western australia

pied oystercatcher

A hard day's night maybe? Red eyes on an oystercatcher

@JudyEv (345280)

Rockingham, Australia

March 3, 2018 7:11am CST

While we were in the town of Denmark in Western Australia recently we came across this sea-bird fossicking for food on a deserted beach. When I consulted my bird book later, I discovered it was a pied oystercatcher. My book says that they are large, dumpy waders found mainly on sandy beaches and estuaries. Their long blade-like beaks are ideal for opening bivalved molluscs. I thought he looked quite handsome with his black and white plumage. The legs, beak and eyes of the adult are red but juveniles have brown eyes. I always like to know the names of new birds that I see but it isn’t always easy to work out what they are. Do you have many birds where you live?

11 people like this

12 responses

@Madshadi (8840)

• Brussels, Belgium

3 Mar 18

Mostly penguins here. It’s a very nice picture

1 person likes this

show previous comments

@Madshadi (8840)

• Brussels, Belgium

4 Mar 18

@JudyEv pigeons

. My autocorrect spelling is doing it again

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

@Madshadi Haha! I never even thought of it being an error.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

Penguins? Wow! I don't know why but that surprises me.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@JustBhem (70555)

• Davao, Philippines

3 Mar 18

I can only see them when I'm outside, like in the higher portion of the city.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

Do you have pigeons there?

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

@JustBhem Pigeons seem to be in every city.

1 person likes this

@JustBhem (70555)

• Davao, Philippines

4 Mar 18

@JudyEv Yes, we have a lot of pigeons here. In the park we have here in the city, every afternoon the park flock hundreds of pigeons and some will go feed them.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@topffer (42155)

• France

3 Mar 18

The plumage looks like the plumage of a magpie, but the red legs and beak gives it a specific look. It is a very nice picture. The birds are rare inside my city. I have turtledoves and blackbirds coming in my back garden.

1 person likes this

show previous comments

@topffer (42155)

• France

4 Mar 18

@JudyEv I have pigeons on the roof

. Seagulls come very far in the lands also here.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

No pigeons? Some birds adapt very well to suburbia. In Western Australia we see seagulls some hundreds of miles from the ocean. They are often seen at rubbish dumps. I guess they don't need sea-water to survive.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@LadyDuck (472435)

• Switzerland

3 Mar 18

I agree with @topffer, the plumage looks like the plumage of magpies, we have many here. There are a good number of different birds and birds of prey here in southern Switzerland.

1 person likes this

show previous comments

@LadyDuck (472435)

• Switzerland

4 Mar 18

@JudyEv Of course we do not see sea birds here in Switzerland, because Switzerland is an enclosed country without sea. We have fresh water birds.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

I like going to different areas and seeing the different birdlife. Normally we don't see any sea birds so I find them really interesting.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@moffittjc (122533)

• Gainesville, Florida

3 Mar 18

We have a lot of native birds, plus a lot of migratory birds. Currently, there are hundreds of varieties of birds here that are visiting for the winter. In about another month, many of them will head back up north. But in the meantime, we have some amazing bird watching opportunities!

1 person likes this

show previous comments

@moffittjc (122533)

• Gainesville, Florida

5 Mar 18

@JudyEv Russian storks come visit you? Do they have ties to Putin? Are they corrupt and powerful? lol

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

5 Mar 18

@moffittjc They certainly poke around a lot. It's quite possible they are enemy agents in disguise.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

We have stork-y things that come here from Siberia. There are dozens sometimes. It must be nice to see the different species arrive in their hundreds each season.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@teamfreak16 (43418)

• Denver, Colorado

9 Mar 18

There were a few birds that looked like this that hung out at one of the motels we were staying in. Not sure if it's the same species, but same color pattern. Pretty.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Mar 18

They are pretty aren't they? Were you anywhere near the sea? Or near water?

1 person likes this

@teamfreak16 (43418)

• Denver, Colorado

12 Mar 18

@JudyEv - Yes, there is a creek behind the motel.

@shaggin (73687)

• United States

3 Mar 18

We have robins, blue Jays, blue birds, cardinals, crows, amongst many others.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

That's a good selection. Crows seem to be everywhere on earth.

1 person likes this

@amadeo (111938)

• United States

3 Mar 18

that is a great photo there.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

He wasn't a bit worried about us being close by although I've cropped the photo so you get a good look at him.

@amadeo (111938)

• United States

4 Mar 18

@JudyEv I loved it and the color.

1 person likes this

@xFiacre (13205)

• Ireland

3 Mar 18

@judyev Oyster catchers are among my favourites on the west coast of Ireland. I could watch them scuttling about on the beach at low tide for ages. Them, curlews and lapwings.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

The sea-birds are fascinating to watch I think. There are lots of pelicans at Denmark too.

1 person likes this

@JohnRoberts (109846)

• Los Angeles, California

3 Mar 18

We do not have a wide bird variety in California. The only birds at the seashore are seagulls.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

One town we sometimes visit is several hundred miles from the ocean but there are lots of seagulls there. Mostly they frequent the rubbish tip. I wouldn't have thought seagulls would have strayed so far from the ocean.

1 person likes this

@Icydoll (36716)

• India

3 Mar 18

Very nice picture

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

Thanks. I'm glad you like it.

1 person likes this

@off124 (127)

•

3 Mar 18

Nice photo bytheway .i love birds, animals, and hills

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (345280)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Mar 18

I love animals and birds too. I'm not fond of cities or towns.