Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Smallest Shorebirds.

The Mullens shorebird roost is huge and although sometimes the birds all roost together they also roost in separate places that best suit their special needs. When I had finished photographing the larger shorebirds that I posted about last week I backed off and then moved to where I could come in and pull the kayak up on the sand. I had seen small birds moving in amongst the taller vegetation and I knew that if I moved behind them they would happily come out and move along at the edge of the water. These small shorebirds prefer more open spaces to places where the plants grow too tall and thick.They can often be found at the top end of the bay where the water is always shallow and the salt marsh plants grow. Salt marsh plants grow where the tide washes up and over them at regular intervals. (I wrote two pages on salt marsh plants and this special habitat. You can find these pages listed on the right hand column of my blog. There are photos and details of the plants in Page 2.)  In this part of the bay these plants are only a few inches tall and these little shorebirds feed and rest between them. I saw both Red-capped Plovers and Red-necked Stints. Red-capped Plovers are an Australian shorebird and stay here all year. Red-necked Stints are migrants that come down from NE Siberia each year. They are both small birds - about 15cm or 6 inches. The Red-necked Stint is the smallest migratory shorebird to come down to this area.
A Red-necked Stint roosting among the salt marsh plants. (Red-necked Stints only have red necks in breeding plumage.)

Two Red-capped Plovers and a Red-necked Stint on the right.

I know I have not disturbed the birds when some - or most - have their eyes closed and are sleeping!

All Red-necked Stints except for one Red-capped Plover on the right foreground.

There are usually a pair of Oystercatchers roosting somewhere around the bay. This time one was resting on a sand bank and the other was feeding further around the bay.

As I turned around and looked right out to the entrance to the bay I saw a line of pelicans swimming in.

For more scenery from around the world visit Our World Tuesday

and for more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday.


32 comments:

  1. the red-caps are adorable! i always think the oystercatchers are so striking.

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  2. I always love your bird friends and your terrific captures every week, Mick!! Thanks for sharing! Have a great week!

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  3. Looks like a beautiful day on the water. Beautiful little birds.

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  4. Wow ! beautiful bird and nature photography ~ gorgeous work ~ thanks, carol, xxx

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  5. What a great outing! I love the shorebirds, especially the Red-capped Plover and the Oystercatcher. The pelicans are a favorite too. Great post.

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  6. Wow! What a wonderful place to have access to!

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  7. Kayaks are so quiet I'm sure they don't disturb the birds (well, obviously). Lovely little guys. Thank you for sharing . (I like the oystercatchers and pelicans too.)

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  8. What a lovely set of shots.

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  9. Good to see so many stints together like that. It's a long time since i saw my one and only Red-necked Stint here in the UK but I note that one in particular in your pictures has quite a hefty bill (for a stint).

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  10. Like the oyster catcher. Would love to glide along in a kayak watching the birdlife.

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  11. lovely little shorebirds! I can never get over how far the red-necked stints come when they are so tiny. Where do the POs nest in that habitat?

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  12. Beautiful photos and bird. With a kayak in such an area must be incredible.

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  13. I'm really liking the r.c.plover Mick

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  14. I really, really like those red capped plovers very much. From Findlay

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  15. You are always rewarded on your bird watching excursions and these are some lovely beauties!
    That's a pretty striking shot of the oystercatcher. Love the colors in that one.

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  16. The Red capper Plover is a new species to me, and a lovely looking bird. Great post again, I could do shorebirds every day :)

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  17. Red-capped Plovers, a perfect name as they do look like they have hats on! A beautiful area you have to explore!

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  18. We share proximity and affinity with similar habitats! I've been enjoying Red-necked stints recently as well. Thanks for your kayak advice recently. I had my brothers' out at the weekend - it's a Finn kayak "Gizmo" (sit on top and perhaps smaller than I would confidently carry any sort of camera on!) I'll keep investigating!

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  19. Hi Mick... Love your Mullens spot, so full of many interesting things to explore!!
    Love those shore birds and the Red Capped Plovers are real nice !!
    The Oystercatcher is a beauty!!
    Very nice photos of the inhabitants, and this lovely place!!

    Grace

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  20. The Red-capped Plover is a new one for me. I would absolutely love this type of trek. However, you must be super quiet......me and water...well ah....I would need to practice the silent bit:) Very cool finds.

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  21. Loved seeing the 'new species for me'........the red capped plover!!!

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  22. Wonderful birds. You got some lovely photos of them. What a great day you had.

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  23. Adorei os pássaros!
    e o pelicano também!
    são lindas imagens!
    Zizi

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  24. Such beautiful shots! Your shorebird photos are always fantastic!

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  25. I'm looking forward to catching up with all these birds soon!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  26. Hi Mick. Glad you landed your kayak and got these great shots of these tiny waders

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  27. I really ought to get a kayak! I love how close you can get to the shore birds.

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  28. I love the plovers. Great shot of them. )

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  29. The close ups are so pretty with the birds wading through the lightly colored vegetation.

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