21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Run, run, run. Like a Sanderling

Sanderlings are small shorebirds found on all the oceans of the world and familiar to millions. They follow the surf in an out as the waves advance and recede, grabbing whatever food item might be briefly dislodged from the sand. But I was amazed to find these Black Oystercatchers following the same protocol These 10x larger birds are normally found on rocky shores feeding on, well, oysters, and other shellfish they can pry open. To tell the truth they were not really looking for food in the same. They seem just be having run and soon retreated back to the rocky jetty where they reside most of the time. What is really interesting is how they (like Sanderlings) run in exact step with each other. Most of the time, anyway.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 11.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Garibaldi, Oregon, United States of America
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Copyright: © Robert OBrien