Around the Mouth

 We went for a stroll on the sandbars in the Inlet yesterday and Frances asked when the migrant waders were due back.  I gave the famous African answer "Any time from now."  

Usually in Africa that is interpreted as having an unstated follow-up phrase "... but not soon."  However it seemed that did not apply today.   On looking at the flock of Crested Terns on a (fairly distant) sandbar there were approximately 30 Bar-tailed Godwits visible through binoculars.  This species has had a few over-wintering but they have been hard to locate recently.  Then a mini-flock of Red-necked Stints appeared walking directly in front of us.  (This species had been reported several days ago by Caroline so isn't a 'first return'.)

A pair of Red-capped Plovers posed nicely beside a flowering Pigface (Caprobotus rossii), and behind some in-focus grass.  I became distracted by action on the water when taking the photo ...

.. and when my attention returned they had moved on.

What distracted me was a small boat going out through the entrance, taking a quite a bit of air on the waves.  This reminded me very much of the boats going out in 'Skippy and the Intruders'.

A few minutes later the boat returned in a less spectacular fashion.