Mullens at High Tide

There are very low gradients across all of the bay around here and a few feet of water makes a huge difference to the look of a place - and to my ability to kayak around!  These photos were taken last week on a high tide and a morning when there was no wind.  At low tide this area has no water.  All the salt marsh plants and the sand and mud are then visible.
Looking south west across the Mullens roost. 

The white spot in the center of the previous photo is a Little Egret that was chasing small fish through the shallow water.  

Shorebirds were still flying in from other lower places around the bay when I first got there.  There are always some Gull-billed Terns that use this roost along with the shorebirds. 

A few Gull-billed Terns were still showing a partial black cap which is their breeding plumage.  Bar-tailed Godwits are the largest shorebirds in this photo and there are also a few Great Knots. 

I thought all the Terns were Gull-billed Terns until I saw this big red bill showing behind the mangroves. This is a Caspian Tern which is the largest of all the terns.  Eastern Curlews are the largest shorebirds and easily ID'd with their very long down-curved bill.  Bar-tailed Godwits are closer to the front of the photo. 

Looking north-east as I left the roost area.  

I kayaked around to the Airport roost before I went to the Mullens roost. This made a kayak trip of about 6 kms - which was plenty long enough for the present!  I need to do some more trips like this one before I attempt the longer paddles to get to some of the more distant roosts!

For more interesting places from around the world visit Our World Tuesday 

and for more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday.