On the drive to the island, asides from a variety of common birds, a few distant straw-necked ibis were sighted.
Our initial stop on the island was Fisher's Wetland. Here we got our first views of a species that would prove to be abundant all over the island: Cape Barren geese, even sighting a few goslings. Several other waterbirds were also present, including Eurasian coots, Pacific black ducks, chestnut teals, hoary-headed grebes, white-faced herons, Australian white ibis and Australian pelicans. As we walked along the boardwalk, shrubs and trees around us held grey fantails and white-fronted chats.
CAPE BARREN GOOSE
Cereopsis novaehollandiae
CAPE BARREN GOOSE (Goslings)
Cereopsis novaehollandiae
HOARY-HEADED GREBE
Poliocephalus poliocephalus
We then visited Kitty Miller Bay, in hopes of seeing hooded plovers. Unfortunately we were not lucky enough to spot a plover. Instead all that was seen was a distant Pacific gull, a few distant great cormorants, an offshore little black cormorant and some silvergulls. On our drive out of Kitty Miller Bay we saw many more Cape Barren geese, some swamp harriers, many purple swamphens, some magpie-larks and many masked lapwings.
Our next stop was the Nobbies. Here a walk along the boardwalk brought us close views of nesting little penguins. All three Australian species of gull (Pacific gulls, kelp gulls and silvergulls) soared overhead, and a nesting pair of Pacific gulls provided good views. A black-faced cormorant was drying its wings on an outcrop of rock, a few Greater crested terns darted past, and common starlings could be heard calling throughout the walk.
PACIFIC GULL
Larus pacificus
COMMON STARLING
Sturnus vulgaris
BLACK-FACED CORMORANT
Phalacrocorax fuscescens
LITTLE PENGUIN
Eudyptula minor
The final site visited was Swan Lake. The walk to the lake passed initially through bushland, where red wattlebirds, little wattlebirds and white-browed scrubwrens were all seen, along with swamp wallabies. The hides were both fairly productive, with Australian shelducks, Pacific black ducks, chestnut teals, grey teals, black-winged stilts, Eurasian coots and even a lone musk duck being present. The walk back from the hides provided great views of two blue-tongued lizards, and just as we were about to exit the area a flock of yellow-tailed black cockatoos flew by.
SWAMP WALLABY
Wallabia bicolor
EASTERN BLUE-TONGUED LIZARD
Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
LIST OF SPECIES SEEN:
1. Cape Barren Goose
2. Chestnut Teal
3. Grey Teal
4. Pacific Black Duck
5. Australian Shelduck
6. Musk Duck
7. Hoary-Headed Grebe
8. Eurasian Coot
9. Purple Swamphen
10. Masked Lapwing
11. Swamp Harrier
12. Little Black Cormorant
13. Great Cormorant
14. Black-Faced Cormorant
15. Australian White Ibis
16. Straw-Necked Ibis
17. White-Faced Heron
18. Australian Pelican
19. Silvergull
20. Pacific Gull
21. Kelp Gull
22. Greater Crested Tern
23. Red Wattlebird
24. Little Wattlebird
25. New Holland Honeyeater
26. White-Browed Scrubwren
27. Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoo
28. Galah
29. Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
30. Rainbow Lorikeet
31. Eastern Rosella
32. Magpie-Lark
33. Australian Magpie
34. Spotted Turtledove
35. House Sparrow
36. Common Starling
37. Common Myna
38. Black-Winged Stilt
39. Grey Fantail
40. Willie Wagtail
BIRD SPECIES SEEN: 40
1. Swamp Wallaby
MAMMAL SPECIES SEEN: 1
1. Eastern Blue-Tongued Lizard
REPTILE SPECIES SEEN: 1
