Archive for category Plovers and Dotterels

Bye, bye waders! Cairns will miss you!

Feb 24

It has been pouring rain all week up here in the north so unfortunately I have no photos! I have been out birding four or five times in the rain however and as of today, it seems the bulk of the waders have left the Cairns Esplanade. Today I noted small numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits, Eastern Curlews, Whimbrels, Terek Sandpipers, Grey-tailed Tattlers, Lesser Sand-plovers, Pied Oystercatchers and a few Great Knots, but that’s about it. Last week in a seriously torrential downpour I had the opportunity to see the bulk of the Great Knots, a fair few in near full breeding plumage, hurriedly squeezing in one of their last feeds before take-off. The godwits were still feeding on the grass, surprisingly within metres of passers-by and picnickers. It seems they become a little bolder in their final stages of preparation.

It will be interesting to see in the coming weeks if the rest of the birds (obviously not all species as some are not migratory) will also depart, albeit a little tardily, or if they will stay for the coming dry season. Younger or sick birds are known to stay-over from time to time, particularly the godwits. Already today I missed the birds, feeling a little alone while searching the near empty mud flats. I’m sure with the known shot of eco-tourism dollars injected into the arm of the local economy by these birds, I’m not the only one.

Tags: Cairns, Esplanade, godwits, shorebirds, waders

Godwit Shenanigans

Feb 16

Posted by Sebastian | No Comments

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had noticed the Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) on the Esplanade had, rather unusually, started feeding on the grass. This vigorous feeding has continued and I have seen the birds on the grass in different areas almost daily. I figure it must be a last ditch effort to fatten up prior to migratory departure. Following is a video I took in the heat of the day today.

Note the Common Myna (Sturnus tristis) capitalising on the situation. Two birds followed the godwits, almost in a Willie Wagtail type fashion chasing insects that were disturbed by them. You can actually see all the birds panting amongst the heat waves. Most birds such as the this Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) utilising the minuscule shade produced by this palm, were not willing to brave the heat.

That was not the end of the strange godwits today. In between the group of birds feeding on the grass and others loafing on the mudflat, stood this bird — missing a leg. I can’t say for certain that it was excluded from the two groups, but it certainly seemed a little sickly.

Please excuse the following random characters, it is for Technorati: GSYYX7S8TH6W

Tags: birding, birds, Cairns, Esplanade, godwits, shorebirds

Whimbrels and Curlews

Feb 12

Posted by Sebastian | 3 Comments

I spent another hot afternoon on the Esplanade today and managed to get some more decent videos. With waders, I often find that once you have observed a species, it becomes much easier to separate them. Differences that look fairly subtle on paper become glaringly apparent in the field. That is why I thought video is an excellent idea! Here is a video I took today of a Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) feeding near the boardwalk at the southern end.

The following video is of an Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) chasing prey at the northern end. It collapses chasing a crab after running into mud too soft for it. Not something often observed with these usually sure-footed birds!

The Whimbrel and Eastern Curlew are wildly different looking birds. The bill length and size of the birds make them unmistakable for one another. A good guideline I have heard is, “The Eastern Curlew looks as though it could easily touch the tip of its tail while the Whimbrel looks like it can’t”. As I said though, it will only take a sighting or two before separating them is second nature. In the above video of the Whimbrel, there is actually an Eastern Curlew calling in the background, see if you can pick it up! It is interesting that these two species often react to each other’s calls on some level.

I also took some decent footage of the Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus), Grey-tailed Tattler (Tringa brevipes), Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii) and Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis). A number of these species present an ID problem in the field. I find that despite some characteristics clearly separating them from similar species should you get a decent photo, there are some general GISS characteristics you should look out for that may be more helpful while observing.

I will post about them in the coming days!

Tags: birding, birds, Cairns, eastern curlew, Esplanade, shorebirds, waders, whimbrel