HORROCKS BEACH BIRDS

A couple of posts back I mentioned we may take a break from our travels, so the decision was made to stay at the little beach town of Horrocks, about 600km north of Perth, WA. We both have some casual work at the caravan park here: http://www.horrocksbeachcaravanpark.com.au/ , with plenty of time for exploring.

Horrocks Beach

These Osprey nests have been erected at various sites along the coastline for the local population to utilize, and they sure make the most of them.

Eastern Osprey

At nearby Bowes River the pelicans were lining up to feed in the calm waters of the enclosed estuary.

Australian Pelican

A new bird for us was a small group of Sanderlings (the larger two birds below) that were foraging beside the river along with a some Red-necked Stints. It made for an ideal situation to compare these two feisty little shore-bird species.

Sanderling and Red-necked Stint

The variety and movement of terns kept our heads turning and the camera clicking, as I tried to get some decent shots of these efficient fishers.   

Crested Tern

The worlds largest tern species gave us a fly by.

Caspian Tern

As well as one of the smallest.

Fairy Tern

Fairy Tern

A lone Gull-billed Tern made an appearance, a much less common species in these parts. 

Gull-billed Tern and Red-capped Plover

Little Bay

Besides the ubiquitous Silver Gulls, a pair of Pacific Gulls also patrolled the beach at Horrocks, quite often perched atop the piles of sea wrack that comes and goes with the tides and wind.

Pacific Gull

Up the road at Port Gregory various waders were using the salt marsh and ponds near town for feeding and roosting. Besides the birds pictured, there were Red-necked Avocets and Black-winged Stilts making the most of the ideal conditions.

Wood Sandpiper

A very distant shot of four different waders.

L to R: Common Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

The salt granules, in the Pink Lakes near Port Gregory, trap a type of bacteria that give them their colourful hue.  

Pink Lake 

Cheers and Happy Birding

COFFIN BAY TO CEDUNA

After our Port Lincoln visit it was onwards to Coffin Bay National Park on the other side of the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia. After savouring a couple of dozen succulent oysters fresh from the farm we savoured some of the coastal scenery and birdlife in the area.  

First time oyster shucker

Yangie Bay

Point Avoid

Pied Currawong

Sooty Oystercatcher

Red-capped Plover

Pacific Gull

On our way to Ceduna we overnighted at Murphy's Haystacks, a type of granite rock formation known as inselbergs. They were mistaken for giant haystacks by a distant traveller early last century and were named after the properties owner.

Murphy's Haystacks

Ceduna - aboriginal name for "a place to sit down and rest," which we were looking forward to -

was our last stop before crossing the Nullarbor Plain. We walked the 368 metre long and nearly century old jetty in Murat bay. A lone Crested tern was using the railing as a perch to do a spot of fishing.

Crested Tern

Great Egret

Common Greenshank

Cheers and Happy Birding

FITZGERALD BAY TO PORT LINCOLN

Continuing on with our travels in SA earlier this year we made our way down the Eyre Peninsula with our first stop at Fitzgerald Bay where we sat out the Easter long weekend, with access to flushing loos, fresh water, peace and quiet.  

High tide at Fitzgerald Bay 

Sunset over our camp

After trying unsuccessfully to spot one of these little buggers in the Botanic Gardens at Port Augusta, I snagged some half decent views of some in the saltbush not far from our camp and snapped a record shot of one.

Rufous Fieldwren - lifer

I drove out to a conservation park not far from Whyalla to search for Thick-billed Grass-Wrens and Slender-billed Thornbills, with no luck. Did see plenty of Chestnut-rumped Thornbills and they were much more confiding than the Fieldwrens.

Chestnut-Rumped Thornbill 

Wild Dog Hill

Full moon over Fitzgerald Bay

From the bay it was on to Port Lincoln National Park where we stayed at Surfleet Cove and enjoyed the lovely scenery and varied birdlife.

On the beach at SurfleetCove

Coastal rock formation

Emu

Pied Oystercatchers

Sooty Oystercatcher

The Yellow Robins here were just as photogenic as their Eastern cousins.

Western Yellow Robin - lifer

View from Stamford Hill lookout

The Port Lincoln race of the Australian Ringneck were common around the campground and it didn't take me long to get on to a small flock of Rock Parrots, a member of the Neophema family confined to the coasts of southern WA and SA.

"Port Lincoln" Ringnecks

Rock Parrot - lifer

Australian Pelicans wait for a handout

Pacific Gull

Cheers and Happy Birding