Eating; always eating

Or at least searching for food. The kuaka do have to build up a great amount of reserves before they leave on the long flight to the far north.

Shortly after I took this photo, I watched in some amazement as two red-billed gulls behaved like sheep dogs and drove the dozen or so kuaka in this group away from this part of Snells. I lost sight of them so don't know if they relocated further north along the beach or left completely. The gulls were definitely herding the kuaka.

Earlier in my afternoon walk on the mudflats, I was equally flabbergasted to see a kotare (kingfisher) buzz three masked lapwings which then left with their panic screech ringing loudly.

The extra is the view I got from the point, immediately after waking this morning.