After learning that a Ruff had been found at the mouth of Pescadero Creek this morning, Robbie Fischer, Jeff Morlan and I decided to look for the bird this afternoon. We located it feeding on Kelp Flies (Coelopidae) along the beach where I was fortunate to be able to take a few photos. The abundant Kelp Flies (Coelopidae) provided a fine feast for this Ruff. Here the flies are surprisingly in focus. This bird was actively chasing the flies, almost never stopping. Thus digiscoping was a challenge.
This individual appears to be a juvenal female. In this species the males are much larger than the females, and support a flamboyant "ruff" during the mating season. The smaller females are sometimes called "Reeves." This is a rare migrant and winter visitor to California from Asia or Alaska where it has nested. The vast majority of Ruffs winter in Africa including some birds from northeastern Siberia.
Olympus D-550z / Nikon FieldScope 3 / 30XWA (hand-held - no adapter).