Afternoon Birding, part 3

With tides still favorable for after-work birding, I seized the day and tried to find a new shorebird species or two. No new species, but I always appreciate good views of birds and their behavior. The map shows my favorite haunts in this part of Awase. Two points are eBird "hotspots": the Hiyagon and the Awase Bay IBA.  The other locations are good spots in and around the bay. There is a lot of construction going on with the pier, and a woman who passed me earlier in the week told me that there used to be many more birds before the construction. She gave me two coffee flavored candies after I shared my scope views with her. It's my little way of sharing this area with the people who live there all the time, and every now and then I meet someone with infinitely better English than my Japanese!

There are regular banding activities at the Hiyagon, a mangrove restoration area with shallow pools for foraging and a rock berm that offers a good place for shorebirds to get out of the water. Occasionally, you can find Black-faced Spoonbills, although I have not seen them with the same regularity as other species. The banded birds from Hiyagon have colored flags as well as metal rings. The metal rings are usually on the right leg, and the flags on the left leg. The colors for Hiyagon are blue (top) and orange (bottom).

Several birds hide among the rocks on the berm. Some patient scanning with the spotting scope reveals many more birds just "hanging out" than you can see with the naked eye. Some species blend expertly with the rocks and sand here.

Moving from Hiyagon out to the bay, a different assortment of shorebirds, although many of the same players that I've seen this week. The Common Greenshanks (above) are graceful and delicate, even when preening! The whimbrels, Gray-tailed Tattlers, and Terek Sandpipers intermingle on the remaining rock tops as the tide comes in. 

I'm on the hunt for other species seen here recently, such as a Ruff. No luck, However, with views like these, how can one be too disappointed?