|
Birding trip report Anglesea Heathlands 7/12/07. The Rufous Whistlers were singing loudly, but a louder, more persistent call was heard from nearby. It was certainly a cuckoo, but not a commonly heard species. The calls were repeated monotones, slightly less than one second long, dropping slightly in pitch after the first few repetitions. Calls were repeated about 10 times before a short pause. We took nearly five minutes to locate the source of the calls as the sound appeared to move about, but we eventually tracked it to a branch on a eucalypt. It was a Brush Cuckoo, a species rarely seen in the Geelong area. The bird was similar to a Fan-tailed Cuckoo, but lacked the yellow eye-ring. The tail was short and the tail bars less distinct compared to a Fan-tail. The bird was very co-operative, posing for a photo, and it was still calling some 30 minutes later when we left the area. Thanks for the picture, Mel.
There were lots of birds about, and it was pleasing to note a pair of Satin Flycatchers chasing insects. The male gave us good views as it sat on a branch with its tail doing figure-of-eight loops. A Rufous Fantail appeared briefly, easily identified by the rusty orange back plumage. Most of the Geelong area records of this species occur during early autumn when the birds leave the breeding sites around the Otways and move through the area on their winter migration to the northern parts of Australia. After seeing a good selection of bush birds, we moved to the Bellarine Peninsula in search of waders. The Bream Creek had recently burst through the sand bank at the mouth, dropping the water level by about a metre and leaving a channel at the estuary opening that now allowed inflow and discharge of tidal water. The waders that had been a feature of the sandbank had moved on, with only a few Red-capped Plover left. Nearby, the ravens and gulls were happily eating the ripe berries from the Coast Bearded Heath. The Barwon Estuary was more productive, with the resident Bar-tailed Godwits, Greenshanks and Eastern Curlews seen on the mudflats. Many of the local lakes were brim-full after recent rains, leaving little feeding space for waders, but there were large numbers of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Red-necked Stints seen. The freshwater lakes had Freckled Duck and Blue-billed Duck plus many other waterfowl. The final stop to overlook the saltworks, appeared to be non-productive at first, but we noted all the waders were actually in flight as a Swamp Harrier was trying hard to find a meal. Flocks of about 450 Red-necked Avocets with a few Banded Stilt intermingled, 400 Black-winged Stilts, 120 Marsh Sandpiper, hundreds of Whiskered Tern plus assorted gulls and smaller waders were wheeling in the afternoon sun, giving excellent views. It was a memorable ending to a good day's birding.
Photo by Mel. Barry |
 |
|
Wyld By Design |
