These are American Oyster Catchers, one of the faster shore birds. They made a large loop around us and came past at the best possible angle. That’s the only was I could have caught them.
As the name suggests their primary food is the oyster.
Very clever birds, they wait until an oyster cracks open their shell to push their lower mandible inside and pry it open. I can’t open them with a specially designed knife.
Coastal South Carolina.
Great shots, Ted. In-flight shots of smaller, fast birds are really tough–I’ve tried often enough to appreciate the level of difficulty of getting shots like these.
Thank you 😃😃. I had a little more time than usual since we were in an open marsh. I must admit they came out better than expected 😊