Have just finished a three day tour around some of the better birding sites in
central and north-west Victoria with a visiting English birdwatcher, and
thought I'd share some of the hightlights of what was some really great spring
birding despite some very cold and windy weather . We've had a dry August and
early September after good early winter rains, so the country was starting to
dry right out, but recent falls are keeping the season alive, and further rains
could see this become a bumper spring. Its hanging in the balance yet again.
Emu. a group in ripening crops near Hattah.
Malleefowl. an obliging bird , quite relaxed about our presence, not far from
active nest mounds in Bronzewing FF Reserve.
Stubble Quail... heard calling from crops at many locations. One flushed from a
roadside . Best numbers around for some years.
Blue-billed Ducks... ever present at Round Lake near Lake Boga.
Pelican.... Only seen once in 3 days.... flying over native grassland at
Terrick Terrick !
WBSea Eagle near Lake Tutchewop.
Spotted Harriers..... twice had fantastic views of perched birds by the road...
once on the highway near Kerang and 3 birds in crops near the Terricks.
Little Eagle... 2 sightings
Hobby... crippling views of an adult by the road
Brolga...a pair south of Kerang
ASpotted Crakes.... a few at the Bendigo water treatment works
Black-tailed Nativehens..... the biggest numbers I've seen for 12 years or
more. Biggest flocks were c.200 near Lake Hattah and maybe 300 around the
Bendigo sewage farm.
Plains Wanderer, one pair under the spotlight
Inland Dotterel nesting at a property north-west of Kerang.
Avocets and Red-kneed Dotterel..... Bendigo
Whiskered Terns
Brush Bronzewing....4 at Kamarooka
14 species of parrot.........included 4 Pink Cockatoo near Lake Hattah, Regents
around Hattah, Cockatiel, Mulgas and Ringnecks.
2 seperate sightings of Black-eared Cuckoo.... Hattah Kulkyne and Kamarooka
1 Shining Bronze heard
Rainbow Bee-eaters.... 3 or 4 birds at Bronzewing
4 sp of Fairy Wren.... Splendid, Superb, White-winged and Variegated,
brief views of both Striated Grasswren and Mallee Emu-wren at Hattah....
keeping low in a cold wind.
Shy Heathwrens showed well,
Rufous Fieldwren only heard at Lake Tyrrell.... again in a cold wind
Striped Honeyeater at Hattah,
A bonanza of Honeyeaters at Kamarooka at a patch of flowering mallee......
White-naped and Yellow-faced were still about... Fuscous and Yellow-tufted,
White-eared, Brown-headed,
Tawny-crowned was found at a nest.... a deep cup constructed just off the
ground in a low wattle, with one egg and one new hatchling !
Purple-gaped Honeyeater,a pair, seen along Burnside road in Kamarooka, where
Crested Bellbird and Black-eared Cuckoo completed a great trio whilst we tried
to drink a cuppa before it went cold ( it went cold !).
Orange Chats at Lake Tutchewop and Lake Tyrrell,
a pair of Crimson Chat up at Hattah,
the sight of a pair of male Red-capped Robin have a duel like stand off on a
dead log... no blood was split. Remarkable to watch.
Obliging Southern Scrub-robins at Hattah,
Typically wary flock of Chestnut-crowned Babblers near Hattah,
female Chestnut Quail-thrush carrying food at Bronzewing,
Male Gilberts Whistler singing his heart out in the Terricks,
White-winged Trillers here and there, with a lovely flock of 8 at Hattah,
very few Woodswallows..... cold may have blown them back north ? No
White-browed seen despite sightings a few days ago in Victoria.
Apostlebirds came for breakfast at Lake Hattah as they like to do.
Singing Bushlarks singing from many crops,
Zebra Fiches at Lake Tutchewop,
Rufous songlarks calling at many sites around the Terricks and grassy plains,
not observed further north.
Brown Songlarks in good numbers around all croplands.
161 species recorded in total. The lakes at Hattah are full, but with only a
few waterbirds yet.
All in all a great time to bird in northern Vic, full of the joys of spring.
Cheers,
Simon Starr.
==============================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:
=============================
|
