Charles

Charles, Curlew sandpiper I fly 15,000 km to have sex on the tundra, and then I fly home again. Home is the place you call Langebaan Lagoon in the West Coast National Park in South Africa. When I am at home, I wear drab grey and white feathers. But, you should see my breeding outfit. I replace the dull feathers with a set of brightly coloured feathers. I am Charles, and I am a male Curlew Sandpiper. When I get to the tundra, I show off doing awesome acrobatic flights, and try to impress a female with my plumage and my agility. If I get lucky, and a female picks me, then we mate. I guard her jealously, and do my utmost that no other male gets anywhere near her. We build a nest and she lays...View all