continue reading →