Hi All,
What a year! The first 8 months in Broome, a road trip from the Alice to
Melbourne and of course, a few birding highlights in Victoria.
1. Migration watch. The spectacle of watching waders leave for the northern
breeding grounds, and the individual species behavioural patterns as they
try to decide whether today is the day to depart.
2. A flock of 70 Yellow Wagtails on Roebuck Plains.
3. Because of late rains in May, going wader watching on Roebuck Plains and
finding Asian Dowitchers amongst cowpats.
4. A flock of 200 White-winged Black Terns in near perfect breeding plumage.
5. Watching an immature Sea-eagle with a live sea-snake trying to work out
how to enjoy the delicacy safely.
6. Watching a single pair of Variegated Fairy Wrens diligently feeding and
guarding TWO young Horsefields Bronze Cuckoos for 10 days - just outside the
BBO office.
7. Seeing Roebuck Plains covered with an estimated thousands of Brolga,
Swamphens, Magpie Geese, Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilt and Whiskered Tern.
8. After a couple of hours of traipsing up and down hills finally finding a
Chestnut -breasted Whiteface at Mt Lyndhurst.
9. Going from never having seen one in Victoria to having seen a total of 4
separate Powerful Owls in the space of two days between Xmas and New Year.
10. But of course, there is nothing to compare with the adrenaline rush
caused by finding the first Australian record of a Rose-coloured Starling.
Cheers,
Joy Tansey
Altona Meadows
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