Magically Epic Day at Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary!

I had the most amazing visit to Elsie Roemer this week… I don’t think there are any words to describe how completely magical and mesmerizing it was to be there alone, amongst hundreds and hundreds of wintering shorebirds! I arrived early in the morning, around 8:30am and was the only person there for about 25 minutes. The sun was out, it was relatively clear, and there were birds as far as you could see…

Follow me on IG @eastbaybirder and TikTok @eastbaybirder to see videos from my visit!

The most exciting part of this visit was encountering a flock of black skimmers! I had never seen one before, but had read about them and had seen photos of them online… it was so thrilling to see them in person! They are much smaller than I imagined, very cute and silly looking with their short legs and long bill… after reading about them, I learned that they are the only bird that has a vertical pupil (like a cat), which helps them see better, as well as they have a call that sounds like a dog! I like to call them the “toucan of the sea”

Here are some of the other birds that were there:

Birds of Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary:

Dunlin	Semipalmated Plover	Black Skimmer*
Marbled Godwit	Hudsonian Whimbrel	House Finch
Short-billed Gull	Greater Yellowlegs	Black-bellied Plover

*first sighting!