{"id":44280,"date":"2017-01-08T06:31:48","date_gmt":"2017-01-08T13:31:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=44280"},"modified":"2025-09-14T13:40:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T18:40:28","slug":"ruddy-turnstone-aba-bird-of-the-year-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/01\/08\/ruddy-turnstone-aba-bird-of-the-year-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruddy Turnstone &#8211; ABA Bird of the Year 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter wp-image-156040 size-full\" title=\"Ruddy Turnstone side view at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-beach-mia-mcpherson-6243.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-beach-mia-mcpherson-6243.jpg\" alt=\"Ruddy Turnstone side view at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida\" width=\"850\" height=\"607\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27850%27%20height%3D%27607%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20850%20607%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27850%27%20height%3D%27607%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-beach-mia-mcpherson-6243-200x143.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-beach-mia-mcpherson-6243-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-beach-mia-mcpherson-6243-400x286.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-beach-mia-mcpherson-6243-600x428.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-beach-mia-mcpherson-6243-768x548.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-beach-mia-mcpherson-6243.jpg 850w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Ruddy Turnstone side view &#8211; Nikon D200, handheld, f9, 1\/640, ISO 160, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 230mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Beginning in March of 2011 the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aba.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">American Birding Association<\/span><\/a> (ABA) has selected a Bird of the Year starting with the American Kestrel in 2011. Since that time the ABA Bird of the Year has included the Evening Grosbeak (2012), Common Nighthawk (2013), Rufous Hummingbird (2014), Green Heron (2015) and the Chestnut-collared Longspur (2016).<\/p>\n<p>A few days ago the <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.aba.org\/2017\/01\/introducing-the-2017-bird-of-the-year.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ABA announced the 2017 Bird of the Year as the Ruddy Turnstone<\/span><\/a> and I couldn&#8217;t be any happier because shorebirds were my &#8220;spark&#8221; birds that propelled me into the world of bird photography. So to see a shorebird selected as the Bird of the Year excited me.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter wp-image-156044 size-full\" title=\"Sea Urchin with Ruddy Turnstone, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-urchin-mia-mcpherson-3330.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-urchin-mia-mcpherson-3330.jpg\" alt=\"Sea Urchin with Ruddy Turnstone, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida\" width=\"850\" height=\"607\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27850%27%20height%3D%27607%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20850%20607%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27850%27%20height%3D%27607%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-urchin-mia-mcpherson-3330-200x143.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-urchin-mia-mcpherson-3330-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-urchin-mia-mcpherson-3330-400x286.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-urchin-mia-mcpherson-3330-600x428.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-urchin-mia-mcpherson-3330-768x548.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-urchin-mia-mcpherson-3330.jpg 850w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Sea Urchin with Ruddy Turnstone &#8211; Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1\/500, ISO 250, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Some Ruddy Turnstone information:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Ruddy Turnstones are medium sized, stocky shorebirds with short dark bills, short orange legs, black and white facial patterns, white bellies and dark backs. In breeding plumage their backs and sides turn a bright reddish brown and the facial patterns become more distinct. In nonbreeding plumage they are duller but still colorful.<\/li>\n<li>Turnstones get their name because while foraging they often turn stones (or shells, seaweed on wrack lines) over with their bills to get at their prey.<\/li>\n<li>Ruddy Turnstones eat insects like midges, small mollusks, crustaceans, horseshoe crab eggs, bird eggs when available, some vegetation during the breeding season, garbage and carrion that has washed on shore.<\/li>\n<li>Ruddy Turnstones are migratory. They breed in arctic coastal tundra habitats, particularly rocky coasts.<\/li>\n<li>Ruddy Turnstones lay 2 to 4 eggs which hatch in 21 to 23 days. Both sexes incubate and they are monogamous.<\/li>\n<li>The oldest Ruddy Turnstone recorded was nearly 15 years of age.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ruddy Turnstones can be found in North, Central and South America, Europe, Russia, Africa, China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and many of the Pacific Islands. Birders and bird photographers around the world can enjoy seeing and photographing this flashy shorebird.<\/p>\n<p>Because Ruddy Turnstones breed in arctic coastal tundra habitats there is concern about them being affected by climate change and rising sea levels.<\/p>\n<p>Although Ruddy Turnstones migrate through Utah I have not been able to get as close to them as I did when I lived in Florida where they were so brazen they would walk up close enough to me that at times that I could not focus on them.<\/p>\n<p>I was always excited to see Ruddy Turnstones on the beaches of Florida&#8217;s Gulf Coast and now I am excited that they have been chosen as the ABA Bird of the Year! Happy dance!<\/p>\n<p>Life <em>is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n<p>Mia<\/p>\n<p>Have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xeno-canto.org\/318792\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">listen<\/span><\/a> to Ruddy Turnstones on their breeding grounds in Norway.<\/p>\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/ruddy-turnstone-images\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Ruddy Turnstone photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A few days ago the ABA announced the 2017 Bird of the Year as the Ruddy Turnstone and I couldn&#8217;t be any happier because shorebirds were my &#8220;spark&#8221; birds that propelled me into the world of bird photography.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":156040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25,704,2000,292],"tags":[5592,4439,4039,4053,3462,173,4077,2387,4246,1712,4017,274,5837,4622],"class_list":["post-44280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-pinellas-county-florida","category-ruddy-turnstones","tag-aba-bird-of-the-year","tag-arenaria-interpres","tag-beach","tag-breeding-plumage","tag-climate-change","tag-gulf-coast","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-migratory","tag-nonbreeding-plumage","tag-ruddy-turnstone","tag-sand","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-turnstone","tag-turnstones"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-beach-mia-mcpherson-6243.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-bwc","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46487,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/04\/28\/ruddy-turnstone-chicks-grow-up-fast\/","url_meta":{"origin":44280,"position":0},"title":"Ruddy Turnstone Chicks Grow Up Fast","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"What is really fascinating to me is that within two days of fledging Ruddy Turnstone chicks embark on their first migration to their wintering grounds.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ruddy Turnstone profile at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ruddy-turnstone-shoreline-mia-mcpherson-5636.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ruddy-turnstone-shoreline-mia-mcpherson-5636.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ruddy-turnstone-shoreline-mia-mcpherson-5636.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ruddy-turnstone-shoreline-mia-mcpherson-5636.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5916,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/08\/17\/ruddy-turnstones-in-breeding-and-nonbreeding-plumage\/","url_meta":{"origin":44280,"position":1},"title":"Ruddy Turnstones In Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Ruddy Turnstones in breeding and nonbreeding plumage can appear to be two different species to novice birders and bird photographers as can several other bird species.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ruddy Turnstone close up, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ruddy-turnstone-breeding-mia-mcpherson-6256.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ruddy-turnstone-breeding-mia-mcpherson-6256.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ruddy-turnstone-breeding-mia-mcpherson-6256.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ruddy-turnstone-breeding-mia-mcpherson-6256.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1164,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/10\/31\/shorebirds-of-fort-de-soto-ruddy-turnstones\/","url_meta":{"origin":44280,"position":2},"title":"Shorebirds of Fort DeSoto &#8211; Ruddy Turnstones","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the easier medium-sized shorebirds to identify on Fort De Soto's beaches and tidal mudflats are the Ruddy Turnstones. The only other turnstone that frequents North America is the Black Turnstone and it occurs on the Pacific coast.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bird ID&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bird ID","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/bird-identification\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ruddy Turnstone in breeding plumage, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-mia-mcpherson-fort-de-soto-male-breeding-6188.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-mia-mcpherson-fort-de-soto-male-breeding-6188.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-mia-mcpherson-fort-de-soto-male-breeding-6188.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-mia-mcpherson-fort-de-soto-male-breeding-6188.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6712,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/05\/ruddy-turnstone-on-driftwood\/","url_meta":{"origin":44280,"position":3},"title":"Ruddy Turnstone On Driftwood","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I was tickled one morning when I came across this Turnstone in nonbreeding plumage perched on a piece of weathered driftwood just after the sun came over the horizon with the waters of the Gulf of Mexico behind it.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ruddy Turnstone on driftwood at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-5047.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-5047.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-5047.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-5047.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":88064,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/05\/17\/resting-ruddy-turnstone\/","url_meta":{"origin":44280,"position":4},"title":"Resting Ruddy Turnstone","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Twelve years ago today I was on the beach at Fort De Soto County Park focused on photographing a male Ruddy Turnstone resting on the warm sand with the Gulf behind him.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult male Ruddy Turnstone resting on sand, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-on-beach-mia-mcpherson-6194.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-on-beach-mia-mcpherson-6194.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-on-beach-mia-mcpherson-6194.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ruddy-turnstone-on-beach-mia-mcpherson-6194.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5433,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/08\/01\/ruddy-turnstone-bathing\/","url_meta":{"origin":44280,"position":5},"title":"Ruddy Turnstone Bathing","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) image was created several years ago at Fort De Soto County Park's north beach in central Florida.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Birds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bathing Ruddy Turnstone","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/ruddy-turnstone-bathing-mia-mcpherson-1136.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/ruddy-turnstone-bathing-mia-mcpherson-1136.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/ruddy-turnstone-bathing-mia-mcpherson-1136.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/ruddy-turnstone-bathing-mia-mcpherson-1136.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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