Sunrise

The very nicest time of the day down at the bay is soon after sunrise. I took these photos two days ago. Looking toward the sun the sky was bright golden but looking at an angle away from the sun the colors were soft pastels and reflecting in the still water.
The only shorebirds I saw were a couple of Little Egrets - both visible in this photo. (All photos enlarge when clicked on.)

Shades of Gray

When I walked out to the Mullens roost the other morning everything was colored in shades of gray. There had been a big fire burning the previous day and the smoke had drifted everywhere. It was the same color both north and south.
There were birds on the other side of the roost but they were too far away for me to accurately ID them.
I know that some were Godwits because I found this wing feather sitting among the saltmarsh plants.
I saw numbers of Herons and Egrets close by and on the way back this Little Egret gave a nice photo opportunity. It was standing on a little rocky island and let me get quite close before it flew a little way on to the next rocks.
For more bird photos visit the Bird Photography Weekly.

Little Egret

I took these photos last week of a Little Egret. The photo shows the breeding plumes on the back of the head. Meanwhile it has rained nearly every day for more than 3 weeks and that makes it very difficult to get out and watch the shorebirds. Of course we are lucky that the recent cyclone was north of us and we didn't even get any of the heavy rain. I am still seeing numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits in breeding plumage. (This next photo was taken yesterday.) I wonder if the Godwits have delayed their departure rather than flying directly into the path of the cyclone. All members of the QWSG who regularly count shorebirds have been asked to keep a special watch for flagged Godwits from New Zealand that left just when their migration path would have put them on track to meet the cyclone. Some of them may have been driven back onto the Queensland coast.For more bird photos visit the Bird Photography Weekly.

Early morning at Mullens

This morning was nearly perfect. There had been some fog around earlier but it did not last when the sun got up.
Although high tide was just before 8am it was only listed as 2.41M. The tide last night by contrast was 2.98M. I could still see where the birds had roosted last night but this morning the water was well out on the sand flats and there was no reason for the birds to even come up to their normal roosting place. I saw a small flock of Red-capped Plovers and a few Double-banded Plovers. There were also a few Gull-billed Terns standing at the edge of the water. There were no other waders to be seen.
The Paperbark was in full flower and even my poor human nose could smell the honey/nectar. Lovely! There were Mangrove Honeyeaters all along the foreshore - all singing at the top of their voices! -but they are experts at staying just behind the leaves and almost out of sight. This one sat in full view just long enough for me to get a photo. I wished I had also taken my old Canon S2 which has video and therefor sound recording.
As I walked back to the car park area I could see a number of white birds roosting at the edge of the water. There are often numbers of Little Egrets in this area and I assumed that is what they were. However, as I got closer some appeared larger - and photos showed a Royal Spoonbill. Then the two birds that had been perched in the trees flew off and they were Great Egrets. It was too far away for good photos but even record shots are interesting to show birds not usually seen right here.
My dog Misty really enjoys this walk with me. (I have said before that she is a Stumpy-tailed Blue Cattle Dog - some call them Smithfields. They are born without tails.) I have had her since she was a tiny pup and although she had always been allowed to run off the lead, when I saw birds she was quickly put on the lead and made to stand behind my legs while I looked and took photos. However, things have changed now. She often sees the birds before I do and she comes up behind me and gives me a little nudge on the back of the leg with her nose to let me know that I should have the camera up and be taking photos of whatever she has seen. This morning she thought I hadn't seen the Red-capped Plovers on a rather distant sand bank so came and gave me a nudge. However, they were too distant for good photos. When I have finished and move off she runs off too and continues exploring all the interesting things she finds down there. Its always a favorite game to chase the little fish that she sees in the shallow water. With all the splashing that goes on no fish ever gets anywhere near being caught!

Mullens

What a beautiful day! The tide was covering the sand flats. There was no wind so the reflections were nearly perfect. Best of all I had the bay to myself! (Most of the photos in this post are landscapes and clicking on them to bring up the larger versions gives a better view of the area.)
Even though most of the shorebirds have migrated there were still a few around - both juveniles that will migrate next year and locals that stay here all year. Bar-tailed Godwits were standing in the shallow water and Red-capped Plovers and Red-necked Stint were busily hunting for food across the exposed sand. The birds were reflected in the sea and each little puddle.
A Little Egret hunted fish in the shallow water and then flew off when I got closer.
Pied Oystercatchers let me get quite close before they too flew off.
Nothing is perfect! The mosquitoes were terrible and I hadn't put on enough insect repellent to keep them away!