Lake MacDonnell

Visited: spring

Recommendation: This is a fabulous are for driving through and observing nature from a mobile hide. Spending time at the campsite is also recommended.

I thought Sinclair Point Campground might be a good place to stay with a chance of seeing waders. It is a tiny peninsula and the area is famous for Lake MacDonnell and its pink lakes. No pink today on a gloomy, drizzly day but as I turned down the road toward the campsite I could already see waders in the water either side of the narrow road. I stopped in several places to photograph them. The road was pretty treacherous and I was concerned about driving through pools of water but when birds are involved, you just do it. I spotted stints, avocets, sandpipers and plovers, which was pretty good in my book.

I arrived at the campsite and it was beautiful and so well set up. On wandering about I saw plenty of Singing Honeyeater and a Nankeen Kestrel flew right past my nose. There were also plenty of swallows and gulls but the main fauna in the area were flies. Lots and lots of flies swarming around me. It was disgusting. That and worrying about the deteriorating road made me think I should watch the waders for a bit longer and then get back to Penong.

I drove back (well, bounced really) to the lake and spent another couple of hours watching the waders. I was hoping to see some rarities but waders in non-breeding plumage are difficult to separate as they all tend to be grey. The Curlew Sandpiper is easy because it has a downward curving bill. The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper has an unmistakable rusty cap, whereas the Red-capped Plover is a bright and full red.

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus)

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata)

I was reasonably sure the smallest waders were all Red-necked Stint but so hard to tell. I shot lots of photographs and decided to sort it out in the edit. As waders are generally in Australia during the non-breeding season, they are in fairly drab colours. It would be nice to see them in breeding plumage. Maybe towards the end of the season as they prepare to return to the far north. You have to admire these little birds for completing a migration of thousands of kilometres!

Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis

Turns out all my small waders here were stints.

I loved watching the waders and I found it really interesting when I realised they were also in the scrub as pictured at the top of the post. Totally invisible until I inadvertently flushed them. I waited until they returned (the van being a great hide once again) and watched them feeding in the bushes. I also picked up a lone Common Greenshank and a family of Australian Shelduck.

Best of all, I got off the road safely and before more rain fell!