Eggs and chicks in the estuary, December 2023

Very small baby bird sitting on beach.
Very small baby bird sitting on beach. Photo by Corne Ferreira, December 2022, and used with permission.

The Pied Stilts have three chicks out in front of roughly #1 Reay Mackay Grove. All my efforts to take photos have failed, but then I rediscovered this post from 12 months ago: Take care for the Pied Stilt chicks. That post included magnificent photos by a visitor.

NZ Dotterel warns me away.
NZ Dotterel warns me away.
One of the nesting Oystercatchers has a band on its left leg.
One of the nesting Oystercatchers has a band on its left leg.

Meanwhile 3 pairs of Oystercatchers and a pair of NZ Dotterels seem to be nesting in and near the driftwood along the front of the recently planted spinifex parallel to Reay Mackay Grove. We’re waiting for the chicks to appear.

A local did some sleuthing and managed photos of three lots of eggs. Photos used with permission.

3 eggs in a scrape in the sand by driftwood.
2 eggs in a scrape in the sand by driftwood.
3 eggs in a scrape in the sand surrounded by driftwood.
Waikawa News @WaikawaNews