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Pied Oystercatcher eggs become chicks

10,000 Birds

One of the pairs of Pied Oystercatchers on Cable Beach have hatched their eggs this week. There had been one egg in the nest scrape on July 25th and a second egg followed. This Tuesday I was expecting the eggs to start to hatch and they did just that. Shading two eggs. Pied Oystercatcher family.

Eggs 182
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Echidna-egg laying mammal-500th post!

10,000 Birds

When I realised that this weekend would be my 500th post for this website I thought I could broaden the “birding” topic to “egg-laying” topic. In Australia we have two egg-laying mammals. Echidna use their spines as defence and roll up as tight as they can to protect themselves.

Mammals 177
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Thirteen years of weekly posts

10,000 Birds

This rocky area high up beyond the beach sand offers great camouflage and protection. The photo below shows the actual nest with the eggs in, but that may not be initially clear to you, so I have underlined them in a copy of the photo below. They will do it for other threats as a distraction to protect their eggs or chicks.

Eggs 130
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Pied Oystercatchers second attempt at breeding

10,000 Birds

Every year we observe both egg and chick loss amongst our Pied Oystercatcher pairs along Cable Beach and also in Roebuck Bay during their breeding season. The breeding season starts around the end of June and there are still eggs being laid and chicks hatching, but now these are the second clutches of eggs.

Breeding 147
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A Pied Oystercatcher family

10,000 Birds

In theory the eggs are laid, the adults share the incubation of the eggs for 28 days and then fluffy chicks emerge. Well, basically it is a good area for putting a nest as there is ample food nearby and the dunes offer protection and good views of incoming predators. If only it was that easy!

Family 186
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Nesting Red-capped Plovers

10,000 Birds

Red-capped Plover nest We have mostly observed Red-capped Plover nests with two eggs, so she may well have laid another egg by now. The Red-capped Plover family group will move back and forth up and down the beach as the tides rise and fall and try to avoid the vehicles that use our local beaches at this time of year.

Eggs 170
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Birding the Kruger Park (2): Bateleur area

10,000 Birds

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. Another member of the stork family, the African Openbill , looks like it is could benefit from a good orthodontist. And sadly, it is listed as Endangered.

Ostriches 147