Big Birding weekend at Mallacoota (pt 1)

A group of birders (probably about 15 in total) has got together in Mallacoota over the long weekend with objectives of putting a few $ into the community and seeing how the birdlife is recovering from the fire.  I'll be doing a more formal report on the bird situation in the near future but thought I would put a few comments here to begin with.

The weekend was largely informal with some background information provided to allow people to "do their own thing" with announced walks on the Saturday and Sunday mornings.  This seemed to work out fairly well.  It had been hoped to have a pelagic trip as well but that initially had to be shortened as, despite the area being dredged for the previous week, the sandbar at the Bastion Point ramp meant the boat could only get in close to high tide.  Then on the day the swell was apparently too big to allow the trip to proceed at all.  Such is life.

Here is a view from the Bastion Pt stairs on Saturday morning.

 Here are the attendees out near the most recent entrance to the Inlet. 

 Several (at least 5) Double-banded Plovers were seen amongst the horde of Red-Capped Plovers.

 At least 20 Bar-tailed Godwits were in the area.  These 2 were ouliers from the main flock.

I'm not sure if this one has really stacked on weight preparing for migration or if it has just positioned its wings ready for take off.

Our initial scan of the Inlet had no Little Black Cormorants.  The this skein - counted as 101 birds in total - arrived.

 A  Caspian Tern stood out among the Crested.

 Back near the steps the resident Eastern Reef Egret was spotted.

While aiming at a pair of Sooty Oystercatchers (see below) a flying Silver Gull entered the corner of the frame.  I have cropped it here as it shows the primaries rather nicely.

The Sooty Oystercatcher with an open bill had just swallowed a very long (~25cm??) polychaete worm it had dug from the sand.

 All up 27 Species were spotted.

En route to the Sunday gathering at the Waste Water Treatment Plant WWTP)  I attempted to twitch the Peaceful Dove seen by several members at the Shady Gully Caravan Park.  That was a fail, but I did see a Koala lurking in the (in-focus) foliage.

 Most of the usual suspects were on the ponds at WWTP.  I thought the contrast between te Australian Shelduck and the Masked Lapwing was amusing.

 As we returned around the back of the paddocks several Jacky Winters were on the fence wires.

 Despite the urging of one member no Brown Falcon was entered on the list.

Despite this outburst of ethics. we recorded 53 species here.  The bush birds are returning!