Lake Lorne shore

In addition to the Freckled Ducks featured in the previous post, there were many other species around the shore at Lake Lorne this afternoon.

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Australian Wood Duck, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

although some remained in the middle of the lake making photography challenging

Blue-billed Duck, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Hardhead, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

There were also several Black Swans close to the lake shore

Black Swan, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

and a few shorebirds feeding on the mudflats

Masked Lapwing, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Black-fronted Dotterel, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Red-kneed Dotterel, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Cairns Foreshore...again

We spent most of today being tourists but managed to carve out the late afternoon for more birding along The Esplanade and found even more waders:

Great Knot, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Curlew Sandpiper, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Bar-tailed Godwit, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Black-fronted Dotterel, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

including a few of last night's favourites

Eastern Curlew, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Greater Sand Plover, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Grey-tailed Tattler, Cairns Esplanade, Qld

Pied Imperial Pigeons were among the many birds looking for roosting sites in the palms along the Esplanade

Pied Imperial Pigeon, Cairns Esplanade,Qld

but the most interesting interaction was between these two:

Helmeted Friarbird + Varied Honeyeater, Cairns Esplanade,Qld

The two birds sat on this palm frond for a few minutes eyeing each other but did not otherwise seem to mind the presence of the other.

Begola Wetlands

Begola Wetlands is a remnant of the once more extensive wetlands that ran behind the dunes of Ocean Grove and Pt Lonsdale to Swan Bay (see map). It contains a shallow lake that dries out in most summers and is a haven for waterbirds that feed in shallow water or mud. The recent hot, dry weather has dried up most of the lake leaving extensive mudbanks that have attracted a large number of birds. 

Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

I spent an hour walking around the wetlands this evening as the sun was setting and saw 25 species:

• Pacific Black Duck
• Grey Teal
• Chestnut Teal
• Australasian Grebe
• Purple Swamphen
• Dusky Moorhen
• Eurasian Coot
• Australian Spotted Crake
• Masked Lapwing
• Nankeen Night-Heron
• Australian White Ibis
• Royal Spoonbill
• Silver Gull
• Latham's Snipe
• Black-fronted Dotterel
• Rock Dove
• Spotted Dove
• New Holland Honeyeater
• Australian Magpie
• Magpie-lark
• Willie Wagtail
• Superb Fairy-wren
• Common Starling
• Little Raven
• Welcome Swallow

I'm not a great list keeper but I cannot remember seeing this many species here in a single visit before. 

With the receding water, most of the birds were in the central part of the lake, 50-100 metres away, so were not the best photographic subjects but I managed to capture a few (mostly cropped quite heavily).

Masked Lapwing, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Australian Spotted Crake, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Black-fronted Dotterel, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Chestnut Teal, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Grey Teal, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Nankeen Night-Heron, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Royal Spoonbill, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

I counted at least 6 Latham's Snipe, all out in the open, feeding and preening on the mudflats. Snipe are usually quite secretive so it was great to see them so clearly and manage to photograph some, albeit from a long distance.

Some were heavily camouflaged among the weeds in the mud

Latham's Snipe, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Others were up and about, feeding

Latham's Snipe, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

While this one shared a bath with a Chestnut Teal, closely observed by a Dusky Moorhen