Toorbul Teaser

Mangrove Kingfisher

I've spent much of the morning at Toorbul taking some guests, Max O'Sullivan from Leeton and Martin Odino from Kenya, on a little search for birds!

We arrived a couple of hours before the official high tide and travelled to the north end of the esplanade first for Mangrove Kingfisher and Mangrove Gerygone. Both were obliging as were a numer of honeyeater species in the flowering bottlebrush.

Then south, past the street lights with their Pelican ornaments, past the Kangaroo mob lazing in eucalypt shade to the waders that had already begun to obediently assemble. Residents, Black-winged Stilts and Pied Oystercatchers, stood out among the grey brown flocks as did the two Terns; Caspian and Gull-billed.

Waders in flight at Toorbul

Then the waders were sorted via size; Red-necked Stints out in front with some Curlew and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Grey tailed Tattlers were numerous as were Great Knots. Two still so slightly Red Knots hid among the Greats. Whimbrels and hundreds of Bar-tailed Godwits shielded a single Black-tailed Godwit and, perhaps more impressively, an Asian Dowitcher.  Finally some Curlews came in.

Asian Dowitcher surrounded by Bar-tailed Godwits

Osprey

* all photos by Martin Odino.
For more information about Martin and his campaign to help stop bird poisoning in Western Kenya please read http://stopwildlifepoisoning.wildlifedirect.org/author/martin-odino/