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.

Little Egret

Went camping for three days at Rainbow Beach and no rain in sight. Must have done something wrong as it always rains

when we go camping.

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 Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

 Rainbow Waters Holiday Park

For more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday.

Egret's

There are five species of Egret that call Australia Home.

Cattle Egret 48-53cm, arrived in the North of Australia about 1950. Eastern Great Egret 0.85-1.05cm.

Eastern Reef Egret 60-65cm,with a Dark & Light Morph phase.

Intermediate Egret 55-65cm.

Little Egret 55-65cm.

Click on photos to enlarge. 

 Cattle Egret (Ardea ibis) 

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Eastern Reef Egret (Egretta sacra) (Dark Morph)
Have seen the Light Morph phase,unfortunately no photos.

Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia)

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

 For more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday.

Little Egret & White-breasted Woodswallow

After finishing our latest Wader Count we headed out to Inskip Point to check out what bird life was there.

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As usual most of the birds were resting on the little sand island out from the point.

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

We found this Little Egret feeding in the shallows by the shoreline, while this White-breasted Woodswallow flew in and posed nicely for us on a dead branch.

White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)

White-faced Heron and Little Egret

I was following the White-faced Heron trying to get a bit closer for a photo. When I went around a mangrove I saw that a Little Egret was also there. They lined up well for a group shot.

Click on photo to enlarge

White-faced Heron (Ardea novaehollandiae)
Little Egret (Ardea (Egretta) garzetta)

Mullens Wader Roost on a bleak day and a very low tide