Birding Killarney Beach

Dull but dry! Looking west from Killarney Beach towards the Port Fairy lighthouse. Low tide exposes the weed covered rocks which protect the beach from the surf.

Aahh, not enough time! Precious few moments to take in some serious birding, even less time for blogging. However I so enjoyed some birding moments at the weekend, I feel inspired to pen a post or two.

Labour Day long weekend in Victoria generally finds me at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. This year was no exception and I tore myself away from the music for a few hours to Killarney Beach, a reasonably reliable spot for Sanderling and other shorebirds, so I have read.

Being a long weekend I was sharing the beach with horse-riders, dog walkers, fisherman (a few of each) and a lone swimmer (yikes - it's the Southern Ocean for goodness sake!).

I was keen for Sanderling and I spent some time (read "45 minutes") watching a group of waders trying to convince myself that they weren't Red-necked stint and failed - they were. The low-tide had revealed seaweed-covered rocky reefs and patches of exposed seagrass. This underwater garden was laid bare for the camouflaged shorebirds to feast upon.

Several Red-necked stint and two Ruddy turnstone (look hard!)

The stints in particular loved the patches of sea-grass. There was also a pair of Pied oystercatcher and a young Kelp gull hanging around.

  

Oystercatcher, stint and turnstone

Kelp gull

These seagrass patches and reefs are just 50 metres to the west of the car park. Heading further west along the beach towards Port Fairy we come in to some serious Hooded plover territory. I saw six birds including a chick.

Distant view of an adult Hooded plover sending its chick to the safety of dune shrubs - away from the approaching photographer

Meet Hooded plover (Orange flag YY), proud parent doing its thing distracting me away from the chick "Come hither!"

Volcanic rock forms the reefs protecting the little bay from the Southern Ocean surf. White-fronted chat forage

  

Black swan and gulls including this Kelp gull were among the fly-bys.

Looking east, low tide Killarney Beach. You can see two small "islands" of sea grass

Now if you want Sanderling try heading East from the carpark! More to follow ...

Bird on!

DBPs with colour, Phillip Island

Double-banded plover Charadrius bicinctus, Phillip Island, 9 Aug 2014

I was interested to see photos of Double-banded plovers taken recently in Werribee, Victoria. The photos showed breeding plumage so I was inspired to pay a visit to Observation Point yesterday as I knew that these birds had frequented the sandy spit in our autumn earlier this year.

I have never seen them in colour before until yesterday. What handsome little birds!

They have intrigued me as they have a unique migration pattern - breeding in New Zealand and wintering in Australia. Pizzey states that part of the South Island (NZ) population migrates annually and spends February - September in Southern Australia.

I think we have a male (left) and female (right) in this shot. Rather than black, the female is said to have a brown upper band and less black and white markings on the forehead.

Female DBP feeding

While enjoying these birds' breeding colours for the first time there was an unexpected visitor ...

I have not seen a Ruddy turnstone at Observation Point before. It wandered around and fed in characteristic fashion.

Something about the angle of shot and posture of the turnstone implies that the two species are a similar size although the turnstone is generally slightly larger than the DBP

Ruddy turnstone vigorously flicking seaweed and other debris out of the way in characteristic fashion 

RT: "Yeah, I couldn't be fagged flying all the way to Siberia this year. "
DBP: "Choice Bro"

Another migrant dropped in for a real meeting of ways. Now we have (L-R) DBP, Red-necked stint and Ruddy turnstone

Red-necked stint

Caspian tern

Caspian terns, Observation Point, Phillip Island, Vic

Crested terns

Jeff lacked subtlety at times

The "usual plovers" being Hooded plovers (a nice gathering of four birds) and Red-capped plovers (just a single bird identified) were far outnumbered by the Double-banded visitors.

Having already had an interesting and enjoyable outing I was treated on the walk back to a White-breasted sea eagle fly-by.

Something up ahead!!!

White-bellied sea eagle, Observation Point beach, Phillip Island

When kids get hold of your phone .... I hadn't noticed till too late that my iphone camera was applying filters to today's shots. Thanks Hannah!

Sharing with I'd Rather B Birdin'

Bird on!

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!