Shore Birds At The Manawatu Estuary
The Manawatu estuary at Foxton beach is one of the best places in the lower North Island to see a variety of shore birds and waders. It's one of the places were our Arctic migrants can regularly be seen over summer including the bar tailed godwit, Pacific golden plover and lesser knots.
The photos below are from a brief visit on my way down to Wellington at the end of March. All photos were taken with the new Nikor 500mm f5.6 PF lense fitted with a 1.4 teleconverter.
A white fronted tern (tara) bringing in its catch.
The same tern landing on the sand amongst the flock.
A pair of Caspian tern (taranui) flying closely together above the water.
A pacific golden plover - one of our Arctic migrants that come to spend the summer in New Zealand. We normally get several small flocks of these beautiful golden plover turning up at various coastal estuaries though this one was by itself.
A small group of bar tailed godwits (kuaka). These are probably youngsters not yet ready to breed and overwintering in New Zealalnd.
A variable oystercatcher (torea pango) with its feathers ruffled by the strong wind.
A black shag (kawau).
A white fronted tern (tara) showing its sleek flying profile.
A pair of caspian tern (taranui) in the water.
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