Phillip Island Birds - Oswin Roberts Sanctuary

A few shots from Ozzie Bobs taken in recent times.

This bit of bush has always been good for honeyeaters (especially if they have bits of white on them)...

White-naped honeyeater

White-eared honeyeater

White-plumed honeyeater

It seems that there is always a Superb fairy-wren family around every corner.

Male Superb fairy-wren, Oswin Roberts Sanctuary, Phillip Island

Spotted pardalote

Distant view of a Golden whistler enjoying morning sunshine

Grey currawong looking menacing as always

Satin flycatcher - female (April 2014)

Silvereye 

Galah inspecting tree-hollows

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Kimberley Reserve, Chirnside Park

This reserve is on the urban fringe of eastern Melbourne. It is probably most recognised locally as the home of the local footy and cricket clubs with two ovals at its southern end. A chain of man-made ponds extends northwards fed by storm water drainage. The reserve has a crushed gravel walking trail along both sides of the wetlands. This is well utilised by walkers with dogs - a good 50% of which were off-lead during my visit (despite signage making it clear that this was prohibited).

The eremaea list impressed me so I was bound to be disappointed of course! However nice views of this White-plumed honeyeater as well as sightings of Hardhead lifted the spirits (which weren't really all that low given it was a spankingly sunny winter's afternoon!).

It's good to see Australasian grebe getting their colour back making them easier to differentiate from their Hoary-headed counterparts!

Kings in Grass Castles

I was intrigued by these clumps of reeds. Are they planted that way or are they growing naturally. The Purple swamphen loved them

Hardhead and Grey teal

Purple swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio

Little pied cormorant

Large block residential living in Chirnside Park - where the suburbs are taking over the paddocks

Each pond had a low wall and covered drain

Urban fringe - Google Maps satellite image of Kimberley Reserve

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Birds return to a re-established wetland, Phillip Island

Fishers Wetland is a very accessible wetland situated on Phillip Island.  With sealed road access just a few minutes off the main Phillip Island Tourist route, car park, boardwalk and bird hide things don't get much easier. During a recent visit I took some time to read the explanatory signage which talked a little of the history of this re-established wetland (at bottom of post).

Here's a little of what I saw this day.

White-plumed honeyeater was the "honeyeater of the day"

White-plumed honeyeater. This bird demonstrated its acrobatics while feeding on inset larvae (I think) in the bushland section of the wetland reserve

There were a few comings and goings.

Black swan

Black-winged stilt and Red-kneed dotterel. I do love catching up with stilts. The shots below show what they do with that long bill.

In Australia we call these Purple swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio

Swamp harrier paid a visit and caused some havoc

Superb fairy-wren

Dusky moorhen

Farmland as recent as 1998! That seems like a really quick turn around to me!

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You Yangs

'Enjoyed some further birding diversity only 30 minutes drive from the Western Treatment Plant by visiting the You Yangs Regional Park on Boxing Day 2012. The You Yangs are a collection of 2-3 granite peaks between Melbourne and Geelong. The surrounding vegetation includes Manna Gum and Yellow Gum. The understorey is sparse. It is more akin to what I associate with "north of the divide" as distinct from the heavily forested gullies and rainforest of the ranges I have tended to frequent. Not surprisingly then the place attracts a nice variation of birds for me to observe!

White-winged choughs

A highlight for me was seeing my first ever chough nest. This was at the nearby Serendip Nature Reserve

The excellent Birds Australia book Where to see birds in Victoria edited by Tim Dolby has a You Yangs chapter written by Russell Woodford. We found the "car park" Tawny frogmouths to which he refers ....

... and also found the "gravel pit on the east side of Great Circle Drive, a little past Kurrajong Ave". Remarkably we picked up the Diamond firetail, Crested shrike-tit and Dusky woodswallow mentioned in his narrative amongst others. The gravel pit had created the effect of a small dam which was particularly popular with the firetails and numerous honeyeater species.

You'll have to take my word that the birds drinking (at left, above) are the aforementioned Diamond firetails. The positioning of the pond didn't allow for proximity to such small birds. Crested shrike-tit is always a good find for me - it can be seen at right. I was once again travelling with Richard whose post of the same trip has some better shots of these birds.

New-Holland honeyeater and Yellow-faced honeyeater enjoying the dam.

White-plumed honeyeaters having their Boxing Day extended-family get together! 

Nearby is the Serendip Sanctuary which is located on the outskirts of the town of Lara. As well as wild birds the sanctuary has enclosures for recovery program birds. These include Brolga, Magpie geese and Australian bustard. I was curious about this captive bustard's posture. Looking up I was not surprised to see a soaring raptor.

Bird on!