Barwon River, Geelong

Windy Balyang

October 1, 2013 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

Today was the first time I had been birdwatching in about a week. It’s weird how reluctant I am to go on an adventure, despite feeling a lot healthier. I nearly didn’t go as Glenn didn’t want to come with me. The weather this morning was horribly windy, with hail and sideways rain. I decided to just go. Glenn is on holidays soon and I doubt we’ll be as active as we are planning. As long as we get to Werribee Treatment Plant!

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A heron flew over and landed before I had a chance to get the camera ready. It was nice; I don’t see them there that often. He flew over again later.

I was sitting down, watching the birds on the teeny island in the middle when this guy waddled over. There were a lot of people feeding ducks there today and I think he wanted food. Still, I got some beautiful shots

There were a lot of welcome swallows about. They were incredibly hard to photograph; I got some average ones of them in flight. This little guy was still long enough for me to get several photos.

I then went for a walk along the path that is alongside the road. I was hoping to see something rare – perhaps a lathams snipe. I did get to see this pink-eared duck and got several shots.

I really do love these ducks. I wish I could see a large population and had a camera with a better lens. They are so cute.

Glenn wasn’t there so I didn’t have to rush everywhere. I got to walk slowly and do photography that I enjoy, rather for identification purposes. I love shooting the sun through flowers. I’m thinking about going to the botanical gardens to continue this.

Mr Pelican was there again. He came up close as a family was feeding him as I was able to get some really lovely shots.

This trio of ducks were keen to be fed. They are pretty tame and really fun to photography.

Glenn loves getting photos of birds in flight. I was sitting down in a secluded area, trying to get photos of the small birds that were flying really fast. I heard a honk and snapped a photo of this guy. I got several more as he flew over to where I was sitting. He wanted to join his ducky friends and get in on the bread action.

It ended up being a really nice shot, even though it was accidental.

The final bird (and the second new species) is the White plumed honeyeater.

It was a lovely trip; one that taught me a lot. I do prefer solo birdwatching; I just feel bitchy leaving Glenn here. I see it as my job to make sure he enjoys his days off. It’s silly and is an anxiety thought pattern I’ll have to defeat. I felt accomplished and a lot more peaceful.

I know I need to do this more, it’s just a matter of when. I have very little income coming in and hang out with my nephew pretty often. The weather is manky on a regular basis and I don’t have a car. It feels like there are so many obstacles and that this journey is going to take a long time.

This is just panic as Glenn will have a MONTH off and I need Jade Time. There is also impatience due to being sick for so long. I think I need to make some birdwatching/hiking friends. I’ll see what local tours we can do on Glenns month off.

Jerringot with Glenn

September 23, 2013 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

We were going to go up to Melbourne this week. I would probably have taken him to a cemetery (or several) before going our separate nerdy ways. Then Glenn realized it was school holidays.

We can go up to Melbourne when he has his month off. He knew I was hankering to do some animal watching so I took him to Jerringot.

The first thing I noticed was that the swans were easy to see! They were very close to the hide and we managed to get some really good shots. Of course, Glenn isn’t very patient and has to get that ‘perfect’ shot at all costs. Basically, he scared the birdies away.

These swans are particularly skittish and we have been spoiled by the accessibility of the birds at Balyang.

They all swam off in a single file, which I thought was adorable. They have grown so much! This is what I love about birdwatching. Getting familiar with an area and following the progress of certain birds. I’d love to know what happens to the swans once they’ve matured. Do they stay with their parents? Do they fly somewhere else?

I walked along the back, hoping to see some of the other birds people have blogged about. I know they are meant to be well camouflaged, and many don’t come out until evening. It’s still disconcerting to not see anything. It’s like I’m not cut out for this. I was also concious that I had left Glenn behind without a camera and was worried that he was bored. Then I saw a flash of white.

A hoary headed grebe! It swam off as soon as it saw me and my photos aren’t that great. Still – I saw a new bird.

We went back to the hide so I can perve on birds. I gave Glenn the camera so he could practice photographing birds in flight; it’s something he loves.

I was having fun watching the birds interact and wished I had something so I could view them closer. Glenn agreed and left the hide in pursuit of better photos.

“Don’t worry – I won’t scare them away.”

Famous last words. He doesn’t have the patience for birdwatching or holding out for a better shot. He needs the instant gratification. I’d rather learn this sort of stuff now rather then during a massive trip I’ve dragged him along too. We have different interests when it comes to photography and nature, and that’s cool.

“GLENN! Glenn!” I whispered loudly. “LOOK!”

I’ve cropped and sharpened this photo so I could get a better look at identifying characteristics/markings. I love birds of prey but don’t see them that often. We don’t have a car so I can’t really visit the areas they visit.

This one was so beautiful. It would dive and fly behind the trees so it was hard to get a good shot, but then it came back and hung around in clear view.

We had troubles focusing on the birds instead of the plants occasionally. I think this is normal but I don’t know how to improve our chances of getting the right shot. I really need to brush up on my bird photography skills! There is a workshop in Townsville next month but I can’t justify the cost on my limited income.

It was a good outing, and so close to home. We taxied it there and back and did groceries afterwards. It was an intense ‘weekend’ but wow, I love birds.

Two new birds at Balyang

September 20, 2013 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

I know I’ve been posting way too much local birdwatching lately. It’s because Balyang is about 700m away and is very easy for 5 year old legs to get to.

Yesterday was the first time I had seen my nephew since I’d gotten back from Queensland. He was very quick to tell me about what he’d gotten up to in Mansfield and then asked to go to Balyang. I had given him a toy quoll and bilby as a present so we took them on an adventure with is.

I’ve learned to go straight to this tiny island in the centre of the pond/swamp thingy as that is where all the cool birds hand out. The birds look generic when viewed through the camera but I was so excited when I got home and saw several of my favourite species.

I’ve developed a bit of a crush on the pink eared duck. It was standing on a lone branch but, alas, its nap was not meant to be.

A cormorant landed and swam up to the branch, stealing the ducks spot. No!

It was good, in a way, as it allowed me to get some close up shots of the duck itself. I think it’s quite beautiful, in a very weird way. It has a very compelling beak and markings.

The cormorant took the opportunity to go ‘sup and show off its wingspan

They weren’t the only birds we saw. There was a pelican, which I hadn’t seen there in a long time. I also saw two new birds

We saw this guy going over the bridge to get to the sanctuary. The photo isn’t good as my lens wasn’t close enough, I couldn’t ID it without getting a photo. I believe it’s a black-shouldered kite. My first bird of prey since starting a list!

(sidenote: I have no idea how to keep track of the birds I’ve seen. I’ve been adding reports to Eremaea, but what about all the birds I’ve seen before that?)

The picture of this guy is also fuzzy, but it was enough to ID it as a black-faced cuckoo shrike.

It’s taken a while, but I feel like I’m learning more about birdwatching. You have to follow every movement you see and not look in the obvious spots. You will often have to work to find the animal and you need to intuitively understand the environment you’re in.

I feel like I’m getting there. This all would be so much easier if I just had a car and could bugger off to visit ALL THE THINGS!

Balyang + Jerringot

September 8, 2013 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

Yesterday, my five year old nephew visited. He was asleep for an hour when he got here yet the first words out of his mouth after he woke up were ‘Can we go to Balyang?’

I agreed – if my dad could pick us up afterwards and take us for a quick look at Jerringot, as I know the little dude would love the bird hide.

Saw these birds fly above us as we crossed the bridge. I had seen them fly above our house earlier but couldn’t ID them. Dumb question: is this the time of year to go looking for waterbirds?

A number of birds had started sitting on nests. This was the first time I learned that swamphens had white bottoms! Very interested to see what their babies look like.

I was going over my photos afterwards and was really excited to see a bird I hadn’t seen before! Pretty certain that this is a pink eared duck. And, after a quick google, I think that I mistook his bill for his foot! Apparently, they have a “a large spatulate bill” while I’ve never seen before. I think that’s kinda awesome 🙂

I also checked out this nest, which normally houses a curious sulpher crested cockatoo. Instead, it had two lorikeets! They were poking their heads out and nibbling at each others necks. I wonder what happened to the cockatoo? They were beautiful though, which the mister loved.

Seth is just 5 but he knows all about algae. I took this photo so I could explain more to him later, should he ask.

My parents picked us up just after I took this photo. We played shopkeeper – I gave him his Ribena that we’d packed – and passed a wedding that had two kombie vans. It was a beautiful night.

Seth was enamoured with the bird hide. “You can look out here or stand and look out here and the birds can’t see you!” Dad liked the posters behind us, it helped us figure out a species of bird we saw later. The frogs weren’t as loud but they were certainly louder then Balyang.

The swamp hens were walking between the wetlands, which was awesome. Seth didn’t understand that the birds here weren’t as used to people as the ones we’d seen at balyang and was a bit too loud.

He tried to creep up to see this guy but, well,

It did give us a chance to talk about why the legs and necks are long. It was close to dusk so I wanted to look for snipes, but Seth was getting restless. We went back for a final look at the hide and then went home.

It was awesome for teaching Seth more about patience and birdwatching. His animal knowledge is getting quite advanced. He wants a copy of my field guide which he’s not getting – that’s mine! I’ve already bought us a few guides (insects, fungi, scats) to share. I love sharing my animal love with others. Hopefully I’ll get to sneak in some birdwatching at the Gold Coast later this week.

Discovering the Jerringot Wildlife Reserve

September 3, 2013 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

I lived in Belmont for five years without ever visiting Jerringot. I had read about it, but was unsure of how to get to it. Turns out it is about 500 meters from my old house.

Today, I went on a bit of a mission. I wanted to learn more about the area before going back to look for specific species, such as Latham’s snipe.

I love the effort that the Geelong Field Naturalists Club have put into the area. There was a bird hide there. My first time using a bird hide! They had signs everywhere to help me learn about the animals there, and had a lot of info inside the hide.

It was beautiful. I had seen all of the birds before (I wasn’t there for long) but they weren’t overly friendly like the ones at balyang. The photography opportunities were awesome.

I saw some waterbirds that I hadn’t seen for over a decade, when I went to Limeburners Lagoon. This guy was just walking across the path! It flew off as soon as it saw me, as did a nearby egret.

I wish I had a better camera. They were still pretty close even after they flew away.

I was so stoked to see these cygnets. It explained why my previously balyang sanctuary baby-bird missions had always failed; I was always getting there too late. This family swam away as soon as I got close. It was odd; they were just meters away from a very busy road.

Got some awesome photos of this swamphen. I love them – they are beautiful and have such fun personalities.

I see ducks all the time, but it made me proud to see this guy using a nesting box. I’m hoping that she’s sitting on eggs and that there will be ducklings soon.

It was a great visit and I plan to return regularly to see different species. I plan to do a lot more research before my next trip but it was so worth the spontaneous adventure.