An initially quiet drive through grassland provided no species of note, until we reached Lake Borrie. Here, the skies were thick with flocks of Australian shelducks, and the lake itself held a wide variety of waterbirds: purple swamphens, hoary-headed grebes, Australian white ibis, pink-eared ducks, chestnut teal, grey teal, Pacific black ducks and a few Australasian shovelers. As we drove along the shore of the lake, a nearby cattle egret caught our attention. Stopping here provided a few more species: white-naped stilts and a yellow-billed spoonbill.
AUSTRALIAN SHELDUCK
Tadorna tadornoides
AUSTRALASIAN SHOVELER
Anas rhynchotis
PURPLE SWAMPHEN
Porphyrio melanotus
CATTLE EGRET
Bubulcus coromandus
As we drove to the bird hide, we observed a few more species: golden-headed cisticolas in the reeds, Eurasian coots in lakes, and white-faced herons and Australian pelicans flying overhead. At the hide itself, a large flock of birds was present: various waders, along with silvergulls and crested terns, sat on a distant sandbar. Shrubs around the hide held white-fronted chats and Willie wagtails, along with a skulking Australian spotted crake that eventually provided good views.
WHITE-FRONTED CHAT
Epthianura albifrons
AUSTRALIAN SPOTTED CRAKE
Porzana fluminea
We stopped to observe a Musk duck and a nearby flock of waders, within which were Australian pied oystercatchers, red-necked stints, curlew sandpipers and a lone Lesser sand plover, before heading home.
