Hi all, I've been a bit quiet lately 'cos I've had to have surgery and soon to start chemo, but this weekend in between these two unpleasant events managed to grab a lovely day at the western treatment plant in victoria, it was very quiet as the rest of vic was glued to the rematch!
Black shouldered kite
Brown falcon?
Kookaburra in my back yard, sunning it's wings in the welcome weather change
welcome swallows
sorry must have had the wrong size on that one.looking forward to being an observer on this forum over the coming months, keep the great sightings coming for my enjoyment:)
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Wow Hev..... beautifully taken. glad you got to go out and do a bit of birding before the treatment starts. I trust you are taking your camera with you this week and we can look forward to some inspirational shots once you are feeling up to it.
You'll be back to outings at the poo farm before you know it... trust me you will still be out there doing it ... chemo is a drag but you need moments of reality and normality! So the birding will be a good option at such times :)
I won't let you get away with just observing ... will be expecting some more stuff like these :')
Sunshine Coast Queensland
yes ur right birdie, its hard to know how you will feel as it affects differnt people in differnt ways. and yes right again, will be taking my camera to the Ian Gawler foundation, hoping to sneak in a few photo sessions in the beautiful grounds inbetween the meditating and the carrot juices! :)
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Beautiful photos, hev. The one you're unsure about is certainly a Brown Falcon. I was out at the WTP today and the weather was fantastic. Good to see the waders back in numbers, too.
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Best wishes for a rapid and full recovery. I look forward to seeing many more of your shots.
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Cheers,
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George
Cheers,
George
Melbourne, VIC
I'd be keen to join you at the WTP next time you go... beautiful shot of the kite...
Barry
thanks George, were there many people there today? did you spot anthing interesting? I saw a fleeting glimps of 4 parrots (which I'm SURE were orange -bellied) and as I have no photographic evidence thats what they will remain:) saw some beautiful straw necked ibis but for some reason the jpeg was too big to upload to Flikr...not sure why.
Barry...I don't get down there often as I live in the eastern subs but will give you a shout when i go again.You need to get a key from WTP ($50 deposit) and become a member $20, fill in a form and watch a health and safety induction video.But once you've done all that...you just rock up and open the gates with your own key, the bird life is AMAZING there.Well worth a visit isn't it George? (I think George got me interested with his photos on here).
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Hey Hev I notice it rates a good mention in Sean Dooley's book too! He has completely cured me of any desire I may have been hiding to go on a Pelagic trip that is for sure !!!
But poo is good according to him :')
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Love the photos of the BSK! Looks like that Western Treatment Plant is a nice place to have around to go birding. I think you're last photos are fairy or tree martins, not swallows. And and absolute WOW if you saw some Orange bellied parrots!
apparently its one of the top ten best birding sites in Australia. re. the OBP...hmmm they could have been red rumped parrots, have seen them there before and got all excited and sent my photo off to the 'experts' who said "red-rumped but keep looking". They are supposed to be in that locality but hard to spot as they are ground dwellers and spook easily taking flight.
Fairy or tree martins, I'll look them up, thanks amateur.
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Yep Hev I think they are Fairy Martins. I am curious about "the experts" ..... where do you find them ???? LOL
Sunshine Coast Queensland
well birdie, becaus it's a place that OBP's are sighted they have a number to call if you spot one, you have to make note of where and when etc. they have a bird hide there with leaflets on OBP and a book for other sightings.The contact is Chris Tzarsos, who I think is linked to Birds Australia.
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Thanks Perthwings:)
ah yes now that you mention it, I recall the guide on the boat trip in Katherine pointing out nests in caves and lots of fairy martins fying out of them.
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Great photos Heva love the black shouldered kites. Hopefully the chemo goes well, our thoughts will be with you. Will look forward to some of those inspirational shots once your well enough.
I didn't see many people there. My best shots were of a juv. Black-shouldered Kite near the boat ramp. Other almost good shots were White-fronted Chat, Golden-headed Cisticola, Musk Duck and Pelican. A few waders have returned but very few ducks around.
Cheers,
George
Melbourne, VIC