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I decided I didn't have time to attend the Wesboc
outing to Cranbourne Botanic Gardens on Sat., so as a consolation I spent a
couple of hours in my favourite birding/walking site on The Island, Oswin
Roberts Reserve. Going down the main track we saw the usual range of
honeyeaters, Grey Fantails, Kookaburra, Grey Currawong,etc. The highlight
was a pair of Spotted Pardalotes which allowed us to get a good view just on the
edge of the track. There wasn't much bird life at the dam, but the dam was
teeming with enormous tadpoles!
The understorey of the bush was in great shape with
several wattles in or just past flower. The white flowers of the snowy
Daisy Bush lit up the view and an unusual Pomaderris was also in
flower.
We returned by the western, where I often see 'more
interesting' birds. This trip was no exception. A pair of Horsefield's
Bronze-cuckoos entertained us for a while, enough for my non-birdwatching friend
to actually get them in his binoculars. Then a male Golden Whistler was
foraging in bushes hanging over the track, a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike flew
past and to top the excursion off, nearly back at the carpark we found a pair of
Striated Pardalotes showing exceptional interest in a hole in a tree right next
to the track. I'll keep that spot in mind over the next few
weeks.
Today I thought I'd better get started on my
surveys for the Wildlife Corridor monitoring, done twice a year at various spots
around the Island by members of Wesboc in conjuction with Landcare. My
site is the unmade section of Dunsmore Road, which some locals are trying to get
closed to vehicles in favour of a cycling/walking track. This patch of
road, a few minutes walk from my home, is host to some of the largest Blue Gums
on Phillip Island near Cowes. Many of these mature trees have holes
suitable for nesting in by parrots, etc. Because
cars are still allowed to use the road it is often dusty and the roadside
vegetation is suffering from weed infestation and removal by residents either
deliberately or incidently. Three surveys of 20 min. duration are done within a
two week period.
Birds sighted today included the usual range of
honeyeaters, galahs, Rainbow Lorikeets, a Grey Shrike-thrush, another
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike and at least one Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
- first I've seen in Victoria, let alone Phillip Island!
Looks like I'll have to get another 'unusual bird
sighting' off to BOCA.
Elizabeth Shaw
Phillip Island
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