Saga part 3: Far Eastern Curlews, ホウロクシギ

Continued from the previous post. Not only small birds, as the photo below might insinuate.

Early morning a whooping 500 Far Eastern Curlews, ホウロクシギ flew in. I have never seen this many!

They all wanted space and were often bickering at each other.

Below a Eurasian Curlew, ダイシャクシギ on the right and what looks like a very young one on the left

I was still in the neighborhood the following day, so I dropped by to see what it was like on a sunny day. The colors came out a lot better, but the shadows were deep. The patterns of feathers were not as well-defined as on the previous, mostly overcast day.

This day, the 9th, somebody discovered a Sanderling, ミユビシギ among the Dunlins, ハマシギ

Quite a feat, in this mass of grey feathers

Close to home

 In the harbor the Sanderlings started to come in. They like to feed on the ramp of the boat yard at low tide. But only when there are no yard workers around

Sanderlings, ミユビシギ

Gulls come and go, but Mew Gulls, カモメ mostly stay around the big Muromi river

Black-headed Gulls, ユリカモメ still without their black heads. 

Blue Rock Trush, イソヒヨドリ on its favorite concrete wall.

Really prefers bricks, rocks, concrete etc. as a resting place. I wonder why

Sanderlings, ミユビシギ and Dunlins, ハマシギ

When the time and the tides are right and the workers at the harbor are absent they might stop at the ramp, where they find food between the weeds that emerge at low tide. There are more Sanderlings than Dunlins now. About 50 Sanderlings, ミユビシギ and 25 Dunlins, ハマシギ　On this day, Febuary 6th there are no summer feathers yet, but that will change soon.

Good night

At their resting place across the river

Sanderlings ,ミユビシギ part 3

16:00 pm. The end of a hot and busy day. The sun is low, the mood is much better now. 

Huddled together at their pontoon. The 2 birds in the middle are juveniles.

Heads raised, something is coming up. 

Out of sight an engine is running, a boat might be passing by.

False alarm. Get back to the pontoon

Another engine. A boat is coming around the corner. All birds start running my way!  I am too close now, better move back 😅

From a distance