Wednesday 28 January 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday 133 - Sooty Oystercatchers

Part of the reason for me being so busy of late we that I had to 'get ahead' at work so I could go on holiday.  So, get ready for some posts from Tasmania, Australia's Island State.

I have posted images of Sooty Oystercatchers before, but they are such a splendid bird I feel obligated to post some more!

This species of oystercatcher is called Haematopus fuliginosus and it is closely related to the other  oystercatcher that can be seen around the world. These pictures were taken on the typical rocky shore environment that they seem to prefer.

This wonderful section of beach is near Coles Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula in Tasmania - if you get a chance you should go there!





Now it's your turn to join in - click the blue button and off you go!  (With luck the button will be there this week when you visit - I managed to mess it up last week!)



47 comments:

  1. they're beautiful! love the contrast in colors and that ringed eye!

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  2. Stewart, sounds like an awesome trip! I love the Oystercatcher, they are cool birds.. Great shots! Thanks for hosting, enjoy the rest of your week!

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  3. I think they are so striking with that brilliant beak and eye coloring!
    Have a wonderful holiday Stewart!

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  4. Hi Stewart,
    Beautiful I find this kind of oystercatcher.
    All the way black and a red beak.
    In the Netherlands, they are not completely black.
    That's probably a different species.
    The third picture is my favorite.
    Best regards, Irma

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  5. The colors in nature are so marvelous.

    Enjoy your holiday.

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  6. They are a splendid bird and I would love to go there. Your pictures and articles are the next best thing. Thanks for them and for hosting.

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  7. Hard to hide with a beak like that. :-)

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  8. I am glad you felt obligated because these may be my favorite birds ... the coloring is just stunning. I wonder what the coloring does for them as it doesn't seem to be a camouflage attempt. Are the oyster attracted to the red beak and open up ... Ha, that would be cool. Anyway, love your Sooty Oystercatchers ... post them again as often as you like :)

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  9. Love those red beaks!! Terrific captures as always!!

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  10. Hij is prachtig zo de kleuren van de ringen om zijn ogen en zijn poten komen heel mooi tot zijn recht.

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  11. Beautiful photos, Stewart! Glad you are getting some time off!

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  12. Great photos of the Sooties - they are a beautiful bird.

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  13. A wonderful bird and stunning to see it in black.

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  14. These birds have such distinctive coloring. Great captures, Stewart. Enjoy your holiday.

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  15. Great captures of these lovely birds. Thanks for hosting.

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  16. Awesome photos! Can't wait to see more pics from Tasmania.

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  17. They are very neat birds! I do like the contrast as well!

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  18. Not much chance of me getting to Tasmania Stewart but I have seen a single Eurasian Oystercatcher here in the Canairies.

    Good luck this week. I should be back to normal next week.

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  19. Lovely birds Stewart and as a self confessed lover of the British Oystercatcher a species which is right up my street.

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  20. Gorgeous birds. Striking colour combo.

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  21. They look a bit like funny shaped Choughs :) Really nice birds

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  22. The Sooty Oystercatcher is a striking bird, one I would love to see in real time. Great photos Stewart.

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  23. My first experience of an Oystercatcher was on our holiday in Norway. I can see the difference in yours. Two lovely birds in their own way. Yours is very striking, lovely!

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  24. Thanks! I hope I get a chance to go as well. Pretty cool bird:) Oystercatchers are wonderful birds. We have the American and Black Oystercatchers here. I'll have to look at the differences between the Black and Sooty species closer.

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  25. Beautiful birds ! I see that these birds have quite shapely legs !
    Greetings

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  26. Handsome birds! I like the dark plumage with the brightly colored bill and eye rings!

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  27. Magnificent birds, fascinating environment, great photos.

    Thanks for an interesting post and a fun meme.

    Have a nice day.

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  28. Hello Stewart,
    A truly beautiful bird..
    They look so compact and strong.
    Love they're beautiful long red beak and solid black colouring.
    Tasmania is definitely on my wish-list with these birds added as a must to see.

    Such a privilege to be on location to experience them.

    Thanks for another episode of wonderful birds.

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  29. Great shots of the Sooty Oyster catchers

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  30. Beautiful bird but I dint recall seeing any when I was there but then I'm not a twitcher.Have fun on the apple isle.

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  31. What marvellous pictures of these lovely birds.

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  32. I imagine that this bird gets it's name from it colour, but from that point on, there certainly is nothing sooty about it. They are really quite lovely birds! Thank you for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday, always enjoy it~

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  33. What a handsome bird between that beak and those eyes!...:)JP

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  34. They are interesting. What great colors.

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  35. they make soot and orange look GREAT!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    <3

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  36. The Sooty Oystercatcher is quite stunning in basic black, accessorized with the vibrant orange accoutrements. A lovely bird; a vacation sounds delightful! Thanks for hosting and sharing. And all the hard work you had to do to make it happen.

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  37. Hello Stewart!! These are lovely birds. Love those red beaks!

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  38. Hi Stewart, I love the Oystercatcher. We have the Black Oystercatcher in South Africa. I managed to link my post to your meme, albeit a couple of days late. Thanks for hosting. Greetings, Jo

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  39. I love Sooty Oystercatchers!
    Enjoy your weekend, Stewart.

    I hope to get back to linking up with WBW more regularly this year. I've been a little slack and sporadic with all the health issues. I've done a lot of image clean up & deleeting unnecessary images on my laptop while I've been recuperating. I discovered a LOT of bird images that I hadn't edited... and a LOT that I really don't need. Thank goodness for digital!!

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  40. Stewart...when I read your response about my Vermilion Flycatcher to my husband, he jokingly told me to tell you that when we found out we were coming, we made sure you got to a park with Australian Gum trees so you would feel at home. And, it was fitting for you to see the Vermilion Flycatcher from "down under." Oh, he's a funny guy! :-)

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  41. Love the eyes! They are awesome looking birds. Nice shots Stewart!

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