May 30, 2003

The mudflats by the Kirby Park pathway are rife with Lined Shore Crabs, who quickly head for cover as soon as they see you. This one leaves a track in the mud as he scurries away – claws held high so they don't drag in the mud.

Dodder is a parasite on the pickleweed of the saltmarshes, and appears in bright oranges patches all around the slough at this time of year. This close view shows how it wraps itself around its host.


A Black-necked Stilt alights near two Willets. The shells that litter the mudflats are an invasive species of Japanese snail, Battilaria, that has established a huge population in the slough.


We are pretty sure that stilts are nesting near the Kirby path; this display – flying in circles and calling repeatedly – is a typical territorial behavior of this bird.