I had planned to take a drive up to the Sunshine Coast to a known roosting area where these birds can be seen in the thousands. I discovered, via a birding friend who lives in Brisbane, that Brisbane's Moreton Bay was also home to very large numbers of these migratory birds. For me, that meant a drive of 15 minutes from home rather than 1.5+ hours. It was also in the coastal area where I had lived and raised my children for 20 years!
This group was just a small portion (all that would fit in my camera's view). The taller birds at the back are Eastern Curlews, the black & white birds are Black-winged Stilts, the medium sized brown & white birds are Bar-tailed Godwits and the smallest birds are Great Knots.
Exit the Eastern Curlews and most of the Bar-tailed Godwits. And we are left with the Great Knots, Black-winged Stilts & a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits.
Over in another area of the roost, there are a few Pied Oystercatchers and a group of Gull-billed Terns taking flight.
I love the profiles of the Eastern Curlews in flight!
The Eastern Curlews and Gull-billed Terns are off
Joining with Stewart's meme:
9 comments:
wat een prachtig gezicht,maar je hebt ze toch wel geteld??
oh Liz, great to not need to travel so far to pick up these wonderful waterbird photos. Enjoyed each one; you got a lovely variety
These are gorgeous, Liz! I love seeing big flocks of birds. The scenery is a big bonus! Really nice shots!
Wonderful shots of the shorebirds. There was a nice variety too.
the curlews are so cool in flight, but i love those stilts!
It's great that you got to see large numbers of shorebirds closer to home.
There's so many great shots to comment on here - for example the first shot I really like the layer of the birds standing as well as the grey of the other birds. Then there's the shots of the whites of the birds flying as well as the birds in the water. And the last couple of shots with the birds in flight - those ones have a particular force. All in their own way such a delight to look at - well done
Great set of pictures - I have yet to get any good pictures of curlews - I'll have to keep trying.
Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW.
Stewart M - Melbourne
My goodness gracious, there's soooooooo many! heheheee =)
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