Hi Everyone,
Don't you shake your head when people come up with odd sightings, birds that
no one else can confirm?
Well I'm about to come clean on a sighting I made when I was in Bundaberg on
15/4/03. I have been very coy about it, because it isn't mainstream. And I
wasn't sure. I'm still not sure, although I can't see what else they could
have been.
I was in Bundaberg to carry out shorebird surveys, and on this day, was in
the company of two QPWS rangers who don't know their birds (they sure know
their turtles though). We were investigating the old northern mouth of the
Burnett River. Many years ago this estuary was sidelined by a rock wall
which secured the main river entrance for boat passage. Access to the site
is only by boat, which was kindly provided by QPWS. I was also in the
company of Barbara Dickson, a Qld Wader Study Group member. We were boating
ever so slowly in shallow water, trying to get across a tricky part before
the tide left us stranded.
1. On the shoreline, facing us front-on and at about thirty metres, were
three waders, seemingly identical, and my first impression was "Greenshank?"
They were of Greenshank size, or thereabouts.
2. My next thought was "Well, certainly tringa-type waders."
3. Front on, the impression was of very pale waders. The breasts and necks
were whitish. All I could see were the fronts, and the bills looked very
tringa-like. (For those unfamiliar with this term, have a look in your field
guide, at all the tringas, and they have similar appearance.)
4. The birds stood tall and alert, watching us with concern.
5. At this stage I got my binos up for a look, and was hit by the very red
legs of the bird on the left, and the red, but less so, of the legs of the
other two. The birds were facing west, it was noon, and so the bird on the
left possibly had the sun on its legs.
6. No time for second looks, the birds took off. They flew at about 2m
height past the bow of our tinnie at about 20-30m distance, and I had them
in the binos, and saw very strong white wingbars in the darkish upper wings
of each of the three. I can't be certain exactly where the white wingbars
were, but I had the impression that the white was central and not at the
trailing edge.
It was the position of the white in the wingbar which threw me when I tried
to nail the birds in the field guide. I just wasn't sure, and Redshank have
their white wingbar at the trailing edge.
And there isn't a bird with red legs and a central white wingbar.
Barb was facing away from the birds and couldn't see them. And it was all
very quick. But the more I think about it, I can't see that they were
anything but Redshank. I saw Redshank somewhere in England in the mid 80s,
but my memory is of no use in this case. But I don't see that they could
have been anything else. They were certainly a wader I have never identified
in Australia before.
Cheers,
Jill
--
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Qld
26º 51' 152º 56'
Ph (07) 5494 0994
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