Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres

A striking shorebird on Florida shores is the Ruddy Turnstone in breeding plumage. In April they are present in good numbers, fattening up for the long flight to breed in the arctic tundra. We do see Ruddy Turnstones on the west coast, but in smaller numbers. Some of them winter at spots like Bodega Bay, where they hang out with our Black Turnstones. Here's a Ruddy from Fred Howard Park in basic plumage, just starting to develop some color.

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Nearby the other Turnstones were looking pretty spiffy. Note the mound of sand at the base of the bill, almost covering the nostril.

Turnstones use their bills extensively while foraging, usually to flip over stone or shells along the shore, or at Bodega Bay more likely to flip over the algae looking for hidden morsels. At Fred Howard Park some of the Turnstones were digging impressive excavations in the sand, which explains the sand that collects sometimes on the bill:

We watched one turnstone dig for 5 minutes at a frenetic pace. Never did see it find prey of any size, but maybe it was eating while it was digging. A video captured some of the action.​

A bit further south (along the Honeymoon Island Causeway, Dunedin) we saw many Ruddy Turnstones on the narrow stretch between the road and the water. Here's one with a clean bill, which shows the location of the nostril. The orange legs are present year-round, which sometimes helps picking out a Ruddy that's hanging out in a large flock of Black Turnstones on the west coast, such as at Bodega Bay in the winter.