gemfyre: (Ruddy Turnstone)
[personal profile] gemfyre
Waders are close to my heart. I got to know them well during my time Broome. Whilst many of the waders seen in Australia are migratory, there are some that prefer to remain in our sunny country all year 'round. All of them can be found in and around Perth (although some are rarer than others).

Unlike migratory waders, which are often in their drab brownish-grey non-breeding plumage by the time they get to Australia, the residents tend to regale themselves year-round in a colour scheme of black, white, red and sometimes yellow. This makes them A LOT easier to tell apart than the migratory waders (which I will cover in a later lesson - because I love 'em!)

(For those who notice - I deliberately didn't include Stone Curlews)



STILTS

There are 3 stilts that can be found near Perth, and in all of Australia actually. Stilts are called that because they have looong legs, some of the longest legs in comparison to body size in the bird world.

Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus leucocephalus


Photo by tcollins of Birdforum.

Now, the Black-winged Stilt is found pretty much worldwide - and it's pattern differs wildly depending where you are. Some taxonomists insist that these are all subspecies, some say they are full species, whatever. The Australian one is sometimes referred to as the 'White-headed Stilt' or 'Pied Stilt' - although Pied Stilt is used to describe other species as well. I've always known them as Black-winged Stilts, so that's what I'll call them here.
This would have to be the most common resident wader around the place. Any lake with shallow areas will tend to harbour at least a few of these guys. A couple of years ago I saw hundreds on Lake Joondalup (at the time they had become sparse elsewhere - so I guess most of the Perth population decided Lake Joondalup was the place to be that time). They are flighty birds and will emit nervous dog-like yaps when disturbed. I chose this photo because it shows the plumage of juvenile birds too, unfortunately it doesn't show the leg length. Look for -
- Pink legs. Black-winged Stilts are the only stilts with bright pink legs. Young ones have black legs.
- Long, slender black beak.
- Black wings and tail, and black on the nape of the neck, the top of the head is white.
- Juvenilles have smudgy grey on their heads.

Banded Stilt - Cladorhynchus leucocephalus


Photo by arthurgrosset of Birdforum.

The Banded Stilt appears in massive numbers on salt lakes to breed. If you're lucky to see them then they will appear as line upon line of shimmering white birds in the heat haze. Around the metro area you will see small groups on large lakes from time to time. A few months ago about 10 appeared on Herdsman Lake. Banded Stilts are delicate looking birds -
- snowy white head with a beady black eye - the pure white head easily differentiates these from Black-winged Stilts.
- slender black bill.
- black wings.
- in breeding plumage there is a rufous band (more like a vest actually) running across the chest and downwards in a V shape. This band is faded, broken, or nonexistent when the bird isn't in breeding plumage and makes them a little more difficult to identify - look for the white head!

Red-necked Avocet - Recurvirostra novaehollandiae


Photo by Mat & Cathy of Birdforum.

The Red-necked Avocet is a bit of designer bird, the kind of bird that's your mum's favourite (well, it's one of my mum's favourites). The photo of the Avocet I have here is kinda weird because they almost always are near or on the water. They have webbed feet and are able to swim like ducks in deeper water, unlike the other stilts. You may have also noticed that strange curved bill - that's for swishing through layers of silt under the water and extracting tasty morsels from it. So, what if you can't see that bill, how do you know you have yourself a Red-necked Avocet?
- Red neck and head.
- White body with a black stripe through the wing - this is really clear when they are flying.
- Grey legs with webbed feet.

OYSTERCATCHERS

Oystercatchers feed by prying open shellfish with their strong bills.

Pied Oystercatcher - Haematopus longirostris


Photo by aa2 of Birdforum.

Pied Oystercatchers seem to be not so common on the central Perth beaches, but they are common to the south around Rockingham and Mandurah and if you head further north. I don't know if I really need to go over how to ID this guy because Pied Oyks (yeah, birdos tend to call them "Oyks") are so unmistakable. In other parts of the world there are oystercatchers that are almost identical, but around Perth it's one of a kind.
- Stocky bird.
- Black and white colour scheme.
- Red eye.
- Long, strong bill, also in bright red.
When they are alarmed and take flight they make a distinctive "Pip-pa-peep!" call.

Sooty Oystercatcher - Haematopus fuliginosus


Photo by jimmclean of Birdforum.

To be honest, I don't know if you can find Sooty Oystercatchers in the metro area. I sure have never seen one around here. They are quite common in places like Albany and Broome though. I thought I'd include it for completeness (I've done this with one or two other species in this set too). Sooty Oystercatchers prefer to hang around rocky coastlines, unlike the Pied which prefers sandy shores. Again, it's a really unmistakable bird in all black with a bright red bill and eye, the skin around the eye is also orangey-red.

SMALL PLOVERS

These guys are little charmers. Most of them exhibit distinctive hunting/feeding behaviour which pretty much involves run-run-run-run-run-run-STOP! run-run-run-run-run-run-STOP! In reality, they are spotting prey items on the shore and dashing over to grab them, or just patrolling the shore and mudflats trying to spot food. You'll hear the words Plover and Dotterel used interchangably. It's like the Heron/Egret, Pigeon/Dove situation - there really isn't a fundamental difference between the two.

Red-capped Plover - Charadrius ruficapillus


Photo by tunpin.ong of Birdforum.

Before we start, the two birds on the left are Red-capped Plovers. The one on the right is a Red-necked Stint - a truly amazing migratory wader - but we'll talk more about him in a future Birding Lesson. Red-capped Plovers are resident, but they remind me of migratory waders, because they like to hang out with migratory waders (like the Stint here) and they are found roosting and loafing in large numbers like migratory waders. Red-caps are relatively common on any sandy, secluded shoreline. They used to breed quite successfully on the sand spit at Point Walter - but unfortunately people with their dogs are driving them away. Alfred Cove and Milyu Estuary (the river shoreline south of the Narrows Bridge, where the Freeway runs) are also common haunts for this little bird. How do you pick the Red-caps out?
- Small bird, about the size of a fat Willy Wagtail (without the tail).
- Males have bright chestnut caps. Females are not so bright, but still have a distinct reddish cap.
- Black line through the eye.
- Snowy white underneath.
- Brown wings and back.

Black-fronted Dotterel - Elseyornis melanops


Photo by tcollins of Birdforum.

The first of the Superhero Plovers (see his mask and chestplate!). Black-fronted Dotterels are common around wetlands where there is a bit of mud for them to run about on. They generally hang about in ones and twos, but when Herdsman Lake is low, I sometimes see 20 or so in the same area. Watch for quickly flitting birds emitting a soft "pip" sound as they fly, when they land you'll probably find they are Black-fronted Dotterels. BF Dots are very obliging in that their plumage doesn't change through the year, making them easy to ID.
- Black mask through the eyes.
- Black, V-shaped patch on the chest.
- Red bill with a black-tip.
- Red eye ring.
- Brown cap, wings and back.
- Chestnut streak through the wing.

Red-kneed Dotterel - Erythrogonys cinctus


Photo by Mitcon of Birdforum.

The other superhero plover (he's going for the Dread Pirate Robert's look with that bandana over the head). The Red-kneed Dotterel is slightly larger than the previous two species, having longer legs and it's name is a bit of a misnomer, the red "knees" are actually it's ankles. I don't find these to be quite as common around Perth, but they do pop up from time to time, keep an eye out.
- Black cap that ends beneath the eyes.
- White throat and belly.
- Black collar and "vest".
- Brown wings.
- Bright chestnut patch under the wing.
- Red "knees" (the joint in the legs), these are a brighter colour than the rest of their legs, which are pinkish.

LARGE PLOVERS

Better known as lapwings. These are considerably larger than the small plovers we've just gone over, and prefer to hang out in grassy areas, rather than at wetlands.

Banded Lapwing - Vanellus tricolor


Photo by Mike Bouette of Birdforum.

The Banded Lapwing isn't terribly common in the central metro area (although they have been recorded as breeding at Stirling Gardens - near where I live). They are common on Rottnest Island and further north and south where suburbia gives way to grassy paddocks. Banded Lapwings are colourful birds and very distinctive.
- Yellow eye and eye ring.
- Yellow bill.
- Red wattle between the eye and the bill.
- Black cap.
- White stripe behind the eye.
- White throat and bib surrounded by a black band and larger black bib.
- White underside.
- Brown wings.

Masked Lapwing - Vanellus miles


Photo by The Bosun of Birdforum.

Also known as the Spur-winged Plover, this species is quite rare in the south-west, but there have been a few reports in the last few years. I've really included it for completeness. If you are from up north or over east, you will probably be quite familar with this bird. Masked Lapwings are very territorial and are notorious for swooping and harrassing any unfortunate person or animal that ventures near their nests. They are also very noisy about defending their nests, I can't really describe the call in words (Michael Morcombe uses "kekekekeke" among other things), but if you've ever been under attack from these birds you'll be familiar with it. This is another bird that is really hard to mistake for anything else.
- Black crown and sides of the neck.
- White throat, chest and underside.
- Brown wings.
- Long, yellow wattles over the front of the face.
- Yellow eye and bill.
- Sharp spur on the elbow of the wing (hence the name Spur-winged Plover), these are often hard to spot.
The northern sub-species does not have the black down the sides of the neck and has longer wattles.
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