Spent a lovely afternoon looking out to sea from Fort Scratchly Drive with fellow HBOC members. The weather was perfect, to perfect in fact with very few pelagic species close to shore. Mostly it was a social event with the birders and their scopes, hoons and their wheels and lots of beautiful people walking by......doesn't get any better really.
Silver Gull and Crested Terns were in abundance. Sooty Oystercatcher and Ruddy Turnstone fed on the rockshelf below and a constant stream of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters passed in the distance heading north. A prolonged view of an Arctic Jaeger gave me a Hunter Year tick which was unexpected.Eventually the Common Noddy was spotted flying around the Newcastle Baths rockself. Everyone watched as it fished along the coast all the way up to Nobbys Breakwall and back. Gannets were also fishing but further out the sea.
Nick and I then decided to head down to the Baths and try our luck with the Turnstones which are now in full breeding plumage. We crawled along on our butts until we got close enough for a decent shot. Of course this was the same time the sun decided to disappear behind the clouds! AHHHHHWe kept at it and eventually scored some half decent shots. The Crested Terns were very obliging and allowed us to get quite close, in fact I was pulling the 400mm back to fit them in frame.Very good afternoon for birding and clicking.
That Gannet shot is pretty cool.
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