Short Stint for a Little Stint
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Bill & Els reported a possible Little Stint at Barilla Bay. They've subsequently photographed i
t and confirmed it is indeed a Little Stint (image at right). A further report of a Red-necked Stint at Orielton Lagoon in apparent full breeding plumage, by Denis Charlesworth, raised the suggestion that this may be another Little Stint, or indeed the same one. They suggested it might be worth following up. So I made a very quick visit to Orielton Lagoon this morning on the high tide, looking for Denis's bird. I did find a small group of Red-necked Stint, possibly 60, but as usual, with my track record of late I didn't find any unusual Stint. Because of my time constraints, the search was less than thorough, but I did sight the usual mixed flock of Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwit. I didn't come away totally empty handed. I photographed the 3 Red-necked Stint at right, two of which are showing that they are about halfwa
y through the moult of their primary flight feathers. The third, somewhat obscured stint, isn't in moult, suggesting that it's possibly a juvenile. With rather beautiful light early this morning (softened by the smoke haze!), I managed to photograph one of several Pacific Golden Plover, feeding along the edge of the lagoon, its plumage showing at it's best in the early light.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Bill & Els reported a possible Little Stint at Barilla Bay. They've subsequently photographed i
t and confirmed it is indeed a Little Stint (image at right). A further report of a Red-necked Stint at Orielton Lagoon in apparent full breeding plumage, by Denis Charlesworth, raised the suggestion that this may be another Little Stint, or indeed the same one. They suggested it might be worth following up. So I made a very quick visit to Orielton Lagoon this morning on the high tide, looking for Denis's bird. I did find a small group of Red-necked Stint, possibly 60, but as usual, with my track record of late I didn't find any unusual Stint. Because of my time constraints, the search was less than thorough, but I did sight the usual mixed flock of Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwit. I didn't come away totally empty handed. I photographed the 3 Red-necked Stint at right, two of which are showing that they are about halfwa
y through the moult of their primary flight feathers. The third, somewhat obscured stint, isn't in moult, suggesting that it's possibly a juvenile. With rather beautiful light early this morning (softened by the smoke haze!), I managed to photograph one of several Pacific Golden Plover, feeding along the edge of the lagoon, its plumage showing at it's best in the early light.
7 comments:
Hi Alan,
Do you know if there is a 'regular' spot at Barilla Bay where Bill & Els have been seeing the Little Stint? We were there a couple of weeks ago, and while it was virtually too windy to even get out of the car, we did see Red-necked Stints right at the end of the spit, but didn't notice any Stints out of the ordinary. Nor could we find much anywhere else around there, but largely because of the wind.
Hi John,
The short answer is I don't know. However, I understand it has been seen most recently around the "islands"--they are off the end of the spit. At least that is my interpretation of Bill's e-mail.
Thanks, Alan.
We may need to go to Barilla Bay for another look. We've never seen Little Stints.
Hello Alan
Great pics! A very interesting record of Little Stint, especially in that plumage at this time of year! I have been seeing Little Stints throughout the northern autumn at my local patch in Malaysia, where it is considered a vagrant. Not sure how many birds are involved, but you may want to take a look at some photos here: http://digdeep1962.blogspot.com/
Cheers
Dave
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comments. I see by your blog that you've set yourself a difficult task in trying to photograph waders--surely one of the most difficult groups of birds. However, I do envy the range of species you get there.
Hi Alan
Difficult in some ways, but such a privilege to share space with them when they do allow you to get close. Hope you don't mind if I put your blog on my link list. Look forward to seeing more of your wader pics as and when.
Merry Christmas,
Dave
I'd be delighted to be added to your 'links', and I've added your's to mine. I always get a thrill when I'm able to get close enough to photograph birds, although I'm not always quite so thrilled with the results. Fortunately, the digital medium is very forgiving! Merry Christmas to you too, Dave.
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