Weekdays Outing to Sherbrooke Forest

10 May 2023
Leader: Rhonda Miller

What a blessing that the weather had cleared up somewhat in the still, cool and damp clearing of O’Donohue’s picnic ground.  Two wallabies grazed quietly in one corner while, car by car, a bevy of birdwatchers gathered on the other.  Sixteen keen and hardy souls, most of whom would have been forgiven for staying under the covers on such a miserable Melbourne morning, were now rugging up for a walk in the forest.  

Melbourne BirdLife group at Ferny Creek. Photo by Maarten Grabandt

We started on O’Donohue’s track.  After a brief glimpse of a Grey Shrike-thrush near the gate, our leader Rhonda proceeded slowly and alertly.  The forest, we know, can be slow to reveal and quick to hide.  The majesty of the mountain ash, the beauty of the tree ferns, the moss and lichen covered trunks and logs and the damp leaf litter all helped to paint a wonderful picture, even on a cool grey morning.

We stayed on O’Donohue’s track down to Sherbrooke Falls and were soon rewarded with some brief sightings of White-browed Scrubwrens, Brown Thornbills, Yellow Robin, and a female Golden Whistler.  

Eastern Yellow Robin. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Sightings were harder to come by than sounds…Sulphur-crested Cockatoos continually announced their presence, screaming and squawking high up in the canopy.  Crimson Rosellas also seemed numerous with their bell-like calls and squeaky chattering, and just occasionally they perched in the mid-story nearby. 

Crimson Rosella. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Our patient progress paid off as Rhonda got us a Superb Lyrebird at the side of the path…probably a female or a young male judging by the tail…the bird was very obliging as it stayed in the same small area at the base of a large eucalypt scratching and digging at litter, affording everybody a look.

Arriving at the area near the falls the openness of the canopy was quite striking…very light and open compared with much of the forest…. a result of a very bad storm in June 2021 and massive fallen trees. The following link gives some interesting detail about the forest here.

Sherbrooke Forest – National icon, urban forest and sanctuary – A case study in bush regeneration – Parks and Recreation Collection – Narratives (parcaustralia.com.au)

Laughing Kookaburra (top left and top right by Maarten Grabandt; bottom right and bottom by Steve Hoptroff)

No new species were added at the falls. We continued our loop with a walk back up the Sherbrooke track to the Sherbrooke picnic ground.  We added a Grey Fantail, a couple of Kookaburras and a single Lewin’s Honeyeater before some of the group were lucky enough to see a second Superb Lyrebird at the Link Track.  

Superb Lyrebird. Photos by Steve Hoptroff

From the Sherbrooke picnic ground, we took the Sherbrooke Lodge Road back to O’Donohue’s Picnic ground.  This short stretch proved productive with a good sighting of a White-throated Treecreeper and some further small birds which turned out to be Striated Thornbills.  An Australian Magpie and two Little Ravens were also noted here.

A quick check of the list at lunch resulted in the addition of a Pied Currawong and 2 Galahs.

After lunch at the car park, we set off in convoy to the nearby Ferny Creek Reserve to explore a landscape that was a little more open.  We did another loop walk from the oval around the back of the ornamental gardens to the Tan track and then a return via the track alongside Sherbrook Road.  This walk added a few species not seen in the forest.  Little Wattlebird, Red Wattlebird, Grey Butcherbird, Pacific Black Duck, Welcome Swallow and Australian King Parrot.

Four species I think rate a special mention…

Eastern Yellow Robin for being quite numerous but photo shy.

Kookaburra for being playful and photogenic.

Australian King Parrot for hiding away too long.

Superb Lyrebird for showing up…twice!

The bird records for the day are spread over two surveys, one for the morning and one for the afternoon and can be found via the links below.

http://birdata.birdlife.org.au/survey?id=9178009&h=3075179e

http://birdata.birdlife.org.au/survey?id=9178011&h=82ac99fc

Many thanks to Rhonda Miller for leading on the day and guiding us to a very good total of 23 species.

Photos kindly provided by Steve Hoptroff and Maarten Grabandt.

Phillip.

Bonus photographs of Superb Lyrebird by Steve Hoptroff. These were taken at the nearby Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda and show the tail:

Weekdays outing to Hallam Valley Road, Dandenong South

6 March 2023

Leader: Rob Grosvenor

With the weather largely cleared after Sunday night’s rain a group of 18 midweek birders assembled at the end of Hallam Valley Road.  The wetland here is currently undergoing improvement works.  The link below provides extra detail on the need for these works for those interested.

F10290 Hallam Valley Wetland Renewal – Aqua Metro Pty Ltd

Such works clearly involve some disturbance to the nature of the site.  The water levels were lower than normal with plenty of exposed mud.  Despite this, and the presence of ongoing works and machinery, the morning provided some excellent bird watching.  

Australian Pelican and Black-fronted Dotterel. Photo by Maarten Grabandt

Early highlights included quite a large flock of Rainbow Lorikeets, Brown Goshawk, Black-fronted Dotterel, Peregrine Falcon, and quite a bit of activity in the grassland to the North of the path. 

Peregrine Falcon. Photo by Clancy Benson

Peregrine Falcon. Photo by Clancy Benson

Identification here was a matter of patience and many pairs of eyes.  Golden-headed Cisticola, Silvereyes, and a single Australian Reed-Warbler were noted. As we progressed through the wetland the air began to fill with White-faced Herons and a couple of White-necked Herons also got in on the act.  

White-faced Heron. Photo by Maarten Grabandt

White-faced Heron. Photo by Clancy Benson

White-faced Heron. Photo by Marilyn Ellis

The lower water levels and exposed mudflats seemed to be offering feeding opportunities not normally present here.  Ducks and waterhens were few and far between with Masked Lapwings seeming more numerous. 

Heading up to the edge of the Main Hallam Drain we noticed the lifeless bodies of some Eels that had succumbed to the pump out of water.  

Eel. Photo by Maarten Grabandt

Taking a short detour toward the Freeway in the South-East corner, the Blackberry and grassy verges along this area provided habitat for New Holland Honeyeaters, European Goldfinch, White-browed Scrubwrens, and Superb Fairy-wrens.  

New Holland Honeyeater. Photo by Maarten Grabandt

Up near the pond at the end, a group of 20 Red-browed Finch were seen.  Retracing our steps and continuing to the South-West the small lake just over the main drain yielded Little Black Cormorant, Australasian Darter, Pelican, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis and more White-faced Herons.  

Australian White Ibis. Photo by Maarten Grabandt

Australian White Ibis. Photo by Marilyn Ellis

Royal Spoonbills were also recorded in this area and some Yellow-billed were seen flying over. The ponds on the North side of this section had somewhat more water in them and held small flocks of Teal, Pacific Black Duck, Dusky Moorhen and Purple Swamphen.

Australian Wood Duck. Photo by Maarten Grabandt

Grey Teal. Photo by Maarten Grabandt

Pacific Black Duck. Photo by Marilyn Ellis

Through to the South-West corner and during the return walk to the main gate we picked up Welcome Swallows, White-plumed Honeyeaters, Noisy Miners, Grey Butcherbird and Wood Duck.  

Grey Butcherbird with prey. Photo by Clancy Benson

A dead rat being attended by several species of fly and some European Wasps brought home the gruesome face of nature at work (photos by Maarten Grabandt below).

Two late stay Fairy Martins were spotted hawking near the entrance as we went through the Bird list. Bird Data for the day can be found via the link below: https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/survey?id=9154624&h=8df0b5c5

Many thanks to Robert Grosvenor for leading on the day and helping us achieve a very good total of 49 species.

Photos kindly provided by Maarten Grabandt, Clancy Benson and Marilyn Ellis.

Weekdays Outing Coordinator: Phillip West

Weekday outing to Badger Weir, Yarra Ranges National Park

14 February 2023

Leader: Phillip West

Our first Midweek outing for 2023 saw 16 birders gather at Badger Weir Picnic Ground in glorious sunshine.  With the temperature in the high teens and heading for the low twenties it promised to be a very comfortable interlude amongst the majestic Mountain Ash and the local Avian community.  The Picnic area provided a very pleasing background of birdsong, and we were able to identify many of these before actually seeing them.  Plenty of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, some Crimson Rosella, an Eastern Spinebill, a small flock of Silvereyes, a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, and a Pied Currawong.  

Yellow-faced Honeyeater. Photo by Marilyn Ellis

After welcoming some new faces, we commenced our walk by making for the Lyrebird Track. On the way out of the picnic area, we spotted our first Australian Magpie foraging in the grass.  Suddenly 3 Crimson Rosellas flew down onto the path quite near us presenting good opportunities for close-up views.

We crossed the creek and stopped for a while as we noticed the sound of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos overhead. One was seen and then we were able to establish that there were 3 birds flying over. More Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were spotted in the understory ahead of us, so we paused here to listen and watch.  One bird call in particular eluded identification and although it was only heard by some of us, it proved rather frustrating and unfortunately never got resolved.  This was something of a harbinger for the 800-metre trek along the Lyrebird Track …lots of sounds and not much vision!!  We were able to add Brown Thornbill, White-browed Scrubwren and Red Wattlebird to the list, but sadly no Lyrebird.  However, it was difficult to ignore the beauty of this walk.  The contrast of light and shadow, the various shades of green and brown, the sight of basking Skinks, and the gentle sound of the creek all combined to please the eye.  

Right at the end of this part of the walk, just where the track joins up with the gravel road to the weir, there was a lot of bird activity. Although they were mostly Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Silvereyes and Brown Thornbills, we also found a Grey Fantail.  We went on down to the weir without much new apart from the call of a Striated Pardalote. However, on the way back along the gravel road, Robert Grosvenor cleverly relocated some Rufous Fantails that we had seen in the vicinity on the previous week’s recce.  Excellent views were obtained by the whole group and as luck would have it an Eastern Whipbird was spotted lurking in the shadows just where the Fantails were busily flitting. Thankfully a few members managed to get sight of this often elusive species.  At this point I should say that we were hearing White-throated Treecreepers on a regular basis, and it wasn’t long before somebody spotted one.  Just a little further back toward the picnic ground we located a family of Superb Fairy-wrens and in the wooded area nearby we got some nice views of a White-throated Treecreeper.

Silveryeye. Photo by Marilyn Ellis

The walk back to the picnic ground was punctuated by the now common sound of Silvereyes and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. However, keen ears in the group were able to pick up the call of the Spotted Pardalote that was working the upper canopy somewhere nearby and the clinking call of the Grey Currawong.  With a more open canopy along the road, we got sight of a single Sulphur-crested Cockatoo on several occasions.  Perhaps the same bird initially heard at the picnic ground.

A post-lunch amble around the picnic ground yielded more of the common species of the day plus one Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, giving a somewhat satisfactory total of 20 species for the outing.  

Photos kindly provided by Marilyn Ellis.

Bird Data for the day can be found via the links below:

• Badger Weir picnic ground to weir area
• Badger Weir Picnic Ground

Weekday outing to Kurth Kiln

November 2022

Images and story by Steve Hoptroff

Ten brave souls travelled the distance and braved the Stygian gloom of a rather damp Dandenong day around  Kurth Kiln, so named as it is the sight of a charcoal producing kiln built by Dr. E.E. Kurth during World War 2, but more of that later.

Kurth Kiln car park of which there are two, caused a little confusion but we managed to eventually gather together for our day of birding.

In the car park, an Eastern Yellow Robin seemed very curious about our presence in his territory and the Fairy Wrens were very tame indeed, even joining later for lunch hopping around the picnic table. Grey Fantails flitted amongst the bushes.

Eastern Yellow Robin

There was a lot of bird sound, White Throated Treecreepers, Rufous Whistler, Yellow- faced Honeyeater and Kookaburras.

We set off along Thorntons Track (Dedicated to Ron Thornton, the caretaker of Kurth Kiln for many years) in a light drizzle. Once into the tall trees we didn’t notice it. Lots of sound, Rufous and Golden Whistlers, Spotted Pardalotes, GST, Shining Bronze Cuckoo were a few, but no visuals until Phillip at the front of line saw a Superb Lyrebird flit across the track. We waited hopeful that it would reappear. After five minutes it called, very near to us and a few lucky folks caught a fleeting glimpse in the thick undergrowth.

Superb Lyrebird

Continuing along the track we crossed the river to a clearing where we were treated to two minutes of a Shining Flycatcher high in the trees.

Shining Flycatcher

Continuing on Scout Loop we headed back to the car park via Kurth Kiln for lunch watching a pair of wet Kookaburras foraging for grubs on the way.

Laughing Kookaburra

The charcoal produced at Kurth Kiln was used in Gas producing Units to power motor vehicles in WW2 because of the shortage of Gasoline. It was built in 1942 to Dr. Kurth’s patent but discontinued in 1943 due to abundance of Charcoal available from other sources.

Once out in the open the precipitation was more apparent and lunch was  rather a damp affair. Undeterred six of us ventured out again along the Tomahawk Creek circular track to see what birds we could find. The rain got heavier, birds sheltered and kept out of sight except for a pair of White-throated Treecreepers collecting bark nesting material and depositing it in  a hole in a nearby tree of which we had good views.

White-throated Treecreeper

This is a beautiful location and no doubt is stunning on a sunny day. Well worth another visit. The consensus was that it was a day of quality rather than quantity.

Red-browed Finch

Finally two of us decided to go around Thornton Track  again anticlockwise to seek the elusive Lyrebird. Sadly this was not to be but a group of Red-browed Finches and a Crimson Rosella posed for  pictures.

Crimson Rosella

At the end of the walk the sun came out (for a few minutes) and two Golden Whistlers were seen at the edge of the forest.

Golden Whistler

Looking forward to 100 Acres next month!

kurth-kiln-bird-list-20221122Download

Weekday outing to Long Forest/Lake Merrimu

20 September 2022

Photographs by Steve Hoptroff

Another ideal day for birding, clear and calm, as we assembled under the leadership of Graeme Hosken. Our enthusiasm did not reach to expecting any of the birds historically recorded here after we read an old list which included Plains Wanderer and Mallee Fowl. We listed a couple of Crimson Rosellas and Red Wattlebirds flying through and a few Brown Thornbills foraging among the lower tree trunks. Over the stile and along the Long Point Track to Coimadai Creek and then the circuit back to the cars. Thirteen people attended and provided plenty of ears to record Spotted and Striated Pardalotes, White-throated Treecreeper and Yellow-faced Honeyeater while eyes recorded Grey Fantail and Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike.  Fan-tailed Cuckoos trilled incessantly but none were seen.

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater

The only waterbirds of the morning were a pair of Grey Teal on the Coimadai. Raptors were initially a single Brown Goshawk overhead but a Brown Falcon was added on later inspection of a photo.

Brown Falcon

Back at the cars we then drove to the picnic area at Lake Merrimu. This is a very mowed, fenced and apparently unpromising area, with wind sweeping across the lake. Scopes are useful as waterbirds are quite distant. After the Welcome Swallows, Little Corellas and Little Ravens overhead the list from the water and banks grew. Ducks seen were Grey Teal, Pacific Black Duck and Australian Shelduck. Australasian Grebe and Great-crested Grebe swam and Masked Lapwing were sighted on a close bank. A walk around the lightly wooded perimeter of the reserve added White-plumed Honeyeater and Common Bronzewing. The only raptor here had been a Nankeen Kestrel over the water when the Bird of the Day appeared as we were winding down. An adult White-bellied Sea-Eagle flew around the bend and was then pursued by the lapwings and landed on the nearer promontory and the water.

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

A grand finish to a successful day. Thirty species at Long Forest, 23 at Merrimu and a cumulative total of 46 species. We thanked Graeme for his preparation and knowledge which led to this result.

Diane Tweeddale, coordinator BirdLife Melbourne weekdays outings

Weekday outing to Braeside Park

5 October 2022

Pink-eared Ducks. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

The day promised fine weather, calm and clear for birdwatching, and it didn’t disappoint. Seventeen started the walk under the leadership of Rosemaree Mclean and Malcolm Brown of The Friends of Braeside Park. 

Eastern Rosella. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Our interest was high as the morning’s walk was to be through the heathland area which is as yet not publicly accessible. The heathland has formed on low-nutrient sands and our track passed along white sand where tiny insectivorous sundews grew. At the start, Rosemaree’s favourite Tawny Frogmouth, was beautifully cooperative as it sat patiently and photogenically on its tree fork nest. 

Tawny Frogmouth on nest. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

After the aggressive Noisy Miners in the car park a Tawny was a great sighting. Trees are more spaced and fewer on the heaths so birds are restricted, though we still noted Little Raven and Rainbow Lorikeet while the calls of Grey Butcherbird, Red Wattlebird and Spotted Pardalote reached us as we walked. 

Grey Butcherbird. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

Rainbow Lorikeet. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Spotted Pardalote. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

A skein of Straw-necked Ibis flew over and a couple of birders were briefly able to glimpse a Brown Goshawk pass above.

The call of a Fan-tailed Cuckoo reached us and a small pond contained a Chestnut Teal – birds took advantage of any resource.

Swamp Harrier. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Swamp Harrier. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

After lunch back at the cars we farewelled Rosemaree and Malcolm with many thanks. A couple of people with afternoon appointments also departed and the remainder arranged to visit the wetlands and bush, walking in 3 groups according to walking ability. This covered a variety of habitats and so the afternoon species list added a range of species. 

Red-rumped Parrot, male and female. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

Black Swan with cygnets. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Waterbirds were present in numbers – Black Swans with fluffy cygnets, male and female Musk Ducks, Pink-eared Ducks in a tree, both Chestnut and Hoary-headed Grebes and Great, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants while Cattle Egrets foraged around the small herd of cattle in the adjacent paddock. 

Musk Duck, male. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Musk Duck, female. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Pink-eared Duck. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

Australasian Grebe. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Australasian Grebe. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

Cattle Egret. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

Blue-billed Duck, male. Photo by Steve Hoptroff

A Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike was first heard then finally seen as it exited the tree canopy. 

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike with prey. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

The walk finished with the separate groups comparing lists and noting the variation with habitat. We recorded 34 species in the heathland and 27 in the bush and wetlands later in the day. 

Little PIed Cormorant, breeding adult. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

The cumulative total was 50 species, a very pleasing result.

Diane Tweeddale, coordinator BirdLife Melbourne weekday outings

Weekdays outing to Murrindindi Scenic Reserve

2 August 2022

The Murrindindi Reserve is about 70 km north of Melbourne, east of the Melba Hwy and just south of the Yea River. The reserve covers the lower reaches of the Murrindindi River which flows through Mountain Ash Forest. Unfortunately, the 2009 wild fires destroyed a large part of the reserve but the area visited on the day was spared destruction and minor damage, now replaced with regrowth creating a different habitat for fauna and flora.

The day was cold, with sunshine at times, but no wind that was forecast. With over 80 bird species listed for the reserve. A challenge awaited.

At our meeting point near Devlins Bridge, two species of Mistletoe were in flower, attracting an Eastern Spinebill and several Silvereyes. A Pied Currawong was eyeing off the small birds. Proceeding to the reserve we passed a hay distributing trunk which attracted both Little and Long-billed Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Galah. Didn’t seem to worry the sheep also feeding on the hay.

Our next stop was a parking area near the suspension bridge. Toilets and picnic tables available. Leaving the vehicles and walking across the bridge, we took the track heading upstream along the eastern side of the river. Grey-shrike Thrush and Superb Lyrebird calling. A Swamp Wallaby was startled while feeding along the track and hastily left our view. A few parties of Brown Thornbill were feeding in the regrowth. A brief sighting of a Bassian Thrush as it flew across the track caused some discussion as its identity. Small flocks of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo passed overhead. Those in our party that had cameras tried to obtain opportunities for photographing an up-turned cockatoo ripping the bark from a eucalypt. On returning across the river and along the road to the vehicles for lunch, both White-throated Treecreeper and Eastern Yellow Robin were calling.

Lunch in the Sun and a “Bird Call” resulted in 25 species listed. After lunch we drove to the Wilhelmina Falls car park, and crossing the river headed towards the falls viewing area. Unfortunately, the regrowth after the fires obscured the view. Although away from the noise of the river, no calls could be heard. The only sighting was a Blackbird taking the total for the day to 26 bird species. Even with the small number seen, all attended enjoyed and for some it was a new area for them.

Graeme Hosken, Leader.

Weekdays Outing to Lysterfield Lake Park

4 July 2022

Photographs by Steve Hoptroff

Grey Butcherbird

Skies were blue and the air was calm so conditions for birding looked very favourable as 13 people met in the car park near the start of the Lake Circuit Track. Our leader was Rob Grosvenor who had visited the area many times over the past years. He could advise on likely locations for the different species.

White-eared Honeyeater

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Initial walking was northerly in the bush. It was cold – see the weather conditions – and birds
were not overactive though Grey Fantails maneuvered acrobatically for insects near the tree
canopies. Spotted Pardalotes called unseen and the honeyeaters observed were the White-eared, Eastern Spinebill, Red Wattlebird and that so-familiar Noisy Miner. No blossom was seen.

Grey Shrike-thrush

Superb Fairy-wrens were active at the edges of the track and Red-browed Finches seemed to accompany Brown Thornbills foraging while Silvereyes moved about in small flocks. Good sightings of Golden Whistlers brought smiles to the observers. Around the lake waterbirds predominated. Musk Duck males were making the splashing display which seems to be visible over quite a distance.

Musk Duck, male

The females/ immature males were taking no apparent notice but formed small groups or couples at a distance. Eurasian Coots were the most numerous but were travelling to different spots around the lake so not always obvious.

Masked Lapwing

On the shore there were Masked Lapwing, Australian Wood Duck and Purple Swamphen with Dusky Moorhen and Pacific Black Duck dividing their time between shore and water. Grebes were mostly the Hoary-headed species in flocks and Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants rested on the marker buoys.

Hoary-headed Grebe

The only raptor observed was a Swamp Harrier and the only parrots were Rainbow Lorikeets, Crimson Rosellas and brief views of an Eastern Rosella. No cockatoos were detected.

Swamp Harrier

Crimson Rosella

The highlight for many of us was the observation of Common Bronzewing near the park entrance and the subsequent sighting of a male Brush Bronzewing as we descended
the hill towards the cars.

Brush Bronzewing, male

Common Bronzewing, male

By walk’s end we recorded 42 species (later adjusted to 43 with the addition of a pair of Black Swans). Our heartfelt thanks to Rob for sharing his knowledge of the area.
Diane Tweeddale coordinator BirdLife Melbourne weekday outings

Weekday outing to The Briars, Mt Martha

7 June 2022

All photographs by Steve Hoptroff

Laughing Kookaburra

The alarm clock went off to the sound of heavy rain on the roof and that meant the weather bureau was right and birdwatching might not be the best occupation for the day. Unsurprisingly the drive from Melbourne needed your whole attention and it was probably this combination which kept attendance down to four people. Sue Brabender led us and most ably as she frequently birds The Briars and had worked there for some years. 

Eastern Yellow Robin

The weather sent a large mixed flock of Australian Wood Ducks, Pacific Black Ducks and Purple Swamphens onto the grass near the car park entrance. The bird list had started early. 

Dusky Moorhen

These species were joined by Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Noisy Miners, Eastern Rosellas, Australian Magpies and Crested Pigeons in and around the car park. The highlight here was a Buff-banded Rail in the grounds of the café. Skittish but briefly visible. 

Eastern Rosella

Also appreciated was a break in approaching dark clouds and accompanying rain. We set off to the Boonoorong bird hide, pausing on the way to find and admire two Tawny Frogmouths cuddled together in a tree fork. 

Tawny Frogmouth

At the hide we added Australasian Grebe, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants. 

Australasian Grebe

Little Black Cormorant

Superb Fairy-wrens were noted in the closer reed bed but there were few small birds, probably because a Swamp Harrier was quartering the area. A Grey Teal was noted at our stop at the Chechingurk hide and then we concentrated on woodland birds as we followed the Woodland Walk track. 

Swamp Harrier (taken through tinted window at the bird hide)

Grey Teal

Cute companions throughout the walk were many Black (Swamp) Wallabies and a few Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Several Grey Shrike-thrushes were noted though there was little calling. Contrast in the greyness meant mostly flying silhouettes were seen and this made the distinction between Spotted and Striated Pardalotes difficult in the absence of calls. 

Grey Shrike-thrush with prey

This also applied to a couple of thornbills foraging silently low in a medium tree so there was neither Brown nor Striated Thornbill on our final list though subsequent photo development showed Brown Thornbill was more likely. As the weather had been favourable for the whole time we decided to finish with bird call. 

Grey Butcherbird

The final list numbered 32 species which was very pleasing in the conditions and we warmly thanked Sue for sharing with us her considerable knowledge of the area.

Diane Tweeddale, Coordinator Melbourne BirdLife weekday outings

Weekday outing to Coburg and Merri Creek

11 May 2022

All photographs by Bevan Hood

A dry day and a suburban location combined to attract 17 birdwatchers to the small car park. Someone had clearly been feeding the pigeons as there was a flock of at least 100 Rock Doves/Feral Pigeons beside the car park. They were accompanied by several Dusky Moorhens, including a couple of immatures without any marked colour.

Dusky Moorhen, adult

Dusky Moorhen, immature

Australian White Ibis passed overhead on their way to the islet in the creek and Silver Gulls perched on the top of the weir.

Australian White Ibises

A quartet of Black Swans paddled about and at intervals one would sit on a nest. Swans believe in recycling as it was clear that much human-derived litter was incorporated in the nest.

Black Swan on nest

Adding to our bird lists were smaller numbers of Common Mynas, Australian Wood Ducks, Chestnut Teal pairs and Little Ravens.

We noted occasional Australian Magpies and Magpie-larks as we set off under the guidance of Elsmaree Baxter, our leader, and kept alert for blossoming eucalypts. The lerps, nectar and blossoms certainly attracted the lorikeets and we recorded both Rainbow and Musk Lorikeets in considerable numbers. Today honeyeaters were limited to Red Wattlebirds and Noisy Miners, both aggressive and fairly large species.

Rainbow Lorikeet

Rainbow Lorikeet

The high point for many people occurred when the call “Tawny Frogmouth” went up. Yes, a sharp-sighted member had found it roosting against a eucalypt trunk. Pied Currawong was first heard and then seen by most while only a few of us heard a brief kookaburra call. Additional water birds were added later in the walk and their recognition was explained to newcomers to birding. Little Black Cormorants flew past and a brief overhead passage of a female Australasian Darter gave a good ID session. Australasian Grebes were finally sighted after a frustrating wait for the pair to surface after repeated dives. A Little Pied Cormorant flew past and then one was seen flying into a lakeside tree. Closer watching revealed an occupied nest, surprisingly difficult to see. Near the bank a couple of White-faced Herons stood watchfully while the only Eurasian Coot of the day occurred late in the walk.

Pacific Black Duck

Also late in the walk, Crested Pigeons joined the many Rock Doves and few Spotted Doves on our list. And at the far point of the walk came a second highlight – a Nankeen Night-Heron was perched beside the track. Not a full view but recognizable. No raptors were recorded but they would have been unexpected in heavily built-up suburbia.

At the finish we recorded 33 species and thanked Elsmaree for all her preparation which resulted in finding so many birds in suburbia.

Diane Tweeddale, coordinator BirdLife Melbourne weekday outings