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Spring also brings back our migratory shorebirds or waders from the uppermost northern hemisphere of the breeding and feeding grounds of Siberia and Alaska. Many of the birds come back to Australia via the Asian coastlines but also the Bar-tailed Godwit which inhabit the east coast of Australia and New Zealand come by direct non stop flight over the Pacific Ocean, taking some 6 to 8 days. This is the longest journey recorded for a bird non stop and they do it each year, with an occasional year off when young or injured. It is always a delight to see them back poking around for tiny sand crabs on our tidal river mud flats.

They feature a slightly upturned beak and a bar striped tail which is more evident in flight and are usually in small to large family or clan flocks. They will have brought back their juvenile young with them, having been born during our winter months in the northern spring. Click on images to enlarge them.

Notice this Godwit with a fracture to its beak.

The prime excitement for my wife and I was to see a small flock of Grey-tailed Tattler further around the river banks in the Shorebird Reserve. We usually only see one or two each year, but here we see over a dozen birds of which many are young juvenile and immature. Notice the chest striping of the juvenile resting beside parent.

This small wader is also a returning migrant which arrives via the Asian coastline each Spring. They are resting by the shore as the tide comes in, waiting for the next tide or instruction from their flock leader.

It was lovely seeing the Pied Oystercatcher pair grazing on the same beach with the Godwits. This is an endangered species in our state due to its nesting habits colliding with beach usage by humans and dogs. One Eastern Curlew, a very vulnerable and endangered bird we seldom see return each year, was seen. These birds are extremely human afraid.

The man-made bird breeding island was being well use by the Silver Gull. I managed to catch this family of Australian Pelican fly off with great effort. We also saw this very juvenile Silver Gull resting alone on a rock well away from the nesting island and very vulnerable.

The Kelp Gull with the injured leg is still frequenting our beach and appears to have found something, but not sure what. The Kelp Gull is not a usual sighting on our beaches. Notice it has a red lipstick marking on its lower lip. It is a larger gull than our common Silver Gull and is built for the colder windier climates of the southern Australian waters. Kelp Gulls are known to eat almost anything and are so named because they are often seen feeding around the kelp where they feed on limpets and other accessible shell fish. They predator other birds nesting and will use their strong bills to tear both live and dead mammal carcases. They are known to bite chunks out of various see mammals to eat. Their main predators are sharks swimming near the surface.

Lastly while we were coming back to our car we sighted this pair of Little Corella feeding on wattle seeds. Corella, similar to most Parrot family birds pair for life. They are form the largest flocks of any Australian bird and are essentially a flock bird interbreeding only separating in pairs to nest.

Have a wonderful week exploring your local birds and getting out-n-about. Remember my books are an excellent gift for your beloved child or bird loving friend or overseas family member. Click image below to find out more.

In a similar way to the Little Corella, mentioned above, God created man and woman to find a life long partner to enjoy each other and procreate as a shared expression of God’s love reflected in their joint love relationship commitment to one another. The above proverb echos the importance of keeping the marriage bed undefiled and relationships intact and trust unbroken, by not cheating on the partner. Much of the grief borne today is from broken relationships due to divisive selfish disrespectful behaviours. We are broken people living in a broken world, coming together, bringing our own personal baggage, from different dysfunction family backgrounds. It takes much Mercy and Grace from God, with a growing love and devotion to one another to bring understanding and trust to build a relationship that is a safe haven of healing peace and love that both can enjoy together.

The marriage relationship is pictured as the pinnacle of a triangle shown below. Both partners need to focus on what is best for the marriage relationship rather than themselves, which will usually bring peace and happiness to both. It is about giving to one another in love over and above our own desires. The greatest joy and and fulfilment in life is found in fulfilling others and bringing joy to them.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others [your life partner] above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the other [your life partner].” – Philippians 2:3,4 (NIV)

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Adv. Dip. in Counselling and Family Therapy.

Member of Birdlife Australia

To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

And learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.

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