Waders and other shore birds in April 2024

 Waders continue to be presence in month of April albeit with slightly less numbers. 

Terek Sandpiper 

Xenus cinereus

Wonder why they called them a 'Xenus' and not a 'Calidris' or a 'Tringa'?

Terek Sandpiper 

Xenus cinereus

Yep ! that's what I am expecting to see at this time of the year - waders in breeding colours.

Tibetan Sand Plover 

Looks like a Charadrius mongolus (solid black mask without broad white patches)

Tibetan Sand Plover 

Most likely a male too.

Another breeding looking wader.

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea 

Common Greenshank 

Tringa nebularia

Looks like it hasn't fully developed into its full breeding plumage or perhaps it's a female.

This is probably the best shot I ever had on this wader in full breeding plumage !

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

We all yearn to see them in this breeding plumage.

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

Consuming as much protein and fat before their long journey to their respective breeding grounds.

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

They don't have much underwing patterns as compared to Bar-tailed Godwits.

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

Another wader in breeding plumage.

 

Red-necked Stint 

Calidris ruficollis 

This stint is not yet done with its breeding plumage I guess.

Is this a Red-necked Stint or something else?

Note: A local expert confirmed that it was just a RNS after all.

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Not sure whether those are breeding plumage or not ? 

Whimbrel 

Here's another interesting one.

Common Redshank 

I wonder whether it's a Ssp craggi or perhaps a terrignotae?

Terns are also changing into their breeding plumage.

Whiskered Tern

Burung Botak ! as locals called them.

Lesser Adjutant 

Leptoptilos javanicus

They have become more common in the Selangor coastline but uncommon elsewhere.

All Egrets are Herons but not all Herons are Egrets !

Grey Heron

A typical sunning pose by this Heron.

This is a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron. 

They are so adapted to human presence that you can approach them quite close. Maybe one day I will try to hand feed them.

Another large bird hanging out at our coastal shore. More frequent now in the Selangor coastline.

Painted Stork 

Locals called them 'Burung Zoo' cause many of them probably originated from our National Zoo.

THAT'S ALL FOLKS ! 

THE UP COMING POST WILL BE WADERS DURING THEIR WINTER BREAK.

 

Waders in Feb and Mar 2024 - understanding waders plumage etc

This is a long overdue post. Too occupied with other work to concentrated on the waders until now. Here are several waders (the usual ones) which traverse our shoreline in West Peninsular Malaysia. These two months (i.e February and March) are basically occupied by two species of waders i.e Curlew SP and Asian Dowitchers.

A small flock of Black-tailed Godwits

Their numbers can reached in hundreds at times.

Bar-tailed Godwits

Their numbers can reached in thousands at times.

Bar-tailed Godwits

They usually fly in a tight formation but you never hear reports of them poking at each other backs.

Grey Plover (Black-bellied Plover)

Their population has decreased tremendously according to IUCN report. So it is always nice to see them in a flock.

Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

Apparently the breed as far as the Artic region. Here you can see one in partial breeding plumage.

Surprise ! surprise ! These two are actually Grey Plover (Black-bellied Plovers). Luckily I got a few overseas experts who are so willingly to assist in the ID (including Dave Bakewell who is also from overseas). Initially I thought they were Pacific Golden Plovers (PGP) but the whitish rump differentiated them from PGP.

Like most Calidris and Charadrius, they can actually fly very fast.

Terek Sandpiper in flight

Terek SP and Common Redshank scuttling away as we approach them.

Common Redshank

Common Redshank

Bird-in-flight 

Pacific Golden Plover

Bird-in-flight

Tibetan Sand Plover (Lesser Sand Plover)

Broad-billed Sandpiper

Their feathers always appears larger than the rest of the smaller waders like RNS.

The most difficult part of looking at waders are trying to age them and in this case trying to identify the type of feathers in their winter plumage. I have chosen the Asian Dowitcher as a sample as their feathers' contra are quite visible. 

With the help of local wader expert (Dave Bakewell), the type of feathers are as follows:

1) Mantle, 2) and 3) Scapular, 4) Upper Tertial, 5) Tertial, 6) Primaries, 7) Under Tail Coverts, 8) Median Coverts, 9) Scapular, and 10) Lesser Coverts.

Asian Dowitcher flying in tandem

Here is a comparison of an Asian Dowitcher and a Curlew SP.

Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)

They are not really that big in real life.

Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)

They are actually seen more often wading in a group rather than individually.

I believe this a Black-tailed Godwit.

Here is a comparison between a Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Greenshank.

I think this looks like a Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia).

Another Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) I believe.

Its bill looks so thin but it is decurved like a Common Greenshank.

Here are a trio of Marsh Sandpipers.

Here comes the Red-necked Stint (RNS)

Lots of their photos this time.

Most of them came quite close to the edge of the tideline.

Looks like most of them have ready switched to their winter plumage.

This is the only one spotted with traces of breeding plumage. You can see that its neck is actually reddish.

This one has a very odd looking plumage. Nevertheless I believe it's a Broad-billed Sandpiper.

Now how about this one here? Many believe that it's a Broad-billed Sandpiper as well.

Next abundant waders seen this time were the Curlew Sandpipers.

Many of them still display their breeding plumage.

This Curlew SP is almost done with its breeding plumage.

Probing for protein after their arrival from a long distance journey.

Fluffy looking feathers.

Another one showing its breeding plumage.

There are also other shorebirds showing their breeding colours. Here is a red hot Bar-tailed Godwit.

This could be the reason why many birders like to see waders at this time of the year.

Most likely it's a male.

Here comes the other non-wader species.

Gull-billed Tern

In the coast of Selangor they can be quite numerous but further North like in TAT or KKM, their numbers are fewer.

Brown-headed Gull

Can be identified from the white patch at its forewing tip.

Great Crested Tern.

Probably the most common large size terns coming to our shoreline every year-in and year-out as compared to the Lesser Crested Tern.

Here is what I consider a rare and historical find (at least for me)

Great Crested Tern with a metal ring.

The rings are reported to be tagged at Zhejiang, China.

I SHOULD HAVE SAY 'NI HOW' TO IT !! ADIOUS.