Last week I spent a couple of hours at Long Reef Aquatic Reserve in Collaroy, NSW. I was there just for a walk with my partner, but I was delighted at the number and variety of birds we encountered.

First up were two raptors, a real treat to see. A Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillarus) hovered in the air, effortlessly riding the currents and looking out for prey:

An Eastern Osprey (Pandion cristatus) soared in circles, grasping a half-eaten fish in its feet:

I’ve written a separate post about these two birds, a third raptor, and some paragliders who shared the air currents with the kite: Three raptors in one day.

Huge Pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus) perched on the lampposts and glided above my head. Here’s one of them, looking sad and wise:

Another post has more pictures of these magnificent birds: Three pelicans on a lamppost.

A female Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) sat on a metal structure above the beach, surveying all the action with a cautious eye:

Silver Gulls (Larus novaehollandiae) wheeled around the fishermen at the edge of the rock plate:

Australian Ravens (Corvus coronoides) picked through the stranded seaweed in search of a snack:

Here’s a close-up of one of the ravens:

Fish skulked in a nearby rock pool:

A crab came out from under a rock, ready to dash back in at the slightest sign of danger:

A White-faced Heron (Ardea novaehollandiae) patrolled the border between land and sea:

On the grassy headland above the beach, a Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) owned the land. These birds are also called Peewees, because of the loud shrill call (peeee-wheee) that they make whenever a person or anything else comes too close:

To close off with, here are a couple of shots showing the colours and serenity of the Long Reef Aquatic Reserve that afternoon. First, looking from the rock plate towards the land:

Then looking out to sea: