The next day I set off to Observation Point. The tide was just starting to go out and it was a fairly tough slog along soft sand for about 3kms.
Along the way I came across a Red-capped Plover, Hooded Plover and it wasn't until I got home that I discovered I also had a Double-banded Plover (1st new tick for the day).
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| Red-capped Plover, Charadrius ruficapillus |
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| Hooded Plover, Thinornis rubricollis |
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| Doubel-banded Plover, Charadrius bicinctus |
Because the tide was only just heading out there was less sand at Observation Point for the birds to hang out on, making it easier for me to see them.
There were huge flocks of Red-necked Stints and Crested Terns. With smaller groups of Caspian Terns, Pacific Gulls, Masked Lapwings and Bar-tailed Godwits amongst them.
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| Caspian Tern, Hydroprogne caspia |
I had seen a Caspian Tern from a distance a few years ago near Welshpool but the photo was terrible. I was really happy to get a much closer shot with these ones.
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| Caspian Tern, Hydroprogne caspia |
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| Crested Tern, Thalasseus bergii |
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| Crested Tern, Thalasseus bergii |
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| Pacific Gull, Larus pacificus |
I had first spotted the Bar-tailed Godwits the previous day but the position of the sun and the distance made the shots useless. Today a group flew in and landed quite close to me on the point. Another tick to the list!
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| Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica |
It was interesting to see that a lot of the birds had been tagged.
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| Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica |
I just caught the end of an interesting show put on by a trio of Masked Lapwings.
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| Masked Lapwings, Vanellus miles |
I also discovered when I got home that I had also found a small group of Double-banded Plovers at the point. These guys would have just finished breeding in New Zealand and will now hang out in Australia over the winter.
On my way home I stopped in at the Shearwater Estate wetlands and happily watched a Spoonbill wade around, sweeping the water for food.
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| Royal Spoonbill, Platalea regia |
With 2 new species ticked, my tally has slowly risen to 190. Looking forward to getting the next 10 ticked off!
Congratulations Rachael. I reckon I'll be on that same bit of beach this weekend (it is a bit of a slog)! So often with birding it's like seeing old friends and that is certainly my experience of your post here!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of your little plovers. I haven't seen the DBPs there this year yet so it will be nice to "catch up"! I'm finding that they are such an interesting little bird!