Oystercatchers are quite common along the quieter beaches of the Otago Peninsula. They are not often seen on the St Claire beach - too many people!
But here are a small group. Notice the larger one is completely black, and the smaller ones are pied. I'm tempted to therefore say the larger is a Variable Oystercatcher, and the smaller ones South Island Pied Oystercatcher.
But of course, nothing is simple and Variable Oystercatchers can come in variable plumage phases, black, pied and intermediate. Though all nesting birds in Otago are black. So clearly there is one breeding individual in the group!
At any event they are fairly skittish and don't let me approach any closer. Curiously, they often fly over and past our house. Following the Leith River between the tidal mud-flats at Warrington, and the tidal mud-flats at Taieri Mouth via the ocean (and St Clair) I would think - they have a distinctive high pitched squeaky squealling noise.
