These spoonbills in flight were catured on film at Tea Gardens on the lower north coast of New South Wales, across the water from Nelson Bay in Port Stephens.
The spoonbills are wading birds closely related to the ibis and having long, flat bills with spoon-like tips.
There are six identified species of spoonbills, two of which are common in Australia, particularly in the southeast. The species generally found in Australia are the royal spoonbill and the yellow-billed spoonbill.
Tea Gardens, where these royal spoonbills were photographed, is 68 kilometres by road from Newcastle. Many visitors to Tea Gardens go by boat from Nelson Bay.
