birding-aus

Vic twitchathon 8hr report

To: Marina Harper <>, Vicki Vallance <>, Miranda Lo <>, Scott Coutts <>, stuart dashper <>, Scott Chandry <>, Dieter Bulach <>, Jean Johnston <>
Subject: Vic twitchathon 8hr report
From: john boyce <>
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 12:26:42 +1100
Hi Everyone,
The Restless Tickcatcher team (or were we the Wompoo Fruit-cakes)
comprised Stuart Dashper (captain and team convenor), Euan Fothergill
and me. We had done a test 8hr birdwatching run on the Friday just
targeting our two main areas, the You Yangs (YY) and Western Treatment
Plant (WTP) and got 115 birds but felt we needed to add in some other
areas to get ourselves up to a near competitive total. We had thought
about Lorne, Anglesea and Mogg's Creek area but given the predicted wet
weather (and that we were starting from Melbourne on the morning) we
decided against such a long drive before sunrise and went for a start at
Barwon Heads. 
We left Melbourne at a relaxing 5.15am and headed down through Geelong
to Barwon Heads for a 6.45 start. We had a Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
fly a few metres from the car 10 minutes before the start but luckily
heard them again in the You Yangs.

Our start was at the Barwon Heads estuary in wind that tried to unhinge
the scopes but we ticked 
Eastern Curlew, Royal Spoonbill, Masked Lapwing, Caspian Tern, Silver
Gull, Common Greenshank, Australian Pelican, Magpie-lark, Red
Wattlebird, Common Myna, Australian Magpie, White-faced Heron, Spotted
Turtledove, House Sparrow, Common Starling, Little Pied Cormorant,
Little Black Cormorant, Galah, Willie Wagtail and New Holland HE all in
the first 5 minutes with Grey Butcherbird added as we jumped in the car
(list at 21).

Next stop Point Lonsdale where it was blowing an even fiecer gale and we
really needed image stabilised spotting scopes. Had hoped for some
Albatrosses here but none were obliging on the day. However we quickly
found
Singing Honeyeater, Pacific Gull, Crested Tern, Australasian Gannet,
Eastern Yellow Robin, Common Blackbird, European Goldfinch and a
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater as we jumped back in the car (list at 29).

We then headed to Lake Lorne where we expected Freckled Duck and they
didn't let us down. As well we found
Dusky Moorhen, Blue-billed Duck, Hoary-headed Grebe, Pacific Black Duck,
Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Shining Bronze-cuckoo (calling), Noisy Miner,
Eastern Rosella, Eurasian Coot (list at 40)

On our way to Geelong and a couple of sites within Geelong produced
Black Swan, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Cattle Egret,
Little Raven, Darter (on nest), Rock Dove, Grey Shrike thrush (calling)
Rainbow Lorikeet, Latham's Snipe, Brown Falcon, Little Grassbird
(calling), Clamorous Reed-Warbler, Purple Swamphen, Welcome Swallow,
White-browed Scrubwren (calling), White-plumed HE and Pied Currawong
(list at 58). 

>From Geelong we headed to the You Yangs. On the road to the You Yangs we
added 
Australian Wood Duck, Whistling Kite, Red-rumped Parrot, Long-billed
Corella, Little Corella and Sulphur Crested Cockatoo. (64)
At the You Yangs (9.00-11.30 am) we stopped first at the entrance and
moved on to Branding Yard flat. Here we added 
Jacky Winter, Yellow-faced HE, Brown-headed HE (calling), White-naped
HE, Brown Goshawk, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (calling), Musk
Lorikeet, Common Bronzewing, Fan-tailed Cuckoo (calling), White-throated
Treecreeper (calling), Spotted Pardalote (calling), Striated
Pardalote(calling), Superb Fairy-wren, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Brown
Thornbill, Striated Thornbill (calling), Yellow Thornbill, Scarlet
Robin(calling), Rufous Whistler, Restless Flycatcher, Grey Fantail,
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, White-winged Triller, Olive-backed
Oriole(calling), Dusky Woodswallow, White-winged Chough, Red-browed
Finch, Diamond Firetail, Skylark, Silvereye, Mistletoebird. (list at 95)
On the way to the Western Treatment Plant we added Banded Lapwing and
Golden-headed Cisticola near Avalon airfield before entering the Farm
proper at the T-section Lagoons. We moved from the T-section Lagoons to
the Spit, Kirk Pt, Lake Borrie, Paradise Rd., mouth of the Little River
and ended at the Borrow Pits. Here we finished off our list with
Musk Duck, Australian Shelduck, Australasian Shoveler, Pink-eared Duck,
Hardhead, Great crested Grebe, Pied Cormorant, Yellow-billed Spoonbill,
Swamp Harrier, Black-shouldered Kite, Black-tailed Native Hen,
Bar-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Curlew
Sandpiper, Pied Oystercatcher, Red-necked Avocet, Black-winged Stilt,
Red-kneed Dotterel, Fairy Tern, Whiskered Tern, Tree Martin, Fairy
Martin and White-fronted Chat, (Final list at 121). 

The last bird sighted was Red-kneed Dotterel (at 2.44 pm) at the Borrow
Pits and on the way out of the Farm we drove past Crested Pigeon and
Common Greenfinch, which of course we couldn't count. Best bird for the
day was probably the Freckled Ducks, which are always a pleasure to see,
even if they have been at the same suburban lake for six months. Worst
misses for the day had to be Laughing Kookaburra and Great Cormorant,
both absolute clangers.

Greatest thanks go to all our sponsors, and yes Scott we will certainly
accept sponsorship after the fact. Thanks to Stuart for getting the team
together and coming up with a pretty solid route which, with more
practice, we could do greater justice to in the future.

Best Wishes
John Boyce

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