G'day All
I recently had a holiday on Phillip Island (Westernport Bay, Victoria).
My stay was from 10-17 January. A total of 59 bird species seen with a
few highlights:
Several Kelp Gulls at Seal Rocks. There were a couple of Pacific Gulls
also present and it was a good opportunity to compare the two. Also at
Seal Rocks were small flocks of Turnstones. We got out to the rocks on a
commercially operated boat trip from Cowes jetty. Expensive but good fun.
The seals were wonderful.
The Penguin Parade is still a must with large numbers of Little Penguins
coming ashore and thousands of Short-tailed Shearwaters overhead. The
exhibits in the visitor's centre are excellent and one could easily spend
a couple of hours here. Best to see the displays during the day as it
gets very crowded in the evenings. I was most impressed with a map of the
peninsular showing all the house blocks which have been purchased by the
PP management over the years. The whole area was subdivided into 1/4 acre
blocks in the 60's and lots of houses were built over penguin and
Shearwater nesting areas. Most blocks are now owned by the PP and only a
couple of houses are left. The road from the PP out to the Nobbies is
closed from dusk to dawn each night also.
Rhyll Inlet was full of birds but most were too far out for me to
identify. Several Royal Spoonbills and a few Whimbrel were the best here.
A scope or a boat would have been handy. I understand the nearby Rhyll
Swamp has been largely abandoned by the Spoonbills and Ibis in recent
years. The tea-trees are dying but no-one yet knows what the causes are.
Large numbers of Pacific Gulls were seen during the week on most beaches
visited. They are quite rare on the south-western Victorian coast and it
was good to see so many in Westernport.
Excellent views of about 10 Black-faced Cormorants on a rock just offshore
at Cowrie Beach.
The boardwalk at the Nobbies was well designed and lets folk get close to
a small Silver Gull colony. Quite a few downy chicks wandering around.
Four Sooty Oystercatchers were seen on exposed reefs here.
Swan Lake was very dry and few waterbirds were present. Red-capped
Plovers and Black-fronted Dotterels both with chicks here. The bird hides
would be well worth a visit when water levels were higher.
Many thanks to the birding-aus folk who provided me with some information
about birding on Phillip Island.
Cheers
Steve
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Stephen Clark
Agriculture Victoria, Pastoral & Veterinary Institute
Private Bag 105 HAMILTON 3300 Australia
Phone 0355 730 977 Fax 0355 711 523
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