sooty oystercatcher

We had a wander along the beach towards a cliff face but we couldn't get too close to it. I saw a movement on a rock near the bottom and clicked in the hope that I'd get a useable picture and ended with this one. The next Lifer of the day ... a Sooty Oystercatcher.

Too hot here and very few birds around with a bad nesting season locally so posting a couple of old shots.

These birds usually prefer a rocky coastline so are quite scarce in this area , the first I have seen locally.

Hi all, just had to share! A few days ago I found a Pied Oystercatcher along the beach front and today I found two of these beauties about two kilometres away from where I got the Pieds. They are the only all-black shorebird on Australian coasts. Do hope you all enjoy!

Nice to see these down at Jervis Bay as they prefer a rocky location which we don't have in my particular area.

http://www.waderquest.org/2013/07/oystercatchers-of-world-pt-1-black-and.html

Edit: Male Adult on left, Female Adult on right. Many thanks to kind BF members for helping!! Females have larger bills than males. These are adults because of the dark black plumage, the bright red bills, the red irises and the red orbital rings (the fleshy ring around the eye). Juveniles have...

Pete and I managed to get down to Williamstown yesterday in between showers, hate all this rain!!!.....Didn't find anything interesting until on our way home we saw this Sooty Oystercatcher fossicking around the barnacles on the rocks. I haven't seen one for such a long time so made the most of...

A great looking bird with the contrasting legs, bill and eye standing out against that dark plumage

Very difficult bird to expose correctly in the sunshine !!

From where I was standing on the boardwalk which was at the top of the cliff I looked down and saw this chappie on its own down amongst the rocks. The only other birds about were gulls. I had gone to Point Grant on Philip Island hoping to see some seals atthe Nobbies. Unfortunately the weather...

When Pete and I were on our way home yesterday we stopped off at Altona Beach as we had noticed some Pelicans flying our way and some more Black Swans and I thought that we might get that extra special shot! We waited for a while but nothing came by and as I was looking at some Silver Gulls on...

When Pete and I had only gone a short distance we spotted a great number of Black Swans close to the shore so I thought that I could try my luck with them and found the S/Oystercatcher and L/PC's with them but on the rocks near the edge of the water. Much better this time and not surrounded by...

A crested Tern in the foreground out of focus. Resting on a windy day.