Can you spot the ruddy turnstone in this photo? The smallest bird is a least sandpiper. It has yellow legs and is one of our tiniest peeps.

Every once in a while I wonder when I will see certain shorebirds again. I always hope to see our uncommon or rare migrants especially when it comes to shorebirds.

Spring and summer are good times to walk the ocean beaches or even take a leisurely drive when the tide is right. It is then, if we are lucky and observant, that we can see such species. I took a turn on the beach yesterday. I was both lucky and observant. Hundreds of sanderlings were racing with the waves, resting in large flocks, or running across the hard packed sand foraging for prey. It is easy to dismiss the group as “just sanderlings” and move on, but not today. I was on a mission to look carefully at every group of shorebirds or gulls to see if I could find a ruddy turnstone. This is the season when I have seen “ruddies” before. Could this be my lucky day? Normally, the ruddy turnstone migrates through the midwest and other inland states. Since some winter on or near the west coast, there is always a chance that a few will come our way. They travel alone or in very small groups of two or three.

The ruddy turnstone is a medium sized shorebird with a short bill and is eight to ten inches in length. It has a stocky appearance which along with a pair of short legs makes it seem as though it is front heavy. It has a dark bib and white belly in all plumages. In summer its legs are yellow to orange-red in color. Its bill is black and wedged shaped. Its wings and back are a bright rust color. Males have striking patterns of black and white markings on the face. They are brighter than females. The latter have a paler plumage such that are just duller looking in color compared to the male. In winter, the ruddy turnstone is mainly brown on its back, wings and head. The black bib is there but pale in color and the legs are not as bright as in summer. Thus, its head markings are visible even if they are paler.

The turnstone gets its name from its habit of turning over small stones and pebbles when foraging for prey. It also turns over shells and will dig holes in the sand, often larger than itself as it seeks to uncover burrowing crustaceans.

A similar species to the ruddy turnstone is the black turnstone. It is black and white in summer and slate-colored and white in winter. Its head and breast are almost all black and its legs are a dark reddish-brown. It has absolutely no rust on its plumage. This species of turnstone used to hang out at the Port of Peninsula, Nahcotta. However, I haven’t seen one there for many years. They were usually sitting atop the conveyor belt picking off left-overs from the oyster shells as they moved with the belt before dropping into the waiting truck beneath. I also used to see them sitting on the oyster boats or loafing on piles of oyster shells in the harbor.

Was it my lucky day? You must have guessed by now that it was!! I saw one ruddy turnstone amongst the sanderlings. It was a large flock of birds that had been joined by western sandpipers, least sandpipers, dowitchers, and black bellied plovers. Brown pelicans were loafing on the beach with the shorebirds or dippsy doodling in and out of the waves, and a common murre was sitting on the beach hoping the tide would hurry and come in so it could dive into the ocean when its enemies came near. Heermann’s gulls were also present. It is the season to see them loafing on our ocean beaches. It is also the season to see Ruddy Turnstones. It was truly a lucky day! There is a season, turn, turn, turn!

Happy birding!