Birding Lime Kiln

My parents are in town for a long weekend after coming to see my talk on Whidbey Island, so today it was time to take a tour around the island in the chilly sunshine. Lime Kiln Lighthouse, pictured above, was beautiful as the sun broke through between the clouds.

My dad is the one who can take credit for me becoming a birdwatcher, so whenever he's in town we make sure to get out and see what we can see. Some highlights today included a pair of trumpeter swans, five snow geese, and this little golden-crowned kinglet. Look at that face!

Also on the rocks by Lime Kiln were a pair of black oystercatchers. I love these birds, especially their loud whistling call. They're mostly black, but with pink legs, a bright red bill, and a yellow eye. You can see one of them calling below, just before they took off. He was standing there preening for a while, so I don't know if that's a downy feather stuck to his beak or what that is.

Here's one of them after he took off. The water looked cool in the late afternoon light.

There some more great photographic opportunities when we went down to False Bay. Check back tomorrow to find out what we saw!