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Wednesday, 7 February 2018

Wild Bird Wednesday 289 - Pied Oystercatcher

The beaches near our accommodation in Freycinet were perfect for Pied Oystercatchers (Haematopus longirostris) with a mix of sandy beaches - which are the classic habitat for this species - and rocky platforms, which rich beds of muscles and such like exposed at high tide.

I spent a while with this pair of birds, and while they were a bit flighty on the sand they seemed to settled down on a rock platform.  At that point they seemed to start ignoring me.

One of the things I have found is that birds often seem more calm if there is a stretch of water between you and them - and this was certainly the case here.  It would be reasonable to say I took a lot of pictures of these birds, so it would not surprise me if some more from this little session show up on WBW at some time.

I rather like the first image, as it does not look like most of the other oystercatcher shots I have ever taken.





















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25 comments:

  1. Brian King7 February 2018 at 03:40

    Beautiful photos! I’ve always liked the bright color of their eyes, bills, and legs.

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  2. Phil Slade7 February 2018 at 03:44

    I would challenge anyone to ID between our own European Oystercatcher and this one Stewart. The sandy shore doesn't look like our own.

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  3. Author R. Mac Wheeler7 February 2018 at 03:49

    I love these guys. Great shots. Ours have a bit more white on them.

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  4. Margaret Birding For Pleasure7 February 2018 at 04:27

    Oystercatchers are always lovely to watch and your shots are a great series. Thank you for hosting and have a good week ahead

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  5. Yamini MacLean7 February 2018 at 04:54

    Hari OM
    It's a lovely series, Stewart; no.5 gets my vote though! YAM xx

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  6. Kenneth Cole Schneider7 February 2018 at 05:30

    The white space on the first photo brings thoughts of territory yet to be explored. They certainly are similar to their cousins here in the US

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  7. Andrea @ From The Sol7 February 2018 at 05:59

    Good Grief! Red Eyes, Orange Beak and Pink Feet ... Nature's painter must have been on a bender. But, that said, I love these busy birds. They are sooooo cool and fun in pictures, I can't imagine what it would be like to meet one in person (still on my Bucket List :). My next scheduled trip is to Thailand, surprise, surprise and this time I am hoping to take a birding tour to get a better grasp on the native birds. So you are planning your next excursion ... any clues to where you might be headed? Life is good, right? And your wonderful kids are getting to the age where they will enjoy birding with you (along with the wife, of course). Sorry you have to sit behind a desk these days, but retirement will come someday and you will see ... you will be busier than when you worked full time, so enjoy the relaxing times, Ha! ... Be well :)

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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  8. NatureFootstep7 February 2018 at 07:21

    A favorite bird of mine. I hope to see more of them this year then I did the last. There are more water now. Great shots. :)

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  9. David M. Gascoigne,7 February 2018 at 07:53

    A handsome species in an enigmatic family - and I agree with you that a stretch of intervening water does seem to give the birds a little security and they become a tad less wary.

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  10. Marie Smith7 February 2018 at 08:52

    Love these beautiful creatures! Great photos!

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  11. Ranten7 February 2018 at 09:16

    Yet another favorite! Lovely pictures!

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  12. Betty J. Crow7 February 2018 at 11:32

    What a wonderful series of the Oystercatcher. Love the brilliant orange of their bill, legs, and eyes.

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  13. Valerie7 February 2018 at 12:10

    Fabulous captures of this delightful bird Stewart.

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  14. Vineeta Yashsavi7 February 2018 at 18:05

    fantastic captures...

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  15. Breathtaking7 February 2018 at 20:58

    Hello Stewart!:) Brilliant captures of these handsome birds. I love their brightly coloured legs, eyes, and beaks, and greatly enjoyed my visit. Thank you for hosting.:)

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  16. Cloudia8 February 2018 at 00:55

    Thank You dear S

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  17. Rhodesia8 February 2018 at 02:36

    Interesting birds and I love those bright red eyes. Great photos. Cheers Diane

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  18. Inspired By June8 February 2018 at 03:22

    Wonderful captures of this neat bird, Stewart! I especially like the latter images with all the oysters - what a feast!

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  19. photodoug8 February 2018 at 04:06

    Stewart, like the photo with the bird itching its face. Thanks for sharing.

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  20. Sallie (FullTime-Life)8 February 2018 at 07:30

    I love these birds -- and not only because they are one shorebird I can identify without problem. Wonderful study of their behavior as well as their unique beauty! Thanks for these and for hosting as always.

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  21. BumbleVee8 February 2018 at 09:24

    Ooooh....to be somewhere toasty with sand beaches...... sigh......... that'd be reeeeellly nice ...

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  22. Anonymous8 February 2018 at 10:43

    Stewart, I cannot wait for Summer here to actually see shore birds...even the pesky Gulls!!1...:)JP

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  23. Pat Tillett11 February 2018 at 11:57

    Really fine photographs Stewart! So nice of them to cooperate.

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  24. Ana Mínguez Corella11 February 2018 at 21:28

    Beautiful images .. Well done .. Regards

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  25. Pat Ulrich13 February 2018 at 12:43

    Excellent series, Stewart. Always enjoy seeing oystercatchers!

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