On 16 th Aug I reported sighting a Wandering Tattler at Caloundra Head on the Sunshine Coast in SE Queensland. Today, 29 th Aug, I found two Wandering Tattlers in that same spot.
Caloundra Head is sometimes called Wickham Head and is shown on the Sunshine Coast Map 100 in the Brisbane UBD Refidex at R16.
One of the two birds seen today is probably the same one which I saw on the 16 th (a first year bird which overwintered in Australia) and my guess is that the second bird is a similar age bird which also overwintered in Australia (or thereabouts). Both birds show similar evidence of having gone into partial breeding plumage. My experience over the past 6 years is that Wandering Tattlers returning from breeding tend to arrive in that location towards the end of October or early November. Juveniles may arrive first.
The usual safety warning: Take care while traversing the headland as the rocks can be slippery when wet and some rocks can be loose even if they look large and secure. Keep a lookout for the dark morph Eastern Reef Egret with one foot, the Striated Heron and the Sooty Oystercatchers. Currently there is a very good chance of also seeing Australasian Gannets coursing up and down the length of the headland.
Bob Inglis Sandstone Point Qld ===============================
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