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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Raptor Reports & Sanderling Photo Salon

[Mole Crab's-eye view of a charging Sanderling, early this morning at Stone Harbor Point. Click to enlarge all photos. Stone Harbor Point may be closed on and off for the next few days while beach replenishment equipment is operating there, or so one of the workmen informed me.]

Doug Gochfeld reports that the Swainson's Hawk is still around, seen from the hawk watch while looking towards the Beanery at about 9:00 a.m. this morning. Doug also had a Northern Goshawk north of the state park heading east at about 8:00 a.m., and a Cave Swallow from the platform at about 10:30 a.m.

[Mole Crabs move up and down the beach with the tides. They ingest seawater and extract plankton, algae and detritus as food. With legs specially adapted to burrow downward and backward constantly, they are often turned up by wave, or bird, action, and are a favorite food of Sanderlings, Willets, and gulls. Even sea ducks foraging close to shore partake.]

[Bickering over the remains.]

[One of the Sanderlings was color flaggged. NJAS co-sponsors a web site where you can report color-marked shorebirds.]

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