Hi everyone,
hope you all had good Christmas breaks.
I spent the Christmas period at Phillip Island and only got to do a
single day of reasonably intense birding. Got my year list started with
99 birds on the 3rd of January keeping within about 30 km of Kilcunda on
the coast just east of Phillip Island. Best birds for the day included
Common Sandpiper at the mouth of the Powlett River. I have seen a
single Common Sandpiper here many times.
Wonthaggi heath was very good including six species of honeyeater
(White-plumed, White-naped, White-eared, Yellow-faced, Tawny-crowned and
New Holland), Horsfield's and Shining Bronze Cuckoos, Dusky Woodswallow,
Australian Hobby and the best bird for the day a single Beautiful
Firetail. I believe there are Southern Emu-wrens at the heath although
we didn't see any (certainly the habitat is good) does anyone see them
regularly here?
At a small swamp near Wonthaggi we picked up Blue-billed Duck, Grey
Teal, Hardhead, Australasian Shelduck, Pacific Black Duck, Chestnut
Teal, but couldn't find any Shovelers of Pink eared on the day
Maher's landing (just past Inverloch) was hard work as it was sqalling
rain and blowing a gale but there were Striated Fieldwren, Red-necked
Stints, Eastern Curlew, Pacific Golden Plover, Red-capped Plover and a
single immature Double-banded Plover. This seems very unusual at this
time of year but I see on birdline Vic there was another report of an
imm at Pyramid Hill a week ago.
On Phillip Island we saw Black-faced cormorant just under the PI bridge,
Cape Barren Goose and Spiny-cheeked HE at Swan Lake (also a large flock
of domestic geese) and at Observation Pt about 300 Bar-tailed Godwits,
150 Red Knot, 150 Red-necked Stint, 2 Common Greenshank, 10 Eastern
Curlew, 20 Caspian Tern and a few Curlew Sandpipers. I couldn't locate
any Great Knot which I have been seeing regularly in previous years but
I didn't go close so I probably missed them. This area now is marked as
restricted so I stayed at a very large distance but the surf ski riders
didn't and the waders were put up about 4 times in 30 minutes while I
watched.
Best Wishes
John Boyce
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John Boyce
Department of Microbiology
Monash University
3800
Australia
ph (w) +61 3 9905 4838 (h) +61 3 9376 6641
mobile ph 0409 766642
fax (w) +61 3 9905 4811
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