Posts Tagged waders

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

The ‘nade and Helpful Hints Separating Stints

Feb 15

Posted by Sebastian | No Comments

It was another hot day today with the rain that has been forecast every day for the last two weeks still not eventuating. All the same, the tide was just about perfect, being about 10% out and heading that direction when I arrived. The species diversity is reducing but many of the more common species are starting to moult into their breeding plumage prior to their migratory departure . At the southern end on the boardwalk, the storwater runoff enters fairly deep channels allowing small fish to come quite close to shore, bringing predators with them. Here is some footage of a Striated Heron (Butorides striatus) hunting.

It is fairly lucky to catch a Striated Heron this close up actually actively hunting, especially with such success. This bird actually manages three successful strikes in a row. More typically, this species stays quite still with very little movement. Those slow deliberate steps are usually far more sparse and reserved for movement after a strike is unsuccessful.

Another species that got quite close to the shore today was the Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis). With many birds mid-moult, I thought it the perfect time to comment on separating this common little bird from other species and its rarer brethren. About as large as a sparrow, these birds will likely be among the smallest wader on any foreshore. Here is a comparison shot of a Red-necked Stint next to some Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) and Curlew Sandpipers (Calidris ferruginea).

Chances are, if you spot a stint on the east Australian coast, it will be the Red-necked Stint. The key feature to look for, unless you’re looking at a mudflat, is dark legs. This is the only stint of its size present in Australia with dark legs. Another feature I look for to confirm a bird is a Red-necked stint is the bulbous tip on the end of the bill. This is more subtle in some birds than others, but if it is present (and not a chunk of mud), it is diagnostic. Often, Red-necked Stints are confused with Sanderlings (Calidris alba) which makes no sense to me. The Sanderling is a larger bird with much brighter, higher contrast grey and white appearance. Finally, the Sanderling, as the name implies, is usually found on sand. While Red-necked Stints can be found on sandy beaches, it is uncommon to find a Sanderling outside its preferred habitat.

Red-necked Stints feed in small groups and their presence can often be missed as they blend well with their usual surroundings. Here is a video of a motley group. Note the bird coming into moult, it looks particularly light. Moulting shorebirds often confuse me and I have got excited on many occasions at the sight of an ‘off’ looking bird.

And as a little finale for today, here is a photo of a Peaceful Dove nest I found outside work…

Tags: birding, birds, Cairns, Esplanade, identifying help, waders

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