Suburban White-necked heron

Over the last 18 months White-necked heron seem to be popping up more frequently in southern Victoria. I went several years prior to this without seeing one at all.

They are even appearing in in the suburbs. This one was spotted at a man-made chain of ponds fed by freeway run-off alongside Heatherdale Creek in Ringwood (Melbourne, Victoria - see geotag).

White-necked heron Ardea pacifica in non-breeding plumage. There is a little of the plum colouring that would indicate a breeding bird but the absence of colour on the breast and line of spots down the front of the neck tell otherwise.

White-necked heron beside the Eastlink bike trail, Ringwood

A very "suburban" view!

In my earlier years I remember this bird going by the name Pacific heron which somehow seems a better name! Some sightings data ....

2001 and 2004 look to be the best years in recent times for White-necked heron in Victoria (screen grab from www.eremaea.com data). The data also suggests that the spring months September - November are the most likely.

And a few other birds photographed this day ...

New Holland honeyeater

Eurasian coot

Pacific black duck

Bird on!

Jabiru at Newcastle Waters

I don't know how many places like Newcastle Waters you pass on Northern Territory's Stuart Highway unaware that only a few kilometres off the bitumen lies magnificent birding habitat. I hope there's not many because I'm really disappointed to have missed them! I doubt we would have stopped had it not been for my brother-in-law Richard's "heads-up" about the place.

In a tribute reminiscent of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy's entry on Earth ("Harmless .... mostly") Wikipedia carries just three lines on Newcastle Waters including the sentence: "Newcastle is virtually uninhabited".

The Age Traveller supplement carries some more background here. It indicates that the water flows north from Lake Woods near Elliot (God knows how it gets there). I gather it is prone to drying out. On 25th July 2012 we visited en route from Banka Banka to Mataranka (gotta be a John Williamson song there!) and were thrilled to immediately spot jabiru from the car.

I have since learned that the female has the yellow eye! 

Having not seen any sort of stork before, I had only seen birds adopt these postures (above & below) in Northern Hemisphere story books! (& I'm not referring to the ibis here folks!)

Intermediate egret, stilts, jabiru .... heaven!

Setting the scene - the flavour is of a wetland which is drying out. It is easiest to park at the picnic area at Drover's Memorial Park.

White-necked heron just, well ... reflecting

Straw-necked ibis

Immature Whistling kite (gorgeously spotted)

Large flock of Little black cormorant

White-winged triller 

Black-fronted dotterel

Here's the Eremaea list of our little visit.

Bird On!