東高根森林公園 / Higashitakane Forest Park
On a personal note, I was busy preparing for my upcoming mission to the U.S. for work. I had no time to take pictures, but I was so excited about the new photo opportunities that I had bought a new set of equipment.
I didn’t have time to go out to a special place, so I went to a nearby forest park in Kanagawa to try out the new equipment.
These two photos provide a perfect contrast between the bill shapes of the Carrion Crow and Large-billed Crow. However, the bills surprisingly vary significantly among individuals, and depending on the angle of the photo, it can be quite confusing. As the name suggests, the bill of Large-billed Crow is thick, with the tip sharply curved like that of a raptor. However, there are individuals of Carrion Crows with bills that are curved and elongated at the tip, resembling those of Large-billed. This variability is also prominent in species like Whimbrel and Eurasian Curlew, where individuals can have vastly different bill lengths!
