They are Still There!

I managed to get one good kayak last week without too much wind and without the clouds rolling in just when the tide would be right. I went out to the Airport Roost to check what birds were there. The sea looked beautiful and calm until I came out from behind the trees and rounded the point and then little waves started to lift the kayak and I wondered if I could take any good photos at all with that much movement in the kayak. A Gull-billed Tern flew low over the mangroves where the Grey-tailed Tattlers were roosting and up they flew and off to the other side of the bay. However, when I looked closer there were still some sitting in the trees so I let the wind and waves drift me in and sat still with the camera ready. When I looked closely at the photos I had taken I realized I had photos of Terek Sandpipers instead of Tattlers. These birds look very similar in color and size but the Tattler has a straight bill and the Terek has an up-curved bill. This is the only roost on the southern end of the bay where I have seen Terek Sandpipers but I haven't seen them for a couple of years so wasn't sure if they were still there or not. I am sure (now!) they must have been, but when they all fly off quickly I have not been fast enough to ID the two species in flight.

There was a Little Egret sitting up in a dead mangrove and looking very beautiful against the blue sky.

There must have been a lot of water washing over the sand when the tide was very high and the winds were pushing the waves in even further. Some of the mangrove trees that have stood on the beach for at least the last 10 years had the sand washed out from around their roots and have lost their leaves. It will be interesting to see if they manage to survive or if they wash right out in a few more months.

I decided to enjoy the rest of my kayak by paddling up the creek where the winds would not be blowing. I always enjoy the scenery and the quietness in this area.

There is one place up the creek where the swamp grasses grow down to the water and on higher tides even get covered with water. Shorebirds often come to this area when they have been disturbed on the other more open roosts. This morning there were a number of Pacific Golden Plovers. Some were beginning to show black blotches down the front which will eventually become the solid black of their full breeding colors.

As I turned to go down the creek towards the open sea the black clouds had again rolled over and turned my perfect blue morning into a very dark day again.

This is a photo of my car with the kayak loaded on top and standing right where the fisherman was standing in the very high tide photo that I showed on the blog last week.

For more photos from around the world visit Our World Tuesday

and for more bird photos visit Wild Bird Wednesday.