Copulation!

What a day! Although Shirley and I had recently visited the peninsula, I needed to mark a lot of new nests, and so we made another trip. Upon arriving in our borrowed craft we saw our first gull copulation! Yay! The first of three pairings that I saw! So soon there will be eggs! I marked another 23 nests and that was hardly making a dent, all of a sudden new nests are popping up! Once I had used all my available nest markers I went to help Shirley with the disturbance trials, although I don’t do too much. I really enjoy it, I am helping to the maximum capacity I can, but while I wait for my cue I get to look around and take photos. This is when I managed to get some cool photos of a ladybug, a butterfly, and a copulation event! I am so enjoying being out and doing fieldwork, and I have a horrendous t-shirt tan to show for it!

Copulation in birds - it's a balancing act!

A pretty ladybug.

Enjoying the other organisms on the peninsula.

Very stoked with this photo!

It has only been a few days but the Sacred Ibis chicks are growing fast!