10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2021

Well, not quite like clockwork, because this year one pair of Pied Oystercatchers on Cable Beach laid their first clutch of eggs a bit earlier than normal. This year the first clutch was laid at the end of May and this is the first time we have had eggs laid in May along Cable Beach since 2000. Pied Oystercatchers feeding alone.

Breeding 261

Breeding Eggs Feral Cats Feral 261

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2019

An empty Pied Oystercatcher nest should mean that there are now chicks and that the parents have been sitting on a clutch of two eggs for twenty eight days. Some nests had clearly been there for some time and had contained eggs until recently. Pied Oystercatcher chicks can swim, but maybe feral cats will too if they are hungry.

Feral Cats 125

Feral Cats Eggs Feral Fox 125

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2018

We have been busy walking the beach and keeping an eye on our local Pied Oystercatchers and the two pairs that laid their eggs earliest for the 2018 breeding season and successfully hatched out their chicks have now lost their chicks to predation. They have only laid one egg so far and another may be laid within a day.

Eggs 128

Eggs Feral Cats Feral 2018 128

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

The tiercels (young Peregrines) must deal with Golden Eagles, Ravens, adult Peregrines, and foxes; they must also learn to navigate the skies and make their own kills, luckily these skills appear to be innately learned. It’s not easy. Well-researched and footnoted, these sections never feel disconnected from the more personal sections.

California Condor 199

California Condor Falcons California Birds 199

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2014

European Red Foxes were brought into Australia in the 1850′s for recreational hunting and soon spread rapidly. Feral cats have been able to adapt very well in Australia and have grown larger over the years and can survive in areas that you would not expect. Feral cat predation on Pied Oystercatcher eggs.

Australia 157

Australia Species Feral Cats Feral 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

Rats arrived on ships and cats, foxes and rabbits were all introduced and they were all detrimental to the bird population. The population decline is generally blamed on habitat destruction and introduced predators, but inter-breeding may also be to blame.

Species 178

Species Australia Birds Parrots 178