I grabbed 45 minutes to visit the very metropolitan Westgate Park, Port Melbourne. Of the pictures taken I was most pleased with this shot of an Australasian grebe.
Australasian grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
"Aargh! My reflective toupee has come off"
I'm not sure why the bill of this New Holland Honeyeater looks over-sized!
That's a little more like it!
Chestnut teal and Pacific Black Duck looked very much at home
Pacific black duck - motoring towards a prospective feed - none forthcoming!
As I was leaving I spotted this dull bird I take to be a Golden whistler (female / immature)
I invite you to click the Location geotag to see where Westgate Park fits into this very industrial area nestled amongst freeway, port and factories.
A little Instagram filter action happening in this shot!
Bellbird Dell is a linear bushland reserve in Melbourne's outer east. It is conveniently located within 100m of the home ground my son's soccer club (Whitehorse United). As the pre-match warm-ups are becoming longer I took the opportunity to spend half an hour checking out the locals!
Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa) I do like it when they show their "green bits"!
Rock wall reflections on still water make for an icy appearance
No need for chiropractic work here
Duck's reflecting everywhere
The above photo as seen on Instagram (upside down to explore the reflection & cropped for the 1:1 format!)
Budding birders! This is the same pond in August 2003. My kids have grown. I wonder how long a duck lives?
I must say Anas superciliosa sounds a little Harry Potter to me! I did enjoy finding a little magic and charm in this common and readily observed species!
Australian wood-duck (Chenonetta jubata) often graze on land. Hence their other common name Maned Goose. This pair were having a swim in one of the Dell's man made wetlands. Here the male has tired of pond weed and seeks something a little more terrestrial.
"And what kind of beast are you!?" Male Eastern Spinebill.
Eastern spinebill, Red wattlebird and Noisy miner were the predominant honeyeaters. The spinebills were interested in the flowering correa. Correa reflexa is a shrub indigenous to the area. The distribution of these particular plants suggested to me that they were part of a revegetation exercise.
Correa reflexa - sometimes referred to locally as Native fuscia
Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera Bellbird Dell, 16 June 2013
Not an uncommon pose for Common bronzewing (as they walk away, contemplating flight)
Female Common bronzewing ruffling feathers up in the canopy.
Laughing kookaburra are often seen or heard
The name Bellbird Dell refers to the Bell Miner bird Manorina melanophrys. Once common in eastern Melbourne the sound of bellbirds in the canopy is now not often heard. I have only visited the Dell on 4-5 occasions and have not heard them. They do not appear on the Eremaea bird list for Bellbird Dell. They can still be heard not far away at Koomba Park.
Morning drizzle clearing, Bellbird Dell, Vermont South
A glowing review of Bellbird Dell can be found in this Youtube video by Steven1256 ...
Cutting across the middle of Bellbird Dell is another government-owned linear reserve which had been earmarked for freeway construction (now aborted). It is feared that this land will be opened for residential development without giving due concern to environmental factors.
Looking at this aerial shot, it does not take much imagination to recognise the potential benefit for suburban fauna if those light green areas could be made dark green!
Google Maps screen grab showing the revegetated Bellbird Dell running North-South and the abandoned freeway reserved land running east west. Bell miners still reside in pockets of Koomba Park which can be seen at the right.
For those interested, follow the links above to find out what action can be taken including lending support to a petition.
Birding endeavours during my recent trip to Port Fairy were seriously truncated by illness (temporary!) but here's a selection of shots from the weekend trip away for the folk festival.
Golden-headed cisticola
From the boardwalk at Pea Soup beach a wealth of gulls and terns beckoned further investigation but I really wasn't up to it!
This unbanded Hooded plover was protecting a fenced and signed nesting site at Pea Soup Beach, Port Fairy.
Black-shouldered kite with freshly caught mouse .... Yum!
Down the hatch - whole!
Does my stomach look full?
We walked past a wetland at Russell Clark Reserve daily which afforded good views of Great egret, Chestnut teal and other ducks, Buff-banded rail, Hoary-headed grebe, Purple swamphen and Dusky moorhen. There was a small group of around a dozen Black-tailed native hen.
Ahh yes, did I mention that the ponds are of the sewage stabilisation type?
I was thrilled to get the opportunity to have a quick birding visit to the Alice Springs poo ponds while in Alice recently - even more thrilled to be shown around by my good friend and brother-in-law Richard. It makes quite a difference when you know which section of saltbush may be worth hanging around! A few non-bird shots to set the scene ....
Looking south towards Ilparpa Rd.
Heavitree Gap from the poo ponds. Alice Springs proper is just through there!
Black-winged stilt
I don't get to these guys a lot so enjoyed seeing them close and experimenting with some Central Australian colours!
Confused pacific black duck
Red-necked avocet
This whistling kite was probably keen to get started on it's feed because it knew it would be harassed by the local Torresian crows.
A pink-eared duck thought it all terribly amusing
Red-kneed dotterel demonstrating the knees that are its namesake
This Australasian pipit was just begging to have its photo taken!
There were many birding highlights. Some of these however were associated with photographic disappointment! I would have dearly loved these absolutely gorgeous white-winged fairy-wren to allow us a little closer (or at least jump into focus)! Just to see this very handsome bird (lifer!) was a thrill.
Similarly we had almost given up on orange chat but a few sprang into (distant) view as we wandered back towards the car.
I certainly added to my "year list" as well and just about all the birds pictured here today have not been seen on this Victorian birder's blog before! What fun! You can also check out the Eremaea list of species from the visit.
