HEALESVILLE AND TOOLANGI

I recently visited Healesville Sanctuary and part of Toolangi State Forest during a stay in the Yarra Valley. I managed to see quite a few birds, including a lifer.
Healesville surprisingly turned out to be the most productive site. The emu exhibit's feeders were attracting many galahs and common bronzewings, while Australian white ibis rested in trees overhead, a few satin bowerbirds hopped around in the undergrowth and a single yellow-faced honeyeater was extremely high up in a tall eucalypt. Finally, a eastern spinebill sipped nectar from some nearby flowers.

The area around the emu exhibit is a reliable site for common bronzewing

A nearby flowering plant was this eastern spinebill's lunch

Both male and female satin bowerbirds were in the trees at the beginning of the exhibit

The birds were similar until we got to the Spirits of the Sky Flight Arena (an area where there is a birds of prey show). While waiting for the show to start, I saw many birds in the trees on the edges of Badger Creek (which flows through the sanctuary). There were quite a few yellow-faced honeyeaters, some brown thornbills, an eastern yellow robin and a single lifer white-naped honeyeater that allowed only quick views and a barely decent photo before leaving.

The white-naped honeyeater flew in for a quick drink before leaving

In the arena itself there were many grey fantails in a nearby tree, as well as sulphur-crested cockatoos and galahs flying over. The show itself was really nice and I almost got hit in the shoulder by a wedge-tailed eagle!
We walked along a few more trails, but saw more of the same: however some ponds held a few chestnut teals and Pacific black ducks, as well as 3 purple swamphens.
After going to Healesville we arrived at our accommodation. We did a walk through woodland to a bird hide overlooking a wetland, however the woodlands were fairly quiet (brown thornbills, eastern spinebills, superb fairy-wrens, noisy miners, Indian mynas, common starlings, Australian ravens, little ravens and a single pied currawong), though the hide was overlooking a large roost of about 30-40 eastern great egrets and greater cormorants. The walk also went past the Yarra River and there were Pacific black ducks, dusky moorhens, Eurasian coots and purple swamphens in the river. Finally a grassy lawn at the start of the walk held grazing Australian wood ducks, a single masked lapwing and some white-faced herons.

This grey currawong was rather shy for his species

For a site near Melbourne this is a very large number of eastern great egrets

The next morning we visited the Wirrawilla Rainforest Walk. This walk is roughly half-an-hour's drive from Healesville. The walk itself wasn't very productive, however there were many birds around the carpark and entrance: we saw grey fantails, brown thornbills, flame robins, white-browed scrubwrens and a golden whistler.

Both a male and female flame robin were at the carpark, the male is shown here

Finally, on the way back home we visited one of the area's many vineyards: though the vineyard was fully booked for lunch there were many goldfinches in the carpark, one of Victoria's less common introductions.

The goldfinch is one of several birds introduced by the European colonists of Australia

SPECIES SEEN:
1. Pacific Black Duck
2. Chestnut Teal
3. Australian Wood Duck
4. White-Faced Heron
5. Eastern Great Egret
6. Greater Cormorant
7. Dusky Moorhen
8. Purple Swamphen
9. Eurasian Coot
10. Masked Lapwing
11. Spotted Dove
12. Common Bronzewing
13. Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
14. Galah
15. Rainbow Lorikeet
16. Crimson Rosella
17. Superb Fairy-Wren
18. White-Browed Scrubwren
19. Brown Thornbill
20. Golden Whistler
21. Red Wattlebird
22. Eastern Spinebill
23. New Holland Honeyeater
24. White-Naped Honeyeater
25. Noisy Miner
26. Grey Fantail
27. Willie Wagtail
28. Australian Magpie
29. Pied Currawong
30. Little Raven
31. Australian Raven
32. Welcome Swallow
33. Blackbird
34. Indian Myna
35. Common Starling
36. Goldfinch
TOTAL: 36
LIFERS: 1

WILSON'S PROM: COTTERS BEACH TRACK

To try and find southern emu-wrens, we walked the Cotters Beach Track. Reports had said the middle area of this 2 kilometre track was good for emu-wrens, and that flowering trees near the carpark held crescent honeyeaters. Though we didn't see evidence of the first part, the second part was proven true.

The track turned out to be pretty good for seeing these emus

The first main bird was seen before even hitting the track, walking across the road: one of the emus that  was descended from the birds that had been re-introduced to the park in the 1900s. In the carpark and first section of the track there was little activity, with just superb fairy-wrens, grey fantails, white-browed scrubwrens, New Holland honeyeaters, brown thornbills and red-browed finches. As the forested section of the track lead into a more grassy area, birds became a little better, with the appearance of many white-fronted chats, a single grey shrike-thrush and a few more emus. A pond near the track held some chestnut teals, and at the beach some silvergulls and a Pacific gull were present, but nothing else was to be seen.

I managed to get several good shots of these white-fronted chats

A distant emu walking on a sand dune

However the birds didn't really change until we returned to the carpark, where we found several crescent honeyeaters in flowering trees. A bit of a disappointment in terms of seeing the wren, but good in that I managed an OK picture of a crescent honeyeater.

As hard as it may be to tell, the bird is in fact a crescent honeyeater

SPECIES SEEN:
1. Emu
2. Chestnut Teal
3. Silvergull
4. Pacific Gull
5. Superb Fairy-Wren
6. White-Browed Scrubwren
7. Brown Thornbill
8. Red Wattlebird
9. Crescent Honeyeater
10. White-Fronted Chat
11. Grey Shrike-Thrush
12. Forest Raven
13. Australian Magpie
14. Magpie-Lark
15. Grey Fantail
16. Red-Browed Finch
TOTAL: 16
LIFERS: None

WILSON'S PROM: LILLY PILLY WALK

The main walk we did in the park was the Lilly Pilly Nature Walk, departing from the Lilly Pilly Gully carpark and being 2.6 kilometres one way (with a 600 metre boardwalk circuit at the far end also). The reason I picked this walk was that it went through a variety of habitats (going through various eucalypt forests and ending in temperate rainforest) and was apparently a reliable site for brown gerygone (an uncommon bird in Victoria that I hadn't seen yet).
The first section of the walk didn't provide too many birds, with a single grey butcherbird, many red wattlebirds, many brown thornbills, an olive whistler, two overflying forest ravens, a grey shrike-thrush and many grey fantails.

This grey butcherbird was perched in a tree at the beginning of the walk

However as we went on the birdlife became more evident, with eastern yellow robins, superb fairy-wrens, white-browed scrubwrens, scarlet robins, golden whistlers, white-throated treecreepers and a single rufous whistler all visible.

This eastern yellow robin was extremely friendly and allowed close looks

At one point in the walk there were about 5 golden whistlers in trees around us

As the walk moved into rainforest these birds slowly stopped appearing and the forest was rather quiet. Then I realised that there was a small flock of lifer brown gerygones around us, and through the remaining rainforest and boardwalk we saw many of these. Heading back didn't really provide anything extra.

Brown gerygones appear quite common in the Lilly Pilly Gully rainforest

A view of a stream bridged by the rainforest boardwalk

SPECIES SEEN:
1. Superb Fairy-Wren
2. White-Browed Scrubwren
3. Brown Thornbill
4. Brown Gerygone
5. Red Wattlebird
6. Scarlet Robin
7. Eastern Yellow Robin
8. White-Throated Treecreeper
9. Australian Magpie
10. Grey Butcherbird
11. Grey Shrike-Thrush
12. Olive Whistler
13. Rufous Whistler
14. Golden Whistler
15. Forest Raven
TOTAL: 15
LIFERS: 1

WILSON'S PROM: TIDAL RIVER

Tidal River is the main settlement in Wilson's Prom and it is where we stayed. We stayed in Wilderness Retreat tents at the top of Tidal River, which were very comfortable and out of the way. Though Tidal River's wildlife wasn't as amazing as that of the surrounding area, the birds were extremely tame. In the mornings I spotted grey shrike-thrushes, crimson rosellas, brown thornbills, white-browed scrubwrens, Superb fairy-wrens, laughing kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets, silvergulls, welcome swallows, eastern yellow robins, grey fantails, red wattlebirds and galahs in the area. There were also often pied currawongs and forest ravens on the roadsides. A big surprise was seeing two olive whistlers make their way past our tent, birds supposed to be extremely secretive.

This is one of the two olive whistlers I spotted near the tent

Two of these grey shrike-thrushes were running around while we ate breakfast 

This immature crimson rosella was feeding next to the general store

This puddle was being used as a bath by this brown thornbill and superb fairy-wren

The forest raven can be told apart from other ravens by its much deeper call

Several galahs were hanging around in the lawn near the caravan park

The roads near Tidal River were also pretty good for birds, and I mention them because I spotted one of the 4 lifers of this trip along one. Early in the morning of our last day, I saw a brush bronzewing walking along the road. Other roadside birds included forest ravens, pied currawongs, grey fantails, black-faced cuckoo-shrikes, grey butcherbirds, yellow-faced honeyeaters, a bassian thrush in an area of wet forest and, of course, both species of wattlebird.

This sad excuse for a photo was the best I could get of the brush bronzewing

Finally, Tidal River was also rather good for mammals. Throughout the day there were often swamp wallabies around, with eastern grey kangaroos on the roadsides. Most importantly there were wombats everywhere. The grassy lawns of Tidal River were being used as grazing areas for many wombats.

Swamp wallabies like this one can be found throughout southern Victoria

In my opinion the common wombat is one of Australia's most adorable animals

This eastern grey kangaroo was watching our car from the roadside

We did most of our birding at Tidal River around our accommodation and at Norman Beach (a beach where the Tidal River flows into the ocean).

The mouth of Tidal River. Notice the brown water- that colour is caused by a compound named tannin.

I saw a variety of birds in Tidal River, and they were all rather photogenic.
SPECIES SEEN:
1. Brush Bronzewing
2. Silvergull
3. Pacific Gull
4. Galah
5. Rainbow Lorikeet
6. Crimson Rosella
7. Laughing Kookaburra
8. Superb Fairy-Wren
9. White-Browed Scrubwren
10. Brown Thornbill
11. New Holland Honeyeater
12. Red Wattlebird
13. Little Wattlebird
14. Yellow-Faced Honeyeater
15. Magpie-Lark
16. Australian Magpie
17. Forest Raven
18. Grey Butcherbird
19. Pied Currawong
20. Grey Shrike-Thrush
21. Black-Faced Cuckoo-Shrike
22. Olive Whistler
23. Willie Wagtail
24. Grey Fantail
25. Welcome Swallow
26. Eurasian Starling
27. Blackbird
28. Bassian Thrush
TOTAL: 28
LIFERS: 1

WILSON'S PROM: SQUEAKY BEACH

Recently I went on another family trip, this time to Wilson's Promontory National Park ('the Prom') for 2 nights. I did a lot of birding on this trip and saw 4 lifers, as well as spotting 3 of my 4 target species (the one I missed was the southern emu-wren).
For this trip report I'm going to try something different: instead of reporting the day by day events, I will report each location visited separately.

A view of part of Squeaky Beach

The first location we went to was Squeaky Beach. This beach is known for its odd sand, which makes a squeaking sound when walked on. Though the beach wasn't extremely good for birds, I did manage to pick up 2 lifers on the first visit to the beach.
Squeaky Beach was the first site we explored. Immediately upon arriving I spotted my lifer beautiful firetail perched in a tree. As I walked further on I saw some white-browed scrubwrens and New Holland honeyeaters. Finally, when I got to the beach I saw another lifer, a crescent honeyeater, in a shrub on a sand dune. Pacific gulls, silver gulls and forest ravens were also feeding on the beach.

This beautiful firetail is one of the easiest lifers I've ever gotten

Several Pacific gulls and silvergulls were feeding on the beach 

After playing around in the rocky area at one end of the beach, we left. The second visit was much the same, though the honeyeater and firetail did not reappear. 

A rare kind of lichen found at the Prom makes these rocks appear orange

On our third visit it was low tide, and many rocks that had previously been submerged were revealed, covered in barnacles, seaweeds, mussels, Australian periwinkles and limpets.

Clusters of mussels like this were everywhere on the rocks

These periwinkles were perched very high up, at points where they were visible during high tide

Two limpets next to a small cluster of mussels

The black areas on the rocks are where the mussels are

SPECIES SEEN:
1. Silvergull
2. Pacific Gull
3. White-Browed Scrubwren
4. New Holland Honeyeater
5. Crescent Honeyeater
6. Red Wattlebird
7. Beautiful Firetail
TOTAL: 7
LIFERS: 2

A TRIP TO TORQUAY

For the school holidays my family recently spent 2 nights in Torquay. I didn't get to do much birding, but I did manage to visit Point Addis, and also take a walk around the mouth of Spring Creek, the creek that flows through Torquay. Also, in the drive in to Torquay I saw several wedge-tailed eagles, some overflying Australian pelicans, and a black-shouldered kite. 

Point Addis is a small area in-between Torquay and Anglesea, accessed via a turnoff along the Great Ocean Road. It is well known as one of the best places in Victoria to see the rufous bristlebird. I had seen the bird before at this site, but I wanted better photos of it, and seeing a bristlebird is always a good thing.

We only spent a short amount of time at Point Addis, just walking along a boardwalk and checking around the carpark, yet managed to get great views of two rufous bristlebirds, and much better photos than I had gotten on the first sighting.

This rufous bristlebird was very photogenic, and not as shy as the first bird I had seen

The second rufous bristlebird was less accommodating, but still allowed several good pictures

There were several other birds at the point as well, including great cormorants, many superb fairy-wrens, a single grey fantail, a few pied currawongs and some crimson rosellas.

Crimson rosellas are rather common throughout the area around Point Addis

These great cormorants were sitting on a large rock below the boardwalk

We saw many pied currawongs, both around Point Addis and along the road towards it

We re-visited the point later, but saw much of the same, with the bristlebirds reappearing (but giving much worse views). 

We also saw quite a few birds around Torquay, and along the banks of Spring Creek. Our hotel overlooked a large golf course, and from our rooms we could spot chestnut teals, masked lapwings, Pacific black ducks and black swans in and around the lakes of the course. Red wattlebirds, common starlings, little ravens and sulphur-crested cockatoos were also seen in the gardens around the resort. While walking along Spring Creek we also saw several birds, including a white-faced heron, a eastern great egret, many welcome swallows flying over the creek, lots of silver gulls near the mouth of the creek, a single black-fronted dotterel, and some Pacific black ducks, dusky moorhens, little pied cormorants and Eurasian coots. 

A white-faced heron hunting on the muddy banks of Spring Creek

I am rather happy about this shot of a red wattlebird

Welcome swallows were everywhere in Torquay, with a pair nesting in the carpark of our hotel!

All in all the trip was rather good, and I got great photos of a fairly rare bird.

BIRDS SEEN:

1. Black Swan

2. Pacific Black Duck

3. Chestnut Teal

4. Little Pied Cormorant

5. Great Cormorant

6. Australian Pelican

7. White-Faced Heron

8. Eastern Great Egret

9. Black-Shouldered Kite

10. Wedge-Tailed Eagle

11. Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo

12. Crimson Rosella

13. Masked Lapwing

14. Black-Fronted Dotterel 

15. Superb Fairy-Wren

16. Silvergull

17. Rufous Bristlebird

18. Red Wattlebird

19. Little Raven

20. Australian Magpie

21. Pied Currawong

22. Grey Fantail

23. Willie Wagtail

24. Welcome Swallow

TOTAL: 24 Species

LIFERS SEEN: 0