Striated Heron

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striated_heron

Striated Heron..

The striated heron (Butorides striata) also known as mangrove heron, little heron or green-backed heron, is a small heron. Striated herons are mostly non-migratory and noted for some interesting behavioral traits. Their breeding habitat is small wetlands

Adults have a blue-grey back and wings, white underparts, a black cap, a dark line extends from the bill to under the eye and short yellow legs. Juveniles are browner above and streaked below.

These birds stand still at the water’s edge and wait to ambush prey, but are easier to see than many small heron species. They mainly eat small fish, frogs and aquatic insects. They sometimes use bait, dropping a feather or leaf carefully on the water surface and picking fish that come to investigate.^[4]

They nest in a platform of sticks measuring between 20–40 cm long and 0.5–5 mm thick. The entire nest measures some 40–50 cm wide and 8–10 cm high outside, with an inner depression 20 cm wide and 4–5 cm deep.

Black Swan and Cygnets

The black swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions. Black swans are large birds with mostly black plumage and red bills. They are monogamous breeders that share incubation duties and cygnet rearing between the sexes.

Black Swan

Black swans are mostly black-feathered birds, with white flight feathers. The bill is bright red, with a pale bar and tip; and legs and feet are greyish-black. Cobs (males) are slightly larger than pens (females), with a longer and straighter bill. Cygnets (immature birds) are a greyish-brown with pale-edged feathers.^[3]

Black Swans are widespread throughout much of Australia, and occur wherever there is a wetland, from river estuaries, bays and great lakes to inundated pasture and water-meadows. In some places, where the wetlands are permanent, Black Swans are sedentary, remaining throughout the year. However, where the wetlands dry out for part of the year, swans are forced to disperse over wide distances in search of suitable water, and have even been recorded swimming in isolated waterholes surrounded by vast tracts of arid stony desert

In adult Black Swans the body is mostly black, with the exception of the broad white wing tips which are visible in flight. The bill is a deep orange-red, paler at the tip, with a distinct narrow white band towards the end. Younger birds are much greyer in colour, and have black wing tips. Adult females are smaller than the males.

The Black Swan is a vegetarian. Food consists of algae and weeds, which the bird obtains by plunging its long neck into water up to 1 m deep. Occasionally birds will graze on land, but they are clumsy walkers.

Black Swans form isolated pairs or small colonies in shallow wetlands. Birds pair for life, with both adults raising one brood per season. The eggs are laid in an untidy nest made of reeds and grasses. The nest is placed either on a small island or floated in deeper water. The chicks are covered in grey down, and are able to swim and feed themselves as soon as they hatch.

Great Blue Heron

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_blue_heron

The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands

Great Blue Heron

Whether poised at a river bend or cruising the coastline with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight. This stately heron with its subtle blue-gray plumage often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps. They may move slowly, but Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher. In flight, look for this widespread heron’s tucked-in neck and long legs trailing out behind.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/locality/australasian/australia/queensland/bribie-island?page=1

Great Blue Heron

Waterbirds & Raptors of Coastal SEQ – Sunshine Coast …

www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/addfiles/…/seq_waterbirds_raptors_1.pdf

range of bird groups that includes grebes, cormorants, herons, spoonbills, ibises … Park on Bribie Island attracts many waterbirds, including occasional rarities.

White Faced Heron

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-faced_heron

The white-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) also known as the white-fronted heron,^[2] and incorrectly as the grey heron,^[3] or blue crane,^[2] is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, the islands of the Subantarctic, and all but the driest areas of Australia.

It is a relatively small heron, pale, slightly bluish-grey, with yellow legs and white facial markings. It can be found almost anywhere near shallow water, fresh or salt, and although it is prompt to depart the scene on long, slow-beating wings if disturbed, it will boldly raid suburban fish ponds.

White Faced Heron

White Faced Heron

White-faced herons eat most small aquatic creatures^[14] and their varied diet is fish, frogs, small reptiles and insects.^[15] It uses a variety of techniques to find food including standing still and waiting for prey movement (often employing a peculiarly rhythmic neck movement whether in water or on land), walking slowly in shallow water, wing flicking, foot raking or even chasing prey with open wings.^[14] White-faced herons generally feed solitarily or independently in small groups

Pelican

THE AUSTRALIAN PELICAN (Pelecanus conspicillatus) has mythological significance for Aboriginal people. It was harvested for food by the Yandruwandha people in the Coongie Lakes, has long been persecuted and had nesting colonies destroyed by European fisher folk as perceived competitors for their fish stocks. It learns quickly to capitalise on human and other novel sources of food (friendly anglers, municipal garbage dumps), and is a common sight around wharves and harbours in coastal Australian towns, particularly fishing centres.

Amongst the heaviest flying birds in the world, pelicans as a group evolved from marine ancestors, but six of the seven species including the Australian pelican spend most of their time on rivers, lakes, inland seas and coastal waters. Male Australian pelicans can weigh in excess of 10 kg, but 8 kg is a more usual upper weight. Recognised instantly by their massive bill and pouch, pelicans mainly eat fish, and they nest colonially. They soar spectacularly on thermals, occasionally to great heights (3000 m or more), and they display precise orchestration of movement when feeding cooperatively or flying in V formation.

The four inland Pelican colonies recorded were Lake Cawndilla (Menindee Lakes, NSW), Lake Eyre South (SA), Lake Goolangirie (Coongie Lakes, SA), and Lake Machattie (Georgina River, QLD)

Pelicans are a genus of large water birds that makes up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterised by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped up contents before swallowing. They have predominantly pale plumage, the exceptions being the brown and Peruvian pelicans. The bills, pouches and bare facial skin of all species become brightly coloured before the breeding season

Pelicans frequent inland and coastal waters where they feed principally on fish, catching them at or near the water surface. They are gregarious birds, travelling in flocks, hunting cooperatively and breeding colonially. Four white-plumaged species tend to nest on the ground, and four brown or grey-plumaged species nest mainly in trees. The relationship between pelicans and people has often been contentious. The birds have been persecuted because of their perceived competition with commercial and recreational fishing. They have suffered from habitat destruction, disturbance and environmental pollution, and three species are of conservation concern. They also have a long history of cultural significance in mythology, and in Christian and heraldic iconography.

The Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is a large waterbird of the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand. It is a predominantly white bird with black wings and a pink bill. It has been recorded as having the longest bill of any living bird. It mainly eats fish, but will also consume birds and scavenges for scraps.

Pied Oyster Catcher

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10386

The Pied Oystercatcher is an unmistakable, large, black and white wader, reaching 50 cm in length. The sexes are similar, yet may be separable when together with the female having a slightly longer, more slender bill. When not in flight, the Pied Oystercatcher appears entirely black above, with white underparts. The back, head and breast are black, and the belly, rump and tail are white. The tail is tipped black.

Favours intertidal flats of inlets and bays, open beaches and sandbanks.
Forages on exposed sand, mud and rock at low tide, for molluscs, worms, crabs and small fish. The chisel-like bill is used to pry open or break into shells of oysters and other shellfish.
Nests mostly on coastal or estuarine beaches although occasionally they use saltmarsh or grassy areas. Nests are shallow scrapes in sand above the high tide mark, often amongst seaweed, shells and small stones.

The species is distributed around the entire Australian coastline, although it is most common in coastal Tasmania and parts of Victoria, such as Corner Inlet. In NSW the species is thinly scattered along the entire coast, with fewer than 200 breeding pairs estimated to occur in the State. ‘Pied’ Oystercatchers are occasionally recorded on Lord Howe island but it is uncertain which species is involved.

Caspian Tern

Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Common resident Bribie Island
Very large (48-55 cm)
Pale grey above and white below, with white forehead and streaky black cap. Large red bill and black legs. In breeding plumage has solid black cap with short crest. Rasping ‘kraark’ call. Coastal areas, breeding on offshore islands

Australia’s largest tern, the Caspian Tern is easily identified by its large, bright-red, dagger-like bill. They forage by plunge-diving into the water from heights of up to 15 metres, grabbing a fish with that massive beak. Caspian Terns are able to take larger fish than any other Australian tern. They are widespread around virtually the entire Australian coastline

The Caspian Tern is the largest tern in Australia, with long, slender backswept wings and a slightly forked tail. The heavy bill is red with a dusky tip. When breeding the tern is white, except for a black crown from bill to nape and a short shaggy black crest. The mantle and upperwings are grey and the flight feathers are darker. The eye is dark brown and legs are black. When not breeding, the crown is finely streaked white. The sexes are similar. Immature birds are similar to non-breeding adults. Younger birds are mottled grey and brown.

Lesser Crested Tern ….Thalasseus bengalensis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tern

Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers or wetlands. Previously considered a subfamily of the gulls, Laridae, they are now usually given full family status and divided into eleven genera. They are slender, lightly built birds with long forked tails, narrow wings, long bills and relatively short legs. Their flight is buoyant and graceful. Most species are pale grey above and white below, with a contrasting black cap to the head.

http://ptiloris.smugmug.com/ID-Guides/Crested-Tern-v-Lesser/13567908_Q7VH2b#!i=1020130992&k=x56LZMg

http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/birding-aus/2013-07/msg00309.html

Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis is an uncommon winter visitor. Smaller than Crested Tern, paler grey above, black cap that extends virtually to base of bill in breeding plumage and bright orange bill. Note that the bills of some Crested Terns may be orange-yellow.

Shorebirds, Gulls & Terns of Coastal SEQ – Sunshine Coast …

www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/addfiles/documents/…/seq_shorebirds.pdf

end of Bribie Island, attracts many shorebirds and terns. Birds …. General: Greater is larger, more attenuated and less plump ….. Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus.

Morning Walk at Bribie Island Kakadu Bird Sanctuary

Bird Sanctuary and walking Track at Bribie island..

Sunrise Today...

Walked the Kakadu Bird Sanctuary Track this morning..

The artificial roost site, hides and interpretive centre at Kakadu Beach are the result of cooperation between the Queensland Wader Study Group and the developer of Pacific Harbour, a canal residential estate on Pumicestone Passage. The artificial roost site was built in 2002 to compensate for the loss of a natural roost site on the banks of Dux Creek, which was notable for accommodating up to 1000 Eastern Curlew on peak migration, as well as thousands of other waders.

The Kakadu Beach roost site is 200 m long, with fencing and planted mangroves at either end to discourage entry by people and dogs. A long, tidally inundated lagoon was also constructed behind the roost site to buffer the birds from disturbance from people. Hides are positioned at either end of the site and are linked by a cement path.

Kakadu Beach is…

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Bird Walking Track and Sanctuary at Bribie Island

Birds on Bribie Island..

Sunrise Today...

http://www.sunbittern.com/bribie%20birds.html

The Pumicestone Passage is a wonderful area for birds and there are several vantage points from the numerous beaches. Raptors are common and include spectacular White-bellied Sea-Eagles, Ospreys and Brahminy Kites. Waders, including the globally-threatened Eastern Curlew, are plentiful on the mudflats, especially in summer, and you might even spot a majestic Black-necked Stork. Amongst the many migrant waders that gather at the award-winning Kakadu Beach high-tide wader roost at Banksia Beach can be the scarce Sooty Oystercatcher and, if you are really lucky, Beach Stone-curlew. In winter Double-banded Plovers, visitors from New Zealand, occur in small numbers at this man-made sanctuary