SGI OUTSIDE

Its name is misleading—it seldom eats oysters—preferring intertidal macroinvertebrates like mussels, limpets, and barnacles sourced from the rocky surf zone (read Uncovering SGI intertidal life). So, as a shoreline birder, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, of the nearly two hundred resident and part-time bird species in the Southern Gulf Islands, the Black Oystercatcher is one of my Five Finest Feathered Friends.

There is nothing quite like the sight of a colony of Double-crested Cormorants—hundreds of adults standing guard over their nests perched high above the seashore. This, along with scenes of them drying their outstretched wings, put them on my list of Five Finest Feathered Friends. Of the nearly two hundred resident and part-time bird species in the Southern Gulf Islands, those that spend much of their time along the shorelines, with their eyes on a meal, are the ones I enjoy

Third on my list of Five Finest Feathered Friends. No other bird soars in the warm thermal updrafts quite like a Turkey Vulture—wings stretched and feathered fingers splayed; together as wide as sliding patio doors—wobbly but gracefully drifting to higher elevations or descending to near ground level to catch the scent of or see carrion. Another of the nearly two hundred resident and part-time bird species in the Southern Gulf Islands.

Perhaps the most recognizable and magnificent bird of the islands is “Baldy,” easily making my list of Five Finest Feathered Friends (Great Blue Heron • Bald Eagle • Turkey Vulture • Cormorants • Black Oystercatcher). Of the nearly two hundred resident and part-time bird species in the Southern Gulf Islands, those that spend much of their time along the ocean shorelines, with their eyes on a meal, are the ones I enjoy seeing most.