From Mendocino to muskegs

We woke up at 3:45 a.m. so that we could arrive on the Mendocino coast for early morning field work.  But it was worth it!  The wind and waves were calm enough to get the work done, and then we had a little extra time afterwards to enjoy the morning before heading back to Bodega Bay.

I was pleasantly surprised to come upon a small group of Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus) feeding along the rocky shore.  (I see them more often on tidal flats.)  They spent a lot of time probing for food among the coralline algae (pink in all of the images below).

 

 

 

 

Dowitchers are on their way north to breed in the muskegs of Canada.  Wish them luck!

 

P.S.  For different pictures (from Bodega Harbor), and a little more information about dowitchers, see the post from last July.