30 March 2016
Photographs by Marilyn Ellis (BirdLife Member)
Trucks and occasional drizzle challenged the drivers as 28 people assembled for the walk. The rain never really materialised as Elsmaree Baxter led us near the site of the former Pentridge prison (now a residential development). Initial expectations were low as a couple of hundred feral pigeons and a crowd of Silver Gulls filled the ground by the car park. Clearly people were ignoring the signs exhorting them not to feed birds. Things improved as we watched and recorded Pacific Black and Australian Wood Ducks, Chestnut Teal and a lone Hardhead. Other waterbirds included Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants.
Then on the weir we found a female Australasian Darter not far from a Black Swan on a nest which had incorporated lots of plastic litter.
The swan was tagged and later we watched at least one untagged swan (the mate?) grazing on the clipped grass beside the creek.
The usual triumvirate of Purple Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen and Eurasian Coot were common and at least one individual each of Australasian and Hoary–headed Grebe was diving near the banks.
Today registered no egrets but both Australian White and Straw-necked Ibis were present and at least one White-faced Heron kept a wary eye on our group.
Walking on added bush birds to the list of waterbirds. Red Wattlebirds were common and Welcome Swallows dipped over the lake surface and soared above the canopy. White-plumed Honeyeaters were the most common of the smaller honeyeaters but later sightings added Eastern Spinebill, New Holland Honeyeater and, unwantedly, Noisy Miner.
Parrots were dominated by Rainbow Lorikeets, with a few Little Corellas, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Musk Lorikeets and Red-rumped Parrots.
Some flowering eucalypts lined the nearby streets and the parrots and miners foraged in them enthusiastically. Further along the track we encountered a “purple patch” where a mixed feeding flock of Silvereyes, Brown Thornbills, Grey Fantails and Spotted Pardalotes kept everyone on their toes. A single female Golden Whistler proved elusive for many.
Turning back for lunch was a relief as a seat looked like a very good idea. An interim birdcall brought the species total first to 48 and then to 50 with a couple of late additions. Hmm, what would we see in the post-lunch walk? Not many more as it turned out but it was quality, not quantity when three Tawny Frogmouths were detected in a eucalypt.
The final bird list totalled 53 species. There were visitors among us and we hope that today will have whetted the appetites of those from Melbourne for bird watching. Certainly we all thanked Elsmaree whole-heartedly for introducing us to a part of Melbourne few of us suspected existed.
Diane Tweeddale, coordinator BirdLife Melbourne Weekdays Outings
birdlifemelbourne 
Very nice set of photos Marilyn
Ron