Beginners Outing to Point Cook Coastal Reserve

26 January 2019

Leaders: Hazel and Alan Veevers; Species count: 60

Crested Terns posturing

Thirty members assembled on Australia Day in the Beach Car Park in pleasantly cool conditions following horrendously hot weather the previous day.  On the way in, several people had seen a pair of Spotted Harriers flying over the RAAF Lake. Walking towards the shore, several Superb Fairy-wrens were seen foraging in the undergrowth and from the beach the majority of the birds seen were Silver Gulls with distant views of Australian Pelicans and Australasian Gannets.

Australian Hobby

An Australian Hobby flew low overhead and soon afterwards a Black-shouldered Kite gave everyone good views as it hovered over a nearby saltbush patch.

Black-shouldered Kite

There were good views of a Singing Honeyeater but the real hot spot was back in the carpark where numerous small birds were feeding in a large old casuarina. Included were Yellow and Yellow-rumped Thornbills, European Goldfinch and Grey Fantail.

Singing Honeyeater

The members then drove to the RAAF Lake Carpark to see the new small wetland which contained plenty of water despite the dry weather. This was very productive with views of three Australian Spotted Crakes, Australasian Grebes, Pacific Black Ducks, Australian Reed-warblers and Zebra Finch.

Australian Spotted Crake

A pair of Black-shouldered Kites perched in a dead tree and a large snake slithered off into the reeds.

After lunch the members drove to the Cheetham Wetlands car park, pausing en-route at the wetlands by the new housing estate. There, Purple Swamphens and Dusky Moorhens could be seen and a Brown Falcon perched on a power pole for a while before flying off.

Brown Falcon

From the car park members walked down to the shore.  As it was low tide a lot of seabirds were at the Point and as the group cautiously approached they had good views of Common and Crested Terns, Little Pied and Pied Cormorants, Masked Plovers and with the aid of a telescope were better able to see Red-necked Stints and Curlew Sandpipers.

Variety of species on Point Cook

Walking back through the grounds of the old homestead Galahs were seen and an unidentified raptor was heard calling loudly.

Crested Terns feeding youngster

Everyone agreed that this had been a most enjoyable excursion, with delightful views of numerous yachts sailing on the Bay enhancing the pleasure of recording 60 species for the day including several unusual sightings.

Many thanks go to Eleanor Dilley who provided all the photographs in this Report.

View complete bird list: BM Jan 2019 Bird List Point Cook

Weekday outing to Point Cook Coastal Park

14 March 2018

Little Pied Cormorant, Pied Cormorant, Silver Gull. Photo by Bevan Hood

Overcast and mild weather greeted 21 birdwatchers from many areas of Victoria as we assembled in the Beach Picnic area car park. Alan and Hazel Veevers were our leaders and the car park soon added Superb Fairy-wren, New Holland Honeyeater and Red Wattlebird to the Common Starlings, Australian Magpies and Willie Wagtails most had noted on their drive in.

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Time and tide wait for no bird watcher so we immediately drove to the homestead car park and walked through the pine trees to the beach. Highlights here were Zebra Finches near the fence line and an obligingly perched Brown Falcon which gave photographers very good views.

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Galahs, Little Ravens and Crested Pigeons were also noted here and the squeals from a windmill were initially confusing till the machinery was noted among some trees. No birds really make that noise.

Crested Tern. Photo by Graeme Dean

Crested Tern, immature. Photo by Graeme Dean

Low tide at the beach saw a flock of Chestnut Teal, many Silver Gulls and Crested Terns and the occasional Pacific Black Duck and Pacific Gull perched on the exposed rocks.

Pacific Gull. Photo by Graeme Dean

Australian Pelican. Photo by Graeme Dean

Farther along we encountered Pied and Little Pied Cormorants which enabled people to compare the sizes and markings for future identification.

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Heading back to the cars prior to lunch Black-shouldered Kite and Nankeen Kestrel were added to our growing raptor list which also had couples of Whistling Kites and Black Kites seen earlier.

Black Kite. Photo by Bevan Hood

A brief stop at the water control area of a housing estate added Dusky Moorhen and Purple Swamphen. One of the swamphens caused some excitement when it appeared to be eating a yabby but closer inspection showed ‘lunch’ to be the rhizome of one of the water plants, complete with apparent ‘legs’.

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Our lunch was accompanied by several optimistic magpies and enlivened by fairy-wrens in great numbers foraging low around us. The magpies moved out and an enormous racket drew our attention to their mobbing of a raptor. It was only slightly larger than the magpies but they had the numbers and the raptor departed. Much discussion about its identity followed but no one had managed a clear view. The ID came later after photos had been closely examined – the wings and tail were those of a Brown Goshawk. Cameras now freeze action much better than human vision.

Brown Goshawk

After lunch we walked beside the beach. Initially there were only a few fairy-wrens foraging among the seaweed but carefully continuing south we encountered more gulls, teal and terns roosting on the exposed rocks close to shore. Scanning yielded two Musk Ducks swimming beyond the crowd and then a rather unexpected sighting – an immature Australasian Gannet resting on one of the rocks.

Australasian Gannet, Silver Gull, Crested Tern. Photo by Bevan Hood

White-faced Heron and Australian White Ibis were also present in small numbers and a few Grey Teal were swimming together in one area. Back through the scrub where Grey Fantails dominated sightings and then on to a new wetland near the RAAF Lake car park. Expectations may have been low as we approached it but soon “grebes” were called.

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Both Australasian and Hoary-Headed were present and diving out of sight as grebes are wont to do. The omnipresent Chestnut Teal were noted, plus a couple of Pacific Black Ducks and then there were the dotterels on the further, smaller lake.

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Both Black-fronted and Red-kneed Dotterel were there and a pair of the latter were engaging in a bobbing display to each other. The edges of the reed beds housed Australian Reed-Warblers (silent at this time of the year) and Golden-headed Cisticolas perching on seed heads and making their buzzing call.

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Leaving this area with regret we gathered for bird call. Total species count was 56, very creditable for an area which is being surrounded more and more closely by housing. We thanked Hazel and Alan enthusiastically for all their preparation and care which had given us such a good day’s birding.

 

Diane Tweeddale, coordinator BirdLife Melbourne weekdays outing

Beginners Outing to Point Cook Coastal Reserve

23^rd January 2016

Leaders: Hazel and Alan Veevers

Species Count: 46

Pleasantly cool conditions enhanced the enjoyment of the 49 participants on the January excursion to Point Cook. Whilst members were still arriving a dozen Brown Quail were seen foraging nearby, where they obligingly stayed until everyone had seen them. Many photos of these usually secretive birds were taken.

Left: Brown Quail; photo by Merrilyn Serong. Right: Pacific Gull and Little Pied Cormorants; photo by Kathy Zonnevylle

The cars were then moved to the Cheetham Wetlands car park to facilitate access to the jetty and Point Cook. Sadly, the homestead area was closed and off limits. A Singing Honeyeater and a male Rufous Whistler were seen along the public track to the shore. Several Little Pied Cormorants and a lone Pied Cormorant were perched on the jetty and were later joined by a pair of Pacific Gulls. Numerous Black Swans, Chestnut and Grey Teal were on the water and two Common Greenshanks were discovered feeding in the shallows close to shore.

Left: Black Swans; photo by Merrilyn Serong. Right: Common Greenshank; photo by Kathy Zonnevylle

The group then walked slowly along the beach towards Point Cook where three Common Terns and several Crested Terns were amongst the birds perched on rocks soon to be submerged by the incoming tide. Surprisingly, no small waders were seen.

Left: Common Tern. Right: Crested Tern. Photos by Kathy Zonnevylle

The whole area was very dry with no water in Spectacle Lake and very little in the RAAF Lake, so the group stopped at the small wetlands by the new housing estate, which had been added to the itinerary for the first time last year. Purple Swamphens, Dusky Moorhens and Pacific Black Ducks were some of the species seen there.

Lunch was taken at the Beach Picnic Area and was followed by a short walk to the shore and around the heathland. A blue Budgerigar was found perched in a low bush near the beach – a colourful bird, though certainly an aviary escapee. There were good views of a Brown Falcon and Yellow-rumped Thornbills on the heath near the car park.

The RAAF Lake was the final location for the day and, on the way there, several members saw a young Wedge-tailed Eagle gliding low overhead. Sadly no birds were seen on the Lake or its shoreline. A total of 46 species were recorded for the day – a creditable total given the dry conditions.

See the bird list for the outing: BM Jan 2016 Bird List Point Cook