BirdingNZ.net

Is 53 Wrybill unusual for a summer count? I suppose they may be last season's juvs and don't need to come south this year?

Probably failed/non breeders returning I would guess. Miranda is up to around 300 Wrybill at the moment (which is not far away).

The flooded field was full of large numbers of, SIPO, pied stilt,as well as BT godwit, wrybill, banded dotterel,PGPs, spoonbills and other usuals. No ibis or egret but a dull coloured bird flew in front of me in a ziz zag flight and landed over in the long grass in farmers field. I later thought it may have been a snipe so keep an eye out when scanning the muddy fields.

On 3rd January (sorry for the late post guys) around high tide same thing, but the Glossy Ibis was present, and large numbers of Grey Teal (over 400). A hunt for the Cattle Egret among the nesting Pied Shag didn't turn up anything either. Didn't even deploy the drone.
Numbers counted from the photos:
780 Pied Stilt
500 SIPO
1214 Bar-tailed Godwit (Didn't expect that many)
x Red knot
12 Wrybill (about, didn't see many).
27 Mallard
12 Paradise Shelduck
7 Spoonbill
24 Spur-winged plover
plus the usual other suspects.
3 PGP on further examination of the photos. Most must have stayed at Miranda.

The area continues to be a great refuge for birds but with the amount of mangrove seedlings about it may only be temporary.

Popped in a bit after high tide with the family this afternoon. 4 Cattle egrets were roosting on the metal arches (though left almost immediately when a harrier out up all the waders--did not notice what direction they went as I was looking elsewhere). 2 Sharpies and a dozen golden plovers also present but no ibis or snipe-like objects.

Visited this site this afternoon and found no glossy ibis, but was blown away with the quantity of birds here. Grahame Brind kindly showed me around. Clouds of birds kept arriving that made me wonder if any were still left at Miranda! 100s of godwit, knots, wrybill, also 40 golden plover, a nice sharp-tailed sandpiper, 16 spoonbill etc but the stars were two cattle egret in full breeding plumage. All ours near Whanganui return to Aussie in November so what are they still doing here? Will they breed? A couple of pictures from my phone/scope.

Both Glossy Ibis and breeding plumage Cattle Egret present about 1 hour after high tide this morning in the flooded area just north of the south west section of Shelly Beach Road.

The ibis was feeding by the stopbank and the usual large amounts of other birds, also a couple of sharpie entertaining each other.

I was there briefly yesterday (12th Feb) an hour or so before high tide.What a great spot! Huge number of birds (stilts, Wrybill, PGP, Godwits, Knot, spoonbill (3) Oystercatchers etc). No sign of Cattle Egrets and couldn't find the Ibis (was short of time and not sure where it had been seen exactly), however I did find a flock of 7 Whimbrel, and a lone Far Eastern Curlew.