[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

The September 2024 issue of Natural History Magazine (from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City) has a great article on the birds of Bodega Bay, especially those of Limantour Beach on the south shore of Point Reyes Peninsula.

Entitled Bedlam on the Beach by Pete Myers, it documents the birds on the beach, especially in relation to their favorite foods, particularly the Mole (or Sand) Crab, Emerita analoga, a member of the decapod family Hippidae. The mole doesn’t look much like a crab as it lacks claws, and looks more like a brownish-gray olive. Adults range from less than 1″ for males to just under 2″ for females.

Their unenviable life consists largely of gathering kelp, detritus and plankton with their large antennae during the 5-15 second period the wave rushes out while simultaneously dodging the crowds of shorebirds who rush down behind the retreating wave to gather up this oil and fat-rich prey. The crabs escape capture by burrowing backwards into the churning sand. Somehow they manage to mate and at times millions of their minuscule eggs cover the beach.

Author Pete Myers has kindly made available over 100 photos of bird action on Limantour Beach. https://www.calidris.photography/Birdscapes/Bedlam-on-the-Beach/i-3qbdVsZ

For example, a Long-billed Curlew about to swallow a Mole Crab. Notice the closed eyes, indicating a happy curlew.

Fortunately, the article was republished with permission in EHN – Environmental Health News, also in September 2024. https://www.ehn.org/shorebird-photography-2669121513.html

Fascinating narration and great photos!