Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Pied Oystercatchers

Just south of Norman Point the bay curves around south again. In this curve of the bay I often see shorebirds and seabirds roosting. The other day there was quite a large group of Pied Oystercatchers roosting on the small strip of sand that was all that was left from the higher than average tide.

I have been told that Pied Oystercatchers breed south of here in greater numbers than we see around here. They then fly north and disperse.

I wondered if I could definitely ID any juvenile birds but this was the only one I was sure about. The legs are not quite so pink, the eye is more brown than red, and there is a darker patch on the lower part of the beak.

I have seen similar flocks of Pied Oystercatchers roosting here in other years and when I searched my photo archives I found this photo - taken in 2009 and also in January.

For more photos from around the world visit Our World Tuesday

and for more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday.


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25 comments:

  1. Sylvia KJanuary 6, 2015 at 5:48 AM

    What beautiful birds and your captures are terrific as always!! I do look forward to them, Mick!! And thank you, as always, for visiting my blog and for your kind comments!! They are appreciated!! Have a great new week and a great new year!!

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  2. Fun60January 6, 2015 at 6:02 AM

    They are such attractive birds. Happy New Year.

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  3. eileeninmdJanuary 6, 2015 at 6:10 AM

    The oystercatchers are attractive birds, I always enjoy seeing these birds here. Awesome photos and post. Have a happy new week!

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  4. carol l mckennaJanuary 6, 2015 at 6:10 AM

    Wonderful photos! Love the colors of the birds ~ Pied Oystercatchers ~ not sure we have those in the USA ~ Great to see.

    Happy New Year to you,
    artmusedog and carol

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  5. TexWisGirlJanuary 6, 2015 at 7:46 AM

    such sharp looking birds!

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  6. AmyJanuary 6, 2015 at 7:56 AM

    nice shots! those birds are frequent visitors here as we are surrounding by estuaries and beaches.

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  7. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2015 at 9:20 AM

    Great shots of this bird Mick. The Oyster catchers are stunning with their bright colours.

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2015 at 3:24 PM

    Nice shots of the oystercatchers!

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  9. RajeshJanuary 6, 2015 at 5:31 PM

    Very lovely birds on the shore.

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  10. Phil SladeJanuary 6, 2015 at 8:37 PM

    Nicely done Mick. I think you correctly picked out the juvenile bird with the features you mentioned. From your excellent picture it's possible to see a number of brownish juvenile feathers in the wing.

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  11. HansHBJanuary 7, 2015 at 4:55 AM

    A perfect post for WBW!
    Happy New Year to you!

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  12. RohrerbotJanuary 7, 2015 at 6:04 AM

    Oystercatchers are amazing. This bird looks like the similar American version. Congrats and great pics! Hope you've had a great start to your New Year.

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  13. EG CameraGirlJanuary 7, 2015 at 6:12 AM

    They are such great-lookikng birds dressed in black and white with that beautiful orange accent!

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  14. Margaret Birding For PleasureJanuary 7, 2015 at 6:16 AM

    Wonderful series of shots of this wader/ shorebird.

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  15. Sue (this n that)January 7, 2015 at 9:25 AM

    Hi Mick, your shots are great of this distinctive bird. There's something about their big orangey eyes and matching beak!! We have them here occasionally in the South East of Vic and they can be seen for quite a distance because of their colours... but I don't have my camera, or they'd be too far away. So I was thrilled to see your photos. Well done :D)

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  16. JaniceJanuary 7, 2015 at 12:10 PM

    Great work on sorting our the birds age. The detail of the photos makes it so much easier.

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  17. LeaJanuary 7, 2015 at 2:59 PM

    Great photos of individual birds, but I like the group photos the best, especially the last one
    Have a wonderful day!
    Lea

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  18. KarenJanuary 8, 2015 at 3:11 AM

    Beautiful scenery around those birds! Such handsome guys!

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  19. NatureFootstepJanuary 8, 2015 at 4:47 AM

    Great shots of the Oystercatcher. We have them but in very few numbers and I might see a few maybe twice every year.

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  20. UnknownJanuary 8, 2015 at 4:57 AM

    Lovely photos of the oystercatchers. They're very handsome birds.

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  21. Stewart MJanuary 8, 2015 at 9:44 PM

    These are wonderful birds - they are rather comical I think!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

    PS: I tend to go through gluts of Frogmouths - find them all over the place for a couple of weeks and then nothing - strange really.

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  22. A Colorful WorldJanuary 9, 2015 at 7:24 AM

    Great oystercatcher shots!

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  23. thewovenspokeJanuary 9, 2015 at 1:59 PM

    I have only seen the Black Oyster Catcher here in the Pacific Northwest. Those are nice birds and photos.

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  24. Sallie (FullTime-Life)January 13, 2015 at 8:26 AM

    I didn't realize there was more than one kind of oystercatcher! Now I have to go and see if the ones we've seen here in Florida are different from those we've seen in Oregon (and now Alaska). Hmmm! Either way I'd be more than happy if I ever could get as good pictures as you did here!

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  25. betty-NZJanuary 21, 2015 at 7:54 AM

    I love to see these birds, I think they are gorgeous!

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