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Saturday 24 August 2013

SPOONBILLS OF AUSTRALIA

WHAT ARE SPOONBILLS?
Spoonbills are long-legged, wading birds, in the genus Platalea, family Threskiornithidae and order Ciconiiformes. They all have distinctive spoon-shaped bills, coloured yellowish, black or greyish. There are six species of spoonbill, with two species found in Australia. Both are native to Australia, and one is endemic to Australia as well.
Two royal spoonbills out at the Western Treatment Plant, where they are fairly common
A yellow-billed spoonbill, also at the Western Treatment Plant
ROYAL SPOONBILL Platalea regia
Also known as the black-billed spoonbill, this bird can be found in freshwater and saltwater wetlands in Australia, as well as parts of New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It feeds on crustaceans, fish and small insects, which it catches by sweeping its bill from side to side in the water, while walking and kicking up debris and small animals. It senses these animals with its bill, then swallows them. These are large, white birds, with black, spoon-shaped bills. In breeding plumage long white plumes grow from the back of the royal spoonbills' head, and coloured patches appear on its face. The nest is an open platform of sticks, placed in a tree. Two or three eggs are laid.
YELLOW-BILLED SPOONBILL Platalea flavipes
The yellow-billed spoonbill is endemic to Australia, and can also be found in wetlands. It is a rare vagrant to New Zealand, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. It grows to about 90 centimetres long, with a white body, pale yellow legs and a similarly coloured bill. Like all spoonbills, it has a bill shaped like a spoon. It is closely related to the roseate spoonbill, a species found in parts of North, Central and South America. Like the royal spoonbill, it feeds on crustaceans, fish and small insects by sweeping its bill from side to side. It also builds a platform of sticks for a nest, which has a hollowed center and is normally on the branches or fork of a tree. The tree often has a submerged base. Reedbeds are also sometimes used as nesting locations. The nests are often in colonies with Australian white ibises, straw-necked ibises, herons, egrets, cormorants and royal spoonbills. Two to four dull white eggs are laid.

TERNS (BUT NO WADERS) AT THE WESTERN TREATMENT PLANT

After reading a recent Birdline Vic report on broad-billed sandpipers, sharp-tailed sandpipers, red-necked stints, curlew sandpipers and a single marsh sandpiper all being reported from the WTP, I decided I would go there with my dad to go and check it out.
We drove down Point Wilson Road. Though there was less water around beside the road, I still managed to spot a white-necked heron on the side of the road. We tried Gate 5 but that was locked with some sort of new lock, so we decided to access the plant by another gate along Beach Road. We drove down Beach Road and I saw a dark-coloured bird on a fence post. It didn't seem to have any whitish markings on it, it was mostly black. It looked not unlike a brown falcon, except for the darker colour. Could it be a black falcon? I raised my camera and it flew away just before I could get a photo.   Throughout the area were many willie wagtails, and little ravens. 
Soon we got to the gate. We opened it and drove in, spotting hoary-headed grebes, black swans, purple swamphens, little black cormorants, Pacific black ducks and Eurasian coots until we stopped at a place where there were a few rocks out to sea. I saw four royal spoonbills feeding just off the beach. On the rocks was a white-faced heron, a pied oystercatcher, a little pied cormorant and several silvergulls, with more flying past in flocks. I looked a little closer at the rocks and saw several birds next to the silvergulls. I zoomed my camera in on them. They were . . .
Little terns!
Royal spoonbills. Note the distinctive black, spoon-shaped bill. The only other spoonbill commonly found in Australia has a yellow bill.
We drove further on, seeing welcome swallows flying in the air, as well as swamp harriers, whistling kites and brown falcons overhead. Eventually we got to the Bird Hide. We looked around at the many white-fronted chats around the hide, and heard the calls of superb fairy-wrens. We stepped into the hide, looked out of the window and saw . . .
No waders at all, except for a few pied oystercatchers. The only other things out there were silvergulls, crested terns and a black swan further out. 
A pied oystercatcher feeding out in the water in front of the hide
A white-fronted chat in the area around the hide
A yellow-billed spoonbill, not at the hide
We decided to drive further on to Lake Borrie and the lagoon near Paradise Road, where a marsh sandpiper had been reported. We drove along, with a stop for a pair of yellow-billed spoonbills. We saw whistling kites, swamp harriers, white-fronted chats, crested pigeons, black-shouldered kites, Australian pelicans, purple swamphens and Pacific black ducks, but no sandpiper. We drove back home without seeing anything else.
BIRD LIST
1. Black Swan
2. Pacific Black Duck
3. Crested Pigeon
4. Hoary-Headed Grebe
5. Little Pied Cormorant
6. Little Black Cormorant
7. White-Faced Heron
8. White-Necked Heron
9. Eastern Great Egret
10. Yellow-Billed Spoonbill
11. Royal Spoonbill
12. Black-Shouldered Kite
13. Whistling Kite
14. Swamp Harrier
15. Brown Falcon
16. Black Falcon (?)
17. Purple Swamphen
18. Eurasian Coot
19. Pied Oystercatcher
20. Silvergull
21. Crested Tern
22. Little Tern
23. Galah
24. Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo (on freeway)
25. Superb Fairy-Wren (heard only)
26. White-Fronted Chat
27. Willie Wagtail
28. Little Raven
29. Australian Magpie
30. Welcome Swallow



Saturday 10 August 2013

ANOTHER TRIP TO THE WESTERN TREATMENT PLANT

Today we decided we would go birding at the Western Treatment Plant. Because my Dad was tired we got to the plant at about 10.00 am but still managed to see some birds.
We drove down Point Wilson Road, stopping to see one white-necked heron feeding with several white-faced herons along the road. Soon we got to Gate 5. We entered the gate, watching yellow-rumped thornbills, house sparrows, willie wagtails, magpie-larks, crested pigeons, Australian magpies, swamp harriers and hundreds of welcome swallows fly along the road as we opened and closed the gate to Lake Borrie. The lake seemed almost devoid of waterbirds, and we saw only a black swan, a hoary-headed grebe, an eastern great egret, three little black cormorants and two little pied cormorants. We quickly got to our destination, the bird hide looking over the mouth of the Little River. We looked through and saw . . .
A flock of red-capped plovers and red-necked stints!
There were several flocks of waders spread across the mudflats, and I made out a possible double-banded plover, as well as three bar-tailed godwits. Pied oystercatchers and silver gulls were perched further out, and an Australian pelican flew overhead. From the bushes superb fairy-wrens, white-fronted chats and white-browed scrubwrens called. I could just imagine this place in summer...
An adult red-capped plover, its red cap bright in the sun
An immature red-capped plover 
Red-necked stints, arguably Australia's commonest wader. The sunlight makes the second and third ones look not unlike sanderlings. These stints haven't migrated, instead staying the winter in Australia. Or they could be very, very early migrants. 
Another of Australia's commoner waders is the bar-tailed godwit. Here is a blurry picture of two, with two silvergulls behind them.
A flying Australian pelican. 
We drove further on, spotting Australian white ibises, purple swamphens and hoary-headed grebes, but not much else. We also saw a black-shouldered kite hovering over the grass and searching for prey. It dove down once, but then came back up with an empty stomach. It tried to catch its prey again but by then it had hidden, and the kite gave up, swooping away.
Hovering black-shouldered kite
I'm hungry!
Then we came to the Gate. As we were exiting the Western Treatment Plant we saw a raptor flying overhead, coming down to land on the fence post. We checked it carefully, because last time this happened it was a spotted harrier (see previous post). It wasn't a harrier this time, but it was . . .
A whistling kite.
LIST OF BIRDS SEEN
1. Black Swan
2. Hoary-Headed Grebe
3. Crested Pigeon
4. Little Black Cormorant
5. Little Pied Cormorant
6. White-Faced Heron
7. White-Necked Heron
8. Eastern Great Egret
9. Australian White Ibis
10. Australian Pelican
11. Black-Shouldered Kite
12. Whistling Kite
13. Swamp Harrier
14. Red-Capped Plover
15. Double-Banded Plover
16. Pied Oystercatcher
17. Red-Necked Stint
18. Bar-Tailed Godwit
19. Silver Gull
20. Galah
21. Superb Fairy-Wren
22. White-Browed Scrubwren
23. Yellow-Rumped Thornbill
24. White-Fronted Chat
25. Magpie Lark
26. Willie Wagtail
27. Australian Magpie
28. Little Raven
29. Welcome Swallow
TOTAL SPECIES: 29
LIFERS: None

BIRDING INNER MELBOURNE

Many visitors to Melbourne may not have time to go far away from the inner city and surrounds, so here is a list of good birding spots that aren't too far from the inner city. I have noted the ones I have not visited yet.
A black-winged stilt at the first lake of Westgate Park
WESTGATE PARK
This park is next to the Westgate Bridge, and contains several lakes. Eurasian coots, dusky moorhens, purple swamphens, Pacific black ducks, black swans, Australasian grebes, hoary-headed grebes, chestnut teals, grey teals, black-winged stilts, eastern great egrets, royal spoonbills, hardheads and silver gulls are all fairly common in the lakes. Superb fairy-wrens, striated pardalotes, white-plumed honeyeaters, grey fantails, New Holland honeyeaters and similar may also be seen in the surrounding trees. There are other posts about this location on this blog.
STONY CREEK BACKWASH
On the other side of the Westgate Bridge, this small park contains a rare stand of white mangroves, as well as the shipwreck of a barge. Look for little black cormorants, eastern great egrets, silver gulls, great crested terns, little pied cormorants, chestnut teals, grey teals and Pacific black ducks in the backwash and flying overhead. There may also be New Holland honeyeaters in the mangroves.
MELBOURNE ZOO
A breeding plumage Nankeen night heron at Pelican Lake
The grounds of the Melbourne Zoo can be good for birds. The main spot is Pelican Lake, in the Asian Rainforest section of the zoo. Though the pelicans here are captive birds, wild Nankeen night herons and great cormorants are almost guaranteed here. Grey teals, chestnut teals, silver gulls, little pied cormorants and Pacific black ducks can also be seen. In the surrounding trees look for introduced song thrushes and common blackbirds on the ground. At certain spots in the zoo introduced Eurasian tree sparrows can also be seen. In the Australian Bush section look out for little wattlebirds, red wattlebirds, rainbow lorikeets, noisy miners and bell miners. Sometimes laughing kookaburras can be seen perched in the trees near the Bongo Exhibit. In bushy parts of the zoo look out for grey fantails, superb fairy-wrens, eastern spinebills, white-browed scrubwrens and silvereyes. There is also a colony of bell miners near the carpark. In winter trees around the zoo are full of rainbow lorikeets, little lorikeets and musk lorikeets. Swift parrots occasionally visit as well. Throughout the zoo look out for silver gulls, house sparrows, rainbow lorikeets, common mynas and spotted turtledoves. There are other posts about this location on this blog.
In Australia song thrushes can only be found in Victoria, where they have been introduced to Melbourne and the surrounding area
ROYAL PARK (not visited)
The park surrounding the Melbourne Zoo is also a good spot, but I cannot find much information on it so only some of the birds possible are listed here. The Trin-Warren Tam-Boore wetlands are home to various waterbirds including chestnut teals, hardheads, purple swamphens, dusky moorhens, Eurasian coots,  grey teals, Pacific black ducks, silver gulls and similar. Around the area look for Australian reed warblers and little grassbirds. A bushy area has been set up for the protection of White's Skinks, here various birds can be seen including grey fantails, little wattlebirds, crested pigeons, red wattlebirds, superb fairy-wrens, eastern spinebills, white-browed scrubwrens, red-rumped parrots, rainbow lorikeets, white-plumed honeyeaters, NEW Holland honeyeaters, noisy miners, eastern spinebills, spotted pardalotes, Willie wagtails, bell miners and silvereyes, among others. Further on are deeper ponds, where some different waterbirds can be seen. Sometimes raptors can be seen flying overhead.
MELBOURNE BOTANIC GARDENS
Hoary-headed grebes are fairly common at the Botanic Gardens lake 
The lake in the middle of the gardens is home to little black cormorants, Nankeen night herons, Pacific black ducks, chestnut teals, dusky moorhens, black swans, silver gulls, purple swamphens, Eurasian coots, grey teals and hoary-headed grebes. Throughout the gardens look for brown thornbills, magpie-larks, Australian magpies, common blackbirds, little wattlebirds, red wattlebirds, bell miners, common mynas, little ravens and house sparrows. There are other posts about this location on this blog.  
YARRA BEND PARK (not visited)
This park near the city is a good site for tawny frogmouths and southern boobooks at night. Various bush birds and waterbirds can also be seen in the park and surrounds. Nankeen night herons, laughing kookaburras, grey butcherbirds, Australian magpies, spotted pardalotes, Australian wood ducks, Pacific black ducks, eastern rosellas, eastern spinebills, bell miners, white-plumed honeyeaters, New Holland honeyeaters, red wattlebirds, little wattlebirds, noisy miners, white-browed scrubwrens, brown thornbills, black-faced cuckooshrikes and grey shrike-thrushes are some of the birds other people have recorded.
The Australian reed warbler, also known as the Clamorous reed warbler, can sometimes be seen in reeds on Herring Island
HERRING ISLAND (not visited)
This small island is located in the Yarra Rver, about 3 kilometres from the city. You can only access the island by boat. Parks Victoria runs a boat across the river during summer. On the jetty you can see little pied cormorants, dusky moorhens, Australian reed warblers and Pacific black ducks. The first boat arrives at 11 am. Rainbow lorikeets, grey butcherbirds, red-rumped parrots, willie wagtails, superb fairy-wrens, welcome swallows, Australian magpies, noisy miners, white-plumed honeyeaters and brown goshawks are some birds other people have recorded on the island.
THE REST OF THE CITY
Throughout much of Melbourne house sparrows, feral pigeons, silver gulls and common mynas are abundant. Along the Yarra River silver gulls are the commonest birds, but I have also recorded little black cormorants (uncommon), little pied cormorants (uncommon), black swans (rare) and mallards (rare)