More Laguna Atascosa NWR

At Laguna Atascosa there is a stretch of beach where the Osprey gather with their "catch of the day". Sometimes there would be between twelve and twenty Osprey at a time. I don't think I have ever seen that many Osprey together, at one time, anywhere else. Most of the time they were out of the reach of my camera, but one day I got lucky and this guy was fairly close to the road.

When one has food, one has lots of friends! Getting help from a Ring-billed gull and a Ruddy turnstone


Further up the road this guy wasn't having to share.


One of the times I drove this section of the refuge tour, there was an Osprey flying with his catch. I thought if I sped up I might be able to get far enough ahead of him to catch a photo of him flying. I was doing 20mph and not keeping up. The speed limit on the refuge is 15mph so I gave up the chase. sigh

Sanderling and Ruddy Turnstone

Two of the busiest shorebirds are the Sanderling and the Ruddy turnstone.

The Sanderlings seem to be almost continuous motion. There is usually a small group of them and they dart back and forth. They will forage in an area and then for no apparent reason they will fly off down the beach. There is actually a purpose to it. They are seeking stranded mollusks or crustaceans which have been left behind by receding waves.

The Ruddy turnstone also generally in small flocks. Their diet is more diverse, but they quite often also seek food left behind by receding waves.


Both photos were taken at Goose Island State Park.