Earlier this week, Carolyn and I went on an impromptu trip to Lake Lorne. We’d met at Balyang (where I had been birding for 2 hours) and she wanted to do a bit more adventuring.
I was up for it. I’d been planning on walking home when she texted but it is always fun birding with her. After a hit of humming and aahing, we decided on Drysdale. I’d explored so much of the Barwon and Geelong area lately, and both of us were keen to see how things were going.
We did see this family of swans at Lake Lorne. Unfortunately, there was a deceased adult nearby.
At Mcleods waterhole there was a pair of blue billed ducks which was exciting to see. My new goal is to get a really good photo of them.
A hoary headed grebe in breeding plumage. Nice seeing them, I’ve missed seeing them at Eastern Beach.
Below are a number of freckled duck photos that I took. There weren’t as many ducks compared to the last time I was here. It’s amazing how much things can change in a matter of months. I do want to learn more about their behaviour in the wild, they fascinate me. I recently learned that they are the rarest duck in the country. Cool.
We were walking around the back of the waterhole when I saw these purple swamphen chicks. I always love seeing chicks and it was awesome to see. I have no idea why there are so few at Balyang. I still have found any eurasian coot babies yet… I am trying though 🙂
Noisy Miner Vs Goshawk
This was pretty awesome to witness. We saw a noisy miner have a go at, and subsequently chase off, a brown goshawk. We couldn’t ID it at the time, I had to go home and look at the photos. I’m basing this on the tail and glaring eyes. The photos are sub par but show some interesting behaviour. I love it when little birds attack much larger ones.
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We were both pretty knackered at this point. This post may not be as interesting as others, but it is always worth documenting the changes. I’m thinking of trying to visit here each season and seeing what I can learn. So many places to visit, such little time. And so much fear of catching more then one bus 😛
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