Early in the morning a mist hangs over Port Phillip Bay but
as the sun lifts, so does the fog. The wind is calm and reflections in the
ponds are sharp and clean. It is very quiet, not even the lapping of wavelets
on the sand. Some days in autumn are just made for birdwatching and last
Thursday was one such day.
A pair of brolga were feeding at the edge of the Summer
Lagoon and Cape Barren geese were in the grass near the Paradise Rd Lagoon. The
raptors have had a good breeding season and brown falcon, whistling kite, swamp
harriers, little eagle, wedge-tailed eagle, sea eagle and black-shouldered kites were
everywhere. Four whistling kites were in the trees at the Little River Ford,
the wedgies were flying low, up the tree line of 29 Mile Road and the brown
falcons stood sentinel, as usual, on fence posts and powerlines.
A white ibis stood on the rocks in the Little River near the
ford with its neck feathers all fluffed out giving it a white ruff. The sun
picked up the beautiful pink markings on the feet. White Ibis can look quite
dignified, when they try.
Down in the Western Lagoon pond 9 a group of royal
spoonbills were resting on a sandbank. One of them had decided that sleeping on
one leg was too difficult and had settled down, perhaps more comfortably, on its
haunches. On a quiet day of birding when there is no rush and no noise it is
wonderful to sit quietly and see knew sights.
At Western Lagoon pond 4 some red-capped plover mixed with a
few red-necked stint and juvenile double-banded plover. On Paradise Rd a flock
of plump-looking banded stilts dozed alongside avocet and black-winged stilts.
On the low-tide sand flats beside the rocky outcrop inside the Beach Rd gate
four bar-tailed godwits picked around amongst the silver gulls and pied
oystercatchers looking for food.
A special sight for the day was down at the Murtcain Drain
outlet. A flock of 100 +/- red-necked stints were feeding on the sandbank to
the left of the outlet and some of them were coming into breeding plumage and
showing the red neck of their name. I really enjoy watching waders but as they
only visit us outside the breeding season they are normally seen in their drab
colours. When some of them colour up for us here on their wintering grounds
they are transformed, and my mind draws me to their northern breeding grounds.
How wonderful it must be to visit those far off places, Kamchatka, Pribilof,
sigh, and see great flocks of waders all in their breeding finery. Ah well,
maybe one day, when I win the lottery. Until then I will just have to be
content to dream.
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| In flight over the Borrow Pit |
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| Little Raven in the Autumn sun |
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| Some beautiful birds chose very inelegant perches ... |
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| ... but they are still elegant within themselves |
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| Brown Falcon on 29 Mile Rd |
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