Its always a good visit when you see a rare bird (and even if only a glimpse), and get lucky with a few good close ups of a few favourites…I have only seen the Lewin’s Rail once before at the Coolart Wetlands and then this time at the Western treatment Plant.
Lewin’s Rail, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Little Grassbird, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Golden-headed Cisticola, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Hosier Lane in March saw some interesting murals and great colours, with more characters portrayed than portraits.
Street art, Hosier Lane , Melbourne CBD, Victoria
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Part 2 of February’s Hosier Lane Updates…some elaborate colourful pieces were the highlight of the second half of Feb 2016 .
Street art, Hosier Lane , Melbourne CBD, Victoria
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Hosier Lane , Melbourne CBD, Victoria
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Posted in Melbourne CBD, Street Art, Victoria
Tagged Australia, graffiti, Hosier Lane, Photography, Rutledge Lane, Street Art, Street Photography, Urban Photography, Victoria
Catching up on February’s Hosier Lane Updates…some great portraits appeared by Mimby Jones Robinson as well as a few witty comments and some large colourful pieces.
Mimby Jones Robinson Street Art, Hosier Lane, Melbourne CBD, Victoria
Mimby Jones Robinson Street Art, Hosier Lane
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Busker in Hosier Lane
Busker
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Posted in Melbourne CBD, Street Art, Victoria
Tagged Australia, Buskers, graffiti, Hosier Lane, Melbourne CBD, Melbourne Laneways, Photography, Portraits, Rutledge Lane, Street Art, Street Photography, Victoria
After Xmas holidays came to an end earlier this year, I was back at work and spending lunchtimes checking out the CBD street art scene again. I have taken a number of shots in the last few months and thought I had better catch-up with posting them. As usual there were some fine pieces along the walls of Hosier and Rutledge Lanes. Highlights were the portraits and the abstracts…
Street Art, Hosier Lane, Melbourne CBD
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Another bird species that thrives in the reed beds of the Crake Pit at the Pooh Farm is the Australian Reed Warbler…it is more often heard than seen, generally only glimpsed as it flies between clumps of reeds in the lagoons, secretive but loud during Spring/Summer breeding seasons.
The reed warbler has a loud ringing song and has been described as being one of the most melodious singers hence one of its the informal names, Nightingale. Often heard in Spring and Summer in wetlands with good reed coverage. The warbler uses sustained singing to defend its territory amongst the reeds. It migrates north during autumn for the winter and back for the spring.
Acrocephalus australis – Acrocephalus, Greek for ‘peak head’ and australis Latin for ‘southern’ . Also called Clamorous Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Reed-lark, Swamp Tit, Water Sparrow, Nightingale (HANZAB Volume 7b)
Australian Reed Warbler, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
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…got the Damsel fly…
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…a quick leap to the next target…
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…typical pose when seen, hanging onto a reed ready to pounce on prey…
The only place I have regularly seen the Baillon’s Crake:adults and juveniles, is at the Crake Pit at the Western Treatment Plant. According to HANZAB (Handbook of Australian New Zealand Antarctic Birds) it is probably migratory but as it does not call in Winter it is hard to know for sure…however considering how many people are currently visiting the crake pit to look for and photograph the Lewin’s Rail it surely would be seen quite often. On our numerous trips over Summer and Autumn we saw quite a few Baillon’s and they did not appear to be overly shy, often coming right out from under cover. Given the lack of reporting lately I would guess that it does migrate to Northern Australian. It is a very small bird with long olive legs and large feet to help it move across the sodden vegetation. It has small wings so a long flight north is an amazing feat of endurance.
Baillon’s Crake’s formal name is Porazana pusilla (Porzana:Italian dialect for ‘smaller crake’ and pusilla meaning ‘very small’ or ‘paltry’. It has also been called Lesser Spotted Crake, Tiny, Little, Little Water and Marsh Crake.
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Baillon’s Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Sun-baking and preening at a midday roost…
Another day at the Western Treatment Plant looking for Crakes and Rails, and in the next lagoon to the Crake Pit, we found a large flock of Welcome Swallows working a small section of the lagoon scooping small insects off the surface of the water. They stayed in a fairly small area and allowed us to get quite close to attempt some flight shots – often quiet difficult with these fast moving birds.
Welcome Swallows, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Welcome Swallow, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
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The Western Treatment Plant’s Crake Pit has been quite active with a number of crake species taking up residence over the Summer, through Autumn and on into the Winter. A few seem to have even bred and had chicks in the Pit. When visiting I have seen quite a few Spotted Crakes and Baillon’s Crakes but not too many Spotless Crakes. We were quite pleased to see one slowly poke its head through the reeds and then come out to feed. It even had an altercation with an aggressive Spotted Crake.
The Spotless Crake has a few names: formally Porzana tabuensis – Porzana is the Italian (Venetian) name for smaller crake, and Tabuensis after the location of the first Spotless Crake described – Tongapatu, Kingdom of Tonga. Informally the crake has been called Leaden Crake, Spotless Water Crake, Little Swamphen, Swamp Rail and the Motor-car Bird – after one of the revving sounds it makes.
Spotless Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
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a skulking Spotless Crake
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Part of the Crake Pit, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Spotted and Spotless Crakes – the Spotted moved around and behind the Spotted, who did not seem to notice
But once the Spotless started to glean insects from around the feet of the Spotted, the Spotted finally noticed it and exploded and attacked the bigger Spotless…
The Crake Pit, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
At the Western Treatment Plant and lagoons there is a spot within the T-Section informally called “the Crake Pit“. It is fantastic location for photographing small skulking species of birds that are not often seen – even by avid Birders. It is home to Crakes and Rails. So far at this location I have managed to photograph Baillon’s Crake, the Australian Spotted Crake (also called the Australian Crake or Water Crake) and the Spotless Crake. Also found in this spot are Buff-banded and Lewin’s Rails. Over a series of early morning visits, we managed to spend a few hours each time just sitting and waiting to see what would pop out into the sunlight and starting feeding on the many insects in the water and along the reed beds. It was a very different experience to actually stay in the one spot and wait rather than constantly move around the huge treatment plant lagoons looking for the many species of birds that live and feed here…it felt like a guilty pleasure to just sit and wait (yes, for a birder just sitting still in the middle of a sewerage plant and watching settling/filtering lagoons is a guilty pleasure….)
The photos below are of the Australian Crake also called the Australian Spotted Crake (Porzana fluminea) – Porzana is the Italian (Venetian) name for smaller crakes, and fluminea is Latin for ‘frequenting rivers’.
Australian Spotted Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
The Crake Pit, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
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Australian Spotted Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
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I am very happy when I get a lifer (a bird species that I have never seen before) – I am even happier when I get to photograph one like the beautiful Owlet-nightjar. That day became even better when I found another unexpected bird and also managed to photograph it. The Boobook Owl is more often seen at dusk and during the night when the light can be very tricky. The one below was found within a clump of smaller gum trees. I think it was trying to roost for the day but was being harassed by groups of White-plumed and New Holland Honeyeaters. Heard from a distance, the ruckus was enough for me to move around the trees looking to see whether there was a raptor causing trouble – I was surprised to find this quite alert Southern Boobook.
Southern Boobook Owl, You Yangs Regional Park, Victoria
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I have been looking for this bird species since I started birding a few years back. It can be found in most old growth and mature new growth forests with lots of tree hollows. It is often reported first thing in the morning sun-baking on the edge of its hollow. Over the last several years I have looked into every hollow in just about every tree I have walked past…while I have found many possums and one Boobook owl I have never found an Owlet-nightjar. On a recent trip to the You Yangs (about 45 mins west of Melbourne), I was exploring the woodlands section below the ranger station with a friend when a nightjar burst out of an old dead tree stump and flew to a nearby branch. It allowed us to get close and photograph it…it was much tinier than I expected – probably a third the size of the other Nightjar species that I photograph quite frequently – the Tawny Frogmouth. The Owlet Nightjar has superb camouflage and huge black eyes for great night vision.
Australian Owlet-nightjar, You Yangs Regional Park, Victoria
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Australian Owlet-nightjar, You Yangs Regional Park, Victoria
On a recent day trip into Central Victoria (2 hours North of Melbourne), we decided to explore the Northern section of the Greater Bendigo National Park. We drove around the various tracks of the Karmarooka Forest stopping at a few favourite spots to photograph some of the local species. The pick of day was the Shy Heathwren we found down one of the side tracks and a small family of Brown Headed Honeyeaters.
Shy Heathwren, Karmarooka Forest, Victoria,
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Brown Headed Honeyeater, Karmarooka Forest, Victoria
Near the turn off from the main highway (also called the Great Ocean Road) along the Point Addis Road is a small carpark and the start to a wonderful short walk around a mixed growth forest. At the moment the tall Iron Bark trees are flowering and while there may not be a huge number of species there are very good numbers of a few forest species. Walking around the forest track we came across the usual birds like Red Wattlebirds, Eastern Yellow Robins, New Holland Honeyeaters and Rainbow Lorikeets and a few rarer birds like the Gang Gang Cockatoo and Varied Sitella. While trying to find a Painted Button Quail that we could hear calling we became immersed in a small feeding flock of Striated Thornbills. Their cousins the Brown Thornbill are quite common in most forests and even in my own street in suburbia but striated seem to be a bit rarer and difficult to photograph – they are always on the go, hunting for insects and chasing each other. It is a real treat to find (usually by their calls) and photograph these tiny 10 cm birds.
Striated Thornbill, Point Addis Iron Bark Track, Victoria
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Golden Hour light on cliffs, Black Rock Beach, Victoria
Recently I visited Black Rock and spent some time photographing this small beach also known as Half Moon Bay, the old pre-WW1 ironclad ship sitting in shallow water offshore and the local cliffs that come alive with intense colours during the golden hour.
Cerberus Beach House, Half Moon Bay, Victoria
Cerberus Beach colourful boat houses and sailing boat
Cerberus wreck in Half Moon Bay, Black Rock, Victoria – the remains of a very old ironclad ship
Board Paddler in front of the Cerberus wreck
Black Rock Beach Shell
Half Moon Bay Sunset, Victoria
Better include a bird shot – Pacific Gull, Black Rock
Golden Hour light on the local cliffs
The Gap Year and Beyond 