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Just arrived back this evening
from Melbourne, to share some of my
birding highlights for the past (fine weather) weekend. I visited only a few
places but it was great to catch up with some birds that I don?t or do not see
often in NSW.
PT COOK COASTAL PARK ?
17/8/02 (approx. between
noon ? 4 pm)
This was my first ever trip to
this great spot quite close to Melbourne CBD (approx. 20km south west) and
within the park I observed a number of interesting species near the beach side
car park and around the large saline lake close by, such as a Brown Goshawk, 3
Swamp Harriers, several Singing Honeyeaters, Striated Fieldwrens, both
Horsfield?s Bronze and Fan-tailed Cuckoos as well as an adult Pacific Gull on
the beach.
At the Spectacle Lake, there were
38 Hoary-headed Grebes (not unusual around Melbourne), 9 Blue-billed Ducks (5
males and 4 females), only one Hardhead (female) and a pair of Australasian
Shovelers, more Singing Honeyeaters, a Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Little
Grassbirds, 3 White-fronted Chats (2 males and a female)
A very quick walk and back to the
Cheetham Wetlands to the north of the park yielded 9 Brown Quail (flushed from
beside the track), another singing Striated Fieldwren, White-fronted Chats,
Horsfield?s Bronze-cuckoo, a female/Imm. Flame Robin and a pair of
Black-shouldered Kites.
Near the main entrance of the
park I flushed a LATHAM?S SNIPE (is this the first return for southern VIC?),
saw another female/Imm. Flame Robin along a fence, as well as a Greenfinch
feeding on the ground with House Sparrows.
REEDY
LAKE, MOOLAP ? 17/8/02 (5-6:30 pm)
Again another fantastic spot and
very close to Geelong (in the
south-western part of Port Phillip Bay). This was my
second visit here and was thrilled to catch up again with a Brolga. One was seen
feeding on the edge of the lake not too far from me. Another time I watched it
fly very low over me and just after landing, it was jumping up and down
(?dancing?) as they often do. Also seen before the evening here were 4
Australasian Bitterns (a quite reliable place for this species), atleast 10
Pacific Herons, 10 plus Yellow-billed Spoonbills, Striated Fieldwrens, 4 Swamp
Harriers and 2 Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos were seen flying well low over the
swamp and in my direction. I stayed till it got dark and did some squeaking to
see what might come in. A Black-shouldered Kite came close in as I started
squeaking, than a Barn Owl came and circled over me and briefly landed in a tree
and in my spotlight, and then some other thing landed in the grass along a small
drain close to my feet which I think was a ?Lewins Rail? which gave one brief
call (I know a few of their calls quite well). Lots of frogs were calling as
well around the lake which sounded like a Crinia species
REEDY
LAKE, MOOLAP ? 18/8/02 (7-7:45 am)
I
made another stop at this place the following morning and saw the Brolga again
feeding beside the swamp. However this time I flushed upto 8 Australasian
Bitterns (4 flushed and seen at the same time from one area and the other four
in another part of the lake including great scope views of one beside the
reeds), saw no less than 24 Hoary-headed Grebes, 4 Magpie Geese, 24 Hardheads, a
Musk Duck (calling), about 20 Pied Stilts, 3 White-fronted Chats and also
enjoyed great views (through my scope) of a pair of Horsfield?s Bronze-cuckoos
sitting in a small dead tree.
Part Two to follow................
Edwin Vella
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