Chased off?

This morning I went to the Northend of Snells Beach, where Fairy Terns had been seen. Also, the Tuturiwhatu (NZ Dotterels) are nesting there. It was an interesting bird experience.

Firstly I could see a large flock of birds on the dry sand above the high tide mark. The tide had not long turned. Using the telephoto lens, I was able to identify them as Kuaka (godwits), and when I looked at the photo later, I counted over 100 birds. During the half hour or so that I spent there, they started to move around and some began investigating the food supply.

Almost immediately past the kuaka were the Tuturiwhatu; at least a dozen, although later I realised that at least one of them, which had been the subject of attacks by the slightly smaller tuturiwhatu, was probably a Large sand plover. At the time I was heading away and this one was off by itself.

Further north was a large group of Torea (black and pied morphs of the variable oystercatcher). That group included a solitary Taranui (Caspian tern). While I was walking carefully around so as to not cause too much disruption to the nesting birds, a white faced heron came gliding in to land with a couple of others, also waiting to start feeding in the ebbing tide.

This evening as I started this post, I heard the distinctive sound of a Kereru (wood pigeon)flying past, and was able to track it to a tree by the road frontage of our property. The best photo I got is posted as an extra.