Spent a lazy weekend down at my parents place at the Honeysuckles near Seaspray
on the 90 mile beach in SE Victoria. While I was mostly just relaxing before
starting a new job this week, still managed to see some nice birds.
On the wader front, there were lots of small groups of Sharpies and Red-necked
Stints moving around with the odd Curlew Sandpiper mixed in. A couple of
Greenshanks were pretty regular and a nice surprise was 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, a
new bird for the house list down there. Nesting in the middle of a cattle pen
were a pair of Red-capped Plovers... hopefully there will be no mustering in
the next couple of weeks.
>From the beach there were heaps of Gannets and Crested Terns with the odd
>Caspian. Small groups of 4-5 dark shearwater types were travelling west to
>east thoughout the day though outside identifiable binocular range.
The Sea-Eagle made regular passes over, always sending the Masked Lapwings into
a collective apoplexy.... as did the palest Swamp harrier I have yet seen.
It was cuckoo central with Pallid, Fan-tailed and Horsfield Bronze all calling
and being very visible. Rufous Whistlers were in full voice, showing that
spring had definately arrived there. Perhaps the most unexpected bird was the
Eastern Whipbird in several places, which I had not recorded down there before
with at least 3 calling males in what can best be described as very remanant
banksia scrub.
On the Saturday night went into Sale for a counter meal and was pleased to find
Freckled Duck still at Lake Guyatt. There were at least 9 visible plus a
Latham's Snipe on the island in the briefest of visits.
Most amusing moment of the weekend, was an encounter with a copperhead at Sale
common, my girlfriend ran 30 meters and leaped up onto a picnic table while the
snake and I looked at each other bemused.... alas she had my camera with her.
All in all a very relaxing weekend and it was good to be able to use my
binoculars in anger again for the first time in a few weeks.
Good birding all
Cheers
Tim
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