As a follow up to my high tide visit to the Flinders Ocean Beach. My second visit to Flinders was at low tide. There were many more people around, exploring the rock pools, walking on the beach and fishing off the exposed reef. I found the Hooded Plover again further along the beach where piles of seaweed and kelp had washed up. There was no sign of the juvenile Hooded Plover and I hope he was hiding up in the grasses on the sand dunes away from all the activity. A few more bird species were around at low tide.
The area looked incredibly different at low tide. The mushroom shape of Mushroom Reef was exposed. At high tide the waves can come right up to the wooded steps.
Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary – at low tide. At high tide the water comes up to the wooden steps
White Ibis feeding in the grasses along the beach edge – there was something they really liked as they just munched away on whatever was living in the grass.
Sooty Oystercatchers and a Little Pied Cormorant – one of the Oystercatchers was Banded (yellow and silver rings)
Hooded Plover
I noticed that one of the Plovers was banded. There is an extensive banding program to monitor the Plovers across Southern Australia
Hooded Plover pair
Keeping low into the wind and catching anything that the waves bring in..
Hooded Plover – keeping low and facing into a strong wind
I was surprised to see blokes fishing way out on the last set of rocks at the edge of the reef. The waves were getting bigger and starting to crash near them and we have had bad weather and ocean warnings all week. They were at least packing up as I watched them and took some pics.
Crazy Fishermen
The Gap Year and Beyond 