Marion bay update 22/12/05

Thought I should have a last look at Marion Bay before the onslaught of the Falls Festival, and I came back with mixed emotions. The huge area at the Southern end of the spit had been completely overtopped by recent very high tides and any attempt by the Fairy Terns to breed there would have ended in failure. In fact I did not see a single small tern. Plenty of Crested and a solitary Caspian. Along the main beach were several pairs of Pied Oystercatchers with young, at least 9 Hooded Plovers with no sign of them breeding at present and a flock of around 400 stint with 2 Turnstones. 2 Bar tails made up the list. Perhaps I should own up to having committed a cardinal sin of birders--I forgot my binos--not easy using a cameras tele lens instead. (Hooded Plover; Caspian Tern)