Stopped at Stawell for a couple of days last week as part of a trip to Melbourne (aka Common Myna central
- first for me ) and went for a look in Deep Lead Conservation Park just a couple of kls out of town.
Mostly dry woodland with grey box etc and a variety of Robins, Thornbills and Treecreepers.
At one stop was lucky enough to see Red capped,Scarlet,Eastern Yellow and my first Flame Robins all within 50m of the car. Juveniles and adults of all varieties plus first sightings of Yellow Tufted Honeyeater and Buff Rumped Thornbill, so even with the atrocious weather was a very happy camper.
Buff Rumped Thornbill
Red Capped Robin
Scarlet Robin
Flame Robin
Yellow Tufted Honeyeater
Wow great photos, they would all be firsts for me.
You certainly manage to get out a bit Rick. Jealous
Great set of photos I have a real soft spot for robins, I'm always telling people how good the birding is around Stawell I will have to post a map showing all the best spots ,on second thought there are so many great spots it would be hard to mark them all.
I did a post last year on a spot just behind the Deep Lead reseve where in just a couple of hours I photographed ,Flame ,Scarlet ,Red-caped ,hooded and Eastern yellow Robins ,as well as a Jacky Winter and a handfull of Honey eaters, and we have Buff and yellow rumped thornbills on the nature strip most mornings, I just love living here !
Most of the photos I take are within sight of the car I'm way to lazy to walk to far and with so many birds its sometimes more productive to just sit on a log and let them come to me .
Now that you've been in the area a couple of times and had a taste of how good it is I know you'll be back, hope to catch up with you then.
Lots of wonderful photos - that flame robin is a great photo and stunning little fellow!
Thanks all.
As sparrow says great little area.
We stayed at the Stawell Grampians Gate caravan park that sparrow had mentioned in a previous post and enjoyed it very much.
Owners were very hospitable and supplied us with a bird sightings checklist.
We managed to add about ten birds to the total in a half day session and in all sighted fourty three birds
on the day. The total caravan list is now over seventy species.
Cheers
If I remember correctly the folk at the Stawell Carvan Park have deliberately created a native bird friendly park.
Hi Woko,
They are certainly doing their bit from what I could see, but noticed a lack of flowering native shrubs
and understory. Could be a lot better with the right advice.
Great photographs as usual Rick. I'm starting to compile a list of places to visit in South Australia one day as a result of your posts. Stawell Grampians Gate caravan park is my latest addition. Keep'em coming
.
Samford Valley Qld.
Thanks Reflex, we do have some fabulous birding spots in SA.
No need to travel back in time to Victoria
Nice work.
That's an awesome amount of robin species in one area.
Link to my Flickr Account
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14869355@N07/
Peter and Marianne have done as much as they can to make it as bird and birder friendly as they can and still keep within regulations they have to follow the area beond the lake is under the control of local council who are next to useless and if the DNRE had there way they would slash and burn the whole place.
I had a bit of a laugh at the back in time jibe, but your so right at least with our local govenment their thinking is from the stone age they talk about tourism but they don't really beleve in it ,we have approached them about putting up and promoting bird hides at some of the best reserves including the wetland behind Grampians Gate as well as extending the walking track which at the moment only allows accsess to around 10% of the wetland and almost no accsess to the creek that feeds the small lakes and runs for more than 20k just off the Highway .
I have had coments like sounds like a lot of money just so people can walk their dogs, and why should we spend money to improve the caravan parks busisness! What The !, I don't think they understand just how big bird whatching and bushwalking are, just a few coments here on BIBY and word of mouth and we already have quite a few people turning up to check it out and spending money in town imagine if they made an effort did the work and told people about it , I get so frustrated !
Ok end of rant.
43 in one day is a prety good effort Rick especially with weather we had over the weekend, was that just at the Gate or the other areas as well .
Hi Sparrow,
43 was just at the park, probably another 7 or 8 elsewhere, didn't keep a hard count.
Understand your frustration with the powers that be, but could be some good native plantings in the park itself.
Realise that the owners probably have a full time job just keeping their heads above water these days.
Hey, sparrow. Sounds like the area beyond the lake could do with a visit from the PIPP, the Phantom Indigenous Plant Planter.