Tag: Banded Stilt

A Band of Banded Brothers

Posted in "Western Treatment Plant", Banded Stilt, Black Falcon, Black Kite, Harris Gate, Red-necked Avocet, Western Treatment Plant, Whistling KiteTagged , , , , , 5 Comments

Came upon a small band of Banded Stilts and Red-necked Avocets the other morning.

We had been looking for some locations for subjects for my book on “How to Sneak Up on a Swamp Harrier”. Needless to say the next chapter or two will for the short term be blank pages.

On one pond we happened in the best of traditions on a flock of Banded Stilts, and some companions.

So we settle down for about an hour or so.   While we were enjoying the birds, the sunshine and a cuppa, we were joined for a short while by a hunting party of Black Kite and a Black Falcon. We counted around 25 Black Kites and there were plenty spiralling down from a great height that we didn’t count any more.
Sort of added that sparkle to the day.

Enjoy

Tight formation to fool the Black Falcon
Spot the odd one out. Red-necked Avocet looking for a landing space.
Settling in to land
The arrival of the Black Falcon kept everyone on their toes—or wings
Doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends, the Black Falcon.
Awesome noise
Ready Set Go. I’ll race you to the end of the pool.
Red-necked Avocet at departure
A raven moving on two scavenging Whistling Kites
One kite, two kites many.
Liked the play of light over the face only.
Gallery

A Band of Banded Stilts. Evening in the sunshine

Posted in "Western Treatment Plant", Banded StiltTagged , , 1 Comment
They walked and fed quite rapidly and passed back and forth by my position
More coming in
With Black-tailded Godwits.
Time for a bit of a preen
They lined up and took a 15 minute powernap from the busy work
A great time to tidy up the feathers

I wonder what the collective noun for Stilts is?    Decided that it might be, in this case with Banded Stilts,  well, Band of.

So we spent an evening with a Band of Brothers. On one of the ponds at the T Section at the Treatment Plant we found the Band working very quickly through the water. I settled down in the grass on the water’s edge and was able to have them feed up quite close, and without being distressed at my presence.

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