Arctic Tern – Mordialloc, Vic – Still there and a few photos

Down in Melbourne from Sydney for a long weekend with my wife – so just had to check out the Arctic Tern at Mordialloc Beach. Today – Friday 22nd October

What an eye opener Melbourne beaches are. Just getting onto the beach was an exercise in itself. Finally found the passage between the beach side houses about 5pm. Temperature was a steamy 30 degrees. Once there a small flock of gulls and terns (no Arctic) clustered around the breakwater on the south side. Seemed quite quiet but then it all erupted. First a group of boofy blokes went into the water and started playing a strange game of footy and kicking the ball into the flock. More terns arrived. Then a bulldozer appeared from nowhere and started levelling the beach like it was an out back road and no more than 10 metres from the flock and still more birds arrived. Then half a dozen dogs scattered the flock and more birds arrived and finally two kids with surf boards – yup surf boards, there was no surf – sent the whole lot flying and when peace descended the flock of gulls (including a juvenile Pacific) and terns had swollen in the space of 20 minutes to about 4 times its original size and there was Arctic Tern happily preening itself but keeping its distance from the gulls and other terns – but seemed to relate to the bulldozer.

Anyway it was a great sighting and thanks to all those who have gone before and led the way. This is one/two happy Sydneysiders. Here are a few photos of the AT on the ground and in flight showing most of the its key ID points.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/cgregory123/ArcticTernMordialloc?authkey=Gv1sRgCKCd87_cl7H5UQ#

One other point. Dead Shearwater, very recent.Close RHS of path about 20 metres by post turn right from access path between houses. Didn’t stop to ID but may be of interest to others – if still there.

Chris Gregory ===============================

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