Sooty Oystercatcher in the waves
Sooty Oystercatcher walking over rocks with the waves surging forward
Canon EOS R1 with a Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM Lens [ISO 2000, 800mm, f/9.0 and 1/2500])
Sooty Oystercatchers (Haematopus fuliginosus) generally inhabit rocky shores and, as this photo shows, they are not put off by waves. On this day in January, the tide was rising and the waves were washing over the rocks the bird was on. I took this photo at 1080 Beach, a quiet area just south of Narooma, where some of this species tend to always be. Interestingly, a study from 2011 showed that male Sooty Oystercatchers tended to eat hard skin prey like sea urchins, seashells, etc. While females looked for soft skin animals like bluebottles, fish, etc.
