The Sea Cats

Among all of the Japanese birds names, the name ウミネコ(Umi-neko) of the Black-tailed Gull is probably my most favourite. Isn't it just lovely to call a bird a sea cat. You might already be able to guess when were these pictures taken and yes, they were all taken on the same day as the Ruddy Turnstones in the earlier posts.

Adult birds were all in their breeding plumage.

This bird is a first-year adult which hasn't fully finished moulting.

These sea cats seemed to scare the tiny turnstones.

Another set of a first-year Black-tailed Gull with the turnstone

More Turnstones

Some more photos of the same pair of Ruddy Turnstones at Rokushou-en. I've just recently got some information about a seemingly good mudflat area in Nakatsu city, about 2 hours traveling by car north of Beppu. I will go there with my Sustainable Development seminar class on June 3rd. They say that it's a special and rare type of mudflat and is very rich in biodiversity. I still have no idea about the place though, but I hope there are some good waders there. Hope June 3rd won't be too late for these spring migrants.

The facial pattern looks like a clown.

Here's a good comparison between the male(left) and female(right) bird.

Ruddy Turnstones

It was last Sunday when I found this pair of Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) at Rokushou-en. Though I've only got several hours for birding before going to an appointment, the birds were obliging enough for me to get loads of satisfiable shots. They were feeding on some invertebrates hiding among the rocks. Male bird has pure white crown with black streaks, while the female has brownish wash on its crown and layered with black streaks.

Too bad I didn't see it turning any stone...

This one is a female. You can see the brownish wash clearly here.

Some cute acts!

It definitely looks much better in breeding plumage.

Now here's a male; pure white crown with black streaks.

I still have more photos of these turnstones left.
I'll be uploading them later in other post.

Just A Record

Few photos of the first 3 Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) of Beppu. I found these small birds perching near Spa Beach few days ago. Though I waited for about an hour, the birds didn't seem to be interested in coming closer to the beach, so I later gave up. The bird then adds up as #110 in my Beppu-Oita list.