The rain finally stopped! Or at least it turned into showers and it's been possible to get out on the bay. Unfortunately the clouds kept rolling over and everything then turned very dark.
I still haven't got the photos of Godwits in breeding plumage that I want. Guess I'll have to wait until next season now. This photo was taken at the Mullens roost two days ago. The clouds had come up and also the wind. This always makes it challenging to try for photos from the kayak.
Yesterday I kayaked over to the South Crab Creek roost site. There were still quite a number of Common Greenshanks there although they were showing very little breeding plumage. It will be interesting to see if any spend the winter here.
This is a good place to find Pacific Golden Plovers. I found quite a few but they kept moving off when I approached. However, there were also numbers of Red-capped Plovers and Red-necked Stints in the same area and they decided to come over and investigate. They eventually scattered around just in front of me and this made the Pacific Golden Plovers settle down and I was able to get quite close. There was almost no wind and the reflections were great. Some of the Stints were showing some breeding plumage.
The group of Pacific Golden Plovers were in different stages of breeding plumage. There was one in almost full breeding colors - very spectacular!
On another part of the roost site there was another group of these same birds roosting in among the saltmarsh plants with some more Godwits.
As I was paddling around the site it started to rain again. There was full sunshine but still rain coming down. It didn't last long. The BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) is predicting an increase in showers by the week-end. Nothing is perfect!
I still haven't got the photos of Godwits in breeding plumage that I want. Guess I'll have to wait until next season now. This photo was taken at the Mullens roost two days ago. The clouds had come up and also the wind. This always makes it challenging to try for photos from the kayak.
Yesterday I kayaked over to the South Crab Creek roost site. There were still quite a number of Common Greenshanks there although they were showing very little breeding plumage. It will be interesting to see if any spend the winter here.
This is a good place to find Pacific Golden Plovers. I found quite a few but they kept moving off when I approached. However, there were also numbers of Red-capped Plovers and Red-necked Stints in the same area and they decided to come over and investigate. They eventually scattered around just in front of me and this made the Pacific Golden Plovers settle down and I was able to get quite close. There was almost no wind and the reflections were great. Some of the Stints were showing some breeding plumage.
The group of Pacific Golden Plovers were in different stages of breeding plumage. There was one in almost full breeding colors - very spectacular!
On another part of the roost site there was another group of these same birds roosting in among the saltmarsh plants with some more Godwits.
As I was paddling around the site it started to rain again. There was full sunshine but still rain coming down. It didn't last long. The BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) is predicting an increase in showers by the week-end. Nothing is perfect!
Great post glad you got the Pacific Golden Plover.
ReplyDeleteThanks Neil, it made up - a little! - for not getting the Godwit!
ReplyDeleteNice set of shots. The PGP is showing more plummage than the ones here at the moment. The Godwits at Stockton are also showing quite a bit of breeding plumage at the moment. I imagine it's only a matter of time before you see them up there as well.
ReplyDeleteI like the breeding plumage on the Pacific Golden Plover. Whatever happened to the 'Sunshine State' :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Mark, I think most of the Godwits have already left. I know that there were flocks taking off nearly 4 weeks ago. By actual count of the roosts we have far fewer birds here now than a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteHi Mosura, it doesn't feel like sunny QLD to me either :-(
Thanks Mick, I was thinking perhaps some of the birds in the south might stop for a quick refuel before heading off again.
ReplyDeleteGreat Golden Plover shots Mick; I also like your landscape with the darkening clouds looming on the horizon. Looks like we're all (on the east coast) in for some more wet weather for the rest of this week.
ReplyDeleteHi Mark, I'm not real sure but I have watched the tracks of the Godwits in New Zealand and in NW Australia that were satellite tagged and once they started off they went as far as possible - to somewhere in the Yellow Sea area of China in most cases. On the way back here it seems that some do stop along the coast and then move on to more southward locations. From the recent studies being done with Ruddy Turnstone the same thing happens - they fly a long first leg of the journey from from S.A. and Vic to Taiwan or thereabouts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Barbara, I wish the rain would stop properly for a while. I took a leather bound book from my book-case the other day and was horrified at the white mildew all over the cover!
the first, bold, plowers has arrived to my world. And.....paddling....the lake is still covered with ice. Maybe three more week before i can bring the kajak into the water.
ReplyDeleteHi NatureFootstep, great that the migratory birds are arriving up your way but I feel sorry for them - and you! - with all that ice. The ocean water is still quite warm down here - a beautiful 25 degrees C I was told the other day.
ReplyDeleteYay! glad the rain finally stopped for you - looks like you made good use of the weather and got some excellent photos. Love the plovers!
ReplyDeleteThanks JN and it was nice to see the sun again.
ReplyDeleteinteresting bird that greenshank. When I enlarged the photo I noticed it had pink beaks. And one of them is orange in color.
ReplyDelete