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Hi all,
Had a delightful full day on Sunday
plus Monday morning birding around Point Lonsdale on the Bellarine
Peninsula.
Sunday morning was spent at Lake Victoria
(Lonsdale Lakes State Nature Reserve) where the numerous waders had only
recently arrived according to our local friends. Birds seen were:
Curlew (some coming into colour) &
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint (colour) Black-winged & Banded
Stilts, Common Greenshank, Red-capped Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Caspian &
Crested Terns, White-faced Heron, Swan, Pelican, Silver Gull, 8 Little Egrets,
Masked Lapwing, Black-shouldered Kite, White-browed Scrubwren, Yellow-rumped
Thornbill, Welcome Swallow, Superb Fairy-wren Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail,
Magpie, Raven, Magpie-lark, Hoary-headed
Grebe, Chestnut Teal, Australian Shelduck, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Nankeen
Kestrel, White-fronted Chat.
Sunday afternoon was taken up around Swan Bay where
we added: White Ibis, Grey Teal, Musk Duck, Pied Oystercatcher,
numerous Royal Spoonbill; Pied, Little Pied & Little Black
Cormorant, Pacific Gull, Great Egret, Black Duck.
Later in the afternoon, returned to Lake Victoria
but the waders had moved to the western end of the lake, whereas they had been
around the south-eastern section earlier in the day, which is easier to
access.
So we searched the north-eastern corner of the lake
and to our delight found a pair of Hooded Plovers with a
juvenile in tow. I was ecstatic. I've seen many
Hooded Plovers before but this was the first juvenile for me.
The sun was getting low, so time for "happy
hour".
This morning saw me back at the lake (our friends
live in Emily Street so it was only a matter of walking as this is the main
access point) but the waders were still at the far western end. We
had walked to this western end yesterday morning, but time constraints
didn't permit that today.
Slowly returning towards the carpark, a LBB
(little brown bird) flew across the track. At first I thought it a Superb
Fairy-wren, but it appeared slightly different. Eventually showed itself again
and I was able to add Striated Fieldwren to the
list. Only the second sighting for me.
After a quick breakfast, drove to the lighthouse
where I'd been promised some honeyeaters.
New Holland, Spiny-cheeked & Singing
Honeyeaters were added as well as Gannet, Grey Butcherbird, Silvereye
plus a Hobby sitting on the top of the
lighthouse
Sighted at other locations: Spotted
Pardalote, Galah, Brown Thornbill, Musk Lorikeet, Red Wattlebird.
Returned to Geelong via the Barwon Heads where we
called into Belmont Common, but not a great deal of action there. As has
been reported, it's drying up fast.
Lonsdale Lakes Nature Reserve: Melway
edition refer map 235.
Cheers
Marlene
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