There are many birds that share the beaches with the Hooded Plover all year round and some that fly vast distances to thrive in the Australian summer. Some of them are quite common and you may see them often, others are quite rare... but if you keep an eye out, you might catch a glimpse of them on the beach this summer.

Binoculars are a great way to get a close-up look at birds in the wild. When you see a bird but don't know what it's called, have a look at the pictures in a bird field guide or do a search in the Birds In Back Yards website.

To print out any of these images to help you make your birdy art click on the large image and a separate page will appear. Many of these images were provided by the State Library of Victoria which houses one of Australia's finest collections of natural history bird books.