Wild Bird Wednesday 694 - Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper

The Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) is a small to medium sized wader. It breeds mostly in Siberia during the northern summer and the majority of individuals spend their non-breeding season in Australia during the southern summer. It is also found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and New Zealand, but in lower numbers than in Australia.

The 'Sharpie' can be found more or less all around the Australian coast, with the greatest numbers being found in south-eastern Australia (which is where I am!).

The Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper has a reasonably distinctive chestnut crown and nape, with a white eyebrow, and reddish brown, highly patterned upper parts.  It also has green legs.  Sharp-Tailed Sandpipers, along with Red-Necked Stints and Curlew Sandpipers, make up the vast majority or the small and medium sized waders that visit my part of Australia in summer.  I was once told to initially concentrate on these three species of waders as a way to simplify learning to identify this potentially confusing set of birds.  It was very good advice.

I am not sure what the interactions I captured with these birds means, I assume it was some form of dominance display, but that's a guess.

People will not be surprised to learn that these pictures were taken at the Werribee Sewage works - a place I have visited three times in the last week!

You can certainly see the Sharp-Tailed Sandpipers sharp tail feathers in some of these pictures!

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  Cheers  SM

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Wild Bird Wednesday 693 - Blue Tit

The Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is probably one of the UKs most recognisable garden and bird feeder visitors.  Their colourful mix of blue, yellow, white and green plumage makes them easy to identify.  In winter (when bird feeders are at their most popular) they can be commonly seen in flocks, often associating with other similar small birds.

A very long time ago I worked on a nature reserve and we were banding / ringing around the bird feeders.  By the end of the day we had banded close to 100 Blue Tits - along with two Great Spotted Woodpekers, and many other woodland birds.  But what was remarkable was the number of un-banded birds that were still using the feeders.  We estimated that no more than 1/3rd of the Blue Tits that were around the feeders, meaning that the total population utilising the feeders was bout 300 birds!  Remarkable.

It estimated that there are over 4 million pairs of these birds in the British Isles, with Blue Tits being most abundant in woodlands that contain oak trees.

The Blue Tit belongs to a family of birds called the Paridae. Eurasian and African members of this family are referred to as "tits", while North American species are generally called "chickadees".  

They are without question a delightful and popular little bird.

As you can see, some of these birds have been banded (although not by me!).  These birds were feeding on the nut feeders outside of the main office of the RSPB reserve at Minsmere, in Suffolk.  As these pictures were taken on late in the afternoon in mid-February I suspect the birds were feeding up for a long, dark and cold night.

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  Cheers SM.

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Wild Bird Wednesday 692 - Dunnock

The Dunnock (Prunella modularis) is a small passerine found throughout temperate Europe and into Asian Russia. The nearest Dunnocks to home for me are in New Zealand where they have been successfully introduced.

This bird was singing its heart out at the Cley Marshes reserve in Norfolk.

As a kid I would have called this species a Hedge Sparrow - and to show my age a well known online encyclopaedia calls this name 'largely archaic'. Oh well.

Dunnocks typically measure 13–14.5 cm (5.1–5.7 in) in length, with male and female birds being similar in appearance.

As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below.  Cheers  SM

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Kangaroo Island

The Kangaroo Island Wilderness Walk takes in some pretty remarkable coastal scenery.  

Kangaroo Island is off the coast of South Australia and is Australia's third-largest Island. At 155 kilometres long and up to fifty-five km wide, and is separated from the mainland by a fifteen km stretch of ocean. 

The ferry to Kangaroo Islands is located at Cape Jarvis, which is under two hours from Adelaide.  The ferry trip provided stiff breezes, surprisingly good coffee and rather good views of dolphins.

As you can see from the photographs we had a range of weather on the walk - but variety is the spice of life.

It was a splendid walk.  SM

Wild Bird Wednesday 691 - Australian Magpie

The Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is a very familiar black and white bird with an amazing singing ability: you can hear a compilation of their vocalisations here.

You will not be surprised to hear that it is not really a magpie in the more widely accepted meaning go the word.  Magpies are actually crows, but Australian Magpies are more closely related to butcherbirds than crows.

It was a common habit in the colonial period to call any Australian bird that was black and white a 'magpie' of some kind - and as a result we have Australian Magpies, Magpie Geese and Magpie Larks - and none of these are Magpies in the conventional sense.

Australian Magpie are also highly territorial, and will aggressively swoop and even peck people or other animals they perceive as a threat.  It also seems that Australian Magpies will single out individual people for aggressive behaviour - in other words they can remember who they 'hate' the most and seem to reserve much of their anger for that person.  (To be honest, it's a behaviour I can empathise with!)

Strangely, Australian Magpie can also become very tame, and will feed very close to people they trust.  A number of years ago we had a pair that nested in the trees behind our house.  In the mornings they would come and tap on our back door and window asking for some breakfast! I was more than pleased to oblige.

I found these two birds near my house, and they were feeding around the mossy base of a street tree.  They seemed to be finding a good number of small invertebrates to eat.

They are an utterly iconic Australian bird.

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Wild Bird Wednesday 690 - Hooded Plovers

Hooded Plovers (Thinornis cucullatus) are an endemic Australian wader. They are a non-migratory bird found in sandy coastal area of Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. It is a medium sized  bird, with a prominent red beak and eye rings, and a dark black hood. The sexes are similar in size and plumage,

They are considered endangered largely due to the disturbance of their beach nest sites by the people, dogs and horses that also use these beaches.  The eggs and young birds are heavily predated by foxes, cats, silver gulls and ravens.  All in all, it's not easy being a Hooded Plovers.

Hoodies (as they are known) are emblematic of Australia's wilder souther beaches. There are probably no more than 3000 of these birds in existence.  

Thankfully, I was able to watch a number of pairs of this rather charming bird on the beaches of Kangaroo Island.  When I walk on a wild beach and see Hoodies I always think I have seen 'something'!

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