Well all is in readiness for another Silver gull breeding season at The Nobbies on Phillip Island. Last weekend birds looked to be making all the preparations for nesting with some pairs giving the impression they were brooding eggs - no chicks at this stage.
 |
| Sorting out territory or who belongs to who, Silver gulls Larus novaehollandiae |
 |
| Gathering nesting material. The gulls make nests of plant matter in areas of low vegetation. |
 |
| "Now how does this work?" |
 |
| Many birds could be seen in obvious pairs, one bird often appearing to be nesting |
 |
| Some apparently nesting birds seemed to adopt this posture crossing their folded wings |
 |
| The Nobbies typically hosts around 1000+ nesting seagull pairs at this time of year |
 |
| These days the nesting area is shared with young families of resurgent Cape Barren Geese |
 |
An extremely adaptive bird
(perhaps less so than some humans unable to understand the "Best you don't feed the gulls" sign!) |
 |
| This Common Copperhead snake is a regular sighting from The Nobbies boardwalks |
Bird on!
Great photos of the Gulls and the habitat around the Nobbies. I can imagine how noisy it must be with 1000+ gulls in close proximity!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of these gulls. Lovely to see where they nest.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful gulls!
ReplyDeleteSuch interesting and lovely photos. Thanks for sharing life on your side of the globe. In the part of world where I live copperheads are pit viper, very poisonous snakes.
ReplyDeleteHi Pete; great to see the gulls; even though a more common bird I still think they make for great photos; always look pristine and photogenic. You got some great shots and I've never been to P.I. myself. Not keen on the copperhead though and can imagine they're rampant in a location like this with all the ground-dwelling birds and their eggs and young chicks and all. Kind of disastrous for them isn't it.
ReplyDeleteOh I no like the snake ;) however the remainder of your share is wonderful! Looks like as Winter arrives here, Spring is in the air there~
ReplyDeleteHi there - I often wonder how far birders would travel to see Silver Gulls if they were not common - they are a cracking looking bird (but possibly not when sat on the front of your car!). Nice snake.
ReplyDeleteCheers - Stewart M - Melbourne.
PS: sorry for slow reply - I have been out of phone / Internet range for most of the week - it was strangely pleasant!