Gladstone Beach

Visited: very late dry season

Recommendation: This is a lovely campsite right on the beach. There are plenty of shorebirds to be found here, but also other wildlife around the camp and scrubland.

Gladstone Beach is a detour off the main highway between Carnarvon and Hamelin Pool. It is a private campground that has reasonable facilities and lots of space. It is a stone's throw away from the beach and a walkable sea wall and then a rather dilapidated jetty. Arriving in the afternoon, I immediately started to explore the beach as the tide was out. Initially it looked quiet but then I started to see small movements amongst the rocks. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.    

Most of the shorebirds were Red-capped Plovers. I like these little birds. They are found across the entire Australian mainland and at times into Papua New Guinea and southern Indonesia. Within Australia, they inhabit a variety of coastal and inland habitats, including estuaries, bays, beaches, sandflats, mudflats and inland saline wetlands. This wide distribution reflects their adaptability to different environments. They must be Australia's most successful non-migratory shorebird.

Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) 

There were also a few Red-necked Stint on the beach. I am so full of admiration for these tiny birds that migrate from the Arctic Circle to Australasia. The Common Greenshank also migrates here and must have one of the widest range in the world. They breed in northern Europe and summer across the southern hemisphere.

At the end of the sea wall bank, there are the ruins of an old jetty. That is now home to the cormorants. These very elegant water birds were sitting, drying their feathers and preening. Floating next to the bank was a lone pelican. I felt a bit sorry for it but it looked beautiful on the clear, blue water.

Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullata)