On a big rock near the shore today, a small flock of oystercatchers huddled together against the cold, keeping to the downwind side. It was a warmish afternoon, barely below freezing, and the sun sometimes peeped out briefly from behind the clouds, but not enough, never enough to warm that big rock. All the oystercatchers were standing on one foot (each), keeping the other one warm.
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| 30 oystercatchers and one two-footed gull. |
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| Zooming in. I think one of the birds, centre back, is changing feet. |
After an hour on the beach, my fingers were aching, and I was holding a hand over my frozen nose. How do these birds handle bare feet and long noses, standing out in the cold all day and all night?
We're about to get our first real cold here in New Jersey this week, and your oystercatchers look the way I expect to feel, waiting for the school buses tomorrow morning.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how they all stand on one foot!
ReplyDelete