A HIGHLY recommended site near Melbourne - to visit soon!

[Dr Richard Nowotny <>]

Dear Birding-aussers
Those of you living in, or near, Melbourne, or likely to visit over the
next month or two (or three?) should, in my humble opinion, seriously
consider scheduling a visit to Point Cook (Spectacle Lake and the Coastal
Park) sometime soon.  I have visited three times over the past few
weeks, most recently on Saturday morning (13th Oct), with very rewarding
results.  Regular readers of this list may recall recent postings by
other correspondents reporting some pretty impressive sightings (both
quality and quantity) - for example the following from Lawrie Conole on
18 September:
<A delayed report on a pleasant 90 minutes spent at Point Cook on
Sunday 
9/9/2001. Highlights - Spotted Crake, Pectoral Sandpiper and Black-tailed
Native-hens at Spectacle Lake; Orange-bellied (2) and Blue-winged (10)
Parrots sitting in dead Kangaroo Apples (Solanum laciniatum) with a
Pallid 
Cuckoo - nice scope views - at Point Cook beach carpark.>
The key to the current very high quality birding is the combination
of spring and the flooding of Spectacle Lake and surrounding low-lying
fields, which apparently occurred during the winter and is now starting
to recede, leaving some spectacular muddy edges, some of it amongst
shrubs and bushes - prime crake/rail/native hen/wader habitat.
A few basic directions:  Westgate Bridge to the Geelong
Freeway.  Take the Point Cook turn-off east towards Point
Cook.  Shortly before reaching the Point Cook RAAF Base turn left
(north) into Point Cook Homestead Rd (unsealed) and drive to where
Spectacle Lake now extends on both sides of the road (shallow on the
left, deep on the right).  Bird here from the car (plus keeping a
watch over the surrounding fields), then do a U-turn and retrace your
steps a short distance to the road now on your left which takes you
towards the Spectacle Lake bird-hide (currently inaccessible due to the
flooding, but with some excellent birding from the path and surrounding
dry land).  Continuing on the road to Point Cook Coastal Park check
out the wetlands on the left (north side of the road) and walk around the
Coastal Park (a surprisingly lovely spot - especially in the morning
before visitors arrive - very well maintained and with excellent
facilities).
And what's excited me so much?  The number of uncommon and
interesting species, and the extraordinarily high quality views obtained
of many of them - close, clear and confiding.
Following is an annotated list of the more significant and interesting
species I have seen (I haven't listed all the locally common
species):

Australian Gannet - regular over Port Phillip Bay, usually at some
distance.
Great Egret - one seen (generally uncommon on the western shores
of the Bay).
White-necked (Pacific) Heron - 12 birds in flooded fields on my
first visit, now smaller numbers.
Both Spoonbills - in small numbers at several sites.
White-eyed Duck (Hardhead) - good numbers on Spectacle Lake.
Australasian Shoveler - both Spectacle and Point Cook Lakes.
Both Chestnut and Grey Teal - in good numbers.
Blue-billed Duck - many on Spectacle Lake, with close views
possible.
Mixed raptors - Swamp Harriers, Brown Falcon, Hobby, Collared
Sparrowhawk, Black-shouldered Kite, Whistling Kite.
Stubble Quail - a covey in clear view in the shadow of bushes on
the edge of Spectacle Lake.
Australian (Spotted) Crake - many, often in the open, sometimes
within only a few metres.  On Saturday from the path in front of the
bird-hide I had 5 in view simultaneously within a 180* arc, three of
which were within 10 metres.
Baillon's Crake - one foraging in the open for 5 minutes or more
in the last shallow swamp on the left before entering Point Cook Coastal
Park (1/2 km or so past the bird-hide).
Buff-banded Rail - seen out in the open on the lake edge (from the
path to the bird-hide).
Dusky Moorhen, Purple Swamphen and Coot - the three common
gallinules.
Black-tailed Native-hen - many, in the bushes, on the margins of
Spectacle Lake, crossing the road near the bird-hide (25 or so) - some
excellent close views from the car.
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - many, with some extremely close views
from Point Cook Homestead Rd.
Marsh Sandpiper - several in the shallow lake on the left of Point
Cook Homestead Rd.
Japanese (Latham's) Snipe - prolonged close views from Point Cook
Homestead Rd.
Black-winged Stilt - a few here and there.
Whiskered Tern - hawking over many of the lakes and flooded
fields, and loafing on a small "mudbank" at the rear of the
shallow lake on the left of Point Cook Homestead Rd.
Common Bronzewing - a pair at Point Cook Coastal Park.
Blue-winged Parrot - up to a dozen (or more?) around Point Cook
Coastal Park.  Excellent views of birds perched in bushes and trees
and feeding on the ground.
Pallid Cuckoo - 3-5 birds, both adult and juvenile - along Point
Cook Homestead Rd and at Point Cook Coastal Park.  Calling around
Point Cook Coastal Park.
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo - calling and perched around Point Cook
Coastal Park and nearby fields.
Welcome Swallow - collecting mud for nest-building from alongside
Point Cook Homestead Rd.
Fairy Martin - many over Spectacle Lake and perched in 
trees.
Skylark and Richard's Pipit - both present, the latter in small
numbers.
Brown Songlark - several seen flying and perched on fences and
bushes in the fields behind the shallow lake on the left of Point Cook
Homestead Rd (scope views best).
Leaden Flycatcher - a pair at Point Cook Coastal Park (near the
south-western edge of their range).
Little Grassbird - many calling and flying between bushes at
Spectacle Lake and environs.  (Good views have to be earned.)
Singing Honeyeater - regular in small numbers at Point Cook
Coastal Park (a reliable site close to Melbourne).
Goldfinch & Greenfinch - both seen regularly.  Greenfinch
calling from overhead wires and bushes in the early morning.

 Cheers.     Richard Nowotny