The Winter Blues

It seems that winter will see the Ruddy Turnstones drop out of the Eremaea top 50! Short days that are dull, wet & windy are not proving inviting for pulling out the bins & the EOS! Early morning birding walks are met with poor light, fog and drizzle. Several return visits to the reported haunt of the Blackie Lake Powerful Owl have been miserable & unrewarded. In fact I think there is a permanent rain cloud over that site.

In what seems like countless weeks the only bird added to the 2011 list is the suitably miserable Bassian Thrush .... and here's a suitably miserable photo taken in the gloom of an Otways gully:

And now the Bombers have gone to pot....even Melbourne beat them.

Mid-year Tally: 171

P.S. Oh, & guess who keeps turning up .....

Caloundra

On a good weekend I might have added 20 subtropical birds to the 2011 list from the lads' weekend jaunt up to Caloundra. As it was we had a great time & I managed 11 new birds for the year. This included the lifers Variegated fairy-wren & Scarlet honeyeater (Spangled drongo also recorded as an Eremaea lifer but this must be an oversight on previous lists).

As usual had excellent views of Osprey & a wonderful Sea-eagle experience as it's massive form took off from the top of a tree in bushland only metres above me - we had surprised each other.

The birds added to the 2011 list were:

• Osprey
• Scaly-breasted lorikeet
• Red-backed fairy wren
• Variegated fairy-wren
• Scarlet honeyeater
• Brown honeyeater
• Blue-faced Honeyeater
• Pied butcherbird
• Varied Triller
• Spangled Drongo
• Torresian Crow

Red-backed Fairy wren (only brown birds today)

Does my bum look big in this?
(can just see the red back coming through)

Variegated Fairy-wren (dismal light), Ben Bennett Bushland Reserve

Huge! White-bellied sea eagle, Ben Bennett Bushland Reserve, Caloundra

Scarlet Honeyeater, Ben Bennett Bushland Reserve

The photo that might have been.
Scarlet Honeyeater hawking

Osprey

Kangaroo Island

As a birder KI was certainly a great place to be. The other travelling families, bless 'em, insisted they didn't mind the convoy being halted while Pete checked out something that "might be new"! As usual the jewels in the crown were not easy to find (dips on glossy black cockatoo & diamond firetail for example) but a lot of birds I don't see much were really "in your face".

One place I returned to was Duck Lagoon - only about 11km from Kingscote. The 1st solo outing was nearly short-lived due to the size & voraciousness of the mozzies. It was saved by the discovery of the Aerogard Kath had planted in the "in-car picnic box" - what a woman!

I was hoping to tick Yellow-billed spoonbill at Duck Lagoon but dipped on this first visit (an evening). I had childhood memories of seeing yellow-billeds at farm-dams etc.  The return trip was at dawn revealing the spoonbills roosting in trees which was a little surprise for this nuff-nuff!

Duck Lagoon - the white specks are roosting spoonbills

Restless Flycatcher

Even with a borrowed scope, Murray Lagoon was altogether uninspiring, visually & birdially.

But it was good to get up close & personal to lots of old favourites:

Scarlet robin

That $#@! trophy belongs IN VICTORIA!!!

"Hmmm, wonder what's on?"

Lifers included the following:

Purple-crowned lorikeet

Crescent Honeyeater - this one trying to feed on honeycomb at Crawford's Honey Farm

And we are also very relieved to be able to post pictures of our namesake ....

Go TURNSTONES!