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!

There for the "ticking"! Red-browed finch

I'm sure many birders wonder about birds they've unwittingly walked past or under without realising. It must happen every day. We do rely on movement or noise.

I had just turned away from photographing a New Holland Honeyeater to spot a group of a dozen or so finch feeding on the grass within metres of me. A couple of birds obligingly perched briefly then returned to the fray.

I turned from photographing this New Holland honeyeater and encountered these finch

The striking thing was that after this introduction they disappeared but without flying away. Whatever interested them was deep enough in the grass root and stem system to require a little grass "burrowing". I was about 5 metres from the birds but couldn't get a clear view of them!

The birds are here at the bottom left of the picture but can't be seen!

From a distance the grass did not appear long. This is a parkland adjacent to a freeway and transmission lines. There is a bike trail with a steady flow of cyclists. The scene made me ponder just how often I might walk, jog or cycle past an unseen something I would happily stop for!

I spent some 20 minutes waiting for some individual shots!

Red-browed finch

What's Mick got?

Bird on!

The fairy-wren, the honeyeater and the finch

We have just enjoyed a long weekend of winter sunshine in Victoria.

I didn't do any birding at the weekend but these three birds did some "peopling" by visiting the backyard at Silverleaves, Phillip Island.

Superb fairy-wren (male). I was interested to see such a brightly coloured male at this time of year (our winter). Do click on the images to follow the larger versions of these thumbnails.

The female Superb fairy-wren is often referred to as a Jenny-wren

Eastern spinebill (Adult male)

The Eastern spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris) is a handsome honeyeater of eastern Australia. This one was demonstrating its ability to hover briefly while feeding (not captured unfortunately!). The last image of the spinebill was taken through a flywire screen. The only reason it has been included is that where the sunlight reflects off the bird's eye, the flywire has created a cross-shaped flare!

The spectacle I enjoyed most was watching this Red-browed finch Neochmia temporalis.

Red-browed finch, Silverleaves, Phillip Island, Vic

One became two ....

Two became three, which soon became four ...

Here is a photo showing 10 of the 15 birds I counted.

Red-browed finch

The other red object in the shot above serves to remind that the photo was taken in the Australian Rules Football-mad state of Victoria. This reminds me of the excellent start to the weekend as Friday night was spent at the footy. My son and I travelled with interstate rellos Banjo and Richard (of Richard Waring's Birds of Australia fame) to the MCG witnessing a great game between Essendon and Carlton.

The teams warm up at the "G". Thanks Rich for a great night and a fun result!

The footy experience continued with a half time kick at the local country game on Saturday (Phillip Island)

GO BOMBERS & Bird on!

Sharing with Wild Bird Wednesday

Bunyip State Park - forest birds

I really enjoyed a visit to Bunyip State Park last Friday. In the picnic ground itself were good views of Dusky woodswallow and a nesting Olive-backed oriole near the amenities block. Exploring the marked trails heading north from Dyers Picnic Ground I found that:

• the mapped but not signposted Russells Track would have been a useful walking pad running parallel to a creek but was impassable due to growth (lyrebird heard in this area)
• Dyer Creek trail provided excellent birding with views of Scarlet honeyeater, Rufous fantail, Red-browed treecreeper, Eastern whipbird and a brief encounter with a male Lyrebird
• there was very little evidence in this area of severe damage from the 2009 bushfires (Parks Victoria states 40% of the park was burnt).
• the downloadable pdf file reads quite well on the iphone using the suggested Avenza pdf map reader app which positions you on the Parks Victoria map (useful on the unmarked trails)

Taken on 28 December this photo of a Rufous fantail would have to be one of my favourite pics for the year!

When I started seeing the tinciest of honeyeaters I wondered what I might see when a mature male showed up ...

Surprise! Scarlet honeyeater - a Victorian first for me!

Immature birds were a feature and I seemed to be seeing a lot of Red-browed finch without red brows.

I was thrilled when a subsequent sighting turned about to be Beautiful firetail:

Satin flycatcher (female)

Silvereye

An Olive-backed oriole was nesting in the dark green tree seen to the left of the amenities block.

Leaf litter, trail bike tracks and a Red-browed treecreeper

Dyer Creek Track is apparently used for trail bike riding (as is much of the Bunyip State Park). I heard distant motorbikes on 2-3 occasions but met no-one on my journey this day.

At right can be seen the large lizard that crossed Black Snake Creek Rd in front of the car.

I'll be back!

Bird on!