Hi All
Paid the first 'Spring' visit to the Moreton Bay shoreline, Brisbane,
Qld on Friday.
First to the Manly wader roost - not sure whether the waders there have
over wintered or recently arrived. Some of them looked tired, but maybe
they'd been up all night feeding? I guess that's what a 'roost' is,
after all.......
50 Eastern Curlews - one with a Light Green flag on upper Right leg.
9, only, Pied Oystercatchers piping loudly.
4 Greenshanks
6 Whimbrels
2 Bar-tailed Godwits - the sleepy ones!
160 (approx!) Red-necked Stints - one with an Orange flag upper Right
leg.
10 Sharp-tailed Sands - most of them asleep in the short vegetation -
may have been more.
Also Caspian (5) and Gull-billed Terns (6) and the usual Little Pied and
Great Cormorants, 1 Brahimny Kite, 1 Intermediate Egret and 8 Red-capped
Dotterels (locals).
Drove slowly around to Wynnum along the shore line checking the Gulls -
only Silver and not as many of these as I've noted previously. Maybe a
few more Curlews here and there.
Wynnum North - from the hide..
60 Eastern Curlews - fairly scattered - probably more.
150 Pied Stilts - larger flock than I have seen before, slowly
dispersing in 2 and 3s as the tide dropped.
11 Royal Spoonbills sleeping.
5 Whimbrels - ditto for Curlew.
8 (probable) Black-tailed Godwits sleeping mainly, in the usual spot on
the mud, among the Stilts.
18 Godwit sp - further away on the far side of the reserve, and
sleeping, for positive ID - suspect Black-tailed, but not confirmed.
1 Sharp-tailed Sand (!)
Fisherman's Island...nothing whatsoever at the Whyte Island ponds that
looked so exciting last year. They have been partially reclaimed in the
menatime, but, I am happy to report, there is still some wet areas and
access is still easy although reports from the Tarrants suggest
otherwise with security checking scopes and bins for bombs last week...
The usual Swamphens, Moorhens, Stilts, Swans, Chestnut and Grey Teal,
Black Duck, Hardheads etc etc not to forget the 60+ Sleeping Spoonbills
at the pond at the Visitor's Centre. Further out and peering through the
fence into the man made roost (?) -
1 Bar-tailed Godwit
12 Sharp-tailed Sands
150 (flying flock-approx guess) Stint sp, presumably Red-necked..
and an unspecified no of Red-necked Avocets. they were hunkered down
where I couldn't see them from the road so couldn't count and there may
have been any number of other waders with them...
All in all the expected variety and numbers of waders for this time of
year.
Roll on the summer arrivals!
--
Colin Reid
So many birds, so little time......
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