Tuesday 18 March 2014

Airport Roost

To start off with, I would like to say a big Thank You to Mick for the phone call telling us to get the kayak and come down if we wanted to see the birds before they left on their migration. I have wanted to get photos of the Terek Sandpipers for a long time, but the weather and tides are not always right when we are able to go. On Friday we could not have asked for a better day. The water was dead calm, not a ripple to be seen, no wind, but we did get a little shower of rain just as we put the kayak in the water. By the time we paddled out to the roost the shower had passed, and I was able to get the photos below.
Click on photos to enlarge. 
 
 Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus)
Most times when we see the Black-necked Stork it is off in the distance, but on this day it was very close, hunting for prey in the shallows.




 Common Greenshank 
Australian Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris) Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

 Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

 Grey-tailed Tattler (Heteroscelus brevipes)
 Pacific Golden Plover

 Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)


Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus
Grey-tailed Tattler
For more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday.

14 comments:

Richard Waring said...

Some nice shots there Neil. Just wondering how close you are able to get in the kayak, the Jabiru for instance seems quite close, as do the Pacific GPs. Looks like a great variety in there, hope you get to enjoy more of this. Cheers, Richard

mick said...

Amazing photos - especially of the Jabiru - and the reflections are beautiful. I'm so glad the trip down here was worth it!

HansHB said...

Beautiful serie, perfect for WBW!

Gordon said...

Well what a fantastic day you had, that Stork is magnificent, great photos. The rest of the birds where good finds too, really great post.
All the best Gordon.

Karen said...

Excellent shots! You got a great variety! That Jabiru is wonderful!

Janice said...

Really great shots. Love the reflections in several of the photos.

Neil said...

Thanks everyone for your comments.
Richard we just drift in close while trying not to make any noise and the least amount of movement with the paddles as possible. As for the Pacific Golden Plovers we landed at the roost and I went on foot as close as I could without disturbing them.It also helps to have a good lens.

Unknown said...

Great collection. I'm hoping to catch up PGPs before I think they leave our area!
Peter (Vic)

Unknown said...

Beautiful birds and lovely reflections. Looks like you had a great day.

Richard Waring said...

Thanks Neil

Stewart M said...

Great set of pictures - the upturned bill is a classic!

Not a bird I see very often!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Linda said...

The stork looks like he's dancing! Nice set of photos!

Wally Jones said...

Nice work, Neil!

That Stork is a stunner!

Love all the shorebirds. Have never seen many of these. Looks like several are in transition to breeding plumage.

Hope your week is a good one!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Amazing birding day. Like our Florida woodstorks, yours are so ugly that they are beautiful! Wonderful to get all the action up close.