Bewick's Swans at dusk

Once again checking out the gulls washing and roosting on Burrowes pit at the RSPB reserve. At least three Caspian Gulls of different ages, all of which have probably been around for a while. I managed to get some shots of two of them.

Caspian Gull probably 3CY

Caspian Gull probably 3CY

Caspian Gull ad winter

Caspian Gull ad winter

As I was closing the gate today I went back to the reserve at mid-afternoon and had the Great Northern Diver uncharacteristically close on New Diggings. Great Northern Diver really do have very big feet.

Great Northern Diver

Great Northern Diver

With only two visitor cars left in the car park I wandered towards Firth Lookout to see if the occupants were nearby as it was nearing 16:00 and time to close the main gate on the reserve. However, over 400 Greylag Geese flew onto Burrowes along with 22 Bewick's Swans. Once the awful noise of the Greylags had subsided I could hear the Bewick's calling as they bathed, just superb.

Bewick's Swan

Bewick's Swan

Gulls in the fog

The RSPB visitor centre is closed over the Christmas week so volunteers are opening and closing the main entrance gate. This morning was my turn but on arriving the main gate was already open, presumably by the shepherd so I was in the main car park by 8:35. Initially the fog bank was still east of Burrowes Pit but gradually it came further west and soon made viewing conditions tricky.

Burrowes Pit

Burrowes Pit

Incredibly there were no Cormorants on any of the islands that are still visible and this meant a few more bathing and roosting gulls were in evidence including at least three Caspian Gulls of various ages and two Yellow-legged Gulls.

The Great Northern Diver had moved from New Diggings on to Burrowes but was feeding along the far edge and not at all close. The Long-tailed Duck remains on New Diggings.

Caspian Gulls (centre) 1st winter and 4th CY

Caspian Gull 1st winter

Yellow-legged Gull adult behind an adult Herring Gull

I hadn't seen the above Yellow-legged Gull and only noticed it when checking my photos of the Yellow-legged Gull below.

Yellow-legged Gull 3rd/4th CY

Thanks to MC aka Ploddingbirder for pointing out a first winter Caspian Gull at the left of the above photo.

Burrowes Pit from Dennis's Hide

A wet and blustery morning so a look on Burrowes Pit from Dennis's Hide provided good views of 2nd winter Caspian gulls with at least two present and seven Goldeneye with three displaying drakes.

2 x 2nd winter Caspian Gulls with a Herring Gull

They do seem to like playing with stones by picking them up and then chasing them as they are dropped.

2nd winter Caspian Gull

Three displaying drake Goldeneye and one baffled female.

The Great Northern Diver was still on New Diggings on the 17th December but hasn't been seen subsequently.

Australia Victoria Part Two

 Victoria 23rd November to 2nd December with Inala Nature Tours.

Words are mostly by Angus McNab our excellent tour guide.

29th November Red Gum Forest and Riverina 

This morning, we had a much needed sleep in, it was 12:30ish when we finished last night and the extra bit of sleep may not have been enough but it helped. As we packed our bags into the vehicle our first target appeared, the Blue-faced Honeyeater. A great way to start. The Gulpa Reed-beds were our first stop and water levels were still quite high despite the dry conditions of the past few weeks. 

Gulpa Reed-beds

Gulpa Reed-beds

Wandering the board walk to the bird hide we heard many of the calls we were becoming familiar with Grey Fantail, White-plumed Honeyeater, Laughing Kookaburra, Sacred Kingfisher, Australian Reed Warbler, and Dusky Woodswallow. We got better views of a Rainbow Bee-eater than we’d previously had before we got to the bird hide. From the bird hide we could see out over the well vegetated wetland and a number of birds Swamp Harrier, Little Pied Cormorant, lots of Australian Reed Warblers, Straw-necked Ibis, and Australian White Ibis. We scanned for other birds but high water levels and thick vegetation were limiting factors. We had a long drive today and headed east for quite a distance stopping in Wangaratta for lunch. Nearby in the southern end of the Warby-Ranges National Parks we searched for Turquoise Parrots. Walking the road we heard the high pitched call and we had a few birds zoom past at a million miles per hour which made for poor views. We kept trying for the next hour and we saw a lot of parrots, almost all of them Red-rumped. We flushed Red-rumped Parrots from the roadside, from the trees, from shrubs, they flew over our heads, but they weren’t the birds we were after. There were White-winged Choughs, Tree Martins, Welcome Swallows, House Sparrows, Whistling Kites, and so many White-plumed Honeyeaters. We did find a Restless Flycatcher before we turned around which was a nice surprise. On the walk back we had some small flocks of Red-rumps, with which there were 1-2 Turquoise Parrots hiding. We could hear them chipping from the trees, and when they flew out we did get a look at one male as it looped around but they managed to evade us for the most part. We had a short look further into the park and found nothing but more Red rumped Parrots. 

30th November Seymour to Healesville

We woke up and not only had it been raining but it was still raining. We braved the conditions and headed out into Mangalore Flora Park. 

Mangalore Flora Park

Mangalore Flora Park

Straight off the bat we lucked out and had a Painted Buttonquail run beside us parallel to the trail, in an open enough area to be seen. We waited and watched as it slowly returned and walked briskly between vegetation patches. We didn’t get the best views but it was as good as we would get. Turns out we should have called it there and then, but we walked for another hour, and had looks at a number of common birds – all of them wet. White-winged Chough, Superb Fairywren, Australian Magpie, Grey Shrikethrush, Galah. We went back to the accommodation to change our clothes and have a nice, long, hot breakfast. We made an unplanned stop at the Yea Wetlands due to some well-positioned advertising, which worked out wonderfully. The visitors centre supplied umbrellas and we could walk whilst remaining relatively dry. Despite the conditions there was a lot of bird activity. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Long-billed Corellas, and Galahs perched in the rain, Grey Fantails were as active as ever, and a White throated Gerygone was singing its little heart out in the canopy, giving us pretty good views of this little bright yellow-bellied bird. Shining Bronze-cuckoo was a bit less confiding but was singing enough to get our attention. It flew between trees in a small clearing which afforded us views. Heather spotted an Azure Kingfisher over the creek and we got the best views of this species that we had had! We could see it from multiple angles as we wandered the board walk. It eventually flew off, giving Brian a close up view as it flew by his head. There was too much water to walk off the main trail but we still managed to get some good birding in. As we went to leave John spotted a Platypus just before it seemed to disappear into its burrow, unfortunately not coming back out. The rain didn’t look like it would stop but we continued on and drove out to the Cathedral Range State Park in search of cockatoos. We drove slowly up the range stopping periodically but didn’t have much luck. The rain had eased and we took a loop trail to find some birds. There were Striated Thornbills, Spotted Pardalotes, Crimson Rosellas, Laughing Kookaburras, and then some more exciting birds for us such as Australian Golden Whistlers, Leaden Flycatcher, Brush Cuckoo – which took a lot of work – and Common Cicadabird. The latter two migrants from Papua New Guinea that like to be in the top of trees. It was a lovely walk, made nicer by the lack of rain and lovely scenery. The rain started again as we left (fortunate timing), and we headed in towards Marysville. There was a big biking event just finishing up, so we also missed most of the traffic delays and road closures, arriving in Marysville just after the last riders. We stopped here for Australian King Parrots, the birds here are very familiar with the bakery and that patrons often drop crumbs. The bakery was very busy, but no parrots, they were across the road with the Sulphur-crested Parrots eating seeds that had been put in the garden bed. Being familiar with people they were approachable and very photogenic. 

Azure Kingfisher

Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Golden Whistler

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

1st December Superb Lyrebird & amazing nocturnal mammals Healesville 

We headed out early and visited Mt Donna Buang, it was much wetter forest than we had spent time in since the second day, and there were king ferns and huge eucalypts everywhere. 

Mt. Donna Buang Car Park

The carpark ended up being the best place to bird and we had Flame Robin and Pink Robin, both of which were wonderfully behaved, happily moving along the forest edges giving us spectacular looks at these little balls of colour. 

Flame Robin

Pink Robin

Crescent Honeyeater and Olive Whistler avoided us but were present, singing from perches we couldn’t see. We then tested everyone’s ability to climb hills as we walked up the mountain, and it was up the mountain. Superb Lyrebirds, Flame Robins, Grey Fantails joined us for the walk, though it was hard to look up to often as no one wanted to slip. 

We reached the top just as energy levels dropped, but were excited to see there were toboggan runs potentially available. They were closed but we were picked up and driven back down the mountain. We tried again for the Crescent Honeyeater and Olive Whistler, but it wasn’t to be our time. We headed to Toolangi next, another wet forest site. As we arrived we had a male Rose Robin greet us! Low and in the open it was a sight to see, we hadn’t realised that this bird and its partner were constructing a nest just down the trail. I’m not sure who spotted the nest, but it was an incredible spot! The female was busy going back and forward during the 10 minutes it was taken to point out to everyone. We walked the boardwalk and got a few more looks at the female Rose Robin, and the dense wet rainforest it inhabited. 

Rose Robin

Spotted Pardelote

Coming out the other side of the gully a Wedge-tailed Eagle was spotted being harassed by a Pied Currawong above the canopy and in the canopy, there were more Crescent Honeyeaters. We eventually found one not 20m above us and got pretty good views as it moved through some vegetation. The predicted rain didn’t fall, and we had a lovely outdoor lunch in Kinglake before going for a walk through the local area. Walking the Everard Track, we had beautiful warm conditions, but our timing must have been a little off as the birds were quiet, siesta time I guess. We saw a few birds and had a standoff with some Spotted Quailthrush that called between themselves but just couldn’t be seen. We finished a little early today to get some rest before a little spotlighting tonight. I know I fell asleep in seconds, and the break felt short, but it was good to have for everyone. After dinner in Healesville, we headed to Badger Creek Weir for our nocturnal activities. Upon arrival that predicted rain arrived – exactly 5 hours late. We battled on, and it was worth it, both Powerful Owl and Australian Boobooks were calling, Yellow-bellied Gliders were heard sporadically, but it was the Greater Gliders that stole the show. We probably saw 10, but 6 of these were little more than eyeshine. Little green-yellow spots against a tree. As we walked, we got closer and closer to the gliders, eventually getting some really nice looks, just as the rain really kicked in. Everyone was happy with what we had seen, and rather than get soaked we called it a night. 

Greater Glider

2nd December Healesville to Melbourne and depart 

Mt. St. Leonard

Mt. St. Leonard

We woke to beautifully clear skies and headed straight out to look for birds. We had a few targets we’d missed so spent the early morning on Mt. St. Leonard looking for the remaining wet forest birds. As we looked up into the canopy to look for Crescent Honeyeaters, there were small birds flying high in the sky. Martins? Nope they were White-throated Needletails! They looked small but they weren’t, they were just a long way away. As we watched they soared effortlessly, it was wonderful. There were a lot of birds calling but with no mid-canopy they were either very high or very hidden. The Satin Flycatchers were so high we could barely make them out. As it warmed, activity levels rose and we could hear the call of the Olive Whistler. We couldn’t see it but could be heard, moving through the forest it came up below us where we got a brief look, but it wasn’t lasting. Walking further up the hill, nearing the top we came across another bird that was much more confiding and sat up in low shrubs and on low branches giving everyone a good look and photographic opportunities. As we watched a Pilotbird was moving towards us, it gave us a 0.5 second view as it flashed across the trail and was then gone, but the whistler kept on giving. Above us the needletails circled the tower and we got some pretty close views of these typically high-flying birds. Our final stop was below the mountains along a streamline on the edge of suburbia. The Bell Miners were piping as we exited the car which gave us our direction. Walking towards them we spotted White-naped and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Eastern Rosellas, Red Wattlebirds, and could hear a chorus of Common Blackbirds. The Bell Miners always sound close, and aren’t, but we did eventually get close to them as they continually forage in the eucalyptus leaves. As we watched we could hear the sound of a sparrowhawk, so we headed towards it. It was thought to have been a Collared Sparrowhawk but as we approached we found it was actually the white morph of a Grey Goshawk! We were fortunate that it sat beautifully in a window between the leaves giving us a great look at it. 

Grey Goshawk (white morph)

Wandering back to the car we were lucky enough to chance on a Satin Flycatcher that was low, just what Bevan was after. We spent a bit of time watching it as it ate a dragonfly, moved between perches, and sang its song. A blur of rufous was spotted in a tree and although we didn’t get sustained looks we managed to finish with an Australian Rufous Fantail. There was a small battle between the rufous and Grey Fantails that resulted in the Rufous Fantail leaving but not before a few flybys. 

Australia Victoria Part One

Victoria 23rd November to 2nd December with Inala Nature Tours.

Words are mostly by Angus McNab our excellent tour guide.

23rd November Melbourne to Lorne
We started just west of the city at Jawbone Reserve on the edge of the bay. Hoping for some particular waterfowl we started by getting most of the ferals and a few natives on our walk to the pond. Crested Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Superb Fairywren, Australasian Swamphen, Common Myna, European Starling, House Sparrow, European Greenfinch, and Silver Gull before the water's edge. There were Pacific Black and Chestnut Teal before we spotted our first of many Blue billed Ducks. 

Pacific Black Duck

Blue-billed Duck

There was quite a lot of activity, as it was a very warm morning, in what was to be a very warm day. The first set of rocks in the water produced Pied Stilt, Australian Pied Cormorant, Hoary-headed Grebe, and Pink-eared Ducks up close. 

Pink-eared Duck

Pink-eared Duck

Hoary-headed Grebe

Australian Pied Cormorant

A few pairs of Blue-billed Ducks added to the mix nicely. Further around the pool we had multiple Great Crested Grebes at a distance, and we were lucky enough to get them up close sleeping, preening, swimming, and diving. There was even an immature bird (the first time our guide had seen one). We could hear the call of Little Grassbird from the reedbed and followed until we were close, we watched and waited and it appeared and disappeared just as quickly. Some quick water crossings weren’t really enough to give us a good feeling for the bird but it's all we got. 

Yellow-rumped Thornbill

Welcome Swallow

Our excellent Inala guide, Angus McNab and the Tiger Snake

A young Tiger Snake crossed the path as we watched for grassbirds which was a great ending to our time here. 

Our next stop was Serendip Sanctuary, a small government-run wildlife facility with more wild birds than captive ones. We started with the Emus which pecked at the ground in the grassland areas before moving onto finding what is always a huge highlight, the Eastern Shriketit! Great spotting from the team! 

Eastern Shrike-tit

There were a number of birds flitting through the vegetation, but the combination of Magpie Geese and Cape Barren Geese is always an odd one. Both birds are wild but enjoy the relatively safe confines of the kangaroo enclosure. This season's baby Cape Barren Geese are not so babyish anymore and aren’t likely to stay put much longer. 

Magpie Goose

Purple-crowned Lorikeets and Red-rumped Parrots made sure we worked for them in the tree tops as we worked our way through. The two bird hides gave us some nice views of common birds, but also of an Eastern Long-necked Turtle and a Little Grassbird. White-winged Chough eventually showed themselves but it took longer to find them than expected. We took a look at some Eurasian Tree Sparrows, a necessity for Australian birders as there are so few places they can be seen. Before leaving John spotted a pair of Tawny Frogmouths in an ironbark which was very exciting. After looking for a while Heather noticed another bird in the same tree, then a fourth bird was seen showing how incredibly well they can hide in plain sight. 

Little Grassbird

Little Grassbird

Red-browed Finch

Black-fronted Dotterel

Tawny Frogmouth

Swamp Wallaby

Swamp Wallaby

Avalon Beach was hot and windy, and many of the pools had dried up limiting our options for shorebirds, but both White-fronted Chat and Striated Fieldwren were seen in the samphire heath. Shorebird-wise we had Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, and Curlew Sandpiper along the shore in small flocks which was nice but not the numbers we had hoped for. An Australian Crake running along the edge was nicely spotted by Penny, and some Whiskered Terns roosted in a low log which were nice additions to the day’s list. 

White-fronted Chat

White-fronted Chat

Red-necked Stint

Red-necked Stint

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Australian Crake

A couple of hours drive and we hit Lorne and had our first foray at the Lorne pier. There were good numbers of Greater Crested Terns, Great Black and Australian Pied Cormorants, along with Silver Gulls and a Pacific Gull, but the Black-faced Cormorant would have to be searched for another day.   

24th November Great Ocean Road

Buttongrass Moor

We started our morning where we had dropped in to see Blue-winged Parrots the afternoon before and were again fortunate enough to see Blue-winged Parrots again. 

Blue-winged Parrot

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Walking towards the buttongrass moor we didn’t get far before Penny spotted an Australian Crake. We waited for it to come back out from the grass when a very odd sound came from the vegetation behind us, a grunting horse type sound, the call of a Lewin’s Rail. We backed away and waited, watching the vegetation until the bird came out shyly. It came in and out a few times before dashing across the path giving us all great looks at it. The day’s highlight and we were only 5 minutes in. 

Lewin's Rail

Lewin's Rail

Very excitedly we continued along the trails with Superb Fairywrens and White-browed Scrubwrens throughout the grasses. Their calls made it hard to pick up the sound of Southern Emu-wrens had they been calling but fortunately across the creek 35m away a pair of emu-wrens appeared in a small dead shrub. They moved up and down independently seeing unaware of our presence before an Australian Reed Warbler, and then Tawny Grassbird both appeared in the very small shrub. 

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos and Gang-gang Cockatoos flew past and we were only half way around the walk. Hitting the woodland section it got hectic for a few minutes with a juvenile Brush Cuckoo being fed by a White-browed Scrubwren, Eastern Yellow Robin, Rufous Whistler, Australian Golden Whistler, Striated Thornbill, Brown Thornbill, Red browed Finch, and Crimson Rosella, all appearing in a 10x10m area one after the other. Ravens chasing a young White-bellied Sea-eagle and a pair of Sacred Kingfishers weren’t too far away. Our next stop was in Anglesea Heathlands, we made two stops in the heath, the first had Sacred Kingfishers, Brown Thornbill, and Forest Raven, the second had Buff-rumped Thornbill, Scarlet Robin, and Grey Currawong – so not a bad group of new birds. 

Grey Currawong

We then headed down to Point Roadknight where we hunted for Hooded Plovers. Being a weekend the main beach was packed but the back beach had only a single person on it. The tide was well out and we walked the rocky shoreline a short distance before spotting two adult and a juvenile Hooded Plover. Three more adults were spotted before we left and we had distant views of an Australasian Gannet. 

Beach signage at Point Roadknight informing visitors of the Hooded Plovers included this '!realistic!' Hooded Plover picture.

Hooded Plover

Hooded Plover

Hooded Plover

We tried one last heath spot for Chestnut-rumped Heathwren unsuccessfully before heading to the Split Point Lighthouse. 

Split Point Lighthouse

A fog had rolled in but the bird we wanted would be on the ground, which was fortunate as the lighthouse was hard to see in the fog above us. We got a Rufous Bristlebird right at the lighthouse but it was hard to see below the vegetation, so we checked out the view before looking for more bristlebirds. A small clearing had a bird in it, and we saw it cross the track twice – at speed. It did pause long enough to look at us before zooming away. Some were able to get photos, other got photos of where the bird had been. Its appearance and behaviour reminded many of the roadrunner. 

Rufous Bristlebird

A Singing Honeyeater finished our time at the lighthouse, perching beautifully on top the shrubs. 

Singing Honeyeater

Our final stop of the afternoon was at Kennett River where we hoped to see Koalas. Driving up the hill we stopped and were informed there were two Koalas in a tree just up the track. We found a Koala whilst walking up the hill, and then found the two we’d been told about. A number of Eastern Grey Kangaroos were also present making for a very Australian experience!

Koala

Koala

Koala

Koala

Spotlighting in some nearby woodland out from Lorne resulted in great views of Common Ringtail Possum and an incredible find by Angus of a tiny Eastern Pygmy Possum. 

Common Ring-tail Possum

Eastern Pygmy Possum

25th November Lorne to Bendigo 

We had a slower start today after a later night last night. Today was similar to yesterday in that we found a lot of birds but seeing them was a little harder today. We started in the rainforest behind Lorne at the She-oak Falls Picnic Area. 

She-oak Falls Picnic Area

There were a lot of birds calling, Striated Pardalote, Crimson Rosella, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Striated Thornbill, Brown Thornbill, White throated Treecreeper, Eastern Yellow Robin, Eastern Spinebill, and Australian Magpie. We saw most of these as we walked the nature trail, though many were high up or through vegetation. Our first highlight was a male Pink Robin who was shy at first calling nearby and constantly moving that did eventually perch in a few places that we could see its bright pink belly. As we watched we could hear a flycatcher zitting, and some saw it but we couldn’t get any identifying features before it vanished. A few hundred meters up the track we stopped for a Bassian Thrush and as we watched the flycatcher and it partner flew by, and gave full calls, identifying it as a Leaden Flycatcher. The remainder of the walk was spent with Grey Shrikethrush, Australian Golden Whistler, Brown Thornbills, and the sounds of Swamp Wallabies jumping through the undergrowth. We visited the Lorne pier one last time in the hope of a Black-faced Cormorant, initial looks weren’t promising but a juvenile bird got our attention. We walked down to the rock shelf for a closer look and there was a single juvenile Black faced Cormorant with the Australian Pied and Great Black Cormorants. Silver Gulls, Greater Crested Terns, and a pair of Pacific Gulls were on the rocks as well. We had one last unsuccessful go at Chestnut-rumped Thornbill before lunch and started the journey towards Bendigo. We made a stop for Spotted Quailthrush at Steiglitz (Brisbane Ranges National Park) which was successful in that we found the bird but it was challenging to see. It flushed from the ground up into a tree where it could be seen at the right angle, but then it moved, and dropped, and later appeared in another tree. In this tree we could see it, but we all lined up and could see it slightly obscured through some leaves. Challenging, but a very camouflaged bird that is cryptic at the best of times. 

 Our final stop was the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens for Powerful Owl. There were two birds that we could see in the top of their regular tree. They were very high up and sleeping but they were visible and at least one of them looked down to see what we were doing. There was likely a third bird present or nearby, but two Powerful Owls was exciting to see. We wandered the gardens which was full of Maned Ducks, Pacific Black Ducks, Crimson Rosella, and we saw both Yellow and Striated Thornbills. We finished just before the rain started to lightly fall, arriving at our accommodation dry.

Brown Falcon

Little Black and Little Pied Cormorant

Maned Duck and ducklings

Musk Parrot

Powerful Owl

Australasian Swamp Hen

Australian White Ibis

Magpie Lark

Galah

26th November Inland Woodlands 

We started at Distillery Dam, Kamarooka this morning, and as we got nearer the dam the rain from the night before seemed more evident. Suddenly it was really evident as we slipped our way down the road, but it was too late to stop so we kept going. Leaving the vehicle on the side of the road we went birding. There were a number of smaller birds about, but out first was a single Black-tailed Nativehen. Then it was Red-capped Robin, Weebill, Brown-headed Honeyeater, Varied Sitella, and Rufous and Western Whistlers. Red Wattlebirds and Black faced Cuckooshrikes were spotted as we tried to track down the Crested Bellbird that called distantly. We headed back to the main road and got onto a few new honeyeaters, but missed some others for now, White-eared and a beautiful Tawny-crowned that sat perched for longer than any other honeyeater ever has. 

Brown-headed Honeyeater

Unfortunately, the Shy Heathwren lived up to its name, and was shy, we got glimpses and could hear them singing but never got the best look at them. Our next stop was Crusoe Reservoir, we planned to walk a lap of the reservoir (3.3km) and we did, though it took a lot longer than expected. This wasn’t a bad thing, there were lots of birds. So much bird watching happened it took an hour to walk the first kilometre. We slowly meandered our way around the reservoir, and it became apparent that every second bird was going to be a Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, which wasn’t a bad problem to have. There were Spotted Pardalotes, Rufous Whistlers, Brown Treecreepers, Dusky Woodswallows, Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Eurasian Coots, and high-flying Black-fronted Dotterels. We hit a little hive of activity with lots of Fuscous Honeyeaters, Olive-backed Oriole, White winged Triller, Striated Pardalote, Crimson Rosella all buzzing in a small area. It was a few minutes of intense, enjoyable, bird watching. It was nice to watch Eastern Rosellas moving through the bush, while a Great Egret, Australasian Darter, and Macquarie Turtle shared a perch. 

Fuscous Honeyeater

Eastern Rosella

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater

The later section of the walk was highlighted with reptiles, a small Eastern Brown Snake, Jacky Dragons, and an Eastern Striped Skink. 

Jacky Dragon

White-fronted Honeyeater

Varied Sitella

Red-capped Robin

We headed to Lake Weerona for lunch and arrived just in time to miss the rain. We spent half an hour in a picnic shelter eating lunch whilst it rained around us. The ducks didn’t seem fussed but many other birds hid under vegetation. The rain stopped as we finished eating and we wandered the lakeside looking at coots, swamphens, teal, Black Ducks, Maned Ducks, and an island full of Australian White Ibis. At this time of year baby birds are everywhere and the Dusky Moorhen and Australasian Swamphen chicks were abundant, from little fluffballs in the reeds to gawky teenagers running across the grass. In the reedbed Australian Reed Warblers called and called, and oddly there were a number of reed warblers in trees… potentially young being kicked out of what is a limited abundance of reeds. At the far end of the lake Nankeen Night-herons hid from the sun in the shade of a large dense tree. We spotted three birds in the tree, none of which paid us any attention. We finished the day near where we started, this time at Diamond Dove Dam. The temperature had gone up a lot since this morning, it was hot and humid. Honeyeaters were still active and white-eared and yellow-tufted were commonly spotted. We were parked between two groups of White-browed Babblers who both came to investigate us. We walked the old trails through the woody heath, spending much of our time following the sounds of a Crested Bellbird again. We may have glimpsed it but we certainly couldn’t see it, as it kept moving away from anywhere we were. We got onto some good other birds as we walked, White-fronted Honeyeater, Purple-backed Fairywren, Rufous Whistler, as well as a very large Jacky Dragon. The heat was a limiting factor and we headed back to the safe section of the morning’s muddy road to try again for birds we had missed. Whilst some stayed in the aircon others had a quick look for the Shy Heathwren and Purple-gaped Honeyeater. Neither was found but we certainly tried. 

Purple-backed Fairy Wren

Pallid Cuckoo

27th November Bendigo to Deniliquin

We took a trip out to Mt Korong this morning and it was worth the slightly longer drive. 

Mt Korong area

Upon arrival we had both Masked and White-browed Woodswallows, a calling Gilbert’s Whistler and Painted Honeyeater that we’d come back to, Diamond Firetails, and Hooded Robin. A pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles flew overhead and we had barely left the car. We walked the area and spent time following the Gilbert’s Whistler that just wouldn’t come out from cover other than to move away from us. Black-chinned Honeyeaters were being harassed by White-plumed Honeyeaters, and Galahs were regularly flying by. In the cutting of the roadside a pair of Red-backed Kingfishers were nesting and continually feeding a nestling, and as we watched a Painted Honeyeater fed in the mistletoe just metres from us. We walked along the fire break and found Brown-headed Honeyeaters, Mistletoebird that got a resounding sound of approvement when it showed us its red breast, Southern Whiteface, and a Rainbow Bee-eater. Everything had gone to plan and before it ended, we had a Gilbert’s Whistler feeding at eye level in the roadside vegetation. 

Masked Woodswallow

White-browed Woodswallow

White-browed Woodswallow

Wedge-tailed Eagle

White-plumed Honeyeater

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Hooded Robin

Diamond Firetail

Red-backed Kingfisher

Painted Honeyeater

Gilbert's Whistler

 We headed northeast to Lake Cullens and whilst there was a hug abundance of birds across the lake most required a scope to view. Australasian Shelduck, Grey Teal, Pied Stilt, Black Swan, and Chestnut Teal were the more common birds but scanning through we found Red-necked Stints, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Red capped Plovers, Masked Lapwings, Whiskered Terns, and Silver Gulls. There was a lot to see but the strong wind was keeping birds low to the ground. We walked a small portion of the lakeside before moving on to our next stop. 

The largest Ibis rookery in the southern hemisphere didn’t live up to its name… We did see three individual Ibis but that’s hardly impressive, particularly when we’d seen hundreds in the fields earlier in the day. The rookery was almost empty of birds, Australian Pelican, Little Black Cormorant, Chestnut Teal, Whistling Kite, and the sounds of Little Grassbird were about all we could get onto from the bird hide. The walk in did produce Grey-crowned Babblers, White-breasted Woodswallow, and Nankeen Night-herons which were good to get onto. 

Nankeen Kestrel

Red-rumped Parrot

28th November Plains Wanderer 

We headed out early this morning and ventured into Island Sanctuary. We were prepared for a lot of parrots, and we found a lot of parrots. As we walked in we had Crimson (yellow) Rosella, Long-billed Corella, Rainbow Lorikeet, and Galah in the first large tree we came across. There were a number of birds spotted along the creek line, Red Wattlebirds, Rock Doves, Brown Treecreepers, Welcome Swallows, Pacific Black Ducks, and Maned Ducks. Walking through the big eucalypts we could see tree Hollows everywhere and there were birds going in and out of all of them. We took our time walking the small ‘island’ with lots of Sacred Kingfisher, Noisy Friarbird, Common Bronzewings, Magpie-larks, and more parrots including Eastern Rosella, and Rainbow Lorikeet. There was the odd flyby from a Superb Parrot, but we really didn’t get onto them. Australian Ravens, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, and Noisy Miners were spotted, but it was the constant presence of parrots that was most impressive. Across the river we did a similar walk in similar habitat, trying for the Superb Parrot. The temperatures were going up and we had much less activity. There are also many fewer tree hollows, that reduces parrot interest but there was more than enough to keep us going. The birds were much the same as in the island sanctuary but we got onto a pair of Oriental Dollarbirds that are semi-recent arrivals from Papua New Guinea. Whilst we watched the call of the Superb Parrot could be heard and only a little further down they flew into view. The two Angus’s were both looking at a bird but had very different thoughts as to whether it was male or female…turns out they were looking at different birds! We all got onto a beautiful male that sat in the open, which was really a sight to see. The female was more cryptic but most of us saw her before they flew away. We were able to get onto another male before we completed our mornings walk. 

Brown Treecreeper

Common Bronzewing

Crimson Rosella (ssp flaveolus - yellow rosella)

Dollarbird

Grey Shrike-thrush

Laughing Kookaburra

Long-billed Corella

Maned Duck

Pacific Black Duck and ducklings

Rainbow Lorikeet

Rainbow Lorikeet

Azure Kingfisher

Superb Parrot (male)

We took a long rest in preparation for a long afternoon/night. Then Phil Maher met us, and we headed out to bird across the Hay Plain. 

The Hay Plain

Our first stop was on a property rehabilitated by Phil over the past 15 years and as such there were lots of birds. Brown Quail were seen by one vehicle before we stopped for the main star here, the Australian Owlet-nightjar. The bird was at its hollow as we arrived, but hid quickly as we approached, before long it came back up and looked out as us. 

Owlet Nightjar

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters flew about and we continued along some irrigation lines stopping for a cracking view of Greater Bluebonnets! We stopped again at what was a magical tree. Looking around the tree we found Purple-backed Fairywrens, Mistletoebird, Yellow Thornbill, these and others were found in the magical tree. The other highlights were Chestnut-rumped Thornbills, Painted Honeyeaters, Striped Honeyeaters, and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters. We made a brief stop at a second site rehabilitated by Phil, and came across a single White backed Swallow over the birds nesting site, again only possible due to work by Phil. The drive from here to the sheep station was slowed by Emus, Singing Bushlarks, Brown Songlarks, Wedge-tailed Eagles, and Red, Eastern Grey, and Western Grey Kangaroos. 

Singing Bushlark

Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Red Kangaroo

Emu and chicks

Striped Honeyeater

White-winged Fairy Wren

White-winged Fairy Wren

Eastern Blue-bonnet

Eastern Blue-bonnet

Chestnut-rumped Thornbill

Mistletoebird

Painted Honeyeater

Purple-backed Fairywren

Purple-backed Fairywren

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

White-winged Triller

Yellow Thornbill

Sunset at the Hay Plain

Once it was dark we headed off on foot to find frogs, and we found some stunners – Holy Cross Frog and Sudell’s frog!

Holy Cross Frog

Sudell's Frog

Sudell's Frog

A Southern Boobook was calling and spotted in the tree as we walked. We then drove out into the fields and the Giant Banjo Frog was quickly found on the trail. 

The night drive and a Brown Hare

Giant Banjo Frog

Scanning for Plains Wanderer

Tesselated Gecko

As we tried for Plains Wanderers, we found Australian Pipits and Fat-tailed Dunnarts, energetic little Dasyurids that didn’t want to sit still. 

Fat-tailed Dunnart

Fortunately, we didn’t have that trouble with the Plains Wanderers. The two males and female we found were as well behaved as any animal could be. They sat still watching us watching them. In plain view with nothing blocking our views we were able to get great looks and great photos. 

Plains Wanderer (female)

Plains Wanderer (male)