Eastern Curlew
Bushland Beach, October 2021.
The Eastern Curlew is critically endangered due to much of the habitat it uses as it travels between Siberia/Manchuria and Australia being threatened.
They are the worlds largest wader and you cannot miss them with their very long curved bill. 75% of the worlds population of this bird spend the winter in Australia and then return to Siberia/Manchuria to breed.
A bird probing the sand in search of food.
The Eastern Curlew feeds by probing the beach with that very long bill in search of small crabs, worms, crustaceans and molluscs.
Bushland Beach, Christmas morning 2021.
I spent Christmas morning 2021 at Bushland Beach watching this bird feed on crabs that it extracted from the crab holes in the beach with it’s very long bill.
Bushland Beach, December 2021.
They are a coastal bird loving sandy beaches and mangrove swamps.
Bushland Beach, December 2021.
They glide in flight a lot and make slow deliberate wingbeats. Often flying just above the sand as they move from spot to spot in search of food.
Bushland Beach, January 2021.
Usually alone or in pairs these birds are very shy and take to flight readily when approached.
Bushland Beach, January 2021.
This bird sat down I think when it realised I had given up trying to get close to it or it just got sick of running away from me.