red-rumped parrot

Balyang: Early November

November 18, 2015 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

This trip took place on November 9.

There is a problem with repeated visits to the one location. You see all these interesting things that warrant documenting. Yet, that don’t fit into a normal narrative. Normally this is fine. Lately, however, it means a whole bunch of posts titled ‘Location: other.’

I have no idea if there is an easier way to process these notes. Feel free to email me with ideas. For now, as I have a small readership, this will do.

I saw this raven while walking along a street towards Balyang. I’m assuming the purple bit is a gape and that it indicates it is a juvenile.

There was a raven seemingly collecting nesting material. It did drop it, without provocation from the cantankerous willy wagtail.

A beautiful long billed corella was hanging around. It was coorporative for my project of taking photos of birds drinking. As was this red rumped parrot.

I was photographing the white faced heron when I saw what I’m assuming is the parent flew towards it. I have no idea why they still hang out and what the dynamics are of their relationship.

I hate mynas – but I still enjoy getting photos of them with food in their mouth.

There was a lot of activity in the tree above me at one point. I’m assuming some of these are juveniles.

The above is a sulpher crested cockatoo without the crest. At first I wondered whether it was a hybrid, as I don’t believe I’ve seen one without a crest before. It made no sense. Could it be a young?

I asked online and they said it could have lost its crest for a number of reasons. I don’t think it is a juvenile. I’ll tell you why in a future post. Babies, babies galore at the moment!

There appears to be ducklings galore too, but they never hang around for long. I think they realize pretty quickly that it isn’t safe.

I also saw these two feral ducks mating. Couldn’t understand why the duck was sitting so funny in the water until I saw the other ducks head bob up. Apparently this makes me a perv. I reckon it just makes me weird. Science is science. And I can never compete with the other birders so I need unusual areas where no-one will bother to compete.

A juvenile masked lapwing. I was disappointed to miss out again on seeing a younger one, however that disappointment didn’t last long. I love the markings on its feathers and the shorter wattle.

Another corella. Perhaps the same one?

This eurasion coot photo almost isn’t worth sharing. Really, I was trying to get a poop shot. I *just* missed. I still love it poking its little tongue out.

I kinda can’t wait until the mating/breeding season is over and I can start revisiting other places again. It’s going to be weird NOT posting daily.

Balyang Mid Spring, 2015

October 16, 2015 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

Woo! Finally getting to the last of this weeks posts.

The little pied cormorants were definitely a highlight of the past week, but there are definitely other highlights.

Walking to Balyang

I got a lift from dad to Queens Park so I could check out what birds were in the region. I probably could have walked further if I had packed proper shoes but I didn’t trust my thongs. It was a good decision; by the end of the visit to mums house my legs and butt were really aching. This may have been partially due to my decision to weed mums overgrown veggie garden but I digress.

One of my goals is to capture as many photos of bird nests, and birds nesting, as I can. I am learning so much from it. I try to be as quick as I can so as not to disturb the birds. This currawong nest was photographed really quickly. It is surprising how many birds nest right next to a busy path, although this was a fair distance away.

There were a decent amount of baby magpies about. And some over protective parents who are overzealous about people who are just trying to walk up stairs. Below, I discovered this magpie eating some kind of bug 🙂 Part of me wants to research and figure out what it is!

The hard headed duck, or A hard headed duck, has made a reappearance. Months of nothing and finally, NOW the area starts to get interesting. This reminds me… I should probably go to Drysdale and see how the lens works there!

Parrots drinking

A highlight of the day was also being able to get photos of a sulpher crested cockatoo and a red rumped parrot having a drink. I think that is my new photographic obsession.

Turns out I have seen a little corella!

I have no self confidence when it comes to ID’ing birds. I was fairly certain that these were little corellas but was uncertain, because one of my bird books listed them as being moderately common instead of common. It listed two locations where you could find them in Melbourne. I assumed that this meant there was isolated populations locally.

Wrong! I was right in that most of the corellas I’ve seen in the past have been long billed. So, hi five for me there.

This is me quoting directing from the comment thread on that group. I know this is bad form, but it is primarily for my learning moreso then anything else.

West of Geelong Long-billed is very common. Littles tend to be in bigger flocks that cruise around large areas.
Long billed have expanded their range into the Melbourne area, not through escapees, but through the clearing Little Corellas are more of an inland species, but again they have increased in number & have come down to Melbourne & Gippsland etc in their large flocks.

Fascinating. It is curious that I’ve mostly seen long billed – and makes me wonder what two littles would be doing at Balyang? I know there are open paddocks a couple of km away. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out and may try to teach myself their call. It’s probably I’ve seen the littles around and just ignored them. Regardless – it is a lifer!

Great cormorant

The photos may be generic but I was able to get this great cormorant that was just floating about. There is usually one there on each visit.

Reed Warbler

Was so hoping this was a little grassbird as I’ve been trying to knock that off my list for awhile. The tail was too short and the markings on it and the chest weren’t right. I was hoping that it was, regardless. Mostly because the noise was different.

I went to the playground near Balyang with Seth later that day and ended up seeing several reed warblers, including ones making this sound followed by the warble I’m used to. Again, I learned something. Again, I dipped on a fairly common lifer. It is a bit weird how these guys popped up outta nowhere!

Little black cormorant

On the Tuesday there was a couple of little black cormorants there, which was awesome. I was hoping to get some photos of some small spats but it never really worked out. That is okay, I think the photos turned out well.

The final picture is of these ants eating a much larger creature. Sethy said it was a wasp. I also saw a dead blue tongue when walking home.

In sadder news, there are foxes in the area and they killed two of mums chickens. We live about 1km from the river. It sucks.

Winter Visit To Serendip

August 6, 2015 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

Last week, Carolyn asked if I wanted to go birding on Monday. I’d turned down two offers of adventures already (I needed to get the house clean for the internet cable guys) so immediately agreed. The night before, I was kind of regretting that decision. I’d just spent a busy day with the little dude and knew I’d be a bit meh the next day. I decided to just go with the flow and I’m glad I did.

The first port of call was to Serendip Sanctuary. I was at Werribee Treatment Plant with Paul Rushworth when he told us about the baby cape barren geese at Werribee Zoo. I was immediately interested, despite forgetting I’d photographed them previously at Serendip. If they were at the zoo then there was a good chance they would be here. Plus Serendip is slightly more accessible thanks to the recent bus and train changes.

Very, very glad I went as Carolyn is a great guide to the area. She told me about all the places the birds loved.

Red rumped parrot. Only took the photo because it’s butt was hanging out.

Lizard. It didn’t like it when I accidentally blocked the light to take a photo. Look at how flat its back is!

This is the nest of a whistling kite. There were quite a few in the area, I was so annoyed that the camera wasn’t working. The nest looks very similar to a crow one. I’m trying to learn more about nests so was very thankful.

Cape Barron Geese

Turns out that yes, there was a lot of babies. I was so fortunate to be able to see them so little. The geese bred a lot earlier then I expected. Do they even breed later in the season?

I’m hoping to visit here twice a month in the future so I can keep an eye on them, it can be a great learning experience.

Emu

Serendip is a fun place to photograph emus. Especially if you love the facial expressions.

Magpie goose. Planning to return over the summer to get more photographs. Do they breed here?

Young black winged stilts.

Chestnut teal

Freckled duck. Would love to return here and just spend an hour photographing this guy. The ones at Mcleods Waterhole were a lot friendlier then the pick eared ducks there but I would never be able to get the opportunities that I got here. I just think they are beautiful ducks.

Buff banded rail. Not sure how interested I am in continuing to photograph these guys but there was at least five in the enclosure.

The above photos are of a crested pigeon displaying nesting behavior. I noticed the beginnings of a nest above us and saw this guy collecting nesting material.

Bronzewing. Always a pleasure seeing those.

Shelducks. Love them. I never noticed the different facial markings before. Also notice the shoveller in the background? Carolyn keeps on proving to me why I should get a pair on binoculars.

Shovellers again. I believe their orange feet is a way to tell them apart?

A tree that had fallen down but was still alive. It was ginormous.

Carloyn was also kind enough to show me the tree where the purple crowned lorikeets like to nest.

I had seen them once before but the photos I got were mediocre. This was pure accident. We were at a distance so the photos aren’t as good as they could have been. I’m very keen to go back to try and get better photos.

You need to do multiple visits over a period of time to be able to fully appreciate Serendip, as well as visit there with people who know it quite well. It is very similar to Balyang in that way. It has a lot of hidden secrets.

First Visit to Lakeland Wetlands

August 5, 2015 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

Carolyn and I went here after we went to Serendip. My initial impression was that ‘oh, this is like Balyang but on a slightly larger scale.’ Then we turned around and saw just how huge the place was.

My initial comments were because the first two birds I was greeted with was this heron and darter.

Then I saw the cape barron geese – and more goslings! – and thought “oh, we aren’t along the Barwon anymore.

I haven’t really explored areas around Lara. I haven’t had the time, nor the knowledge. Carolyn and I walked around here and she showed me where the birds like to hang out at different times of the year.

She is so knowledgeable and taught me so much. It may be worth coming back at a later time but, for now, it isn’t that high of a priority. If you live between Corio and Werribee, this can be an interesting place to drop into. You’ll probably get similar species to what you’d find in other locations in the area. It’s great for getting close photos of Geese. I was also intrigued by the proximity to Hovells creek, something I’m keen to walk along again.

Dipping on the Tawny Frogmouth

November 28, 2014 by Jade Craven Leave a Comment

This trip took place on the 12th of November

Tawny frogmouths are something that have eluded me for some time. They taunt me. In late Nov/early October, a nest was discovered in the sanctuary near where I live. Some excited birders told Glenn about it on one of his early morning photography missions. I, of course, was doing the wise thing by sleeping in.

I was unable to get down there myself to check it out due to a nasty cold. I had gone to my great grandmothers funeral the week before and was completely wiped out. Driving to Mansfield and back from Geelong is exhausting, even if you’re stuck in the back seat getting asked to ‘stop coughing already.’

On Wednesday I was feeling better. Not 100%, but well enough to walk down there at least. I didn’t know how I was going to get home as I still felt woozy. But there was a Tawny frogmouth!

I wasn’t even at the bridge when I saw a reed warbler. Reed warblers vex me. I always hear them calling along the Barwon river but rarely see them. On this day, I kind of didn’t care. I was feeling rotten. I snapped these two obligatory photos because I knew that Glenn would want me to.

Also saw a different family of wood ducks. These guys aren’t as timid as the family that hang out nearby on the Barwon river. The two chicks in that family are almost adults! I’ve observed these parents with 3 chicks on multiple occasions.

I laid down on my bag for about 10 minutes with the telephoto lens, looking up into the tree. Don’t ask, but Glenn and I have this obsession of trying to get photos of birds doing a poop. I got one once by accident and it’s become a competition. It’s like the birds wait until we aren’t looking. I’ve noticed a lot of great cormorants on this particular tree, although none of them defecated on this visit.

I noticed a shadow pass over and was able to get two photos of a pelican coming into land. The rest of the photos turned out blurry. I think they are a magnificent bird.

Managed to get a clear shot of a red rump in a tree! There was also a masked lapwing that was considerably more tolerant of humans then most of it’s kind. It even took a little bath.

I completely dipped on the frogmouths. I spent 10 minutes looking in the trees and started to feel nauseous. I knew I’d return for a proper look when I felt better. They were very well camouflaged! The walk home made me sick and I ended up sleeping for the rest of the day. Was a nice trip though.

Sidenote:

I took my nephew to see the frogmouths yesterday. He was really excited to bring his lifelist up to 72 birds. I showed him the other frogmouths you can get. He likes it when I say ‘Papuan frogmouth’ because it sounds like it has the word poo in it. I told him that Papuan frogmouths do ‘pa-poos’. It’s my job to be immature 🙂

Also, a teacher at Seths school mentioned that there was an owl in a tree there last year. He better tell me if he sees any cool birds!