Never seen this before!

[David Berry]

Pied Oyster Catcher & Elegant Sea Snake…

I hadn't had much luck on this morning's saunter across Moreton Bay's tidal flats.

The pelicans had gone upriver (fishing scraps there), the Bar-tailed Godwits were flighty (because that's the way they are) and one of the oystercatchers had chosen to pick up a ‘stick’ and fly off with it (how strange!). Might as well take its photo…

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Canon R5m2 | RF 200–800
800 mm | ƒ/9 | 1/2500s | ISO 10,000
30 frames/second | raw | ±40 metres
DxO PR4 | LrC

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Pied Oystercatcher : Haematopus longirostris
Elegant Sea Snake : Hydrophis elegans[/FONT
Please correct me if I'm wrong with the sea snake's ID.
Nudgee Beach, Moreton Bay, Brisbane, QLD, AU

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05:05 : sunrise (overcast)
05:34 : low tide
05:50 : start walk across tidal flats
06:12 : photo (facing west; about 300 metres from shore)
07:20 : finish (742 images; 1 keeper)

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[Lance B]

Great shot!

Are you sure it's a stick? Looks like some sort of water snake/worm/whatever?

 

[Lance B]

I wasn't trying to be funny. It certainly doesn't look like a stick to me. Have I missed something?

 

[David Berry]

Great shot!

Are you sure it's a stick? Looks like some sort of water snake/worm/whatever?

Lance…

I had no idea that I'd snapped a sea snake until I reviewed the images as I strolled away towards the elusive godwits. My guess is that the little fella, apparently they grow decidedly longer, was temporarily trapped in one of the tidal ponds; they're about calf-deep and I've never thought of them as places to encounter snakes!

…David

 

[soundbyte]

Extra special, well done.
See them here regularly with sand worms.
Will check if we have sea snakes here and beware the tidal pools when I am up that way hopefully next year!

 

[Lance B]

Lance…

I had no idea that I'd snapped a sea snake until I reviewed the images as I strolled away towards the elusive godwits. My guess is that the little fella, apparently they grow decidedly longer, was temporarily trapped in one of the tidal ponds; they're about calf-deep and I've never thought of them as places to encounter snakes!

…David

Ah, ok. Your post stated stick, but missed your heading in green.

I got a couple of photos of a sea snake in Fiji and it was a good 4 foot long and black and white. It was certainly not aggressive and just went about it's business as we were walking in the water about knee deep near the shore in amongst the coral. We never approached it and it never tried to swim away, we just kept a healthy distance and let it go about it's business.