Although I had some professional responsibilities this Saturday morning along the north coast, I managed to slip away from the group and walk along the beach at low tide for a half an hour during a break. I was without my camera, but I remembered to bring my binoculars and my field guide, noting some common, but for me new, coastal birds, including a Sacred Ibis flying overhead, several Grey Plovers in breeding plumage, and a solitary Crab Plover. The latter is a distinctive wader in black and white with a big, heavy bill that it uses for stabbing at crabs as it runs along the water’s edge. Also present were a small group of Greater Flamingos and about fifty Whimbrels.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Mbezi Beach, Dar es Salaam: August 21, 2010
Although I had some professional responsibilities this Saturday morning along the north coast, I managed to slip away from the group and walk along the beach at low tide for a half an hour during a break. I was without my camera, but I remembered to bring my binoculars and my field guide, noting some common, but for me new, coastal birds, including a Sacred Ibis flying overhead, several Grey Plovers in breeding plumage, and a solitary Crab Plover. The latter is a distinctive wader in black and white with a big, heavy bill that it uses for stabbing at crabs as it runs along the water’s edge. Also present were a small group of Greater Flamingos and about fifty Whimbrels.