Power cuts and a failed UPS back up battery meant that I missed my first Friday lirralirra post since I began in 2012! I’m working on my laptop now and had these exquisite little birds waiting patiently in a draft.
I’m especially fond of Red-necked Stints, Australia’s smallest shorebird, and found this beaut shot in my archives.
Aren’t they gorgeous! They are only about 13-17cm long and can be quite tricky to spot at first, especially if they are foraging on sand. Their markings are detailed shades of brown and soft buff and white.
The Pied Cormorant photograph above also shows a flurry of more than a dozen Red-necked Stints, some more clearly than others. I think this gives a clearer idea of just how tiny these little waders are.
Red-necked Stints are the smallest of the migratory waders that spend time in Australia. Each year they fly 25,000 kilometers from here to their breeding grounds in Siberia and Alaska, and back again. Truly, truly remarkable.
Happy birding, Kim
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