Avian Liquorice All-sorts, Port Fairy

Within 5 minutes and 20 metres of each other were a collection of peculiarly coloured birds at Port Fairy the other weekend. All three were birds I don't often see. Three times I found myself thinking how strangely these birds were "put together".

The always nervous Black-tailed Native hen is mostly drab but has an alarming yellow eye, green and red bill and striking red legs (and it gets it's name from a black tail!?).

Black-tailed native hen - no large groups here but 5-6 birds momentarily in bright sunlight.

A single Pink-eared Duck refused to cooperate but its impressive shovelling bill can be made out on this photo as can it's zebra markings and pink "ear".

Australian Spotted crake was equally noncommittal but also has some garish colourings on bill and leg.

Australian Spotted Crake

All birds were seen at Port Fairy's Russell Clark Reserve which was conveniently located between our digs and the Port Fairy Folk Festival. We walked past daily. The reserve is actually used as a temporary  car park for the festival.

I sat for a while to view and photograph the crake which was on yonder island ….

… the usual local gang of thugs was also present ….

… and came to check me out (iPhone shots now) …..

 ….. which of course attracted the attention of the constabulary. So much for going under cover!

To my left our rented house, my right the music festival, behind me the Southern Ocean, in front of me a wetland!
Alas only one long weekend!

"Reverse charge call". The first time I've seen a Hoodie's nesting area roped off on the "dune" side preventing access to the shore line. The scrape was apparently on a short peninsula. The dune is behind me! We watched the hoodie for a while (sans camera, we were actually at the beach swimming!) and were thrilled to count five Ruddy Turnstones as well.

Returned the next day but found none of the above but a White-faced heron ...

 …. and some other locals. Always impressed at that bill! Long-billed corella.

Between Acts, Stage 1, Sunday Evening, Port Fairy Folk Festival

Decidedly birding theme to this year's festival featuring local gull, "mutton birds" (Short-tailed shearwaters), Hooded Plover and Pied Oystercatcher. Wins my vote! I wonder home many of the 12,000 patrons were as impressed as me!

Experience more at the website Port Fairy Folk Festival Worth a look! Hear some tunes!

Bird (& folk) on!

Bird Week Day 4 - Oh my, Woolamai! Birds of Phillip Island

White-fronted chat, Cape Woolamai

A few pictures today from another rewarding early morning walk to Cape Woolamai. When the weather is right it is a place worth getting up early for! It appears that there is always something to different of the feathered kind to see and the views are exceptional!

Good-sized meal for a Chat methinks!

Australasian pipit perched on some Cape Woolamai pink granite

Australian magpie chases down a Brown falcon to provide some feedback

These shots were taken within two seconds. When checking my pictures later the magpie appears to end up with something in it's bill that is not there in the first two shots. I am assuming that the falcon is now short a couple of feathers!

A contemplative Australian magpie. I remembered later that Collingwood had just been knocked out of the AFL finals. 

We surprised each other. One shot and this White-faced heron was off!

On the day of my walk in late September 2013 I took a few snippets of video:

The trail starts from the Woolamai surf beach car park and follows the beach until the cliffs commence. Hooded plover are commonly seen along this stretch (but that's another story). Steps take you to the top of the cliffs and shortly thereafter the trail splits into a circuit. Of late I have tended to take the "western" arm as this follows the ocean enabling me to keep an eye out for distant albatross. Sometimes I return this way as well. The views are spectacular. Taking the other arm will certainly add to your Woolamai day list as it passes through heathland (Superb fairy-wren, cisticola) and a good stand of banksia which is full of honeyeaters (wattlebirds and New Holland Honeyeater dominate).

Throughout the cape there is the opportunity to see raptors (Swamp harrier, Peregrine falcon, Nankeen kestrel, Black-shouldered kite and White-bellied sea eagle).

If the weather is unpleasant (either too warm or too wet and windy) do not take a young family - this is an 8km round trip!

Before your walk you may like to read the Phillip Island Nature Park's Nature Notes for Cape Woolamai.

The kids trudging, January 2011

Early morning view from the beach

I had forewarning of this burn but was relieved to find no evidence of it!

Up on the high ground

Much higher up now looking back towards the beach that was the starting point. Much rain has created fresh water pools on top of the headland.

The destination!

Bird on!

"Going up" A Heron on the fourth floor

This is a final post from this year's trip to Caloundra. This White-faced heron paid a visit to the fourth floor balcony of our Kings Beach accommodation. It provided photographic challenges for the equipment and talent at hand.

At 65cm this bird is reasonably big. This is generally not a problem except if the bird has landed only 3 metres away from your 150-500 lens. It was also quite unusual for me to be shooting with a glaringly sunlit maroon wall as a background. The results are, at best, interesting!

A very cosmopolitan White-faced heron, Kings Beach, Caloundra

Here we see evidence of trial-and-error photography as I ....

• Realise that I wasn't going to able to work at all with that bright maroon wall.

• Try to take the wall out of the equation using different angles and zooming to a tighter subject. 

• Don't really coming to grips with optimal focussing when the head and tail are at such different focal lengths.

• Miss nailing a decent take-off shot and inadvertently capture an interesting shadow in a corner of a picture. 

Well, "Live and learn" as they say!

Where Beach stone-curlew fossicked the night before!

Another extremely welcome visit was from a pair of Beach stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) to the main beach right alongside the boardwalk and cafe-strip of Caloundra's Bulcock Beach Esplanade.

There are no photos!

The weather had been lousy and I was going for a no-camera jog in the drizzle and gloom of early evening when I sighted the pair. I was able to watch from the boardwalk for a good 15 minutes as they poked around the water's edge. I observed one bird repeatedly nodding every 4-5 seconds. The bird's whole body would see-saw with the quick nod. Intermittently the other bird bowed it's head and spread it's wings forming horizontal arcs in a possibly submissive display. It was a memorable moment for me seeing these locally endangered shore birds for the first time.

Here is a link to some excellent images of some other local Beach stone-curlews at Greg Roberts' blog sunshinecoastbirds. For more information about these birds check the Birds in Backyards Beach Stone-curlew page.

I returned the next morning to find the trusty council tractor raking and flattening the exact spot!

Back to how a beach should be. Completely flat, devoid of washed-up seaweed, pesky birdlife or any form of obvious life!

Osprey are also a regular part of the Caloundra sky scape. No close-up photos this year but I enjoyed finding this nest high up in a Norfolk Island pine on the Headland Esplanade.

Site of urban Osprey nest, Caloundra

Osprey just visible in nest, Caloundra

Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) checking the conditions

Pied cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius) 

Bird on!

Freckled ducks at Swan Lake, Phillip Island

A small group of Freckled duck have settled into Phillip Island's Swan Lake since October 2012. I had noticed that they had started appearing on Eremaea lists in recent months and was thrilled to find them still present close to the northern-most bide hide at the weekend. Although not being terribly cooperative for the camera I was pleased to find them readily identifiable - a "lifer"!

Freckled duck, Phillip Island, 7th April 2013

I read that they are irruptive in distribution which is confirmed by the Eremaea lists for Victoria. None were reported at all for the entire state in 2010. This year has seen them in greater numbers than any previous year and we are only up to April!

Freckled Duck sightings in Victoria (Eremaea birds)

The Freckled duck were "roosting" along the edge of the drying lake mixing it with the usual good numbers of Eurasian coot, a few Black-fronted dotterel and the odd Little black cormorant.

There was lots to see on the day with several birds presenting nicely for photography from the hides. Seen below are Black-fronted dotterel, Black swan, White-faced heron, Pacific gull, Hoary-headed grebe, Eurasian coot, Australian white ibis and Little pied cormorant.

It was also a good opportunity to add to my fine photographic collection of Musk duck tail flicks...

Musk duck motoring along. I love how unusual these ducks are in appearance and behaviour.

Cape Barren Goose

"Swan Lake" or "Goose Puddle"?

The walk from the car park to the wetlands also affords good birding of bushland birds. Here we have New Holland honeyeater, some shy Red-browed finch, Eastern Yellow Robin and what I think is a young Golden whistler.

 Bird on!