Folks,
Just a brief report on a few days we spent at Robe last week. We stayed
in the SeaVu Caravan park overlooking the town beach - very
comfortable. It wasn't really supposed to be a birding holiday but
somehow I managed to notice a few things.
Lots of good wetland habitats around the town - lakes, ponds, sewage
treatment lagoons and drains (the latter were especially good). I also
got out of town to the Woakwine Conservation Park, about 10 km east, and
the Little Dip Conservation Park, about 12 km to the south, and we went
for a gentle drive one day to the north through Cape Jaffa to Kingston SE.
Highlights included:
Loose squadrons of 20-30 Musk Ducks in the sea near the Cape Jaffa &
Kingston jetties;
A few pairs each of Australasian Shovelers, Hardheads and Australasian
Grebes on the Robe sewage ponds, the only place on the trip we saw any
of those three species;
Little Egrets present on most shallow waterways including drains, mostly
with breeding plumes;
Pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles (one perched in a dead tree, the other
flying up to join it) about 25 km east of Robe when we were on our way home;
Two Australian Spotted Crakes beside a wetland on private property (but
visible from the public road!) between Little Dip CP and Nora Creina,
about 20 km south of Robe;
A couple of Black-tailed Native Hens working along Drain L in the
eastern part of Robe;
At least a dozen Latham's Snipe foraging in the open in Drain L, either
side of the main road into Robe;
Other migratory waders including Greenshank, Red-necked Stint,
Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpipers;
Only one Oystercatcher, a Sooty, on a sandy beach in Little Dip CP;
About 250 Banded Stilts in a tight flock and at least a dozen Red-necked
Avocets on Lake Robe, a saline game reserve about 5 km south of Robe;
At least 7 Red-kneed Dotterels in drain L in town;
A pair of Banded Lapwings with at least four running chicks between Robe
and Little Dip CP;
Two Fairy Terns foraging over Freshwater Lake and at least 15, along
with over 100 Whiskered Terns, foraging within a few metres of shore
over Big Dip Lake; at one point one Fairy Tern landed on the water and
seemed to pass a small fish it had caught to another Fairy Tern that had
landed just before; both birds (which seemed to be in fully adult
plumage) took off almost immediately the transfer was complete;
A party of Whiskered Terns around the town that spent quite a bit of
time foraging offshore from the caravan park - it was unusual to me to
see Whiskered Terns choosing to forage in a marine habitat
One or two Caspian Terns foraging over shallow lakes and drains in the
eastern part of Robe township;
Lots of Brush Bronzewings along the tracks in Little Dip Conservation
Park - judging by the calls, both Brush and Common Bronzewings were
present in Woakwine CP;
Rufous Bristlebirds calling strongly in most parts of Little Dip CP, and
one bird out in the open on mown grass in Cape Jaffa township;
A pair of Dusky Woodswallows with two flying young in Nora Creina; and
Several Diamond Firetails and plenty of Brown Treecreepers at Wannon
Falls Reserve between Hamilton and Coleraine, where we stopped briefly
on our way to Robe.
I'm yet to write everything up and complete my Atlas sheets, but if
anyone wants any more details please let me know and I'll pass on what I
can.
Regards,
Jack Krohn
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