Anglesea is a great birdwatching centre, Tim has covered most relevant info
so I'm just adding to it. Angair which is the local natural history society
is a greeat source of info and has published some good booklets.
1 Since it's school holidays I'd expect Rufous Bristle birds to be better
early as there tend to be lots of people round in the afternoon even late.
As well as at Airey's lighthouse they are at the Point Addis carpark and in
the heath on the Bell's Beach side of the ironbark basin (right down near
the sea at the entrance to the coast walk).
There is also a coastal heath walk which goes westish from the car park at
the top of Urquhart's bluff and they can be heard along there (I haven't
looked at them!).
2 On the left as you go down the Point Addis Rd is the carpark for the
ironbark basin a very good birding site. The Geelong Field Nats published a
comprehensive bird list for the area in the Geelong Bird Report for 1995.
3 I think Tim's paragraph about the heath may be combining what i would
consider 3 areas;
i The Distillery Creek picnic area which is the bit of Angahook Park
closest to Airey's Inlet (go along Bambra rd) has a bird hide and is the
starting point for several good birding walks. The long walk past Currawong
Falls is extra good. Angahook has lots of good birds eg gang gangs, forest
ravens, king parrots, crescent honeyeaters.
ii From The Bambra rd -distillery creek rd jct go right along distillery
creek rd, passing the ponds of what i believe is the Airey's sewage
treatment works where i assume tim is seeing his ducks. Just past this is a
very good area for crescent honeyeaters.
iii When you get to No 2 Rd go right and you will eventually get to the
Anglesea coalmine. (Obviously therefore you can do all this backwards from
Anglesea.) behind the coalmine is a big heathland area called Bald Hills.
Emu wrens, C R heathwrens if you are lucky, Tawny crowned H/es, etc.
4 If you go to Edwards Point hoping to see waders, try to be there at high
tide in Swan Bay, ie start walking about 2-3 hours after high tide at the
Heads (which is in the paper.) When the tide is low in Swan Bay most waders
will be out feeding on the mudflats; when the mudfalts are covered there is
a roost at the tip of Edwards Point.
5 Rather than go to Lake connewarre itself I'd go to reedy lake which is
round on the Leopold side - I walked in from Moolap station rd yesterday
and there were waders, egrets, a Magpie Goose, glossy ibis etc; heard a
bittern but failed to se it. You need to wade. I have not been to Hospital
lake (on the Anglesea side) recently but it should be good judging by the
state of reedy Lake.
6 If I wanted to see a Cape barren goose I would look around the lakes
south of Cressy on the Hamilton Highway.
Good luck!
Margaret
At 01:28 PM 11/01/01 +1000, wrote:
G'day all
My family and I are off to Anglesea (south west of Geelong, Victoria) for a
week's holiday from the 20th January.
I've found some information in the birding-aus archives but would appreciate
more detailed information on some of the good birding spots within an hour's
drive. This would allow me to visit places like Angahook forest, Lake
Conewarre
and the lakes around Winchelsea. To my shame I don't know any of these places
so any advice would be most welcome. If any of you live down that way or
are on
holidays in the area how about we get together for a few hours birding? I'd
love to see the mythical Spotless Crake and Lewin's Rail. Waders in gereral,
Cape Barren Geese, Heathwrens, Beautiful Firetails, Satin Bowerbirds, Rufous
Bristlebirds etc. would also be much appreciated.
Cheers
Steve
*********************************************************
Steve Clark
45 Carmichael Street, Hamilton, Victoria, 3300
www.ansonic.com.au/clarks/sw_birds.htm
*********************************************************
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