WERRIBEE SOUTH

In mid November 2012 we were based not far from Melbourne, capital of Victoria, visiting family and friends and birding in the local area before heading to Tasmania. We stayed in a lovely little van park on the shores of Port Phillip Bay at Werribee South. Most of the images below were taken nearby.

  

Whiskered Terns

Red-necked Stint

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Pied Cormorants

The four introduced finch species present in Victoria, below. 

Common Greenfinch

European Goldfinch

House Sparrow - male

House Sparrows & Tree Sparrow (on right) 

Out at Braeside Park a pair of lorikeets were checking out some tree hollows for a suitable nest site.

Rainbow Lorikeets

Cheers & Happy Birding

A COASTAL WALK

A couple of weeks ago I had some time after work to have a stroll along the walking paths of Caloundra and Moffat Headlands. There had been some heavy weather through earlier and although it was windy the rain had ceased, allowing me to take a few shots and check out the birdlife.  

Looking towards Caloundra from the Headland shore.  

Rockscape below Caloundra Headland.

As I wandered along looking out to sea, a large bird alighted on a branch of one of the many large Norfolk pines that have been planted along this stretch of the coast. It sat quietly preening and fluffing up it's plumage.
Being overhead it gave me the opportunity to take an unusual shot.

Headless raptor.

The bird was an Osprey and it eye-balled me from it's perch till I moved on and left it in peace.
These magnificent raptors nest in the pines and I have seen a pair attending a nest behind the control cockpit of a crane on top of an apartment block building site in town.

Eastern Osprey

My walk along Moffat Headland gave me the chance to observe some Australasian Gannets do their spectacular plunges for prey and to appreciate their mastery of the windy conditions. I watched their antics through my binos for about 20 minutes before the showers came back with a vengeance.

View from Moffat Headland.

Australasian Gannet.

The following day the weather had improved dramatically, the sun was out and these lorikeets made the most of some fresh seed in our backyard feeder.

Rainbow Lorikeets

And this fantail was still hanging around even though most of his mates have started heading south as the weather slowly warms.

Grey Fantail

OUT AND ABOUT

It was back to work for Clare and myself after our recent holiday so I haven't had much of a chance to do any birding. I had a few pictures from before our trip that I had meant to post but never got around to it

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While picnicking at Noosaville with some rellies recently I snapped some photos of the local denizens of the park. The heron had been hanging around our table hoping for scraps.

White-faced Heron

 The  ever present lorikeets although unusually quiet, brightened up an otherwise dull and overcast day.

Rainbow Lorikeets

Meanwhile closer to home and while walking the dog, camera in hand, I got close enough for a shot of a pardalote that was doing its best to be as inconspicuious as possible.

Striated Pardalote.

The immature cuckoo-shrike a little further down the road was much more obliging!

Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike

As I walked back and reached our front yard I saw an unusual flower that I hadn't noticed before. I'm not much of  a gardener but I'm guessing it is an orchid of some description.

Relaxing on the back verandah with a cuppa afterwards I watched this lone lorikeet tucking into some fresh seed in the feeder.

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

Followed by a visit to the birdbath by a Rufous Fantail that comes in most days for a dip. Getting a decent shot of it is another matter as it only has a quick splash then disappears. It is quite shy compared to it's less colourful counterpart, the Grey Fantail.

Rufous Fantail.

I was just about to head inside with the daylight fading when a pair of black cockatoos flew in nearby for a bit of a stickybeak. One posed nicely for me before they both took off for parts unknown.

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo. 

A WATTLEBIRD AND THE BIG WET

We don't often get these birds around here, they tend to be more common down along the coast,

so it was a good opportunity to take a snap when this one came to the birdbath, 

while being eyed off by a Willy Wagtail.

Little Wattlebird & Willy Wagtail

This particular bird is a difficult one to photograph. A common enough species around here but very wary and flighty.When I first took an interest in birds as a 12 year old in suburban Doveton in Victoria, it was the first "exotic" bird I identified when going for Sunday drives with my parents in the country. It is still one of my favourites with its soft grey plumage, distinctive flight pattern and soft rolling call.

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

The cocos palm is flowering prolifically after the record rainfalls and getting lots of visits by various birds including these Scalies and Rainbows.

Scaly-breasted Lorikeets

Rainbow Lorikeets in the cloud.

This is a view from our back verandah of the Bli-Bli valley after the recent deluge.

The Sunshine Coast was spared the worst of the flooding and the depredations of Cyclone Yasi.

Our hearts go out to those who have been affected by these catastrophes and we, along with millions of others have been contributing to the Premiers Relief fund. 

Bli-Bli Valley

When the rain event earlier this month was at its peak there were a lot of landslips on the range including this one on the main road up and just around the corner from us.

According to some local long-range weather forecasters our area may experience a cyclone in the next month. Let's hope their prognosis is way off the mark!

Nambour-Mapleton Road

Another one of our local residents, the Grey Huntsman, tend to find their way in to the house quite often and I am constantly being asked to re-locate them by the rest of my arachnophobic family!

 Grey Huntsman spider.

WET DECEMBER

With all the rain and storms this month the birds around home have been laying low, but with a few breaks in the weather they come out for a preen and a feed and even a bath!

A couple of months ago we had up to five of these large birds roaming around the yard!

Brush Turkey
(the only Christmas turkey at our place this year)

Figbird - female

The males of this species are starting to lose the bright red colouring of their facial patch.

Figbird - male

The Brown Honeyeaters like to get wet anytime.

Brown Honeyeaters

Even the lorikeets have been a lot less noticeable than usual.

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet feeding on Grevillea.

Rainbow Lorikeet.



This moth took cover on our back verandah the other day.
I was able to identify it through this great website:http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/cato/selen.html

Southern Old Lady Moth ( Daspodia selenophonora)

A FINE WEEKEND

After last weekends weather we've had a lovely clear and sunny couple of days and the birds are enjoying it too. We had a couple of locals drop by for a snack.

Pale-headed Rosellas snacking on the seeds of the introduced
Mexican sunflower.

 These  birds are favourites of mine with their pastel colours and chuckling contact calls.

Another parrot species common to coastal Qld is the gaudy Rainbow Lorikeet, 

always willing to pose for a snap.

Rainbow Lorikeet 

The black and white brigade were out and about too. 

Australian Magpie

Magpie-lark - this is the male with his black throat and bib.