A dunlin pulls a small clam from the sand and washes it off before swallowing it whole for dinner. An extremely low tide at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge last fall exposed a large area of feeding grounds for the shorebirds, and there seemed to be a never ending supply of these clams to eat. The density of prey species in the sand is amazing when you consider how frequently shorebirds pull them up, and how often the birds scour the area.
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Great shot, Pat. You mean they eat the shell and all.......
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol! Yep, they just swallow the shell down whole -- one moment you see it, the next it's gone. I thought it was interesting that they liked to wash off the sand first though!
DeleteThanks to Carol for asking what I was wondering. Now I am left wondering how the bird's digestive system deals with the shell.
ReplyDeleteThat photo is just stunning! The detail and lighting are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely splendid!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the little dunlins ... been photographing them every evening at sunset while down here on the beach in Florida. Great shot!
ReplyDeleteLovely shot, Pat! The clam looks tasty.
ReplyDeletebeautiful lighting and detail Pat
ReplyDeleteGreat color, light and composition Pat.
ReplyDelete