Oystercatchers

The Black Oystercatcher is a spectacular shorebird that lives right here on the shores of the Salish Sea, and all along the West Coast of North America. Sometimes called “carrot smokers” for their unique long, orange bills, they also sport bright yellow eyes with what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology calls a “flame scarlet” orbital ring around the eye that matches their bills. Notice their bumpy, pink legs and long attractive claws, similar to a cartoon witch’s manicured black toenails. John James Audubon was the first to describe Haematopus bachmani, theBlack Oystercatcher, for European-American ornithologists. The Cornell Lab notes, “The genus Haematopus is Greek (from haima or “blood” and pous or “foot”), a reference (to) the reddish legs of some species in the genus. The specific epithet refers to Audubon’s friend, the Reverend John Bachman.”

Black Oystercatchers in Flight

When I crouch silently, examining rocky Fort Worden tide pools on summer days, the distinctive sharp calls of Black Oystercatchers announce their arrival. You often hear them flying to a beach, where they immediately begin to forage among the rocks for their morning feast. In this party of four, the two in front are calling loudly.

Black Oystercatcher Foraging

Despite their name, Black Oystercatchers rarely eat oysters. Their chisel-like bills are perfect for prying mussels and limpets from rocks during a low tide. Our beaches, with a rocky intertidal and lots of mollusks, are ideal habitat. Apparently they don’t only explore rocks! My friend Jo Ferrero recalls, “One summer afternoon a couple of years ago, we were boating off the spit on the southwest side of Protection Island. Through our binoculars, we watched an elephant seal sleeping on the beach. A couple of oystercatchers came along and walked up and over the seal several times. It was a very fun observation!”

Black Oystercatcher Grooming

When not foraging, oystercatchers keep their plumage in good condition. Males preen even more than females. Black Oystercatchers are monogamous, and they form pairs that might last their whole lives. They can sometimes live up to 15 years. Unlike many ducks, they stay together all year. Besides foraging and grooming, oystercatchers need undisturbed sites to rest and sleep.

Black Oystercatchers Roosting

At Point Hudson, one keeps watch while its mate naps. A pair builds their nest together, usually just shallow scrapes made with bits of rock and shell. I’ve never seen a nest, because in the Pacific Northwest, they cleverly choose not to nest near people and predators. In A Naturalist’s Year in the Pacific Northwest, local biologist Geoff Hammerson notes, “Black Oystercatchers often roost at Pt. Hudson but do not nest there. Oystercatcher nesting areas in the Salish Sea are mostly in the San Juan Islands, with additional breeding on Protection Island, Smith Island, Dungeness Spit, and several other sites… Shoreline development and frequent disturbance by people and dogs discourage nesting in some areas.”

Black Oystercatcher Juvenile

You can tell juveniles from adults by their two-toned bill and a lack of that “flame scarlet” orbital ring around the eye. Parents continue to feed their youngsters even after they can fly. You will often see a family foraging together along the rocky shore.

Black Oystercatchers at Oak Bay

In winter, you can sometimes find large flocks of Black Oystercatchers. The most I’ve seen were 32 on the shore of Oak Bay, but Cornell researchers say, “in areas of high mussel density, these flocks often number in the hundreds.” See if you can spot any juveniles with the two-toned bill.

American Oystercatcher

So far I’ve only described the oystercatcher we encounter on the West Coast, the Black Oystercatcher. You can see the other US oystercatcher, the black and white American Oystercatcher, on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, and also on both coasts of Mexico and southern South America. The US species are two of eleven species worldwide, according to the Cornell Lab. An additional species— known only from the Canary Islands— is now extinct. In my travels over the past few decades as a birder, I’ve been fortunate to encounter eight oystercatcher species outside North America— one in Europe, two each in New Zealand and Australia, and three in Argentina. I added them all to my Life List of birds.

Pied Oystercatchers

Years ago, my husband Larry went for a swim in Tasmania, not noticing a parade of Pied Oystercatchers, and they were equally unconcerned about him. In the far northwest of the country, in Western Australia, my friend and expert birder Clare Morton monitors Pied Oystercatchers and has written about them in the international blog, 10,000 Birds. She told me, “they nest right on the beach, in sand dunes and in exposed areas where eggs or chicks are preyed on by raptors and feral cats, or run over by vehicles. Thankfully Pied Oystercatchers are known to live to over 30 years old in Australia and the population appears to be quite stable.” That means that Pied Oystercatchers live up to twice as long as North American Black Oystercatchers.

Blackish & Magellanic Oystercatchers

Only three other oystercatchers are all black, with subtle differences. The rest are black and white, like the American Oystercatcher. I was delighted to see black and white Magellanic Oystercatchers in Patagonia, along with a species that looked identical (to my eyes) to the Black Oystercatcher, but were Blackish Oystercatchers. Later I tried to understand the difference between the two. I looked at photos online. Paler pink legs on the Blackish? No, Cornell Lab considers both “pale pinkish” and explains that their “morphological similarity… has occasionally led to the two species being considered conspecific,”or the same. If confirmed, this would not be good news for my Life List!

Black Oystercatcher Relaxes

My goal is to never disturb birds. They face so many challenges that I don’t want them to use energy flying away from a place they’ve found to feed or rest. (Please keep your dog leashed on beaches, and give birds a wide berth.) All of these photos were taken with a zoom lens and cropped. When I’m very still, exploring tide pools, sometimes I look up and see a Black Oystercatcher, like this one. They’re one of my favorite birds. Not long ago, my husband bought a trimaran that he sailed for a few years, and I got to name it. Can you guess its name? Oystercatcher.