Need Help to ID Wasps & Moth

Came across these Paper Wasps in a friends garden the other day and we don't know what species they are so if any one can help with the ID it would be great. They look rather nasty.

The one looking at the camera kept a close watch on me all the time I was trying to get closer.

This Moth seemed easy enough to ID but after looking in our Moth book we could not find the species name either.

Ibis, Spoonbill and Stilt.

Wader count time again and it seems as if most of the waders have left with only a small number remaining for us to count. The following are figures for the last three counts showing seasonal decline in numbers.
Norman Point ( small site) 1-3-09, 4 species 66 total birds. 29-3-09, 6 species 91 total birds.
26-4-09, 9 species 29 total birds.
Cooloola (main site) 1-3-09, 7 species 2537 total birds.29-3-09 11 species 2125 total birds.
26-4-09,10 species 116 total birds. (Click on photos to enlarge)

Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca)

Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia)

Australian White Ibis, Royal Spoonbill,

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Our other major site is the local sewage works, which nearly always gives us a good count of waders and bush birds, (Top two photos) 26-4-09 10 species 255 total birds. Also seen on this day here was a Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans). Plus the odd snake.

At the close of each count at Cooloola this wonderful view greets us at the entrance to this site after which we then walk down the beach to the car park.

Osprey

At long last a fine and sunny day after having well above 6" of rain over the Easter weekend, the river is slowly dropping.
Had a chance to go down to the Sunshine Coast on Saturday where we saw this pair of Osprey gliding overhead.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

As we walked along the beach we could see the damage that was done during Cyclone Hamish. This was one of the many beaches to be affected by the recent oil spill from the Pacific Adventurer, a big job to clean it all up in time for Easter.

Just imagine trying to clean oil from among the exposed rocks.

A look into one of the many little rock pools.

Pied Butcherbird

Time to mow the lawn again,this time the sound of the mower was a signal for the local Pied Butcherbird population to gather on the power lines to wait until the grass was cut, sometimes having to fly out of the way of the mower while trying to get in before the other birds beat them to it. We had 6 Pied Butcherbirds then 2 Magpie Larks tried to join in unsuccessfully as well as a Blue-faced Honeyeater.

Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis)

I am still waiting hurry up and get out of the way.

No I am not going to look at you.

Water Views

As the weather has been a little bit wet and windy around here of late and due also to the fact that I have been down with the flu I thought I would go back through my photos to give you all an idea of the beauty about us as we count the waders.

Tin Can Bay early morning

Mullen's on the King Tide.

Mullen's on the King Tide.

Mullen's on a High Tide.

Note the wheel tracks left by a motor bike. These cause long lasting damage to the Samphire flats, which are an important segment of habitat for waders.