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.
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