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