The Gap Year and Beyond

A chorus of Corellas

Posted on October 24, 2017 | 6 comments

On an evening walk along Elster Creek and into the golf course recently I came across this little band of Long-billed Corellas. They were searching for seeds and working the grass for roots. I love the sound of the Corellas and will search them out along the creek. I have to find the birds to clearly ID them as I can’t tell the difference between Little Corellas and Long-billed by the calls. Even in flight it can be difficult unless you can spot the red/pink chest splash and red around the eyes

Click to play a recording by Andrew Spencer

Long-billed Corellas, Elster Creek (golf course), Elsternwick, Vic

6 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Audio recording, Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Elster Creek, Elsternwick, Long Billed Corella, Nature Photography, Victoria

A Scarlet irruption at Green’s Bush…

Posted on October 17, 2017 | 10 comments

I have re-visted the new part of Green’s Bush a few times now, learning my way around and seeing what different birds are located in the various types of vegetation. While walking down from a higher ridge line I heard what I assumed was a Rose Robin. It sounded much like a Rose Robin just without the 2 note call at the end. I logged it as a Rose robin “heard” and hoped that I would be able to sight them before I moved away from the area. Half way around the circuit I heard the call with the 2 note ending and found a small family of Robins working the low branches of Sheoaks. After a few pics I moved onto another section with a large amount of flowering mistletoe hanging from the Eucalpyts with several bird species working the flowers for nectar. I had already seen a few mistletoe birds so when I saw the flash of red I assumed another bright male mistletoebird. I was extremely surprised to see so much red on the bird….I could not think of anything else other than a Scarlet Honeyeater, a species I have only seen well on last year’s trip to Mallacoota near the NSW border in far east Victoria. I tracked the Honeyeaters across the Eucalypts for a while and as I had tuned into their call I released that the shortened Rose Robin call I had been hearing was actually the Scarlet Honeyeater. To my ear the calls were very similar. Later at home when reviewing the images and then checking the Facebook Bird Vic and eBird sites, I noticed that a number of people had been reporting sightings around Victoria. It seems we are in the midst of an irruption, an unusually high number of birds migrating to the extremes of their range. Last weekend I went back and saw more of the Scarlets, this time around the carpark enjoying the flowering Teatrees and overhanging mistletoe.

Rose Robin, Greens Bush (southern), Mornington Peninsula, Vic

Rose Robin II

Having a scratch

Scarlet Honeyeater, Greens Bush (southern), Mornington Peninsula, Vic

I thought the flash of red in the flowering mistletoe was a male Mistletoebird.

Scarlet Honeyeater

Scarlet Honeyeater calling, with several others nearby responding.

10 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Nature Photography, Photography, Rose Robin, Scarlet Honeyeater, Victoria

I got a lizard for lunch…

Posted on October 12, 2017 | 5 comments

When visiting Ma and Pa Kettle at the family estate in Moorooduc, I often stop by Moorooduc Quarry to check out a few of my favourite locals. At the moment the Eastern Yellow Robins, the Spotted Pardalotes and the Peregrine Falcons are nesting. On the way to the Pardalote spot where I like to watch the to’ing and fro’ing of the pair I found this Kookaburra softening up his lunch by giving it a few whacks on the branch. He was not concerned by me walking by and stopping to take a few shots. He just watched me for a bit and then continued to soften lunch.

Kookaburra, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

5 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Kookaburra, Moorooduc Quarry, Moorooduc Quarry Flora and Fauna Reserve, Nature Photography, Photography, Victoria

Flying visit along the coast

Posted on October 10, 2017 | 2 comments

Over spring I have been working on a garden down the Mornington Peninsula, trying to rediscover and restore the original veggie and garden beds. On the way home I popped into a few new spots along the way – Highfield in the National Park and the McClelland Sculpture Park in Langwarrin. The Superb Fairy-wren was displaying its near eclipse plumage (last of its breeding/summer plumage). As I parked my car at the Sculpture Garden, I heard a weird bird call that I did not recognise (of course I assumed I had discovered a new species or at least a lifer) and it turned out to be a begging young Butcherbird. I watched as a parent returned a few times with little morsels for the hungry beggar. Notice the deadly little bill hook that the Butcherbird will use as part of its bird hunting weaponry.

Superb Fairy-wren, Green's Bush (southern), Vict

Superb Fairy-wren, Mornington Peninsula National Park: Highfield, Vic

Juvenile Grey Butcherbird, McClelland Sculpture Park, Langwarrin, Vic

2 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Eclipse Plumage, grey butcherbird, Langwarrin, McClelland Sculpture Park, Mornington Peninsula, Nature Photography, Photography, Superb Fairy Wren, Victoria

The Cuckoos are arriving

Posted on October 9, 2017 | 5 comments

I have been hearing quite a few Cuckoos now that the smaller birds are nest building and laying eggs. I found the ones below in the southern part of the Green’s Bush via their calling. They have arrived from the northern warmer climates and are now ready to breed and lay eggs. The fan-tailed cuckoo will lay a single egg in the smaller bush bird’s nests after removing a host’s egg. It targets Thornbills, Scrubwrens and Fairy-wrens. The Shining Bronze-cuckoo also lays its eggs in the domed nests of Thornbills as well as the open nests of honeyeaters and robins

Fan-tail Cuckoo, Green's Bush (southern), Vict

Fan-tail Cuckoo, Green’s Bush (southern section), Vict

Shining Bronze-cuckoo

Shining Bronze-cuckoo – named well

III

5 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Fan Tailed Cuckoo, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Nature Photography, Photography, Shining Bronze Cuckoo, Victoria

What ya doing Dad?

Posted on October 6, 2017 | 3 comments

With the weather turning milder this week I thought a walk at the local Fitzroy Gardens might make a nice change to lurking in the Chinatown laneways looking for new street art. I did not expect much other than a nice walk and a short bird list. I did find the usual urban park birds and a few surprises, a kookaburra being an unexpected highlight and a pair of Pied Currawongs – adult and juvenile. Being around lunch time the adult Currawong was cleaning and preening itself along the small rainforest creek that runs down the centre of the park. I spent some time filming the Currawongs with my iPhone. The Currawong was using chunks of dirt and getting deep into its feathers for a good clean. It then would hop over to the creek and have a deep vigorous wash. After a drying preen on a nearby branch it would start again on a different area of its feathers. Meanwhile the young Currawong was making small calls and watching intensely trying to figure it all out. When the adult flew off it stayed and had a go at picking in the dirt but it seemed to think it was looking for food rather than good chunks to use for cleaning. I have seen birds washing, preening, sand bathing before but never selecting chunk of dirt to use as a scrub in those hard to reach places….

click image to watch video clip

3 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Bird Video, Fitzroy Gardens, Juvenile Currawong, Nature Photography, Pied Currawong, Urban Photography, Victoria

A not so bashful Bassian Thrush

Posted on October 2, 2017 | 4 comments

Over the winter and into spring I have been exploring new sites down the Mornington Peninsula, particularly around the National Park. I found an entrance to a Bushland Reserve not far from where I stay and it turned out to be the Southern section of Green’s Bush – a brand new part that I had never been to before. I spent a few hours walking a new circuit and found plenty of new views, tracks, trees and signs of more mammals than the northern section. I had planned just a quick 1 hour walk but it became 3 when I missed a turn off and ended up much further south than intended and had to backtrack. I will definitely being going back to explore further and see what the changing seasons will bring to this part of the park. I have also started to review more detailed maps of area to see what else is hidden. The Bassian Thrush below was quite curious when I flushed it off the path. Usually they fly off low and quickly into the bush, but I think this one was young and had not learnt to be afraid yet.

Bassian Thrush, Green’s Bush (south section), Mornington Peninsula Nat Park, Vic

Bassian Thrush II

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bassian Thrush, Bird Photography, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Nature Photography, Photography, Victoria

Every nook and cranny

Posted on October 1, 2017 | Leave a comment

While walking around my usual Green’s Bush circuit I noticed many Crimson Rosellas exploring every tree hollow on the older growth Eucalypts. A few went right inside the various cavities after a cursory glance, and several flew off quickly when an occupant was discovered (most likely a brush tailed possum or sugar glider). I found a pair really giving this hollow a thorough inspection. One did all the inspecting while the other stood guard on a nearby branch – he spent the time watching me on the trail and shaking his tail feathers now and again and quietly squawking. I assumed the other took this as a signal to be alert but not alarmed.

Crimson Rosella guarding his mate while she explored a potential nest hollow, Green’s Bush, Vict

Crimson Rosella inspecting the hollow

Potential nest hole – looking well used but too small for a possum.

I found another Crimson Rosella looking for something in a dead tree. it was very focused and just ignored me as I walked under it. , Green’s Bush, Vict

A Crowded Corner of Greens’ Bush

Posted on September 30, 2017 | 7 comments

After a few weeks away from Green’s Bush I went back to see how the site of the 3 nests was going. The Golden Whistler nest had not developed but the Pardalote burrow was still fresh and active while the Striated Thornbill nest was being maintained and looked in good shape. I stood and watched the Pardalotes coming and going and noticed that there were two Eastern Yellow Robins hunting in the same area. I saw a Robin fly to a nearby branch and pick up an insect from its mate, wolf it down and then fly into a small Pittosporum bush nearby. The binocs showed the adult sitting in a fresh nest beautifully camouflaged with living lichen. When the sitter flew off for another feed, I snuck through some tall bracken and found a clear angle to get a few shots.

Eastern Yellow Robin nest, Green’s Bush, Victoria

Eastern Yellow Robin

Eastern Yellow Robin II

7 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Eastern Yellow Robin, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Nature Photography, Nest, Photography, Victoria

A wattlebird’s moveable feast…

Posted on September 12, 2017 | Leave a comment

Over the long winter I have been exploring new parts of the Mornington Peninsula National Park. On Saturday I stopped at a small picnic ground on the road between Flinders and Rosebud. I have driven past many times but never stopped. It sits alongside a small creek that runs down to Bushrangers Bay. There is a 650 meter loop walk on a well trimmed grass path. It is part of the green corridor that runs down the spine of the peninsula. There were not too many bird species about but I did find a few Little Wattlebirds amongst the flowering banksia trees. The one below spent some time and effort working the angles of the Banksia flower in the wind and collecting a nice feed of nectar.

Little Wattlebird, Main Creek Picnic Ground, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vic

Spring at Greens’ Bush

Posted on September 11, 2017 | 6 comments

For various reasons I have not taken many/any photos on recent visits to Greens Bush. The weather has been cold and wet, it has been quite dark in the forest and most importantly not many birds have sat still long enough to take a decent image. I no longer blast away at any bird and hope that there is a shot in there somewhere. The hours post processing are not worth the result. I try to take only a few shots and get the setup right while stalking the target. This often results in failures and no shots but does save time at the computer. On Saturday I was determined to shoot something rather than just carry the heavy gear around. While the birdlife was abundant and the forest was quite noisy there were not many birds near enough to shoot. What I did find was three different species’ nests all within a few meters of where I had stopped for a breather. For nearly 30 mins I watched as a Golden Whistler returned to a particular bush with more nesting material. The female seemed to be doing all the collecting and building with the colourful male inspecting now and again and standing guard in the next tree. While just standing there I saw a pair of Spotted Pardalotes on a branch just above my head. It took a few moments to realise that they were not being friendly but getting a bit stressed because I was standing next to their burrow. I moved away and straight away they flew down and into the burrow. Turning around at a new bird call I saw a pair of Striated Thornbills flying into their nest, a tennis ball size clump of soft material and spider webs. Spring has started and nesting season is in full swing. I will re-visit in the coming weeks and hopefully see more progress and take a few pics.

Spotted Pardalote near nest entrance

Spotted Pardalote nest entrance, Greens Bush, Vic

Spotted Pardalote nest entrance – a burrow

Striated Thornbill nest, Greens Bush, Vic

Striated Thornbill nest camouflaged inside an over-hanging Eucalyptus branch

Golden Whistler nest (just starting), Greens Bush, Vic

Golden Whistler nest (just starting) – will be more of a traditional cup type nest.

6 Comments

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Golden Whistler, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Nature Photography, Photography, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Thornbill, Victoria

Return to Stockyard Point

Posted on August 24, 2017 | 4 comments

When I got home from the last twitch at Stockyard Point near Jam Jerrup, I saw a report for another rare vagrant to Victoria – the Little Stint. It was seen in the flock we had just left. Due to its brown/orange breeding plumage it stood out from the 100s of the plain grey over-wintering Red-necked Stints. Without the colour plumage it would have been identical to the others and no-one would have noticed it. We waited two weeks for another suitable weekend where the tide was high at a reasonable time. The weather, if possible, was even colder but at least newly purchased thermals helped keep me warm. It took a while to spot the little wader but an eagle-eyed and patient birder (Emma) finally found it – Lifer 347. We spent the next four hours watching it move from the sand spit to a small sand bank out of the strong cold wind. Much of the time its head was tucked in as it napped at high tide. When it looked up a dozen cameras would snap away. Several times it flushed and we thought we had lost it but it always seemed to come back to the same sand divot.

Little Stint Twitch, Stockyard Point, Jam Jerrup, Vic

Mixed wader flock, Stockyard Point, Jam Jerrup, Vic

Mixed wader flock

Little Stint and waders, Stockyard Point, Jam Jerrup, Vic

Little Stint and waders II

Little Stint III

Red Knot and waders, Stockyard Point, Jam Jerrup, Vic

Red Knot in bright breeding plumage and mixed waders

4 Comments

Posted in Birds, Victoria, White Browed Babbler

Tagged Australia, Australian Birds, Bird Photography, Curlew Sandpiper, Double Banded Plover, Little Stint, Nature Photography, Photography, Red Knot, Red Necked Stint, Red-capped Plover, Stockyard Point, Victoria

Twitching at Stockyard Point

Posted on August 12, 2017 | 1 comment

Stockyard Point near Jam Jerrup in Western Port Bay is a good spot for some high tide wader watching. Once the tide rises many of the waders move across from feeding on the exposed low tide mud flats to the sand spits for a bit preening and sleeping. One of the many species found here is the Australian Pied Oystercatcher, a fairly common bird found along the coast. Not so common and in fact not previously reported in Victoria is the (NZ) South Island Pied Oystercatcher. The SIPO is very similar looking to the Aussie version but with shorter legs, longer bill and different white plumage on the back and underwing. In late June a keen eyed birder spotted this NZ vagrant, and since then many birders have taken the long beach walk to the point to twitch for the SIPO. On the day we trekked to the point, we spent many hours on the spit, met quite a few birders, found the South Island Oystercatcher (lifer 346) and photographed many other waders. In winter one does not expect to see many waders in Victoria but we were amazed at how many different species had over-wintered in the south rather than fly back to Siberia to breed. A few of the experienced birders suggested that it was due to a very good breeding season in the north in 2016 and that 1st year birds tend to over-winter rather than fly back north. It was long day, standing for 6 hours, exposed to bitingly cold southerly winds, at times wet, but it was one of the best days of birding I have seen.

Stockyard Point Twitch, Jam Jerrup, Vic – a brief sunny respite from the cold and winds

Waders at Stockyard Point, Jam Jerrup, Vic

Hundreds of over-wintering waders at Stockyard Point

III

Eastern Curlews and Godwits at Stockyard Point, Jam Jerrup, Vic

Eastern Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwits

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Godwits landing at Stockyard Point, Jam Jerrup, Vic

Bar-tailed godwits landing on a sand spit at high tide

6 species in this shot: Red-capped plover, Red knot, Curlew sandpiper, Red-necked stint, Terek sandpiper, Double-banded plover.

Oystercatchers_SIPO at Stockyard Point, Jam Jerrup, Vic

South Island Pied Oystercatcher (left) and Australian Pied Oystercatcher

1 Comment

Posted in Birds, Victoria

Tagged Australian Birds, Bar-tailed Godwit, Bird Photography, Eastern Curlew, Nature Photography, SIPO, South Island Pied Oystercatcher, Stockyard Point, Terek Sandpiper, Twitch, Twitching, Victoria, Western Port Bay

Melbourne Street Art – Best of May 2017.

Posted on August 7, 2017 | 2 comments

The selection below was some of the best street art I found in May 2017 . A mixture of spray painting, pasteups and stencils. Most were gone (over-sprayed) in the following days. The photos were mostly taken in Hosier & Rutledge Lanes and several other laneways (including a railway bridge underpass) around Melbourne CBD – all images taken with an iPhone 6S.

Melbourne Street Art – May 2017

2 Comments

Posted in Street Art, Victoria

Tagged ACDC Lane, Australia, Hosier Lane, Melbourne CBD, Melbourne Laneways, paste-ups, Photography, Presgrave Place, Railway underpass, Rutledge Lane, Stencil Art, Strachan Lane, Street Art, Street Photography, Urban Photography, Victoria

Melbourne Street Art – Best of April 2017.

Posted on August 5, 2017 | 4 comments

The selection below was some of the best street art I found in April 2017 . A mixture of spray painting, pasteups and stencils. Most were gone (over-sprayed) in the following days. The photos were mostly taken in Hosier & Rutledge Lanes and a few other laneways around Melbourne CBD – all images taken with an iPhone 6S.

Melbourne Street Art – April 2017

4 Comments

Posted in Street Art, Victoria

Tagged Australia, graffiti, Hosier Lane, Melbourne CBD, Melbourne Laneways, Photography, Street Art, Street Photography, Urban Photography, Victoria

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The Gap Year and Beyond

A chorus of Corellas

A Scarlet irruption at Green’s Bush…

I got a lizard for lunch…

Flying visit along the coast

The Cuckoos are arriving

What ya doing Dad?

A not so bashful Bassian Thrush

Every nook and cranny

A Crowded Corner of Greens’ Bush

A wattlebird’s moveable feast…

Spring at Greens’ Bush

Return to Stockyard Point

Twitching at Stockyard Point

Melbourne Street Art – Best of May 2017.

Melbourne Street Art – Best of April 2017.

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