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| Double-banded plover Charadrius bicinctus, Phillip Island, 9 Aug 2014 |
I was interested to see photos of Double-banded plovers taken recently in Werribee, Victoria. The photos showed breeding plumage so I was inspired to pay a visit to Observation Point yesterday as I knew that these birds had frequented the sandy spit in our autumn earlier this year.
I have never seen them in colour before until yesterday. What handsome little birds!
They have intrigued me as they have a unique migration pattern - breeding in New Zealand and wintering in Australia. Pizzey states that part of the South Island (NZ) population migrates annually and spends February - September in Southern Australia.
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| I think we have a male (left) and female (right) in this shot. Rather than black, the female is said to have a brown upper band and less black and white markings on the forehead. |
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| Female DBP feeding |
While enjoying these birds' breeding colours for the first time there was an unexpected visitor ...
I have not seen a Ruddy turnstone at Observation Point before. It wandered around and fed in characteristic fashion.
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| Something about the angle of shot and posture of the turnstone implies that the two species are a similar size although the turnstone is generally slightly larger than the DBP |
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| Ruddy turnstone vigorously flicking seaweed and other debris out of the way in characteristic fashion |
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RT: "Yeah, I couldn't be fagged flying all the way to Siberia this year. "
DBP: "Choice Bro" |
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| Another migrant dropped in for a real meeting of ways. Now we have (L-R) DBP, Red-necked stint and Ruddy turnstone |
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| Red-necked stint |
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| Caspian tern |
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| Caspian terns, Observation Point, Phillip Island, Vic |
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| Crested terns |
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| Jeff lacked subtlety at times |
The "usual plovers" being Hooded plovers (a nice gathering of four birds) and Red-capped plovers (just a single bird identified) were far outnumbered by the Double-banded visitors.
Having already had an interesting and enjoyable outing I was treated on the walk back to a White-breasted sea eagle fly-by.
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| Something up ahead!!! |
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| White-bellied sea eagle, Observation Point beach, Phillip Island |
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| When kids get hold of your phone .... I hadn't noticed till too late that my iphone camera was applying filters to today's shots. Thanks Hannah! |
Bird on!
Great post and pictures Pete. I recently finished a beautiful book that I borrowed from my local library, about Australian shorebirds by David Hollands & Clive Minton. After reading about the lives and trials of these waders I have a new respect for them and their plight. Highly recommended!
ReplyDeleteExtraordinary!! What beautiful shore birds. They're gorgeous. And, I really appreciate you linking up this week at the Bird D'Pot and hope to see you again soon.
ReplyDeleteThe plovers are so pretty. I like the terns as well.
ReplyDeleteAn enjoyable post. It is interesting about the Double-banded Plover migration, but then I think the more we learn about birds, the more interesting they become!
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