Ft. Myers Beach
Monday, November 7, 2011
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This image catches the heron at the moment of strike at 1/1000 sec to stop the motion of the water.
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| This oystercatcher was surveying a bed of oysters. |
This was a great opportunity to watch an oystercatcher in his element. He surveyed the mound of oyster shells and then found the shallow water off to the edge of the exposed mound of shells more to his liking.
He would thrust downward and work his head side to side as if prying open a shell. It appeared quite forceful, so his strong beak seemed to be a good pryer.
He waded into deeper water, and standing bellydeep, he plunged and torqued his head in even more violent motions. I saw him swallow a couple of times, but never saw anything in his beak. Perhaps he uses it as a straw to just suck up the oyster, or clams as they may be. It was the first time I had actually seen an oystercatcher oystercatching!
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Index
2011 |
