Shorebirds Report
September 2007
Birds in the Bay
Shorebirds feed and rest in many different places around the bay. Because disturbances burn up essential energy the birds usually avoid places where there are too many people and vehicles. Constant activity at Inskip Point usually makes this a less than ideal place for waders.
A couple of weeks ago I was at Inskip Point looking for shorebirds and waders. There were three barges operating, vehicles coming and going, a number of fishermen around the shoreline, and several groups of people just walking around. There were dozens of birds out on the sandbank in the middle but I had not seen any close in. Then, almost from under my feet, a flock of tiny waders flew up and again settled a little way off. They had been roosting in among piles of seaweed and down in the bottom of the wheel tracks where they were almost invisible.
I moved away and came in from the other side so that the light gave better views of the birds and then tried to inch closer without making them fly off again. At first I saw only Red-necked Stint – which I had seen out here once before.They were most likely juveniles who had spent the winter here rather than flying north to breed.Then I realized there were other birds more brightly coloured. They were Double-banded Plovers (Charadrius bicinctus) in almost full breeding plumage.
Most migratory waders come here after breeding in the summer season of the northern hemisphere. They then spend the southern summer resting and feeding here. The Double-banded Plover, however, spends the winter here then flies south to breed in the South of New Zealand. They get their breeding plumage here just before migrating back.
In breeding plumage the upper parts are buff-brown and the underparts white with two distinct bands – the upper band is black and the lower band is a deep red colour. Non-breeding plumage has no red lower band and there is less white on the forehead and eyebrow.