Birds at Long Reef Beach, NSW.

It's nice to have a day off work and I spent most of the day lazy about at Long Reef Beach, took the mini binoculars and found some interesting bird activities.  The following were noted:

Silver Gulls (around a dozen or so)

Pelican (4)

Australian Raven (3 pairs)

Australian Magpie (around six or so)

Pied Cormorant (2)

Welcome Swallows (6)

Willie Wagtail (2)

Crested Pigeon (8)

Spotted Turtle Dove (2)

Indian Mynah (4)

Noisy Minah (many)

White Egret (one flew overhead, didn't stop by)

Blue Wren (heard)

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (about 14 flew overhead)

It was interesting to watch the Swallows swooping up and down the beach over the seaweed washed up by the tide, they were picking off the insects, as too the little Willie Wagtail, he was up and down the beach getting a feed.  Two Ravens were gorging on a dead fish washed up on the beach, the Silver Gulls stood back and waited for the Ravens to have their fill.  A Pied Cormorant sat with wings out drying in the sun on the exposed reef.  A family of Magpies strutted the carpark getting the odd food scraps from people eating their food in the car.  The Pelicans were idling near the boat ramp waiting for some boaters to come in and gut their catch.  Crested Pigeons picked seed from the lawns around the golf club fence.  A family of Wrens could be heard in the dense bush along the cliff face, but not seen. 

Ravens will eat anything when they are hungry, I threw half a strawberry at the male and he ate most of it, whilst the female had some banana, then they both picked at a Kiwi fruit top.  The Magpies were more fussy preferring processed style food.  As for the Silver Gulls, they ignored the fruit scraps looking for chips or whatever.  Another highlight was a Blue Tongue lizard laying in the sun on the rocks near the bushes with the Wrens, plus a one metre long bright blue and black sea snake in the rock pools...