G'day all
Yesterday, Murray Gunn from Hamilton and I took USA birder Barry
Brugman to a few good birding spots in the Halls Gap-Stawell area. We
saw lots of great birds in all areas visited and it was fun teaching a
visitor how to id some of our birds.
Devils Garden State Forest - a few km from HG on the Stawell Road. We
visited this forest first and last and found a wide diversity of
species. Highlights were Hooded Robins, Rainbow Bee-eaters,
White-browed Babblers, Black-chinned Honeyeaters, Jacky Winters, Dusky
Woodswallows, Mistletoebirds, White-winged Trillers, Weebills, nesting
Spotted Pardalotes, Rufous Songlarks and Eastern Rosellas (Barry was
particularly taken with these). This is an excellent small patch of
bush. Check it out if you are up that way.
Lake Fyans area. A displaying Musk Duck was on the lake itself. The
swamps opposite the caravan park had a few White-necked Herons,
Red-Capped Plovers and Black-fronted Dotterels. A dead tree was home
to a pair of White-breasted Woodswallows. One was seen to enter a
hollow - I didn't think they nested in hollows but a couple of books
mention spouts.
Lake Lonsdale. This is fairly empty at the moment so is one vast
shallow swamp. Hundreds of Black Swans and White-necked Herons. One
pair of Brolgas were present - one bird on a nest and the other walking
nearby. Rainbow Bee-eaters were here also.
Deep Lead Flora Reserve - north west of Stawell. Quite windy here and
not many birds seen. The colony of Noisy Miners probably contribute to
this as well. A Painted Honeyeater was calling in trees around the dam
at the picnic area but we couldn't see it. A Square-tailed Kite is
apparently in this area at the moment but it didn't show for us.
Cheers
Steve Clark
Hamilton, Vic
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