There are many crab questions popping up after the show put on by the
South Jetty Curlew. Let me see if I can answer a few:

1. There are 3 intertidal crabs that can be found around the rocks and
in the permenant waters around the flats. The most common is the Purple
Shore Crab (_Hemigrapus nudus_) which is typically a uniform dark purple
carapice and lavendar to pink claws. I watched a large one of these take
on a curlew and win. Most of what the curlews are eating appear to be
this species. The Striped Shore Crab (_Pachygrapus crassipes_) and the
Red Rock Crab (_Cancer productus_) are also pretty common in the area,
but less likely to be found wandering the sands far from water. I watched
a Whimbrel take a small striped crab out of the pond and swallow it whole.

2. Curlews go for the large crabs. They toss them around with a twisting
motion that knocks the claws and legs off. They eat the carapice whole
then the legs (or vise versa). They are also picking something else out
of the sand which I've not yet got good looks at.




--

Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR _Birds and other Wildlife of the
mpatters at orednet.org Columbia River Estuary_
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/book_ad.html