Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Summer Already?

I started my post last week by showing some spring flowers but this week it feels like summer! The temperatures jumped from the low 20s to the high 20s in one week (70 plus to mid 80s in Fahrenheit)! Plus one night I was awakened by the loud repetitive call of the Koel - right outside my bedroom window! The Koel is a summer migrant to northern Australia and is sometimes called the Cooee Bird. I wish I knew how to move it away from my bedroom - or else to persuade it to keep quiet!
Last week I walked around to the Mullens roost on a good high tide. The tide had covered most of the roost and I hoped to see migratory shorebirds.

However, it appeared that the large flocks had still not arrived. Some White-faced Herons flew across the roost and settled at the southern end.

On the far side there was a long line of Terns - mostly Gull-billed Terns. There were a few shorebirds with them but no large flocks.

The only birds I got close to were a pair of Pied Oystercatchers. They were walking across the low-growing salt marsh plants and then walked out in the shallow water. Suddenly one of the birds stopped and began probing down through the water into the soft sand. I have often walked across this roost in bare feet and often I have felt something wriggling under my foot! I wonder if something wriggled under this bird's foot!

For more scenery from around the world visit Our World Tuesday 

and for more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday

19 comments:

  1. Wonderful set of photos and birds, Mick! The White-faced Heron are pretty and I love the Oystercatchers.. The scene is pretty too. Thanks for sharing, have a happy week!

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  2. Beautiful nature shots ~ love the birds ~ so colorful! I am learning alot from you birders! Happy Summer to you!

    artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

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  3. Beautiful birds!! I do love the white-faced herons, too! Terrific captures for the day, Mick, as always!! Enjoy a great week!!

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  4. The oyster catchers are always good to watch but wriggly things underfoot - I'm not sure about that.

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  5. Nice shots of the oyster catchers! Thanks for visiting my blog! :)

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  6. It's so nice knowing there's something else out there in the southern hemisphere who's in the same season as me! love your photos :-)

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  7. Wonderful photos, like the oyster catchers.

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  8. The oystercatchers are handsome bird. I'm not sure I would appreciate something wriggling under my feet though. :-)

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  9. Great pictures. We're just coming into Autumn here in the UK.

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  10. Splendid capture of the Pied Oystercatchers, Mick. (You are brave to walk through that marsh in bare feet!) Thank you for dropping by my blog

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  11. Very nice migrants!!! Those White-faced Herons are stunners! Sorry about your very vocal outside friend. Sounds like an interesting character:)

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  12. Beautiful shots. I like those White-faced Herons and the Oystercatchers are so strikingly handsome birds.

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  13. They are beautiful birds. And this place is lovely! Great photos!

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  14. Love the birds -- well except for the noisy Koel. My daughter and sil had a screech owl pair in the tree outside their bedroom window last summer. They were not disappointed when they didn't come back this year. (Even a bird lover has to sleep).

    Oystercatchers are one of my all-time favorites! (And it is fun for me to see a bird in your "backyard" that is familiar to me as well. )

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  15. I guess I would't like someone kooeeing under my bedroom window either . . . love the beautifully clear pics of the oyster-catchers.

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  16. Nice images of the Oystercatcher - I brought up the pictures if the ones from the UK and I have to say I'd be hard pressed to find a difference!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  17. Just wanted to add....those dramatic sky shots on my post were taken three weeks before the hurricane. :-) But, we didn't get anything from the hurricane anyway. It passed south of here.

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