Hello and thanks again for help re finding
Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and waders in far SW Vic.
In 2 days with a some-times reluctant family in
tow !,I found a lot of birds thanks to some good tips. Why did we drive 1 hour
to the beach when there was a perfectly good one just down the road??? Waders of
course!
No luck with seeing any Red-tails but good fun
looking.Around Nelson the bush was full of Brush Bronzewings(hardly saw any
Commons)and plenty of Rufous Bristlebirds.The Blackbirds were abundant and
singing well all day.Looks like my local birds just don't need to sing!?Didn't
like seeing one chase off a Bristlebird though.
Thanks to Bill Ramsey for a spot to look for
Beautiful Firetail. I went to the Livingstone island nature trail at the Nelson
estuary,walked to between posts 1 and 2 and made pishing noises! A nearly
instant reaction when one adult came into full close
view.Beautiful!
A small number of Little Terns were in the Nelson
estuary but didn't seem to be much in the way of nesting activity.The fenced off
island was quiet and even when the beach and estuary were full of people no one
crossed the fence.
Carpenters Rocks past Port MacDonnell in SA was
great for shorebirds.Waders present in order of abundance
Red-necked Stint ( 500 ????)
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper(c.250)
Turnstone (c.150)
Curlew Sandpiper ( 150),
Pacific Golden Plover (c.50)
Greenshank (30)
Red-capped Plover(10)
Masked Lapwing(4)
Sooty Oystercatcher(4),
Pied Oystercatcher(3),
Great Knot (3),
Red Knot(2),
Grey-tailed(I assume) Tattler ( 1 ),
Eastern Curlew (1),
Bar-tailed Godwit(1).
All very good for a coast-starved
birder.
108 sp. for the trip and especially pleased to
see Great Knot after a long dry spell.
Also nice to see Emus all over the place.A great
part of the world.
Regards Simon Starr.
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