The main reason I went to Lake Frou was because the blog mentioned that it was a breeding site for Little Tern, amongst other things. I have seen Little Tern once or twice at WTP but not very well so I was keen to see this. There was a roped off section on the beach for Little and Crested Tern to nest, and a large quantity of Crested Tern and Silver Gulls hanging out together, with a few Little Tern sitting on the beach. In the distance there were Little Tern flying, diving, fishing and so I started trying to capture some of that action, and by some fluke caught this series. It's not perfect focus to start with but I think it ends up ok.
16) Crested Tern replacement - have you ever watched Crested Tern taking off after being in the water? They always shake off the water like a puppy dog but in mid-air!! It's hilarious!! I've been trying to grab this shot, and finally came across a very calm flock of Crested Tern on the Narooma Surf Beach who were really unconcerned about people coming and going past them. There was a creek behind the beach where terns were vigourously washing themselves, then taking off and shaking and I got this shot! It makes me laugh!!!
Back in Merimbula on Saturday 12th Feb, checking out the Ben Boyd NP around Haycock's Point. Went down onto the beautiful beach, ran into one guy wearing only a raincoat, then an actual nudist...oops! Felt a bit weird lugging a long lens around in that situation!! But there was no signage...no warning...
A truly long shot, and huge crop! Just something that caught my eye when I was chasing whipbirds, again, and I had to grab it. I've never seen a baby leaden flycatcher before
After Haycock's Point, we checked out Barmouth Beach at the Pambula River Mouth. Just as we arrived this heron flew in, which I photographed thinking it was a White-faced but then realised it was an Eastern Reef Egret, dark morph!! Lifer!!! Yes!! It landed beautifully on the rocks and sat and posed for me.
It had been a LOOOONG week! My hubby was ready for a massage, so I hit the Merimbula boardwalk for another quick session while I waited...that's my relaxation.
110) Eastern Great Egret
Over the week I had many options of shots, wading, flight, far, near, non-breeding, breeding, water, grass...it was excellent!!
If you could see my other tiny smudge photos in comparison to this you would laugh! I've been gradually working up to this all week but when I found this Curlew sitting within a few metres of the boardwalk it was so exciting!!! My first views were all the way across the lake, then in the oyster beds, then in the middle of the lake, and finally this!
One of the most beautiful thornbills. I had an amazing encounter in Narooma when I didn't have my camera and tried to capture them with my phone!!! Terrible idea but I was desperate! So I'd been trying to redeem that situation ever since. I'm pretty happy with this one.
Back at the Pambula Beach caravan park there were kangaroos all around, mostly young ones with mothers, some joeys in pouches. This WW was plucking hair out of this kangaroo's back, presumably for a nest! The kangaroo wasn't too bothered, just looked around every now and then
Sooo many YTBC along the east coast!! We saw them and heard them and watched them flying every single day that we were away, amazing! So I just have to throw in a close up from the caravan park
I heard these birds calling as soon as I entered the Lake Mummaga walk but didn't know what they were. On the way back along the walk I managed to get some shots, but these birds seem to be high in the canopy, or low down in the dense foliage and are fast! This was a lifer for me once I finally confirmed the ID on the Facebook ABID page today, so that's exciting. In fact its a lifer for the gerygone family!
I forgot to include this before somehow so I'll put it in now. I drove out to Potato Point to check out Piccaninny Beach which was meant to have Hooded Plover; couldn't find any but the scenery was spectacular! On the way back this emu and chick were hanging out in a bush reserve on the edge of town!! So cool to see them just wandering around near town...of course by town I'm talking about maybe 30 houses and no shops but still
Back in Pambula. Waiting out the weekend since the car part didn't arrive on Friday as promised. Checking out the Panboola wetlands which are worth a look anytime, athough the lakes near the car park have become overgrown with water weeds so there are a lot less birds there than previous visits.
116) Azure kingfisher
Abby and I had an amazing visit to Wilson Reserve to check out the Azure Kingfishers before we came on holidays but I forgot to post it. Luckily I came across this beauty along the creek at the back of Panboola and got some lovely shots. I love how the ferny leaves are shadowed on its back
117) Jacky Winter
I saw a few Jacky Winters in my travels but I enjoyed seeing the juvenile demanding food
118) Australian Raven
I can only tell Australian Ravens by call really, so when this bird was calling in flight I snapped it! I know they are meant to have more of a beard etc but I'm never sure enough to declare it by sight, I don't see them often at all, just hear them at a distance when I get out of Melbourne. Around the metro area we only have Little Ravens which I'm much more familiar with. So I'm glad it helped me out!
119) Australian Magpie
I didn't have a shot yet so this is it. It's fascinating to look up what other countries have for their magpies
Monday morning. Packed up for the last time, again. Gave way to an ENORMOUS goanna (edit: I've learned from Alex's post that it's a Lace Monitor) when we went to exit the caravan park. Car part still not here!! Still waiting. Back to Panboola wetlands cos I lost my sunglasses there yesterday! Sounds like a reasonable excuse?
120) Grey Goshawk
LIFER!!! I glimpsed this yesterday but didn't even get time to lift my camera let alone aim it, and it was gone. I thought I saw a Grey Goshawk but I wasn't sure, but now I know! Not the best shots as I was shooting into the sun but its a lifer!
121) White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Saw quite a few, photographed almost none! Figured (hoped) this was my last day, so took what I could get of this juvenile WBSE
At Panboola we met 2 other couples at the lookout, and one local couple gave me amazing advice about where to look for Southern Emu-wren in the Ben Boyd NP. So having time to kill...we headed back out there!
122) And found them!! Southern Emu-wren
Not the first time I've heard them, and I think I've glimpsed them before, but the first time I've actually seen them, and the first photograph so LIFER!! I don't love the photos I got, it was dark, and very dense foliage, and they disappeared pretty fast but they'll do till next time!!
And finally, because I can't leave a week at the beach without sharing the Sapphire Coast with you...
Going back in time...beep beep beep...to the 1st Feb when I went with Abby to Wilson Reserve in Ivanhoe to search for the Azure Kingfisher. I didn't get to post from this outing before we went away but its a worthwhile place to check out. It's set along the Yarra river including a backwater, and it has an oxbow lake/swamp which is where we got our best shots of the kingfisher. There are good paths along the river, the golf course and the bush.
123) Common Bronzewing
I saw a few of these, tried to get a nice shot of the wing, could improve still - male with the buff forehead, female without
124) Australian Wood ducks
Abby has already posted the adorable teal duckling but its so cute, I just have to post another one! Ditto the Azure Kingfisher, it was such a thrill to track this bird down and get some shots; its not often that you get an alert on Facebook and actually find the bird!
Wow, Danika, you hav some beautiful shots and some great birds... congrats on the lifers!
Love the Little Tern series and that Crested Tern is wonderful...then there are the Azure Kingfishers! Brown Gerygones are tiny and can be really challenging to photograph so well done on that one but to get the Southern Emu-wren must have been so satisfying. Is that 4 lifers for the trip or have I missed one? Make that 5 as I had missed one.
Still back in time...I went to Westgate Park on 2nd Feb chasing another Facebook report, this time of a Brown Quail. Still trying to redeem my Brown Quail shots from the WTP. It didn't happen, but this happened.
45) White-plumed Honeyeater replacement
I heard baby birds squeaking and looked around, couldn't see anything, then looked up and saw this adorable bunch right above my head!!! The parent flashed by with food but I couldn't capture that properly, sadly; would have been a great shot!
125) Common Starling
I was always under the impression (from my bird books) that starlings became spotted in autumn, but this year I've found starlings brightly spotted from January onwards. I don't know if it means anything or has to do with it being a milder season???
126) Australasian Swamphen - the factsheet still says Purple Swamphen
I fell in love with this juvenile swamphen all in blue. So adorable! I was just going to do a shot of it by itself, but then the parent poked its nose in too so why not?
127) Spotted Dove
I've been trying to get more of a close up/arty shot...but I like this more
And I had fun chasing 97) White-Browed Scrubwrens...this one looks so relaxed, it doesn't even appear to he hanging on! How does it stay up there in that twig??? And here's a 29) Stilt close up that I enjoyed.
Since we got back I've been out with Abby to Bushy Park and Jells Park on the 16th, then Braeside Park on the 17th Feb. Birds galore!! Thanks Abby!!!
128) Eurasian Coot
I wanted to get a "walking on water" shot this year and the coots at the bird hide at Bushy Park were very co-operative, chasing each other around
129) Dusky Moorhen
A juvenile bird strongly backlit and standing just below the birdhide window giving me a good chance to take a few arty kind of shots with its feet out of the water...what big feet it has!
The focus at Jells Park is really the lake where there is an ibis rookery that not only is a home for a million white ibis but also tons of little black cormorants, darters and other water birds and ducks. We checked out the bird hide and around the back of the island and its really impossible not to come away with a decent flight shot of an ibis because there's so much coming and going
131) Australian White Ibis - landing, and on the island
132) Yellow-faced Honeyeater
A less usual shot as you can't see the facial stripe side on, but I enjoyed watching this honeyeater picking spiders out of this web! Clever! All the work done for him - take away!
61) Australasian Darter replacement - last time I got 2 Darters in a shot, this time I managed 8! Can you see them all?? Plus one ibis
Then on Thursday we hit Braeside Park, for me the second time this year but Abby showed me a cool back area around the ponds near the bird hide that I hadn't found before and we had an AWESOME time there.
133) Australasian Shoveler
I was so happy to see these guys! I love all ducks, but these are especially special! It was even more awesome that in the same small pond were 2 Pink-eared Ducks and at least 1 Blue-billed Duck! Plus Chestnut Teals and at the end Australian Wood Duck...love a big old mix of ducks :) But seeing Shovellers in the sunlight in the morning was so cool, lighting up their eyes and their beautiful plumage. We realised after we saw the Shovelers in the water that there were actually more tucked up on the island that we had initially confused for Chestnut Teal; without the bill and legs showing, and only the front evident the plumage is similar.
134) Hoary-headed Grebe - the first I've seen all year, working on an improvement
135) Black-fronted Dotterel - an EBC of the highest order, but again I haven't seen them all year
77) Little Pied Cormorant replacement - have you ever seen LPC babies??? Neither have I...until now! They look weird! They aren't shown in my bird book so this is the first time I've seen a juvenile, AND immature on the same day
72) So my replacement Pink-eared Duck shot may not be as awesome as Abby's but I'd love to share with you a gorgeous P-E Duckling!!
And I have some cool darters too but I've shared enough of them lately...for another day.
Some great shots Danika! Love the Shoveler in that low-angle light, really good look at a spectacular duck. No, I hadn't seen Little Pied Cormorant chicks - cool! And the almost pure white juvenile Darters - huh, didn't realise they looked like that either. That crested Tern doing a barrel roll made me laugh - great shot! And I like the Yellow Thornbill too, nice contrast of the yellow against the grey backdrop
I wish work wouldn't get in the way of checking in here, seems you miss a day or 2, and it becomes hard to catch-up. My list of favourites would be too long, I love them all.
Some more fantastic photos, and nice for some lifers as well.
Thank you so much for the lovely comments - glad you enjoyed the shots! I've done more birding and photography in January and February of 2022 than in all of last year, and probably the year before that too, and I'm having so much fun - its great to share it with you all!
This group of photos come from a new area that I haven't birded before called Truganina Park. Never knew it existed, never knew the suburb existed so this was a whole new experience. I went on an outing with Birdlife that took me there, which is why I love birding with groups that plan outings! You never know where you'll end up!
136) New Holland Honeyeater - such a cutie, like Superb Fairy-Wrens I just can't resist them! I have way too many photos of them...until this year when I haven't really seen them much
137) Black-shouldered Kite - for a huge group of 30+ birders it was incredible that we all got sustained views of this beautiful bird sitting on top of a tree and observing us back for a good 10min, just incredible
138) Little Eagle - I'm hoping that I see another Little Eagle later in the year so that I can get some more shots but I'll take this for now
139) Australasian Pipit - I've probably seen these a few times at the WTP but not a good sighting and not a photograph so I'm definitely counting this now in case I don't get another one, even though its a bit blurry
And a couple of bonus flight shots that I grabbed on the day: Brown Goshawk and Collared Sparrowhawk. It was a great day for raptors.
Ok so here is my version of events for the trip to the Western Treatment Plant on Saturday 26th 2022 with Abby, Alex, Sue and Tom. Thanks to everyone for joining in the trip and making it a great day out, its lots of fun sharing good birding sites and especially such an amazing spot as this. If anyone else wants to come at any point just shout out!
Bear in mind for my photos that this is my 4th trip in 2 months, and 3rd trip this year so I've been over the same ground recently and seen some birds already, but in spite of that I still had a magnificent day and all of these birds were fresh to my 2022 list!
140) Straw-necked Ibis - somehow I've seen lots of white ibis but these have eluded me this year so it was nice to see a flock flying
141) Pectoral Sandpiper (no fact sheet) - I'm really grateful to the birders who pointed these out as they can easily be missed in the crowd of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers! Those birders had scopes which definitely give a better view of these teeny waders. Once you see them, and focus in on that bird on the right you can see that the patterning on the chest is clearly darker and cuts off with a much sharper line compared to the Sharpies, and their bill is also longer with almost a hook at the end. But of course in the field...
142) Marsh Sandpiper - the breeding plumage these beautiful birds are developing right now is so delicate and lovely! It can be a real challenge to separate them from the Common Greenshanks in the field so photos are a must, but I think I've done it
143) Little Grassbird - for a brief shining moment on ABID we thought this was a Tawny Grassbird but since they have never been seen before at WTP that would be too glorious indeed! I don't have aspirations to be the birder who finds a species that no one else has never seen, so I'll happy settle for getting a terribly blurry picture of the elusive Little Grassbird, which I so often hear, but seldom see
144) Striated Fieldwren (no factsheet) - I'm having so much luck with this charming bird lately! Just last Saturday I got great prolonged views of a singing bird at Truganina Park, and again today this bird sat and sat for all of us, 5 people to get out of 2 cars and creep forward so that all of us could get decent shots!! So accomodating! I hope you'll see everybody's shots.
145) Horsfield's Bushlark AKA Australian Busklark - such a cutie, common around WTP but rarely do they sit still for a shot! This was a wonderful moment on the way out when one bird sat in the road and posed for us
146) Black Kite - beautiful raptors around WTP, seen several times flying chased by ravens, this time found sitting, flushed but landed for a few shots, then chased off by ravens again
Replacement 74) Cape Barren Goose
Plenty of Damselflies as always - I looked it up, apparently its a Swamp Bluet. Makes sense
Great photos Danika! And I can't believe you caught the Little Grassbird - frustratingly cryptic little creatures! That Black-shouldered Kite photo is a real cracker.
Thanks Sue, I did notice that sneaky little Golden Plover...but I'm hanging out for another shot. Abby has been tempting me with her good shots from Reef Island so when I get my car back from its post-holiday-breakdown checkup I'm hoping to head on down there to get a bit closer. It was a shame that spit was so far out, there looked to be some good birds out there.
And yes the Little Grassbird, I actually didn't realise that was what it was at the time but I was happy to have recorded a shot! They are so hard to capture! Sadly it's not a great shot but oh well.
Thanks all of you, it was a really amazing experience with the BSK - I've never had one so calm and happy to sit for photos. Especially for so many people! All moving around and getting closer and closer. So incredible. Having a bird like that look you straight in the eye is just exhilarating!!
I enjoyed catching up with all your trips and respective birds, Danika. Must echo the comments on the BSK - startling. The shoveller has an extraordinary shovel of a beak; I wonder how it keeps its head up. Also, is the cape barren goose wearing bedsocks?
Haha dunno what the Cape Barren Goose is wearing, it seems to be a bird of random combinations!! Lime green nose, pink legs, grey feathers with spots, dark rubbery feet...and did you know that the goslings are stripey black and white?? They are just all over the place fashion-wise!
Don't worry about the Shovellers keeping their heads up, they spend most of their time with their heads under water so I think they're built to purpose :)
Great photos Danika, and it was great to catch up with you and the others at the WTP. What a day that was :)
Way too many birds here for me to comment on them all, I'd be here all day. I did love the Satin Bowerbird and the Rufous Fantail, lovely birds and the colours were fantastic. And your Black Shouldered Kite is intense!
Thanks Tommy, it was great to meet up and spend a day birding!
Well I've just spent the Labour Day long weekend up at Bendigo, camping in what used to be Whipstick NP and is now part of the combined Greater Bendigo NP.
My plan for the weekend was to check out Whipstick, to go up to Kamarooka State Park, to hit the spot at Elmore where Plumed Whistling ducks have been sighted recently, and if possible to fit in a visit to Crusoe and Number 7 reservoirs. Miraculously I ticked all these off despite blowing out a tyre on a bush track and waiting for RACV on the side of a road that the phone lady couldn't seem to find on a map...I think I should catch the bus for the while if car luck comes in 3's!
There are so many other birding-worthy sites around the Bendigo area but a weekend is only so long, and my husband doesn't want to bird all weekend-long!! So I think a week camping sometime is in order.
Notley Campground itself was pretty good for birds, another ebirder camping not 20 metres from me recorded Owlet Nightjar, Wedge-tailed Eagle and Rainbow Bee-eaters while I was sleeping in!! I tried my hardest to follow his lead but couldn't manage it. Early this morning I either heard or dreamt I heard the Owlet Nightjar...still not sure on that one :/ But we were listening to White-eared Honeyeaters day and night so that was cool.
Anyway, I just have to get this one photo out to you all because I'm so excited about it! I had a goal to get 10 honeyeater species while in the Bendigo area because I had read that there are a possible 20 honeyeater species around there. Twenty!!
As I was driving into Kamarooka for the FIRST stop in the park, I saw this bird, a LIFER, screeched to a halt and this is the shot I got! Ecstatic!!
Honestly Sue I hadn't noticed it...had to check it out in my guide, not sure that my photo really shows it, being so far in the shade, but I'm glad you pointed it out. I'll have to look for it IF I get to see it again.
Carrying on with the Kamarooka LIFER theme - warning there were SIX lifers this weekend so lots of capitals and exclamation marks in the posts to follow!!
Anyone going to Kamarooka State Park on a birdwatching mission MUST visit the Old Distillery Dam...so well recognised it makes it onto Google Maps, the only point in the whole park to get a mention! A couple of dirt bikers were using it as a pit stop when I was there but thankfully the birds didn't mind so much.
148) Tawny-crowned Honeyeater - LIFER
There's a little fallen branch that the birds land on then jump down to drink. Several come at once and it gets hard to tell just what is going on!! So I missed this bird at the start, not the best shot so I've put in a group shot so you can see why - there's a Silvereye, Brown-Headed Honeyeater and Tawny-crowned Honeyeater at the edge of the water, and a White-eared Honeyeater in the background! It's just hard to know where to point. Honestly I should have changed my focus point but I wasn't thinking straight!
Also the Tawny Crown wasn't that tawny, it was just there so it was a bit interesting to ID, but the other markings are fairly clear.
149) Purple-gaped Honeyeater - LIFER, no fact sheet
Sadly I never really got this bird in focus, as I kept tossing up between shooting it and the TCH! But its still a lifer so I'll take it. As you can see I kind of neglected it!
Fantastic Danika :) I love the "drive-by, slamming on the brakes" drama of the White-Fronted Honeyeater, that must have been amazing. And congrats on the lifers!
Wow, Danika, sounds like a place I need to visit. I think we can all understand your dilemma when faced with 2 lifers occupying the same space. The Purple-gaped HE still eludes me so well done!
Wow, three honeyeaters I've never seen before... How cool, that northern VIC area looks like a really productive place to visit, I'll have to make a plan :-)
Thanks guys, yes this area is definitely rich in birds and specifically in dry country species not found further south, but they're spread out, so its all about using ebird for the hotspots and Facebook for recent trip reports to find out about areas where the birds are a bit more concentrated, I feel!! Otherwise you could drive for miles on gravel tracks and maybe not come up with much.
There's a terrific albeit maybe a bit dated brochure put out by Birdlife on both Kamarooka, and the Bendigo area generally for birding purposes, and a more detailed PDF on the whole Bendigo-Echuca region which I definitely used to plan my trip; they are all online or I can email them if you're planning a trip :)
So here are the rest of the birds that I found at Old Distillery Dam that add to my 2022 list.
150) Brown-headed Honeyeater - probably one of the more prolific honeyeaters around the areas I visited, fun birds but fast and high up so they can be challenging to photograph normally! This is not a close-up but a group shot at the dam edge with 2 adults and the juvenile with the blue eye ring which is cute. Actually I got excited initially and counted the juvenile as a Fuscous Honeyeater because of the orange bill...oops!
151) Red-capped Robin - its earlier in the year than I usually see robins so this was exciting! What a cutie! And then I saw the missus as well! Perfect! You can faintly see the colour on the matching areas of the female robin which is cool
And a replacement.
58) Rufous Whistler female...still haven't found a male!
Next on the Kamarooka State Park list was Diamond Dove dam...unfortunately this isn't on Google maps, or any maps. Or wasn't, I have now submitted it to Google!! It's on ebird so I used the coordinates and plugged those into Google maps letting it choose a route for me!
Don't do this. Don't be me. Use your own common sense and judgement first before blindly driving down a rutted overgrown "road" that peters out otherwise you may end up blowing out a tyre (on a borrowed car!) and sitting by another road waiting for RACV instead of birdwatching; a huge waste of time! I forgot I wasn't driving my own high clearance 4WD with new tyres! I also realised that I should know how to change a tyre...although the car didn't have a jack so even if I knew how...
But when I finally got there (and found that it was actually on the edge of the main road and there was no need to go down any side roads at all!!) I was "rewarded" by TWO LIFERS!! If you go there, there's room to park on the edge of the road but you will have to hop the fence. It seems weird, but its pretty obvious from how sunken that part of the fence is that this is SOP.
152) Western Whistler - LIFER! No Fact sheet
In the Australian Bird Guide, my favourite bird book, it shows that the Western Whistler only exists in WA. However, books get out of date fast and even though this is probably the most recent guide it was published in 2017 and it seems to be now recognised that the golden-type whistlers that exist in central Victoria are actually genetically Western Whistlers. So I'm told!! A serious birdie who has been up around Bendigo recently told me that the identifying features are that the Western Whistler female has a olive front, rather than the plain grey of the youngi sub-species found in most of Victoria. Apparently they also have a different call, but I'm bad with whistler calls!! They don't have the yellow vent either.
I'm not confident about all this as its all new to me, but when I submitted the first Western Whistlers I saw as Golden the ebird volunteer moderator contacted me to say that it was unlikely to be Golden in this area so I'm sticking to Western...please judge the photos for yourself! Excuse the big text slab!
153) White-necked Heron - I've been waiting for this one all year! A beautiful immature bird
154) Yellow-plumed Honeyeater - LIFER!! Love these guys, a lot of fun to shoot. Unfortunately I was jammed in a corner by trees when they turned up and had no room to move and was shooting through twigs and grass and all sorts so these are quite edited. I've tried to keep the colour right but the background is awfully busy and there's a kind of fog but hey, LIFER!
And that's Kamarooka State Forest! I could go back and spend days there, but I'm pretty thrilled with what I turned up in the short few hours that I had! What can I say, I recommend a visit! Just stick to roads that look like they're made for cars!
Terrific finds, Danika especially the Western Whistler (agree buff vent not yellow) and that area is known for them... sadly our current list does not differentiate it from the Golden Whistler so it counts as a Golden Whistler at this time. Love the Yellow-plumed Honeyeater as well. All the White-necked Herons are in NSW where there is excess water . I saw so many flying over on my last trip west.
I like Facebook groups about birds and birdwatching, and get a lot of hints and tips for where to find birds and where different birds are popping up from these sites. Recently a couple of birders posted about Plumed Whistling ducks on a dam at Elmore and I marked it in my mind for something that I'd like to see. Ducks are one of my favourite groups of birds. Whistling ducks are mostly northern, but spread south in wet times to breed, apparently. But I've never seen one despite growing up in northern Victoria.
While we were waiting for the long weekend to come around I've been keeping an eye on ebird and watching the regular sightings at the dam to make sure the ducks were still in the area, so after we set up camp on Saturday we took a drive up to Elmore, about 30min from our camp site. The dam is just inside a fence of a local grainary, just off a road out of the town. Did we hop the fence? Well there was a stile put right there for that purpose so...it seemed like a waste not to make use of it. Also it was the weekend, no work going on...
155) Plumed Whistling-duck - LIFER!! I tried an exact count and got 56. I started doing a recount just as they all took off! Oh well. These are beautiful birds with very pink feet and gorgeous plumes that remind me of fascinator hats! They stand very upright and are very agile in the air. There is a colour difference that I assume is between males and females. It was awesome to see them, just wish I'd taken more shots before they flew off; a lot of shots are a bit fuzzy from across the dam.
Replacement 135) Black-fronted Dotterel - gorgeous little birdie! A vast improvement on the last time I saw them at Braeside Park!
156) Tree Martin - after seeing loads of Fairy Martins at WTP I've finally found me a Tree Martin!
And a bonus 67) Brown Falcon from the way home to the camp, along the edge of Kamarooka State Forest.
No problem Sue, I haven't posted a Golden Whistler yet so this can be it for this year until they recognise the split :) Not surprised the White-necked Heron are up there, there should be abundant water...understatement!!
Sorry Danika, the Black-fronted Dotterel is a double-up as it is also 135. Love the Plumed Whistling-ducks which can be seen in huge numbers in Queensland. Exciting to see so many lifers!
One of the Birdlife publications recommended checking out a dam on Skylark Road in Whipstick NP which was just around the corner from our campground so I visited that before heading to Kamarooka. Not a bad spot for birding, some honeyeaters drinking from the dam but nowhere to perch so they were just flitting to the surface, grabbing a drink and taking off. Too fast for me!
157) Spotted Pardalote
Replacement 87) White-eared Honeyeater - heard and seen every day around Bendigo, very prolific
I stopped on the way to Kamarooka because I saw some Long-billed Corellas and I've been hoping to catch up with them for a while. It turned into a productive stop on the side of a gravel road.
158) Long-billed Corella - with that jaw, beak and tongue it is no wonder that corellas are so destructive!
159) Blue-faced Honeyeater - this was a bonus when I looked up to see some parrots flying in. I had some photos of immature birds from Bright in January but have been looking for an adult bird since then
160) Musk Lorikeet - these are one of my local birds but I still haven't captured them in my neighbourhood, so this is hopefully a place keeper but we'll see
107) Little Tern
The main reason I went to Lake Frou was because the blog mentioned that it was a breeding site for Little Tern, amongst other things. I have seen Little Tern once or twice at WTP but not very well so I was keen to see this. There was a roped off section on the beach for Little and Crested Tern to nest, and a large quantity of Crested Tern and Silver Gulls hanging out together, with a few Little Tern sitting on the beach. In the distance there were Little Tern flying, diving, fishing and so I started trying to capture some of that action, and by some fluke caught this series. It's not perfect focus to start with but I think it ends up ok.
16) Crested Tern replacement - have you ever watched Crested Tern taking off after being in the water? They always shake off the water like a puppy dog but in mid-air!! It's hilarious!! I've been trying to grab this shot, and finally came across a very calm flock of Crested Tern on the Narooma Surf Beach who were really unconcerned about people coming and going past them. There was a creek behind the beach where terns were vigourously washing themselves, then taking off and shaking and I got this shot! It makes me laugh!!!
108) Leaden Flycatcher
Back in Merimbula on Saturday 12th Feb, checking out the Ben Boyd NP around Haycock's Point. Went down onto the beautiful beach, ran into one guy wearing only a raincoat, then an actual nudist...oops! Felt a bit weird lugging a long lens around in that situation!! But there was no signage...no warning...
A truly long shot, and huge crop! Just something that caught my eye when I was chasing whipbirds, again, and I had to grab it. I've never seen a baby leaden flycatcher before
109) Eastern Reef Egret
After Haycock's Point, we checked out Barmouth Beach at the Pambula River Mouth. Just as we arrived this heron flew in, which I photographed thinking it was a White-faced but then realised it was an Eastern Reef Egret, dark morph!! Lifer!!! Yes!! It landed beautifully on the rocks and sat and posed for me.
It had been a LOOOONG week! My hubby was ready for a massage, so I hit the Merimbula boardwalk for another quick session while I waited...that's my relaxation.
110) Eastern Great Egret
Over the week I had many options of shots, wading, flight, far, near, non-breeding, breeding, water, grass...it was excellent!!
111) Eastern Curlew
If you could see my other tiny smudge photos in comparison to this you would laugh! I've been gradually working up to this all week but when I found this Curlew sitting within a few metres of the boardwalk it was so exciting!!! My first views were all the way across the lake, then in the oyster beds, then in the middle of the lake, and finally this!
112) Yellow Thornbill
One of the most beautiful thornbills. I had an amazing encounter in Narooma when I didn't have my camera and tried to capture them with my phone!!! Terrible idea but I was desperate! So I'd been trying to redeem that situation ever since. I'm pretty happy with this one.
22) Willie Wagtail replacement
Back at the Pambula Beach caravan park there were kangaroos all around, mostly young ones with mothers, some joeys in pouches. This WW was plucking hair out of this kangaroo's back, presumably for a nest! The kangaroo wasn't too bothered, just looked around every now and then
113) Crested Pigeon
I've been trying to capture the colour of the wings, probably I can still improve but I like this shot
71) Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo replacement
Sooo many YTBC along the east coast!! We saw them and heard them and watched them flying every single day that we were away, amazing! So I just have to throw in a close up from the caravan park
Ok, flashback to Narooma.
114) Brown Gerygone
I heard these birds calling as soon as I entered the Lake Mummaga walk but didn't know what they were. On the way back along the walk I managed to get some shots, but these birds seem to be high in the canopy, or low down in the dense foliage and are fast! This was a lifer for me once I finally confirmed the ID on the Facebook ABID page today, so that's exciting. In fact its a lifer for the gerygone family!
115) Emu
I forgot to include this before somehow so I'll put it in now. I drove out to Potato Point to check out Piccaninny Beach which was meant to have Hooded Plover; couldn't find any but the scenery was spectacular! On the way back this emu and chick were hanging out in a bush reserve on the edge of town!! So cool to see them just wandering around near town...of course by town I'm talking about maybe 30 houses and no shops but still
Back in Pambula. Waiting out the weekend since the car part didn't arrive on Friday as promised. Checking out the Panboola wetlands which are worth a look anytime, athough the lakes near the car park have become overgrown with water weeds so there are a lot less birds there than previous visits.
116) Azure kingfisher
Abby and I had an amazing visit to Wilson Reserve to check out the Azure Kingfishers before we came on holidays but I forgot to post it. Luckily I came across this beauty along the creek at the back of Panboola and got some lovely shots. I love how the ferny leaves are shadowed on its back
117) Jacky Winter
I saw a few Jacky Winters in my travels but I enjoyed seeing the juvenile demanding food
118) Australian Raven
I can only tell Australian Ravens by call really, so when this bird was calling in flight I snapped it! I know they are meant to have more of a beard etc but I'm never sure enough to declare it by sight, I don't see them often at all, just hear them at a distance when I get out of Melbourne. Around the metro area we only have Little Ravens which I'm much more familiar with. So I'm glad it helped me out!
119) Australian Magpie
I didn't have a shot yet so this is it. It's fascinating to look up what other countries have for their magpies
And a few other goodies from around the wetlands!
Monday morning. Packed up for the last time, again. Gave way to an ENORMOUS goanna (edit: I've learned from Alex's post that it's a Lace Monitor) when we went to exit the caravan park. Car part still not here!! Still waiting. Back to Panboola wetlands cos I lost my sunglasses there yesterday! Sounds like a reasonable excuse?
120) Grey Goshawk
LIFER!!! I glimpsed this yesterday but didn't even get time to lift my camera let alone aim it, and it was gone. I thought I saw a Grey Goshawk but I wasn't sure, but now I know! Not the best shots as I was shooting into the sun but its a lifer!
121) White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Saw quite a few, photographed almost none! Figured (hoped) this was my last day, so took what I could get of this juvenile WBSE
At Panboola we met 2 other couples at the lookout, and one local couple gave me amazing advice about where to look for Southern Emu-wren in the Ben Boyd NP. So having time to kill...we headed back out there!
122) And found them!! Southern Emu-wren
Not the first time I've heard them, and I think I've glimpsed them before, but the first time I've actually seen them, and the first photograph so LIFER!! I don't love the photos I got, it was dark, and very dense foliage, and they disappeared pretty fast but they'll do till next time!!
And finally, because I can't leave a week at the beach without sharing the Sapphire Coast with you...
Going back in time...beep beep beep...to the 1st Feb when I went with Abby to Wilson Reserve in Ivanhoe to search for the Azure Kingfisher. I didn't get to post from this outing before we went away but its a worthwhile place to check out. It's set along the Yarra river including a backwater, and it has an oxbow lake/swamp which is where we got our best shots of the kingfisher. There are good paths along the river, the golf course and the bush.
123) Common Bronzewing
I saw a few of these, tried to get a nice shot of the wing, could improve still - male with the buff forehead, female without
124) Australian Wood ducks
Abby has already posted the adorable teal duckling but its so cute, I just have to post another one! Ditto the Azure Kingfisher, it was such a thrill to track this bird down and get some shots; its not often that you get an alert on Facebook and actually find the bird!
Wow what an amazing trip you have had (not the car problems though). Great photos, haha love the seahorse shot. awesome!
And the detail on your Bar-tailed Godwit and Eastern Curlew, stunning!
Wow, Danika, you hav some beautiful shots and some great birds... congrats on the lifers!
Love the Little Tern series and that Crested Tern is wonderful...then there are the Azure Kingfishers! Brown Gerygones are tiny and can be really challenging to photograph so well done on that one but to get the Southern Emu-wren must have been so satisfying. Is that 4 lifers for the trip or have I missed one? Make that 5 as I had missed one.
Still back in time...I went to Westgate Park on 2nd Feb chasing another Facebook report, this time of a Brown Quail. Still trying to redeem my Brown Quail shots from the WTP. It didn't happen, but this happened.
45) White-plumed Honeyeater replacement
I heard baby birds squeaking and looked around, couldn't see anything, then looked up and saw this adorable bunch right above my head!!! The parent flashed by with food but I couldn't capture that properly, sadly; would have been a great shot!
125) Common Starling
I was always under the impression (from my bird books) that starlings became spotted in autumn, but this year I've found starlings brightly spotted from January onwards. I don't know if it means anything or has to do with it being a milder season???
126) Australasian Swamphen - the factsheet still says Purple Swamphen
I fell in love with this juvenile swamphen all in blue. So adorable! I was just going to do a shot of it by itself, but then the parent poked its nose in too so why not?
127) Spotted Dove
I've been trying to get more of a close up/arty shot...but I like this more
And I had fun chasing 97) White-Browed Scrubwrens...this one looks so relaxed, it doesn't even appear to he hanging on! How does it stay up there in that twig??? And here's a 29) Stilt close up that I enjoyed.
Since we got back I've been out with Abby to Bushy Park and Jells Park on the 16th, then Braeside Park on the 17th Feb. Birds galore!! Thanks Abby!!!
128) Eurasian Coot
I wanted to get a "walking on water" shot this year and the coots at the bird hide at Bushy Park were very co-operative, chasing each other around
129) Dusky Moorhen
A juvenile bird strongly backlit and standing just below the birdhide window giving me a good chance to take a few arty kind of shots with its feet out of the water...what big feet it has!
130) Grey Shrike-thrush
Oddly the 1st shot I've gotten all year!
And a bonus family of Australasian Grebes
Jells Park next...
The focus at Jells Park is really the lake where there is an ibis rookery that not only is a home for a million white ibis but also tons of little black cormorants, darters and other water birds and ducks. We checked out the bird hide and around the back of the island and its really impossible not to come away with a decent flight shot of an ibis because there's so much coming and going
131) Australian White Ibis - landing, and on the island
132) Yellow-faced Honeyeater
A less usual shot as you can't see the facial stripe side on, but I enjoyed watching this honeyeater picking spiders out of this web! Clever! All the work done for him - take away!
61) Australasian Darter replacement - last time I got 2 Darters in a shot, this time I managed 8! Can you see them all?? Plus one ibis
Then on Thursday we hit Braeside Park, for me the second time this year but Abby showed me a cool back area around the ponds near the bird hide that I hadn't found before and we had an AWESOME time there.
133) Australasian Shoveler
I was so happy to see these guys! I love all ducks, but these are especially special! It was even more awesome that in the same small pond were 2 Pink-eared Ducks and at least 1 Blue-billed Duck! Plus Chestnut Teals and at the end Australian Wood Duck...love a big old mix of ducks :) But seeing Shovellers in the sunlight in the morning was so cool, lighting up their eyes and their beautiful plumage. We realised after we saw the Shovelers in the water that there were actually more tucked up on the island that we had initially confused for Chestnut Teal; without the bill and legs showing, and only the front evident the plumage is similar.
134) Hoary-headed Grebe - the first I've seen all year, working on an improvement
135) Black-fronted Dotterel - an EBC of the highest order, but again I haven't seen them all year
77) Little Pied Cormorant replacement - have you ever seen LPC babies??? Neither have I...until now! They look weird! They aren't shown in my bird book so this is the first time I've seen a juvenile, AND immature on the same day
72) So my replacement Pink-eared Duck shot may not be as awesome as Abby's but I'd love to share with you a gorgeous P-E Duckling!!
And I have some cool darters too but I've shared enough of them lately...for another day.
Another great set, Danika. Love the baby White-plumed Honeyeaters and those Shovelers are wonderful. I think we might all have a BIG year!
Some great shots Danika! Love the Shoveler in that low-angle light, really good look at a spectacular duck. No, I hadn't seen Little Pied Cormorant chicks - cool! And the almost pure white juvenile Darters - huh, didn't realise they looked like that either. That crested Tern doing a barrel roll made me laugh - great shot! And I like the Yellow Thornbill too, nice contrast of the yellow against the grey backdrop
I wish work wouldn't get in the way of checking in here, seems you miss a day or 2, and it becomes hard to catch-up. My list of favourites would be too long, I love them all.
Some more fantastic photos, and nice for some lifers as well.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Awesome sets of photos! Love your Starling photo, love their colours. And thats an awesome walking on water shot of the Coot.
Thank you so much for the lovely comments - glad you enjoyed the shots! I've done more birding and photography in January and February of 2022 than in all of last year, and probably the year before that too, and I'm having so much fun - its great to share it with you all!
This group of photos come from a new area that I haven't birded before called Truganina Park. Never knew it existed, never knew the suburb existed so this was a whole new experience. I went on an outing with Birdlife that took me there, which is why I love birding with groups that plan outings! You never know where you'll end up!
136) New Holland Honeyeater - such a cutie, like Superb Fairy-Wrens I just can't resist them! I have way too many photos of them...until this year when I haven't really seen them much
137) Black-shouldered Kite - for a huge group of 30+ birders it was incredible that we all got sustained views of this beautiful bird sitting on top of a tree and observing us back for a good 10min, just incredible
138) Little Eagle - I'm hoping that I see another Little Eagle later in the year so that I can get some more shots but I'll take this for now
139) Australasian Pipit - I've probably seen these a few times at the WTP but not a good sighting and not a photograph so I'm definitely counting this now in case I don't get another one, even though its a bit blurry
And a couple of bonus flight shots that I grabbed on the day: Brown Goshawk and Collared Sparrowhawk. It was a great day for raptors.
Ok so here is my version of events for the trip to the Western Treatment Plant on Saturday 26th 2022 with Abby, Alex, Sue and Tom. Thanks to everyone for joining in the trip and making it a great day out, its lots of fun sharing good birding sites and especially such an amazing spot as this. If anyone else wants to come at any point just shout out!
Bear in mind for my photos that this is my 4th trip in 2 months, and 3rd trip this year so I've been over the same ground recently and seen some birds already, but in spite of that I still had a magnificent day and all of these birds were fresh to my 2022 list!
140) Straw-necked Ibis - somehow I've seen lots of white ibis but these have eluded me this year so it was nice to see a flock flying
141) Pectoral Sandpiper (no fact sheet) - I'm really grateful to the birders who pointed these out as they can easily be missed in the crowd of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers! Those birders had scopes which definitely give a better view of these teeny waders. Once you see them, and focus in on that bird on the right you can see that the patterning on the chest is clearly darker and cuts off with a much sharper line compared to the Sharpies, and their bill is also longer with almost a hook at the end. But of course in the field...
142) Marsh Sandpiper - the breeding plumage these beautiful birds are developing right now is so delicate and lovely! It can be a real challenge to separate them from the Common Greenshanks in the field so photos are a must, but I think I've done it
143) Little Grassbird - for a brief shining moment on ABID we thought this was a Tawny Grassbird but since they have never been seen before at WTP that would be too glorious indeed! I don't have aspirations to be the birder who finds a species that no one else has never seen, so I'll happy settle for getting a terribly blurry picture of the elusive Little Grassbird, which I so often hear, but seldom see
144) Striated Fieldwren (no factsheet) - I'm having so much luck with this charming bird lately! Just last Saturday I got great prolonged views of a singing bird at Truganina Park, and again today this bird sat and sat for all of us, 5 people to get out of 2 cars and creep forward so that all of us could get decent shots!! So accomodating! I hope you'll see everybody's shots.
145) Horsfield's Bushlark AKA Australian Busklark - such a cutie, common around WTP but rarely do they sit still for a shot! This was a wonderful moment on the way out when one bird sat in the road and posed for us
146) Black Kite - beautiful raptors around WTP, seen several times flying chased by ravens, this time found sitting, flushed but landed for a few shots, then chased off by ravens again
Replacement 74) Cape Barren Goose
Plenty of Damselflies as always - I looked it up, apparently its a Swamp Bluet. Makes sense
Always a terrific day out!!
Lovely set of photos Danika. Love that the Black-shouldered Kite posed for you, what an awesome shot.
Beautiful shots, Danika. Love the Black-shouldered Kite & so many more.
When checking the distant Tern shots, look for a Pacific Golden Plover on the rocks behind them... it was there on my shots but definite EBC.
Great photos Danika! And I can't believe you caught the Little Grassbird - frustratingly cryptic little creatures! That Black-shouldered Kite photo is a real cracker.
Thanks Sue, I did notice that sneaky little Golden Plover...but I'm hanging out for another shot. Abby has been tempting me with her good shots from Reef Island so when I get my car back from its post-holiday-breakdown checkup I'm hoping to head on down there to get a bit closer. It was a shame that spit was so far out, there looked to be some good birds out there.
And yes the Little Grassbird, I actually didn't realise that was what it was at the time but I was happy to have recorded a shot! They are so hard to capture! Sadly it's not a great shot but oh well.
Thanks all of you, it was a really amazing experience with the BSK - I've never had one so calm and happy to sit for photos. Especially for so many people! All moving around and getting closer and closer. So incredible. Having a bird like that look you straight in the eye is just exhilarating!!
Some more fantastic photos. Thanks for sharing.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
I enjoyed catching up with all your trips and respective birds, Danika. Must echo the comments on the BSK - startling. The shoveller has an extraordinary shovel of a beak; I wonder how it keeps its head up. Also, is the cape barren goose wearing bedsocks?
Haha dunno what the Cape Barren Goose is wearing, it seems to be a bird of random combinations!! Lime green nose, pink legs, grey feathers with spots, dark rubbery feet...and did you know that the goslings are stripey black and white?? They are just all over the place fashion-wise!
Don't worry about the Shovellers keeping their heads up, they spend most of their time with their heads under water so I think they're built to purpose :)
Great photos Danika, and it was great to catch up with you and the others at the WTP. What a day that was :)
Way too many birds here for me to comment on them all, I'd be here all day. I did love the Satin Bowerbird and the Rufous Fantail, lovely birds and the colours were fantastic. And your Black Shouldered Kite is intense!
Thanks Tommy, it was great to meet up and spend a day birding!
Well I've just spent the Labour Day long weekend up at Bendigo, camping in what used to be Whipstick NP and is now part of the combined Greater Bendigo NP.
My plan for the weekend was to check out Whipstick, to go up to Kamarooka State Park, to hit the spot at Elmore where Plumed Whistling ducks have been sighted recently, and if possible to fit in a visit to Crusoe and Number 7 reservoirs. Miraculously I ticked all these off despite blowing out a tyre on a bush track and waiting for RACV on the side of a road that the phone lady couldn't seem to find on a map...I think I should catch the bus for the while if car luck comes in 3's!
There are so many other birding-worthy sites around the Bendigo area but a weekend is only so long, and my husband doesn't want to bird all weekend-long!! So I think a week camping sometime is in order.
Notley Campground itself was pretty good for birds, another ebirder camping not 20 metres from me recorded Owlet Nightjar, Wedge-tailed Eagle and Rainbow Bee-eaters while I was sleeping in!! I tried my hardest to follow his lead but couldn't manage it. Early this morning I either heard or dreamt I heard the Owlet Nightjar...still not sure on that one :/ But we were listening to White-eared Honeyeaters day and night so that was cool.
Anyway, I just have to get this one photo out to you all because I'm so excited about it! I had a goal to get 10 honeyeater species while in the Bendigo area because I had read that there are a possible 20 honeyeater species around there. Twenty!!
As I was driving into Kamarooka for the FIRST stop in the park, I saw this bird, a LIFER, screeched to a halt and this is the shot I got! Ecstatic!!
147) White-fronted Honeyeater - YES!!!
Great find, Danika. Wonderful shot of a unusual bird... don't you love that little bit of pink behind the eye?
Honestly Sue I hadn't noticed it...had to check it out in my guide, not sure that my photo really shows it, being so far in the shade, but I'm glad you pointed it out. I'll have to look for it IF I get to see it again.
Carrying on with the Kamarooka LIFER theme - warning there were SIX lifers this weekend so lots of capitals and exclamation marks in the posts to follow!!
Anyone going to Kamarooka State Park on a birdwatching mission MUST visit the Old Distillery Dam...so well recognised it makes it onto Google Maps, the only point in the whole park to get a mention! A couple of dirt bikers were using it as a pit stop when I was there but thankfully the birds didn't mind so much.
148) Tawny-crowned Honeyeater - LIFER
There's a little fallen branch that the birds land on then jump down to drink. Several come at once and it gets hard to tell just what is going on!! So I missed this bird at the start, not the best shot so I've put in a group shot so you can see why - there's a Silvereye, Brown-Headed Honeyeater and Tawny-crowned Honeyeater at the edge of the water, and a White-eared Honeyeater in the background! It's just hard to know where to point. Honestly I should have changed my focus point but I wasn't thinking straight!
Also the Tawny Crown wasn't that tawny, it was just there so it was a bit interesting to ID, but the other markings are fairly clear.
149) Purple-gaped Honeyeater - LIFER, no fact sheet
Sadly I never really got this bird in focus, as I kept tossing up between shooting it and the TCH! But its still a lifer so I'll take it. As you can see I kind of neglected it!
Fantastic Danika :) I love the "drive-by, slamming on the brakes" drama of the White-Fronted Honeyeater, that must have been amazing. And congrats on the lifers!
Wow, Danika, sounds like a place I need to visit. I think we can all understand your dilemma when faced with 2 lifers occupying the same space. The Purple-gaped HE still eludes me so well done!
Wow, three honeyeaters I've never seen before... How cool, that northern VIC area looks like a really productive place to visit, I'll have to make a plan :-)
Thanks guys, yes this area is definitely rich in birds and specifically in dry country species not found further south, but they're spread out, so its all about using ebird for the hotspots and Facebook for recent trip reports to find out about areas where the birds are a bit more concentrated, I feel!! Otherwise you could drive for miles on gravel tracks and maybe not come up with much.
There's a terrific albeit maybe a bit dated brochure put out by Birdlife on both Kamarooka, and the Bendigo area generally for birding purposes, and a more detailed PDF on the whole Bendigo-Echuca region which I definitely used to plan my trip; they are all online or I can email them if you're planning a trip :)
So here are the rest of the birds that I found at Old Distillery Dam that add to my 2022 list.
150) Brown-headed Honeyeater - probably one of the more prolific honeyeaters around the areas I visited, fun birds but fast and high up so they can be challenging to photograph normally! This is not a close-up but a group shot at the dam edge with 2 adults and the juvenile with the blue eye ring which is cute. Actually I got excited initially and counted the juvenile as a Fuscous Honeyeater because of the orange bill...oops!
151) Red-capped Robin - its earlier in the year than I usually see robins so this was exciting! What a cutie! And then I saw the missus as well! Perfect! You can faintly see the colour on the matching areas of the female robin which is cool
And a replacement.
58) Rufous Whistler female...still haven't found a male!
Next on the Kamarooka State Park list was Diamond Dove dam...unfortunately this isn't on Google maps, or any maps. Or wasn't, I have now submitted it to Google!! It's on ebird so I used the coordinates and plugged those into Google maps letting it choose a route for me!
Don't do this. Don't be me. Use your own common sense and judgement first before blindly driving down a rutted overgrown "road" that peters out otherwise you may end up blowing out a tyre (on a borrowed car!) and sitting by another road waiting for RACV instead of birdwatching; a huge waste of time! I forgot I wasn't driving my own high clearance 4WD with new tyres! I also realised that I should know how to change a tyre...although the car didn't have a jack so even if I knew how...
But when I finally got there (and found that it was actually on the edge of the main road and there was no need to go down any side roads at all!!) I was "rewarded" by TWO LIFERS!! If you go there, there's room to park on the edge of the road but you will have to hop the fence. It seems weird, but its pretty obvious from how sunken that part of the fence is that this is SOP.
152) Western Whistler - LIFER! No Fact sheet
In the Australian Bird Guide, my favourite bird book, it shows that the Western Whistler only exists in WA. However, books get out of date fast and even though this is probably the most recent guide it was published in 2017 and it seems to be now recognised that the golden-type whistlers that exist in central Victoria are actually genetically Western Whistlers. So I'm told!! A serious birdie who has been up around Bendigo recently told me that the identifying features are that the Western Whistler female has a olive front, rather than the plain grey of the youngi sub-species found in most of Victoria. Apparently they also have a different call, but I'm bad with whistler calls!! They don't have the yellow vent either.
I'm not confident about all this as its all new to me, but when I submitted the first Western Whistlers I saw as Golden the ebird volunteer moderator contacted me to say that it was unlikely to be Golden in this area so I'm sticking to Western...please judge the photos for yourself! Excuse the big text slab!
153) White-necked Heron - I've been waiting for this one all year! A beautiful immature bird
154) Yellow-plumed Honeyeater - LIFER!! Love these guys, a lot of fun to shoot. Unfortunately I was jammed in a corner by trees when they turned up and had no room to move and was shooting through twigs and grass and all sorts so these are quite edited. I've tried to keep the colour right but the background is awfully busy and there's a kind of fog but hey, LIFER!
And that's Kamarooka State Forest! I could go back and spend days there, but I'm pretty thrilled with what I turned up in the short few hours that I had! What can I say, I recommend a visit! Just stick to roads that look like they're made for cars!
Terrific finds, Danika especially the Western Whistler (agree buff vent not yellow) and that area is known for them... sadly our current list does not differentiate it from the Golden Whistler so it counts as a Golden Whistler at this time. Love the Yellow-plumed Honeyeater as well. All the White-necked Herons are in NSW where there is excess water . I saw so many flying over on my last trip west.
I like Facebook groups about birds and birdwatching, and get a lot of hints and tips for where to find birds and where different birds are popping up from these sites. Recently a couple of birders posted about Plumed Whistling ducks on a dam at Elmore and I marked it in my mind for something that I'd like to see. Ducks are one of my favourite groups of birds. Whistling ducks are mostly northern, but spread south in wet times to breed, apparently. But I've never seen one despite growing up in northern Victoria.
While we were waiting for the long weekend to come around I've been keeping an eye on ebird and watching the regular sightings at the dam to make sure the ducks were still in the area, so after we set up camp on Saturday we took a drive up to Elmore, about 30min from our camp site. The dam is just inside a fence of a local grainary, just off a road out of the town. Did we hop the fence? Well there was a stile put right there for that purpose so...it seemed like a waste not to make use of it. Also it was the weekend, no work going on...
155) Plumed Whistling-duck - LIFER!! I tried an exact count and got 56. I started doing a recount just as they all took off! Oh well. These are beautiful birds with very pink feet and gorgeous plumes that remind me of fascinator hats! They stand very upright and are very agile in the air. There is a colour difference that I assume is between males and females. It was awesome to see them, just wish I'd taken more shots before they flew off; a lot of shots are a bit fuzzy from across the dam.
Replacement 135) Black-fronted Dotterel - gorgeous little birdie! A vast improvement on the last time I saw them at Braeside Park!
156) Tree Martin - after seeing loads of Fairy Martins at WTP I've finally found me a Tree Martin!
And a bonus 67) Brown Falcon from the way home to the camp, along the edge of Kamarooka State Forest.
No problem Sue, I haven't posted a Golden Whistler yet so this can be it for this year until they recognise the split :) Not surprised the White-necked Heron are up there, there should be abundant water...understatement!!
Sorry Danika, the Black-fronted Dotterel is a double-up as it is also 135. Love the Plumed Whistling-ducks which can be seen in huge numbers in Queensland. Exciting to see so many lifers!
Thanks Sue, you're right, that should have been a replacement shot - I forgot I'd posted that dodgy Braeside shot! I'll fix that up
One of the Birdlife publications recommended checking out a dam on Skylark Road in Whipstick NP which was just around the corner from our campground so I visited that before heading to Kamarooka. Not a bad spot for birding, some honeyeaters drinking from the dam but nowhere to perch so they were just flitting to the surface, grabbing a drink and taking off. Too fast for me!
157) Spotted Pardalote
Replacement 87) White-eared Honeyeater - heard and seen every day around Bendigo, very prolific
I stopped on the way to Kamarooka because I saw some Long-billed Corellas and I've been hoping to catch up with them for a while. It turned into a productive stop on the side of a gravel road.
158) Long-billed Corella - with that jaw, beak and tongue it is no wonder that corellas are so destructive!
159) Blue-faced Honeyeater - this was a bonus when I looked up to see some parrots flying in. I had some photos of immature birds from Bright in January but have been looking for an adult bird since then
160) Musk Lorikeet - these are one of my local birds but I still haven't captured them in my neighbourhood, so this is hopefully a place keeper but we'll see
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