Hi Glenn,
I saw the plover yesterday with Trevor Ford and Bob Inglis. It's best
to look for it on the north spit on a rising tide. After the sandbanks
cover with the tide, the small shorebirds (Double-banded Plovers,
Red-capped Plovers and Red-necked Stints) head for the north spit and
hide in the beach debris well above the tide line, and can be seen
through a scope from the end carpark at Noosa Woods. You can also drive
around to the north shore and park north of the bollards. Then you have
to walk down the spit to find the birds. There is absolutely no point
in going to the north spit unless the tide is high or incoming.
We saw it around 3pm yesterday on the north spit. Tomorrow the tide is
low in the middle of the day, and at that stage the bird could be
anywhere in the estuary. Therefore you'd be better going late in the
afternoon. Or very early in the morning. It's a good bit bigger than
the Double-banded Plovers, and presents as a lot paler.
Other spots for waders: at low tide they are spread all over the
estuary. As the tide rises, the sandbanks close to the caravan park at
Munna Point go under, then the middle of the estuary, until finally
there are only two places exposed. One is a sand island on the NW
section of the estuary, and it's only accessible by boat. The other is
the north spit. The estuary has a range of species present, but it
never carries a large number of waders, being a relatively small
estuary. It is more significant for terns. The highest number of terns
seen there was 38,500 migratory terns (Common, Little and White-winged
Black) back in Feb, 2005, but we haven't seen numbers like that since
then. And now that it's winter, you may not see any migrant terns. Last
week 29 Commons were present, but yesterday there were none roosting in
the estuary. There's a pair of Beach Stone-Curlews resident in the
estuary. They spend most of their days on the sand island, but
occasionally wander out onto the sand for a feed of soldier crabs.
Be careful if you walk onto the north spit. There's a pair of Redcaps
sitting on two eggs at the moment. If you see a Redcap looking as
though it is injured, back off and give it a wide berth. It's only
trying to lead you away from the nest.
Good luck,
Jill
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
26° 51' 41"S 152° 56' 00"E
Glenn McRae wrote:
Hi Birders,
I am heading up to Noosa Heads on Saturday to try to find the Hooded Plover amongst other birds. Has anyone seen it since the 21st?
What other spots would be good me to see other waders/shorebirds while I am up that way?
cheers
Glenn McRae
Stanthorpe
Qld...4380
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