Southern Emu-wren at Deen Maar

Another Port Fairy Folk Festival meant another trip to Deen Maar. This is a gorgeous coastal wetland area centred on the Eumeralla River and Yambuk Lakes. It is an Indigenous Protected Area which means that permission must be gained before entry. This is currently arranged through the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust.

It is cited as a spot to see bittern so I am always hopeful but have remained disappointed in this regard! However I have found it a reliable spot to see Southern Emu-wren (see, but not photograph)! These birds give just distant glimpses and seem to spend most of their time in the middle of, or on the other side of a bush!

Here are the few shots I managed that at least show some identifiable features!

GOTCHA! Heard something that sounded a little like Superb fairy-wren and after a minute saw lilac/brown instead of black/blue! 

Southern emu-wren, Deen Maar, Yambuk, Vic

Another distant view of a pair of birds just showing the tail's six long "emu feather" plumes

 As in previous visits to Deen Maar the cisticola provide some great poses ….

Golden-headed cicticola, Deen Maar, Yambuk

White-browed scrubwren

Willie wagtail

"Ummm… Whaddaya say we add bird watching to the list?"

Eumeralla River looking west

Eumeralla River looking East (downstream towards Yambuk Lake and the estuary)

I heard what might be an Emu-wren somewhere in there! 

The Codrington Wind Farm turbine provides a constant backdrop. A cisticola and silvereye are perching on the shrub. 

Bird on!

Getting to know a bird. Emu-wren.

Southern Emu-wren Stipiturus malachurus to be more precise.

Southern Emu-wren (male), Yambuk

The Port Fairy Folk Festival has become an annual March pilgrimage for us. In the last three years I have visited the Yambuk lakes area and / or Deen Maar and have managed to hook up with this quirky little bird.

This has been a learning experience from scratch.

1st year - didn't know what was seen until checked photos (my gosh that tail)!
2nd year - expected to see them. 'Knew where to look but had fleeting contact with one bird only.

On this year's visit I was just about to declare a disappointing "dip" when I was alerted by a call and flutter of foliage. In the ensuing 20 minutes a family of 3-4 emu-wren tormented me (and I in turn probably tormented them!) as they moved largely unseen around the reeds and heath.

So I have learnt the following about Southern emu-wren:

• They are extremely difficult to photograph!
• They are quite happy to hang around the observer - however the only observations are of moving foliage!
• Noting sufficient discerning features for ID may take a while!
• On the ground or lower branches of heath, emu-wren are confident in their obscurity and may even approach (you just won't see them).
• A bird in flight may give quite a buzz! - just to see the bird in full view with it's ridiculous trailing tail! Of course too brief and too much head rush to contemplate even trying to photograph the thing.
• They seem unlikely to get more than 60cm off the ground (this may help me quickly sort out next time some of the 100+ fairy-wren sightings before the first emu-wren)

Anyway some pictures. I think I'm inclined to waffle more when the photos are lousy!....

Show's over, I'm off! (It was a very brief show)

Another typically difficult view of a male bird. At least the tail feathers can be made out.

From what can be seen of this bird I think we may have female.

Bird on!

Emu-wren, Cisticola and Fieldwrens

We are at Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area where I enjoyed another memorable morning last Saturday. Within minutes I had seen one of my "target" species - Southern emu-wren. Spent some time in the marshes with many Golden-headed cisticola and Striated fieldwren.

Although it never actually happened I had a feeling the whole morning that I was about to see something unique (I was thinking bittern etc). A great way to spend a morning!

Southern emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus)

Striated fieldwren (Calamanthus fuliginosus) 

Golden-headed cisticola (Cisticola exilis)

I was enjoying a nice view of this cisticola when a
fieldwren came and joined in (below)

(You know you must be small when
you can make a fieldwren look big!)

Black-shouldered kite (Elanus axillaris)

Swamp harrier (Circus approximans)

Mob of emu in the distance (about 15 of them)

Black swan 

Great egret

Here is 30 seconds of low-res compact still-camera video showing Deen Maar. Beyond the rise is the surf beach of Bass Strait. During the video some black swan take off (barely visible). In the last 4-5 seconds the "white noise" you can hear is the constant noise of the turbines (if you have good ears & listen carefully!).

Deen Maar

The Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area lies 15km to the west of Port Fairy and has been touted as a good bird watching locality by Tim Dolby in his book & blog. I rang the Eumeralla Backpackers and was allowed to spend a memorable few hours on Tuesday morning. I believe I would have been the only person on 4.53 square kilometres of marsh, river and lake. A limestone ridge separates the wetlands from the surf beach. In the Google Earth image below Deen Maar essentially includes the river and lake system shown (Eumeralla River and Lake Yambuk) plus everything to the south & west down to the surf:

The limestone ridge is now home to a wind farm. It was weird to travel between & beneath the huge turbines. 

The locked gate at the entrance & bridge across the Eumeralla.

Introductory sign at entrance

Typical wetlands scene

There had been mist in the morning and I was struck by the number of dragon fly crucifixes on the grass tussocks. My initial thought was that they were all stuck in spider webs but later realised they were just drying off. After birding without dragonfly distraction for half an hour they suddenly sprung to life & doing that dragonfly-bird thing out of the corner of your eye.

One of the highlights for me was seeing emu again in their natural environs. While driving along the track, at one stage I emerged over a rise and a scattered group of about 15 emu took off into the bush even though I was a good 300m away. Then distracted by the sound of loud splashing I looked to my left and saw a smaller group smashing through the marsh - again 200-300m away. These are not your sandwich stealing Tower Hill or Healesville sanctuary emu.

About to scarper

The Whistling kite below appears to be negotiating one of the turbines but he was actually flying well in front.

Some birds of interest that have been seen at Deen Maar (but weren't on this day) include bittern, grass owl, blue-winged parrot and orange bellied parrot (the endangered winter migrant).

I did however pick up four "lifers" I think (more on that later!)

Southern Ocean surf