Tag Archives: Dandenong Ranges National Park

Dawdling in the Dandenongs

Posted on November 4, 2015 | Leave a comment

A few weeks ago our little group of intrepid birders spent a few hours exploring Welch Track, located on the Dandenong Ranges National Park. It is a fairly short track and very steep at the start but one that offers a good range of vegetation and animal species including birds. We spent some slow time just waiting for birds to come by. The last time I visited I was looking for a lifer: the Large-Billed Scrubwrens and found them but did not manage any photos (though I did find and photograph a juvenile Power Owl.) This time around we found the target species (only the 2nd time I have seen them) and managed to get a few nice images. (I have included an example of the related White Browed Scrubwren for comparison – image from a local shoot)

Welch Track, Dandenong Ranges National Park

Welch Track, Dandenong Ranges National Park

Large Billed Scrubwren, Welch Track, Dandenong Ranges Nat Park

Large Billed Scrubwren, Welch Track, Dandenong Ranges Nat Park

Large Billed Scrubwren, Welch Track, Dandenong Ranges Nat Park

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Large Billed Scrubwren, Welch Track, Dandenong Ranges Nat Park

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Red Browed Treecreeper, Welch Track, Dandenong Ranges Nat Park

Red Browed Treecreeper grooming after a quick dip in a local creek.

White Browed Scrubwren

White Browed Scrubwren

 

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Dandenong Ranges National Park – Welch Track: The Powerful Owl

Posted on February 15, 2015 | 8 comments

Another part of the Dandenong Ranges that I have explored briefly is a section near one of the Puffing Billy Steam Train Stations – Welch Track. It is a rather steep section of the Park with a good track leading down to a rainforest gully and then merging onto other tracks. I had seen a report of a few Large Billed Scrubwrens in the area and while I looked for them I found a few other interesting birds along the way.

Crimson Rosella

Crimson Rosella

Male Superb Fairy Wren

Male Superb Fairy Wren

Red Browed Treecreeper

Red Browed Treecreeper – usually difficult to see as they stick to the higher canopies of very tall trees

Juvenile Powerful Owl

Juvenile Powerful Owl – still with fledgling white chest feathers, and already with extremely large and lethal talons. The Powerful Owl is able to take much larger and heavier prey – a favourite being the brush tailed possum.

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Even as a young Owl in daylight it had much better senses than I did – it knew when other people were coming down the track well before I did.

Welch Track Foliage and fallen tree

Welch Track Foliage and fallen tree

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Posted in Birds, Dandenong Ranges, Rainforest, Victoria, Victorian Reserves

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