Coastal Outing

A very busy June long weekend saw us traveling from Beach to Bush in search of birds. (For Saturday, see Cotton Tree Post.)

Click on photos to enlarge

Sunday Norman Point Tin Can Bay
9 Pied Oystercatchers along with 17 Eastern Curlew.

Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris)

Then to the local Sewage Works, one of our wader counting sites.
Their redevelopment will see the creation of a series of ponds specifically for wader and wetland birds. Many bush bird species may also be found here.

Forest Kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii)

Grey Fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa)

Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata)

Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

After finishing at the Sewage Works, Mick joined us for a visit to Seary's Creek where the Melaleucas were in full flower with plenty of Scarlet Honeyeaters and others feeding on these.

Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta)

Then onto Bullock Point for a quick look around where this Silvereye was part of a large flock passing through. Also at this site were White-eared Monarch, Varied Triller, Eastern Yellow Robin, and Shining Bronze Cuckoo among others.

Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)

Seary's Creek.

(For Monday, see Mixed Birds Post.) Thanks Mick for sharing the afternoon with us.

Striated Heron and Other Life.

Wader Count time again at Tin Can Bay. One of the first birds we saw was this Striated Heron with a Soldier Crab in it beak, along with Silver Gulls. Then came the Pied Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed Godwits. (Click photos to enlarge)

Striated Heron (Butorides striatus)

Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris)

Found this Cicada in the mangroves as we walked back from our last count site.

As we have not been back to this site since the King Tide when we kayaked there, the effect on the Cooloola Cypres was very noticeable.

We always see these washed up on the beach every time we walk up to the count site, if anybody

knows what they are please let me know.

Large-leafed Orange Mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza)
Some of the Mangroves were in flower like this one.

Mangrove and its root system

Knee roots of the Large-leafed Orange Mangrove