Testing the Kayak (again)

 For a range of reasons, but mainly poor weather and/or bogans in power boats, we have not used our kayaks for about a year.  I decided that this was the only way to get some snaps of the waders on the sand bars in front of Captain Stevenson's Point.  So I took one of the kayaks off the trailer and headed for the wharf to check things out.  I had three objectives for this exercise:

1. Prove to myself that I could launch etc the kayaks on my own.  A specific sub-objective here was not to fall in the water while launching or landing the kayak;
2. Get to check out the birds on the sandbar;
3. Not cause too much disturbance to the birds.

All 3 objectives - and the sub-objective - were met.  

The route was intended to avoid the sandbars along the way, thinking the channel serving the Campground moorings was a  pretty good idea.  So it was: trying to shortcut ran out of draught rather quickly but no biggy.  The last few metres (yellow arrow) were shallow, so pedals out and paddle in.  From a combination of Google Earth and eBird tracking I think the distance from launch to landing was about 600m, so not really worthy of a Viking saga.

Here is my track on the sand bar as recorded by eBird.  There was less exposed sand outside where I walked: the image was taken on March 30, I suspect at low tide (and there had been little rain for about 10 weeks).

Photos of birds,  These are not unduly high quality as I took my old Panasonic camera in case the sub-objective was not met!

Caspian Terns and Red-necked Stints.

Stints and Red Knots.

Stints.

WRT to objective 3 the birds seemed unfussed by my presence - I did TRY to maintain an ethical distance - apart from where a couple of Silver Gulls, not part of the main flock, went postal and the whole lot (my guess was ~500 Crested Terns) took wing.  They just did one circle and landed again.

There were about 40 Bar-tailed Godwits in 3 groups.

One Eastern Curlew - I think a male from bill length: IMO the female would be about 30% longer.

Altogether a pretty successful outing.  It seemed that the numbers and diversity of waders were somewhat less tan some recent visits.  No Grey Plover, Greenshank or Turnstone which being on migration have probably just moved on.  Only a single Red-capped Plover and no Double-banded Plovers (the latter having possibly gone to their breeding grounds in New Zealand).