An incredibly rare vagrant bird has turned up at Stockyard Point near Jam Jerrup in Victoria, and it has an interesting backstory. Colloquially known as "Syd the SIPO" (South Island Pied Oystercatcher), this bird caused a lot of commotion when it was seen at Broadwater Beach in New South Wales in January 2017. It was identified as a New Zealand native South Island Pied Oystercatcher due to its short legs and long, thin bill. However, it had a leg flag that indicated that it was banded at Stockyard Point in 2016, where it was mis-identified as an Australian Pied Oystercatcher. This meant that although it had been in Victoria in 2016, nobody knew that there had been a SIPO in Victoria because it wasn't identified as one when it was banded. Many of us Victorians hoped that it might return to Westernport Bay, and on Sunday 18th June, local birding guide and expert birder Simon Star located Syd back at Stockyard Point. This bird is the first ever SIPO recorded in Victoria.
Throughout the week, many, many birders twitched Syd. And throughout the week I resisted the temptation to take a day off work and go and find it for myself! I had a strong feeling that it would stick around for a while, and luckily I was right! On Saturday 26 June I left home feeling very excited, but of course also a bit nervous because when it comes to finding birds, there are no guarantees!
I parked at the car park in Jam Jerrup and began the long walk to the point, where I found the expected horde of birders already looking at the SIPO. It took all of three seconds to find it, get dodgy photos, and then do a little lifer dance. Much later in the day, I got better photos, as Syd had moved in much closer and the sun even came out!
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| South Island Pied Oystercatcher (left) with Australian Pied Oystercatcher |
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| South Island Pied Oystercatcher (right) showing leg band 1N |
But the excitement didn't stop with Syd the SIPO. There were soooo many over-wintering migratory waders that it was hard to believe. And the diversity of species, including a few rarities, was staggering.
When I arrived, many waders had already come in to roost, including large numbers of Double-banded Plovers (some showing a lot of colour), Red-necked Stints, Curlew Sandpipers and quite a few Red Knot. Many people were looking for a Terek Sandpiper, but local birding superstar Tim Nickholds eventually picked it out from the masses. It did show itself a few more times throughout the day.
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| Double-banded Plover |
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| Double-banded Plover |
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| Red Knot showing some breeding colour |
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| Red Knot |
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| Mostly Red Knots, with a few Curlew Sandpipers and Double-banded Plovers |
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| Terek Sandpiper (showing distinctive yellow legs) |
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| Six Species in this photo: Double-banded Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Red-capped Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Red Knot |
Then, as if a Terek Sandpiper and coloured-up Red Knots wasn't enough, someone spotted a flock of Eastern Curlew flying in. I aimed the camera at them, instantly noticed a much smaller bird, and started to get very excited. It was a Whimbrel, a bird that I have seen before, but never in my home state of Victoria. A Whimbrel is a difficult bird to see in Victoria, but it was even more incredible to see one in the middle of winter! I only managed a few distant photos before it was gone, but I was very happy to get them!
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| Heavily cropped, crappy photo of a Whimbrel |
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| Whimbrel (centre) amongst some Eastern Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit |
At the same time, a large flock of Bar-tailed Godwits was flying around. Both the Eastern Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit flocks landed, but the Whimbrel was not seen again.
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| Bar-tailed Godwit |
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| Eastern Curlew |
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| Eastern Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, and a lone Australian Pied Oystercatcher |
Eventually the tide went out enough, and I decided to make my way back to the car. I had seen a mega rare vagrant South Island Pied Oystercatcher, and an incredible array of over-wintering migratory waders. It was one of the most amazing birding experiences I have ever had.
eBird checklist:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37766723
