I was wondering if anyone was crazy enough to be out at the WTP. ; )
What were the majority of waders doing during the heat? Where they feeding
or roosting?
Did you observe any waders trying to shade themselves in lagoon
vegetation? Or were they at normal exposed roost positions?
The lagoon closest to Beach Rd is fairly well vegetated and seems to be a
favored spot for waders at the moment. Was this lagoon well attended?
Interesting Little Friarbird record!
Peter
Several months ago I agreed to take a visiting Danish birder (Gert
Rasmussen) to the You Yangs and the Western Treatment Plant today, Sat 7th
Feb (he was to leave for Perth the following day). A young Swedish birder
(Figge Hermansson) coming to the end of 12 months working in Melbourne
before returning home next weekend chose to join us for a return visit to
the WTP (a decision he may have come to regret). As many will now know,
today was a day of record heat in Victoria. Melbourne recorded its hottest
day on record (46.4*C - 115.5*F for those old enough to remember the old
Fahrenheight scale). But the hottest place in the state was Avalon, with a
recorded maximum of 47.9*C - over 118*F (an extraordinary temperature
anywhere - but especially for the outskirts of the most southerly large
city
in the world!) - the second highest temperature ever recorded in Victoria.
Now Avalon borders the Western Treatment Plant, where we were bravely
(foolishly?) trying to put together a semi-respectable bird-list for Gert
(from an air-conditioned car it should be said to protect me from too much
derision). At around 3pm, after experiencing the most extraordinarily hot
50-60kph winds at Kirk Point we jointly agreed that enough was well and
truly enough - just as the heat reached it's zenith. I've never
experienced
anything like it in my 50 or so years of Australian travels (or
international travels for that matter). I can't start to imagine what my
two
Scandinavian guests thought of it all. A day to remember, but not
primarily
for the birds.
Surprisingly we still managed some noteworthy sightings: A flock of around
30 Rainbow Bee-eaters splashing into the dam near the ranger's station at
the You Yangs, along with 2 Black-chinned Honeyeaters drinking at the
water's edge; a Little Friarbird near Toynes Rd just outside the You Yangs
Park; and a Black Falcon and a small flock of 6 Little Egret at the WTP.
The
usual flock of 7 Black-tailed Godwit at Walsh's Lagoon seemed to be just
that - no Hudsonian to be found, there or elsewhere.
Richard NOWOTNY
Port Melbourne, Victoria
M: 0438 224 456
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
===============================
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
===============================
|
