4 Beaches

 This starts on Monday when we looked down at the beach from Point Difficult.  It seemed clear of water, even though the tide height forecast (0.08) wasn't as low as it can get (0.01).  That led to a thought of trying the 3 Beaches walk the next day.  On the way back to the car at Betka We spotted an attractive Jacky Dragon beside the track. 

So on the Wednesday (2 March) we parked at Betka and headed West.  We soon sighted an Australian Pied Oystercatcher with a leg flag.  It displayed the usual level of cooperation.

Having thought is was out of range it then turned side on - even the side which shows the flag!  It will get chucked out of the wader fraternity for such a breach of the rules.

This is a bird I have seen before and my records show it was first banded in 2013 (at Corner Inlet, about 400km West) and a month later was first seen at Mallacoota.  It has been recorded at Mallacoota twice more before this day.

We then spotted an Eastern Reef Egret and friend.

Due to the high humidity the beach had an almost mystical (mistical?) look.

The Egret posed again.  (Our final sight of this species was on the second beach as we came back, but I suspect it was the same bird taking a change of scenery.)

An attraction of this walk is the appearance of the heavily stratified rocks of the cliffs and on the beach.

If there was any justice in the world this set of exposed rocks would be humming with Wandering Tattlers.  I recall a Larry Niven sci-fi novel based on the concept of TANJ - There Ain't No Justice!

As the forecast deluge was holding off we decided that too many beaches are never enough and took ourselves to Beach 4 (Bastion) hoping for waders.

No waders present: my guess is they were all up the Inlet on Goodwin Sands with rather less punters and pooches. 

It then became Bonus Time with a White-bellied Sea-Gull stooping at the waterline and flying off with talons full of former fish.

Here is the prey.  Can any of the fisherpersons identify this?