Hospital Swamp, part of the Lake Connewarre complex of swamps (south of
Geelong, Victoria) has been mentioned in despatches before. My visit on
Sunday morning got off to a good start when I saw 4 Yellow-tailed Black
Cockatoos flying over before I had even got out of the car. About 500
Whiskered Terns, the majority in breeding plumage but some beginning to
look scruffy around the edges and some in their pale non-breeding
plumage drifted over the water and reed beds or rested on an exposed mud
bank. Waders were numerous, mostly on the 'public' side of the dyke.
First, to catch my eye was a solitary Glossy Ibis. I then turned my
attention to the waders and was very pleased to find two of the closest
birds were Pectoral Sandpipers. Although the waders were jumpy,
frequently flying and circling the bay, these two birds always returned
to the same patch of mud (close to the car parking area). The call of a
Wood Sandpiper was heard and then seen - this is one of my favourite
waders with its spangled upperparts - a very smart bird.
Speicies List
Black Swan
Australian Shelduck 68
Pacific Black Duck 24
Great Cormorant 2
White-faced Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 1
Swamp Harrier 1
Purple Swamphen
Marsh Sandpiper 1
Greenshank 8
Wood Sandpiper 1
Red-necked Stint
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper c350
Curlew Sandpiper < 20
White-headed Stilt
Black-fronted Plover 5
Red-kneed Dotterel 1
Masked Lapwing
Whiskered Tern c500
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo 4
Superb Fairy-Wren
Red Wattlebird
White-plumed Honeyeater
White-fronted Chat
Magpie Lark
Willie Wagtail
Australian Magpie
Little Raven
Skylark
House Sparrow
European Greenfinch
European Goldfinch
Welcome Swallow
Little Grassbird
Blackbird
Starling
Common Mynah
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Roger Hicks Tel : 03-9369-6023 (home)
4 Hakea Court, 03-9865-8613 (work)
Altona Meadows
Victoria 3028 E-mail:
Australia
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
