I wandered along to the treatment complex (aka Werribee Farms) a little
over a week ago but haven't had a chance to send in a report until now.
Date: 30/12/96 Noon - 4 pm
Place: Western Treatment Complex
Werribee, Victoria (between Melbourne & Geelong)
Weather: Sunny and warm (snakes were out) until 2pm, then cloudy and mild.
Nothing really unusual, but some nice views of terns and stilts.
The oddest thing (from my inexperienced point of view) was the sandbank at
the mouth of Little River: Black Swans, loads of waders, gulls, terns and
cormorants, plus a few dozen Australian Shelduck acting like
oystercatchers!
Most of the birds were seen around Little River, the river
mouth, and Paradise Road (a permit is needed to visit these areas).
Species List:
Australian Pelican
Pied Cormorant
Little Pied Cormorant
Hoary-headed Grebe
Black Swan
Australian Shelduck
Pacific Black Duck
Grey Teal
Chestnut Teal
Australasian Shoveler 1 female (probably more on Lake Borrie)
Pink-earedDuck
Hardhead
Musk Duck
Dusky Moorhen
Purple Swamphen
Eurasian Coot
White-faced Heron
Australian White Ibis
Straw-necked Ibis
Royal Spoonbill
Common Greenshank a few individuals
Black-tailed Godwit 1 in Paradise Rd
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper >150
Red-necked Stint >350
Curlew Sandpiper just a few (3-4)
Masked Lapwing
Black-winged Stilt 4
Banded Stilt 23 (3 juveniles)
Red-necked Avocet 132+
Silver Gull
Pacific Gull
Whiskered Tern Possibly several hundred, but 67 in one flock
White-winged Black Tern 5 non-breeding
Crested Tern
Black-shouldered Kite 1
Little Eagle 2 (and surprisingly, no Whistling Kites)
Swamp Harrier 3
Brown Falcon 4
Superb Fairy-wren
Red Wattlebird
White-fronted Chat
Willie Wagtail
Magpie-lark
Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike
Australian Magpie
Little Raven
Welcome Swallow
Fairy Martin
Skylark *
Golden-headed Cisticola
Little Grassbird
House Sparrow *
European Goldfinch *
Common Starling *
Common Myna *
* = Introduced
PS A Black Kite was seen near the area as I drove past on the
Prince's Freeway the following day.
Russell Woodford
Geelong
Victoria
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