This is the crested tern (Sterna bergii).  I think terns are one of my favourite sea birds – and I’m getting into birds.

This is a juvenile, with mottled edged brown and grey wings, and streaked forehead.

Not seen one of these in ages, this is the welcome swallow (Hirundo neoxena).  You can see their mud nests all over the place.

The little pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos).  Has a bright yellow bill and a long tail.  Very common and almost throughout Australia – not in the western desert!

Here’s one venting its wings.

This is the Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) again.  The beak when you get up close is beautiful yellow with almost turquoise tinge in places. 

The beaks hooks right over.

Beautiful eye.

And the feathers at the back of the head quiff up.

These are black swans (Cygnus atratus).  Beautiful red beak with a white splotch towards the end.  The tips look like someone has painted them and the paint has worn off at the very end.

The feathers are curved at the tip so that you get a ruffled effect at the rear.  The flight feathers are actually white but you can’t see then here.

The next day we saw a couple of these feeding near the shore.  One was energetically stirring up sediment, underwater, with its webbed feet.  Once stirred the pair would end up and start feeding, the question is on what.  The bird books say ‘aquatic vegetation’ but there was none growing in this area, although they could have been eating the sea grass ‘roots’.  When we looked towards the shore – it was low water – it was pitted with holes.  I’ve seen these types of holes before when they are left by rays but these must be from the excavating swans.