Listening to Surfbirds

Last January I wrote about Surfbird behavior in high pools along the rocky shore.  In that case, two Surfbirds were facing off, both expressing interest in using the pool to bathe.  Today I encountered similar behavior, but this time between a Surfbird and Black Turnstone.  And I was lucky enough to record a few Surfbird vocalizations during the interaction.

First the pictures.  Here's a visualization of the behavior.  I think you'll be able to tell that both birds were pretty invested in defending the pool!

 

And here are two images of Surfbirds bathing in high pools:

 

 

After taking a bath, the birds roosted on nearby rocks.  For comparison, the Surfbird is on the left and the Black Turnstone is on the right:

 

And now for the recordings.  Below are three short recordings of the Surfbird vocalizing. There are large waves breaking in the background, but listen for the high-pitched squeals.  (You may need to turn up the volume.)  

I can't find much information about Surfbird calls during the non-breeding season, so this is an opportunity to document what they sound like during the winter while defending a bathing site.  (For the record, this is the individual on the left in the first two photos.)

Here's hoping for a year full of new and interesting natural history observations!

Happy New Year!