Ever wonder what Curlews eat?

[PeterD]

Down at Langstone harbour yesterday, I was admiring the recent influx of Curlew when I came across this bird enjoying a meal.

Wading at the waters edge, this bird found a crab:


It promptly decided it looked good enough to eat and started on the legs and claws:


It then took the shell in its beak to break it open:


And finally ate the shell:


This at last answers the question about what they find of interest in the mud.
Hope you enjoy this sequence.

Peter

[sleipnerofasgard]

I'm a big fan of sequence shots and these are particularly excellent.Nice one

[PeterD]

Originally Posted by sleipnerofasgard

I'm a big fan of sequence shots and these are particularly excellent.Nice one

Thank you. I too prefer sequence shots as they can be informative beyond just an image on its own.

Peter

[deer boy]

Great sequence Peter well captured

[PeterD]

Originally Posted by deer boy

Great sequence Peter well captured

Thank you for viewing and commenting.

Peter

[Poirot]

Fantastic, but how on earth does it digest such a hard shell?

Nice picture

[PeterD]

Originally Posted by Poirot

Fantastic, but how on earth does it digest such a hard shell?

Nice picture

Thanks for viewing and your comments.
I guess like many of us we thought the bill to be too slender to withstand breaking open shells and that their diet was mainly softish tissue creatures.
Photo 3 dispelled all of that for me when it broke into the shell to eat the body inside. I guess that as long as they break the shells into small enogh pieces, they are able to digest it.
This shoot was a real education for me.

Cheers

Peter

[galanthus]

Great shots, I think birds bills are a lot stronger than we think. I've been told that a parrot can sever someone's finger including the bone

[PeterD]

Originally Posted by galanthus

Great shots, I think birds bills are a lot stronger than we think. I've been told that a parrot can sever someone's finger including the bone

Thanks for your comments. I too have heard that of parrots and judging from the way threak break open really hard nuts, I can believe it.

Peter

[Pam_M]

A splendid set of photo's, Peter! And educational to boot!