I impressed Berry that, even before we had eaten breakfast, we saw the Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) on a sandbar. It is black with a distinctive black and orange beak. Its lower mandible is longer than the upper, making it look like a broken beak. This is intentional. As the bird flies close to the water, the longer underpart of the bill is skimmed through the water to scoop up fish. Today we saw them sunning themselves in the sand.
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The Mississippi Gulf Coast is a major breeding ground for the Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) and here we spotted lots of them. They were sharing the beach with larger Ring Billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis), some excessively active Willets (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) and the skittish if not frantic flock of Sanderlings (Calidris alba). We even counted four Herring Gulls (Larus smithsonianus) in the mix. These are large brown birds that reminded me very much of the Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) that we saw in Iceland.
Five Ruddy Turnstones ((Arenaria interpres) pecked at things on a sandbar. They use their beaks to turn over stones in search of nibblable snacks. The Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) we recognized because they nest near our hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Further out on the surf were Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca). They were in deeper water because they have longer legs and long straight bills. Floating out in even deeper water were two Common Loons (Gavia immer).
It is cool here, but it is the wind that cuts through you. The hurricane damage is still evident. There are empty lots for sale and open foundations where there used to be houses. If people want to rebuild in the path of inevitable hurricanes, homeowners insurance must be astronomical.
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We birded down the coast and into the swampland of the Louisiana Purchase. Dat's near N'Awlins, so went into town to have lunch. I spoke twice to my sister by phone and she texted me several times today. She is resting. She suggested that if we were in New Orleans, we should eat at Mandina's restaurant on Canal Street. She used to live there and knew the place. We did not try the homemade Turtle Soup. I had the Trout LaFitte (trout with spicy shrimp etouffee on top). Berry had Fried Eggplant with Marinara Sauce and Shrimp Remoulade. What a tip! What a treat! We were stuffed, so the complimentary Bread Pudding came with us for later.
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After an exhausting day birding on the beach, we traded seats and Berry drove on up into Baton Rouge. Tomorrow our journey takes us back up into Mississippi and we'll follow the river to Vicksburg. Then north to Memphis.
Robert and Berry
photos courtesy of tfoote, bshelton, neworleansonline
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