Hi all,
Three of us, Joy, Autumn and I, had a wonderful day at the WTP yesterday
and for the second week in a row there was hardly a soul there. I counted 4
cars in total and the day was warm and clear with no wind. Where was
everyone? Surely not at the Phillip Island bike races??
And there was good birding too. In the lagoon between the Spit track and
the bay we found 4 Grey Plover with some breeding plumage left and a
Bar-tailed Godwit. In the new pond in the paddock at Western Lagoon there
is a very odd looking teal, probably a partial leucistic Grey Teal but it
may be a Chestnut, impossible to tell. It looks really odd as it is bright
orange. Of course I immediately tried to morph it into a mega rarity. Ruddy
Duck was the obvious first choice just because of the name, not any
likeness, but no it really just looks like an orange teal (smile).
Just after the newly cemented beach crossing there was a magnificent pair
of adult Sea Eagles. They hung around for some time with one sitting on the
radio aerial and the other cruising the beach down and back as far as the
river mouth. I do hope they have a successful breeding season. At the Lake
Borrie outlet there was a pair of Cape Barren Goose that have been hanging
around for a few weeks now, so I guess they will eventually nest on Lake
Borrie, as usual.
On south road just past Walshes Lagoon (about pond 15 and 16 on the map) we
found a pair of Pacific Golden Plover hanging out with a single sharpie, or
it with them maybe. Again my morph went into overdrive but despite minor
plumage and size differences they still came out as PGPs. What a shame, but
great fun doing the work.
For lunch we sat in the sun where Walshes' ponds 6,7,10 and 11 join and
were entertained by a Baillon's Crake and its tiny little black puff-ball
of a chick. Knowing the size of a Baillon's Crake the chick has to be the
size of thumb, or less. Just tiny. High tide was in the afternoon and the
Borrow Pit was packed solid with Red-necked Stints and Whiskered Terns, all
dozing on sandbanks in the sun.
On the way out the Pink-eared Ducks (Zebra Duck is a much more suitable
name but ...) put on a full flight display with thousands of them wheeling
and whistling in tight flocks over the ponds against the bright blue sky.
How good can it get!
Away from the birds for a moment though, the pigface is looking better than
I have ever seen it and there are great swathes of purple and green looking
spectacular in the sun. I had not noticed before but in the sunlight the
petals were iridescent and looked almost like anodised metal. Gorgeous.
cheers
--
Jenny
http://jenniferspryausbirding.blogspot.com.au/
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