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