Little Stint at Point Cook , Melbourne

["Rohan Clarke" <>]

Hi All,

This evening (Wed 25th) on a falling tide the Little Stint was feeding on the mud flats close to the beach some 300-400 m North of Point Cooke proper (that's the spelling in the street directory for the actual point but everything else is Point Cook). This may provide a more accessible site to search for the bird as there are only limited opportunities to drive into the old saltworks with the rangers and it is a long hard walk from the viewing tower carpark! Best access would be to drive down to the Old Homestead at Point Cook Coastal Park, walk the short distance through to the beach, then walk north around the point. Note that the reserve gates are shut at 7pm. Don’t forget to check the tides as the bird wont be here on a high tide. Indeed after I found it on a falling tide, five pairs of eyes could not relocate it later on the rising tide.

Besides the Little Stint (which was the only stint to show any breeding plumage) there were 3000 to 4000 Red-necked Stint, ~1000 Curlew Sandpiper, ~500 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, 1 Red-knot, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and about 8 Common Terns on the flats.

Cheers,

Rohan Clarke