Oystercatchers in Residence - Mandurah Marina

Each day when I head to the marina clubhouse early in the morning, there's an oystercatcher on the porch near the door. His mate is usually down on the beach. I thought he was scrounging for food, but found that he was instead defending his territory against another, rather handsome oystercatcher, that seemed to be following his every move.  

This the very same oystercatcher couple that was in residence when I left in May and I was surprised to see them still here and figured I'd better learn a bit more about them since I chat with this fellow every morning.

First of all, the name “oystercatcher” seems to be a misnomer as they don't usually dine on oysters at all. It seems an American chap, Mark Catesby, coined the term oystercatcher in 1731 and it became the preferred name. The previous name was “sea pie” … I think oystercatcher is an improvement. Anyhow, though oystercatchers are found pretty much worldwide around coastal areas, the pied oystercatcher (pied usually translates to sharp contrasting black and white coloration) found here is native specifically to Australia.

These birds are so distinctive looking that it's hard to ignore them if you see them. About the size of a pigeon, their black/white feather combination is striking. They have dark eyes with bright orange/red eye rings and a matching, particularly long, orange bill which they use for smashing and prying open mollusks, their preferred diet. Long pink legs, good for wading, complete the picture.

This species is monogamous and very territorial. I watched as a gull came close to the female. She “pleep, pleep, pleeped” a few times and before you know it, the male was at her side warning off the gull who seemed rather nonchalant and unbothered about the whole episode.

I like to watch them when they're wading. When they're not looking for a snack, they usually rest on one leg for indefinite periods of time. Great balance.

I spotted a speckled egg just laying in a small indentation in the sand midst weeds and debris and thought it couldn't possibly be the nest, but it was.

It appears that oystercatchers in the northern hemisphere lay three eggs on average in a clutch, but the oystercatchers down under are more likely to lay only two, although this couple seems to have only one at the moment. It's the wrong season for eggs and nesting, but there's definitely an egg there and from time to time, one of the birds seems to be tending to it. Perhaps, they've got their seasons mixed up.

Long Walks and Galahs in Mandurah

 

We're thrilled to be back aboard Nine of Cups and back in Australia … also fondly known as Oz (as in AUS...tralia). We saw some kangaroos grazing in a field on our way back from the airport. There's no mistaking it … we're in the land down under again.

We were walking to Bunnings, the local hardware store the other day (think Lowes or Home Depot), along the beach road. The walk is long (2-3 miles one way), but it's quite scenic when you stick to the side roads. We chatted amiably as we ambled along. It's good getting into the habit of walking again instead of jumping in the car for every errand.

En route, we came upon a tree teeming with galahs. That's pronounced ga-LAH. We've seen them many times before, but never tire of them. They're gregarious pink and gray cockatoos that are lovely to see and fun to watch. They're a bit cheeky. They travel in great flocks and there's never any doubt where they are as they're never quiet. Like most parrots, they're screechers and they find it hard to keep to themselves.

In Aussie-speak, calling someone a galah can be a rather derogatory slur … it's calling them a loud mouth or a big fool. In more endearing terms, we've heard people call each other “you big galah”… kind of like “you, dumbell”. I guess that's no worse than telling someone they're “crazy as a loon” or referring to them as a turkey. Poor birds take a lot of bad mouthing.

Mandurah VMRS - Seabird Rescuers

 

Sunday morning, the weather bureau was predicting light winds, partly cloudy skies and 4-6 foot (1.5m-2m) waves offshore. I was scheduled to join the Volunteer Marine Rescue Service (VMRS) boat at 0830 as an observer as they went a few miles offshore to release some rehabilitated seabirds, and conditions looked good.

I arrived a few minutes early and introduced myself to the captain, John Blay, and the VMRS Public Relations Officer, Ray Rudland. John has been with the VMRS for 28+ years while Ray was a newbie with only 10 years under his belt. Ray showed me around the 43' (13m) search and rescue vessel, Spirit of Mandurah, while the crew and captain prepped the boat and did the pre-departure checks.

A few minutes later, four members of the Western Australian Seabird Rescue (WASR) group arrived with the birds. This organization was started in 2003 and since then has rescued thousands of birds. This past year alone, they were able to rescue 460 birds. The majority of birds they help are shore- based seabirds like gulls, terns, cormorants and pelicans that have had bad encounters with fishing gear. Often, these birds can be unhooked or untangled from the fishing tackle and released. Sometimes, the injuries are more serious, and the bird must be sheltered, fed and treated while it regains its health.

Frequently, migratory seabirds like albatross and giant petrels are washed ashore after a storm. It seems to happen more often to the younger, more inexperienced birds. These guys are weak, dehydrated and disoriented, and unless they receive help, they will most likely die. The WASR volunteers capture and attempt to rehabilitate these birds. Each bird is temporarily adopted while it is fed and re-hydrated. Several of the volunteers have constructed habitats at their homes to shelter the birds, including one aviary that is 45 feet (14m) in diameter and has a pool and two sandy 'beaches'. Some types of birds thrive on chicken carcasses while others must be force fed small fish and squid several times daily. These dedicated volunteers devote a lot of time rehabilitating each bird. If and when one of these migratory birds regains its strength, it is taken offshore and released.

Today, we would be heading 5-10 nm offshore to release three giant petrels and a sooty shearwater. Each bird was carried aboard in its own carrier and stowed on the aft deck. None of the birds looked all that enthusiastic about taking a boat ride.

Everyone was required to don a PFD and a small radio beacon in the event any of us fell overboard. Once the crew had instructed us on safety precautions and the method of inflating our PFD's, we were ready to cast off. Within a few minutes, we were heading out of the estuary and into the Indian Ocean.

The ride was a little lumpy, but not all that bad. We went about 5nm offshore, then John stopped the boat and each bird was released. The shearwater sat on the surface for a minute or two, then began flying – to the applause of all the volunteers. The giant petrels paddled around, dipping their heads into the water and preening.

Large seabirds like albatross and giant petrels are truly wonderful to see when they are flying. We have watched them for hours – days in fact - as they glide over the water with their wingtips only millimeters above the waves. The giant petrels are very large birds with a wingspan of almost 7 feet (210cm), yet they appear to expend almost no effort as they fly. Taking off is a different matter. They beat their huge wings furiously and run along the surface of the water for 50 feet (15m) or so until they gain enough speed to launch themselves into the air. Our petrels seemed in no hurry to fly anywhere. Occasionally, one would make a half-hearted attempt to take off, but then would settle back in the water. Linda, the senior volunteer, explained that the birds began losing strength after only a few days away from the sea. It might take a day or two before they would fly again. In the meantime, they would continue to preen to restore the oils in their feathers, keep hydrated by continually dipping their heads in the water, and building their strength up. They certainly looked happy enough and everyone was optimistic that they would do fine.

We circled our petrels for almost 15 minutes, then reluctantly headed back to Mandurah.

For more information on these two terrific groups of volunteers, visit their websites at:

http://www.waseabirdrescue.com/index.php

https://www.facebook.com/Mandurahwaterrescue