Birding Wonthaggi Heathlands - of Emu and Emu-wren

I had my second visit to Wonthaggi Heathlands last weekend. I have enjoyed the birding on both occasions. One bird on the target list for this location is Southern emu-wren. I certainly was not expecting to see its oversized namesake but there you go ....!

First tick of the afternoon: Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae 6 Sept 2014
One of a pair seen on pastoral land looking west from the car park at Wonthaggi Heathlands

Grey fantail were also active along the car park fence line

Two circuit walks leave from the car park which is at the end of Chisolm Rd just southwest of Wonthaggi (find Cameron Street then head west along Campbell Street - at its navigable end is a dog leg and you are then in Chisolm Rd which becomes gravel - follow this south until you reach the car park - google maps does not recognise Chisolm Rd). One finds oneself unexpectedly close to the sea and also the local windfarm. On this occasion I only had time for a late afternoon walk around the shorter loop.

I am increasingly impressed and consider myself very lucky to be able to travel relatively short distances from home to encounter different honeyeater strongholds. The calls of White-eared, Yellow-faced and New Holland honeyeaters as well as Red wattlebird told me which honeyeater gangs were active here!

Yellow-faced honeyeater, Wonthaggi heathlands

New Holland honeyeater 

Nicely focussed on the dead branch with "scribbly gum" effect! White-faced honeyeater

The next two pictures were taken at my previous visit which was in November 2013. As you can see it was quite wet! Things were much dryer this time.

A section of heathland on the Short Loop trail, Wonthaggi Heathlands

Australasian pipit, Wonthaggi Heathlands

 This next series of photos follows (what I eventually worked out to be) a young male Golden whistler having a drink and a bath in a drying out puddle. I have not seen whistlers at ground level before - they must have brief visits.

Golden whistler, immature male, Wonthaggi Heathlands 

Now behaving a little more whistler-like

Superb fairy-wren were abundant but not cooperative today!

Red-browed finch

So as the sun started to get low I realised I was going to dip on Southern emu-wren on this occasion. 

But I did see an emu!

Looking south-west from the Short loop trail, Wonthaggi Heathlands. Note the thin sliver of sea on the horizon.

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