FINDING THE PHALAROPE

Today my father and I revisited the Western Treatment Plant, as the previously mentioned vagrant red-necked phalarope had been spotted in the T-Section Lagoons.
Upon arrival in the area, we immediately stopped at a small bank of trees. Here several small birds were flitting around. After close examination they turned out to be distant zebra finches. Not a bird I've seen often, but not a lifer either. As we drove towards the first birdwatching gate, I got close looks at several raptors. In eucalypts near the road was a perched black kite and flying above a lagoon was a close-by swamp harrier.

This black kite stood on its perch for about a minute before flying off to look for prey

The swamp harrier was harassing several purple swamphen in the lagoon 

Upon arrival at the first lagoon, we didn't see many new birds. Australian white ibis and straw-necked ibis were flying overhead, some chestnut teal and black swans were swimming in the lake and a few black-winged stilts were wading in the shallows. However, the shores of the next lake were coated with red-necked stints and sharp-tailed sandpipers, along with 3 greenshanks. A massive flock of red-necked avocets and banded stilts rested in the center of the lake.

The greenshank is a bird I see often in Sri Lanka, but not very commonly in Australia

Red-necked avocets are very social: I don't think I have ever seen one alone

The third lagoon was the jackpot. Three massive flocks of waders were resting on rocks in the centre and on the edges of the lake. A scan of the birds (helped by some other birders nearby) showed red-necked stints, greenshanks, sharp-tailed sandpipers, red-necked avocets, banded stilts, curlew sandpipers and even some black-tailed godwits. The real star of the show was swimming around near the shore: the red-necked phalarope!

This red-necked phalarope probably thinks it's in America

It was amazing to see such a rare and beautiful bird for myself

As we headed back, we passed a small marshy area where several wood sandpipers were resting, along with many white-faced herons, an eastern great egret and a cattle egret.

Finally, on the way out we disturbed a large flock of zebra finches on the road. Two of them perched on a nearby branch, giving us great views.

Zebra finches aren't usually found in the Melbourne area but are very nomadic

All in all it was a very successful trip, with an amazing view of a rare bird.

THE WESTERN TREATMENT PLANT: REVISIT

Since it has been a while since I last visited the WTP, early this morning my father and I travelled out to Werribee. A rare vagrant, the red-naped phalarope, had recently been seen at the treatment plant, so our plan was to check the mudflats around the bird hide for this bird.
As soon as we started travelling along Paradise Road the first main bird of the trip was seen. Perched on the ground was a spotted harrier, a great start to the visit. Unfortunately the harrier flew into the distance before I could photograph it. Soon we had arrived at the first two ponds of Lake Borrie.
The shores of the lake were covered in birds. Australian shelduck were everywhere throughout the lake, along with pink-eared duck, chestnut teal and grey teal. Along the road were a few Australian white ibises and straw-necked ibises. Perched on a few poles above the water were some more pink-eared ducks, as well as a little pied cormorant. As well as this, a single whistling kite had perched on top of the fence around the lakes.

This whistling kite allowed close approach

In my opinion pink-eared ducks are Australia's most beautiful duck

However, the Australian shelduck certainly comes a close second

As we continued driving we eventually reached the Little River. While driving along the river I noticed a strange bird swim away from the shore. On closer approach it turned out to be a great crested grebe, a lifer! As well as this, several musk ducks, Australian pelicans, chestnut teals, grey teals and black swans were hanging around the area.

The great crested grebe is probably the least common of Australia's grebes

This male musk duck was quite curious of our car, watching it as he swam away

Soon we had arrived at the bird hide. Unfortunately, due to the tide there were almost no birds on the mudflats in front of the hide. However, several small birds were flitting around in the scrub near the hide. I managed to see willie wagtails, white-browed scrubwrens and a new bird for my Victoria list, a single golden-headed cisticola. 

Though I have seen golden-headed cisticolas before, this is the first time I saw one in Victoria

As we continued on we stopped to see a distant but massive flock of birds perched on some rocks. Careful observation revealed the flock to be holding a variety of birds, though unfortunately the phalarope was not among them. Sharp-tailed sandpipers, curlew sandpipers, red-necked stints, Australian pied oystercatchers, chestnut teals, grey teals, silver gulls, greater crested terns and white-naped stilts were all among the flock, spread out over 3 rocky islets. The lakes near the point also held a few interesting birds, including two male blue-billed ducks and about 7 more musk ducks.

A day when you see blue-billed ducks is never a bad day

Finally, just near the entrance some rocks were holding a small flock of sharp-tailed sandpipers, along with a single red-kneed dotterel.

This sharp-tailed sandpiper is one of many that were sleepily resting on the rocks

In contrast, the red-kneed dotterel was more energetic, bullying sandpipers into giving up their spots

Then we left the plant. While leaving we saw a few more birds: some superb fairy-wrens, white-fronted chats and a single black-faced cuckoo shrike.
To summarise, the trip was extremely successful and we saw a variety of birds.

BIRDING THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA

For the Australia Day long weekend my family and I travelled to Sorrento in the Mornington Peninsula, roughly an hour away from Melbourne, to spend the night. We saw a lot of wildlife during the trip.
When we arrived in Sorrento, at around lunchtime, we immediately went to the Sorrento pier to board a Moonraker Dolphin Watching cruise. The boat traveled quickly and the waters of Port Phillip Bay were fairly calm, with nobody on board being seasick. Acting on a tipoff, we travelled to where a group of Burrunan Dolphins had been seen. Almost immediately after arriving at the site we were given unbelievable views of a group of 6 Burrunan Dolphins, with a few short-tailed shearwaters and Australian gannets flying around the boat as well.

A group of three Burrunan dolphins surfaces from the ocean

This large flock of short-tailed shearwaters flew off in the distance when we arrived

The Burrunan Dolphin has recently been split from the common bottlenose dolphin and is endemic to Victoria: the only known populations are in Port Phillip Bay and the Gippsland Lakes. It was amazing to finally see one of these rare dolphins in the flesh!
We then visited two other sites: Chinaman's Hat and Popes Eye. Chinaman's Hat is an artificial structure in the middle of Port Phillip Bay, created as a resting site for Australian fur seals. Male fur seals born at the Seal Rocks swim here as they grow up. The females all remain at Seal Rocks (a seal breeding colony in Phillip Island).

The boat behind the seals belongs to another tour company

The Chinaman's Hat was made for the purpose of providing a resting site for these seals

Our final destination on the cruise was Pope's Eye, an abandoned military fort that is now a great snorkelling site and home to a colony of Australasian gannets.

These two Australasian gannets were very close to the boat

Here you can see both the young and adult Australasian gannets

After that we returned to shore, headed to our hotel and relaxed until night. We quickly rushed to the Moonlit Sanctuary, arriving at around 8 pm. This sanctuary offers night tours that let you get up close and personal with a variety of wildlife, allowing the hand-feeding of kangaroos, wallabies and various gliders. Though I didn't take much photographs of the captive animals (being too busy feeding and petting them) I did see two wild possums: a brush tailed possum and a ring-tailed possum, which I photographed.

The brush-tailed possum is the largest of the Melbourne area's two commonest possums

In contrast, the ring-tailed possum is much smaller and shyer

The moon was apparently tinted red by the smoke of Tasmanian bushfires

After leaving the sanctuary and sleeping, the next morning my father and I woke up to visit Cape Schanck. Once we got to the Cape we found out that it was off-bounds due to a search mission going on, so we headed to Point Nepean and walked along Defence Road from Gunners Cottage. The forest here was quite birdy, with small birds like white-browed scrubwren, silvereye, superb fairy-wren and yellow-faced honeyeater all present. However, the best birds appeared once we got to the top of the walk. In the air were several distant lifer fork-tailed swifts, as well as a quick white-throated needle tail  Finally, a large flock of spiny-cheeked honeyeaters flew through and allowed excellent photos.

This spiny-cheeked honeyeater posed nicely atop a tree

After that we headed to the Peninsula Hot Springs for a swim before travelling home. 

In short, the trip was extremely successful and showed what kind of great wildlife lies just within 2 hours of the Melbourne CBD. 

DUCKS AT LAKE LORNE

I had recently heard about a reliable place to see the rare and threatened freckled duck: Lake Lorne, in Drysdale. This morning I went out to the lake, about an hour from Melbourne.
As soon as we arrived at the lake I was greeted by a large group of birds. A single distant Latham's snipe was a lifer, joined by a flock of blue-billed ducks, hardheads, hoary-headed grebes, chestnut teals and lifer pink-eared ducks in the middle of the lake. On the lake shores were white-headed stilts and black-fronted dotterels. Already 2 lifers had been seen: now it was just a hunt for the freckled duck.

This hardhead was one of many out on the lake

This small group of birds holds hoary-headed grebes, a hardhead, a blue-billed duck and a pink-eared duck all swimming together.

The white-headed stilt is a distinctive bird, with its long bubblegum-pink legs

Many of these black-fronted dotterels were feeding on the lake shore

This straw-necked ibis perched majestically at the top of a tree

A group of pretty pink-eared ducks swam around the island in the middle of Lake Lorne

As we continued forward, a few more birds appeared: several silvergulls and Australian white ibis on the lake shore, welcome swallows flying everywhere and some common land birds in the shrubs surrounding the lake (noisy miner, red-rumped parrot, crested pigeon and superb fairy-wren). Then, as we came to the end of our walk, I saw 5 darker-coloured ducks with red bills under a branch. I was glad to finally see my first freckled ducks giving great views.

The freckled duck is one of Victoria's rarest and most threatened ducks

The trip was very productive and it seemed the reports about Lake Lorne being reliable for freckled duck were true.
On the trip back I also saw several wedge-tailed eagles and whistling kites.

ORGAN PIPES NATIONAL PARK

Recently my family, my cousin and I visited a nearby national park, the Organ Pipes National Park. I had heard about several birds seen there and thought that it would be a good place to bring my family, since it was just 15 minutes away from home.
On arriving, we didn't initially see much. However, as we descended the steep hill of the park, a few common birds were seen: Willie wagtails and superb fairy-wrens making an appearance. At the bottom of the hill, two dusky woodswallows were perched on twigs: one immature and one adult. The adult was too hard to photograph, but I got a good shot of the younger bird.

This young dusky woodswallow didn't stray far from his parent

Continuing down, we got to the Organ Pipes rock formation. This basalt structure had been formed by volcanic activity in the area. White marks were visible on the rocks: according to previous reports these marks are the droppings of peregrine falcons that nest there. Unfortunately none were visible: however two eastern grey kangaroos were seen at a distance. We ate a snack at the nearby picnic area before walking on to see the equally interesting Rosette Stone formation. On the way several white-browed scrubwrens were feeding in a bush.

The Organ Pipes really look manmade, despite the fact that they are completely natural

The Rosette Stone is also very beautiful and odd-looking

We then walked back up the hill. On the way I was delighted to see some rufous whistlers very close to the track. There was also a distant black-faced cuckoo-shrike and two eastern grey kangaroos feeding nearby (one with a joey!)

It was nice to get a good photo of this rufous whistler

This adorable eastern grey kangaroo was happily feeding as we walked along the track

The national park had a few more gifts left for me: a single falcon-like bird flew overhead (most likely the peregrine falcon reported to roost here) and as we made it to the top of the hill a close-up and very tame swamp wallaby inspected us before hopping slowly away.

This swamp wallaby, similar to the kangaroo before it, seemed calm with our presence 

All in all it was great to discover this hidden treasure of a park.

THE AMAZING KEA

In the high southern alps of New Zealand lives a very special species of parrot. The kea, Nestor notabilis, is the world's only alpine parrot. Several years ago, I was lucky enough to see these birds. If you ever go to New Zealand and want to see kea, a guaranteed spot for them is the Viaduct Lookout in Arthur's Pass National Park.

Two kea perched on a slope at Viaduct Lookout

The kea is an extremely intelligent bird. In experiments, it has solved puzzles it has never seen before to get at food. It is also very curious. Its curiosity leads it to often peck at cars. In this process keas have been known to vandalise rental cars, so when seeing keas it can be good to leave someone to guard the car. While I was in New Zealand I saw a group of 4 keas hop on top of a moving caravan and start tearing at the roof! Its curiosity was once its downfall. Kea pecking at sheep and making them bleed lead to them being declared a pest species. A bounty was placed on kea and they were hunted almost to extinction. Now they are a protected species.

This kea was very curious about my camera!

In the cold climate of the Southern Alps, kea have had to adapt to eat a variety of foods. A variety of fruit, berries and plant matter are eaten, but due to the scarcity of food in the winter the kea has become one of the world's few meat-eating parrots. It uses its sharp feet and beak to dig up shearwater burrows. The shearwater chick inside is pulled out, killed and eaten. Strangely enough, New Zealand also has another meat-eating parrot: the Antipodes Island parakeet lives in the freezing Antipodes Island, thus also sometimes resorts to eating the chicks of storm-petrels.

A close up photo of the previous bird

As you can see, the kea is really an amazing bird. If you are in the South Island of New Zealand, try and check out the kea at Viaduct Lookout.

BIRDING NUWERA ELIYA

While visiting Bandarawela in the Sri Lankan hills to meet relatives, I went on a trip to Nuwera Eliya. A friend had told me that there was a hotel where reliable roosting brown wood owls could be seen. We visited this hotel early in the morning.
At first the hotel didn't seem very birdy. We walked down a path into the forest, then just a few hundred metres from the hotel we got stunning views of two lifer brown wood owls.

Probably my best shot of the brown wood owl, it still doesn't really do the bird justice

The forest around the owls was very thick and we hiked forward from there. Several forest wagtails, Tickell's blue flycatchers and Asian brown flycatchers were seen but not photographed. Eventually we came into a more open area, there were some endemic Sri Lankan wood pigeons here, as well as a distant lifer hill myna and some rose-ringed parakeets. A fruiting tree attracted a brown-headed barbet. Near the end of our walk, a flock of grey-headed canary flycatchers, Asian brown flycatchers and oriental white-eyes was seen, along with a barking deer. Unfortunately the conditions weren't very good for photography and my best shot of the wood pigeon is too bad to show on this blog.
While eating breakfast at the hotel we sat in front of a birdbath. This turned out to be very productive and we got close views of secretive birds like brown-capped babblers, Tickell's blue flycatchers, oriental white-eyes, great tits and purple-rumped sunbirds.

This stunning male Tickell's blue flycatcher didn't stay at the bath for long

This Asian subspecies of the great tit looks very different to the European subspecies

Secretive brown-capped babblers are endemic to Sri Lanka

While we were there a massive flock of oriental white-eyes visited the birdbath

All in all it was well-worth checking out this hotel. If anyone is interested, the name of the hotel is Surrey Birds.