Black-fronted Dotterel

Description:

The Black-fronted Dotterel is a "small wader with a distinctive black face-mask and breast-band and prominent chestnut scapulars (shoulder feathers). [...] Legs are pink orange, and the bill is red with a black tip. The dark eye is ringed with red. In flight the wings look broad and the tail short, while the black and white contrast is striking. Flight is slow with almost hesitant wing beats." (Birdlife Australia)

Habitat:

Running around in the mud at Mankajarra Wetlands. This is towards the end of the dry season and in the build up to the wet season. Although the water level was low at the time, (it got much lower see pic 3 taken three weeks after the Dotterel), there was still water and food due to the large amount of rain from the previous wet season (see pic 2 taken April 2017 just after the wet season) . Mankajarra has stands of Paperbark Trees (Melaleuca sp.) and other plants along the edges of the water. When the water level is high, the trees are in the water (see pic 2) and the birds have many more places to hide in and hunt from.

Notes:

Beautiful little birds that hang around the mud margins at bodies of water. There were (and usually are) several around. They move around a alot, from one side to the other to somewhere else, back again etc. I love watching them as they run about looking for food. It's short spurts of running and bobbing heads, while keeping an eye on my mum and I.