Tag Archives: Photography

Swamp Rat of Tootgarook

Posted on March 21, 2018 | 6 comments

While returning from my exploration of the fringes around the Tootgarook Swamp and photographing Striated Fieldwrens and Golden-headed Cisticolas I stood at the edge of the track looking into the swamp and my eye caught some movement at my feet. It was a native rat – an Australian or Eastern Swamp Rat (Rattus lutreolus). It is the first time I have seen a native swamp rat. I have seen and photographed Rikalis (native water rats) a few times but never a swamp rat. It took me a little while to convince myself I was not looking at the standard European black or brown rat. Its behaviour was odd – it seemed to totally ignore me no matter how close  I got and only reacted when I made a decent noise (dropping to my knees with all my gear clanking around me). I saw that it had a deep wound on its side – it looked to be healing but may have resulted in unusual behaviours. With the raptors circling above I doubt it will live long coming into the open. While ignoring me it fed on small grass seeds and dug up roots at the base of the grass.

Swamp Rat, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

Swamp Rat, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

Swamp Rat, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

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Swamp Rat, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

The tail is much shorter on a Swamp Rat compared to a Black Rat.

Swamp Rat, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

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Tootgarook lookout

Posted on March 20, 2018 | 1 comment

I saw a few bird species working the fruiting thorn bushes near the Tootgarook swamp. Along with the Striated Fieldwren and I found small groups of adults and juvenile Golden-headed Cisticolas feeding on insects and hiding in the thorn bushes. One would sit at the top of a bush and keep lookout while the rest would feed. The young one pictured further below must have been fresh out of the nest as it was quite clumsy in flight and when trying to land between the thorns.

Golden headed Cisticola, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

Golden headed Cisticola look-out, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

Juvenile Golden headed Cisticola, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

Juvenile Golden headed Cisticola navigating the thorn bushes.

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Striated Fieldwren – Tootgarook Swamp

Posted on March 19, 2018 | 8 comments

Trying to get access into the Tootgarook Swamp and wetlands can be quite tricky. The swamp is located between Rosebud and Rye in Tootgarrok on the Mornington Penninsula. The proposed fresh water wetlands have been a battle ground between local environmentalists and developers trying to bulldoze the swamp and create yet more suburban housing. At this stage the local action groups are winning out and the developers are being delayed. Hopefully this will continue until the full community gets behind the creation of a protected wetlands. I have been visiting and exploring around the fringe of the swamp areas trying to find the best access spots. One of the higher vantage points is via a closed road that leads to an old dumping area that is located between the sports ovals and the swamp. I spent some time looking for the beautiful and melodic Striated Fieldwren and found a quite a few along the edge of the dumping ground.

Striated Fieldwren, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

Striated Fieldwren, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

Striated Fieldwren, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

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Striated Fieldwren, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

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Striated Fieldwren, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

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Striated Fieldwren, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

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Striated Fieldwren, Tootgarook Wetlands, Tootgarook, Vic

Protest vote

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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Green’s Bush Eastern Spinebill

Posted on February 21, 2018 | Leave a comment

During late Summer I have been spending most weekends walking around the various sections of Green’s Bush. Near the entrance to the Baldry Crossing Circuit I found this Eastern Spinebill feeding along the creek.

Eastern Spinebill, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National park, Vic

Eastern Spinebill, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National park, Vic

Eastern Spinebill, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National park, Vic

Eastern Spinebill, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National park, Vic

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Scrubbers along the track

Posted on January 29, 2018 | 1 comment

One of the regular birds I see along the tracks of Greens Bush is the White-browed Scrubwren. I see them often but dont often photograph them due to their constant movement and the shady and dark areas they lurk. When I find them I try to phish and psst to attract their attention. The one below was with a bunch of juveniles that were hunting in the mottled shadows and I managed to actually get a clear shot. I liked its intensity as it grabbed a spec of food and gave it to one of the juveniles.

White-browed Scrubwren, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National park, Vic,

White-browed Scrubwren, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National park, Vic,

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Churchill National Park Fairywrens.

Posted on January 28, 2018 | 4 comments

A friend took me to Churchill National Park a while back. I have been looking for new sites around the greater Melbourne with good photo opportunities. It was a the first time I had visited this site and it was pretty good. There are plenty of tracks and I found good range of forest bird species and a colony of Superb Fairywrens including this nicely coloured male below.

Male Superb Fairy-wren, Chrurchill National Park, Vic

Male Superb Fairywren, Churchill National Park, Vic

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A challenging ID

Posted on January 23, 2018 | 4 comments

Below is another of the young birds I have been finding while walking around Greens Bush down the Mornington Peninsula. To ID this one took some effort and fooled me a bit due to its rufous colouring – I was thinking Rufous Fantail or Rufous Whistler, or maybe something exotic. It was definitely a juvenile as it moved around a nearby bush in a deep rainforest glade along the track. It was quite curious and I tried to keep it interested by phishing and psstting so I could take a few images to check out later…any ideas? The previous juvenile to fool me was a young Eastern Yellow Robin.

Juvenile Golden Whistler, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vic

Mystery Bird, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vic

Juvenile Golden Whistler, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vic

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The Lake Tutchewop Twitch

Posted on January 16, 2018 | 4 comments

A friend and I took off early one morning after Christmas for a 2 day birding trip north to look for several lifers and to stock up on a few species not seen this year. At Lake Tutchewop, the site of an 2015 twitch for the Long Billed Dowitcher, we were looking for Orange and Scarlet Chats as well as White winged Fairy-Wrens in summer breeding plumage. It is a fairly barren place, hot, dry and windy in summer and cold, wet, windy and very muddy in winter. We actually visited twice over the 2 days, once on the way up and a return visit on the way home. It was on the second trip that we found the Orange Chats. A small, timid, bright orange bird feeding on insects and seeds amongst the low saltbushes along several tracks and fence-lines. I saw at first dozens of White-fronted Chats and slowly walked through the feeding birds trying to get closer – the White Chats have a decent flush zone and getting a nice clear photo is hard. While standing still for a while to trying pretend I was just a tree and not a threat to them, a bright orange bird popped into view. Trying to stay calm and not prematurely start my victory dance I signalled for John, back near the cars,  to come over and share in the view. We stayed an hour and saw many Chats – there must have been at least 30 Orange Chats and many more White-fronted. While the closest photos taken were shooting into the sun, by walking slowly and keeping low I managed to get a few decent shots and quite a few observations. The Orange Chat took my Aussie Lifers to 349 and my Vic Ticks to 347.

Orange Chat, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic, 30 Dec 2017

Orange Chat, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic

Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic,

Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic,

Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic,

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White Fronted Chat, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic, 30 Dec 2017

White Fronted Chat, Lake Tutchewop

Orange Chats, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic

Mixed Chats

Orange Chat, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic, 30 Dec 2017

Orange Chat, Lake Tutchewop

Orange Chat, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic, 30 Dec 2017

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Orange Chat, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic, 30 Dec 2017

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Orange Chat, Lake Tutchewop, Kerang, Vic, 30 Dec 2017

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Spring’s endless demand

Posted on December 2, 2017 | 7 comments

Along the Elwood foreshore behind the life saving and fishing clubs is a small grove of mature Banksia trees as well as wattles, sheoaks and acacia bushes and trees. In spring it is a good spot to find Little and Red Wattlebirds attending their young. The Red Wattlebird below was bringing back small insects to its pair of young.  The begging was incessant and is what drew me to the tree from the other side of the picnic ground. It was going to take many visits and small flies to make the chicks happy…

Red Wattlebird, Elwood beach foreshore, Elwood

Red Wattlebird, Elwood beach foreshore, Elwood

Red Wattlebird, Elwood beach foreshore, Elwood

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Red Wattlebird, Elwood beach foreshore, Elwood

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A colourful hunter…

Posted on November 29, 2017 | 4 comments

A favorite bird of mine, that is quite common in the Victorian forests, is the Eastern Yellow Robin. A quiet perching hunter that pounces on small prey on the ground below it, the vibrantly coloured robin is a regular along the tracks I walk in Greens Bush. A while back I counted 7 pairs feeding in their territories along the full Baldry Circuit. It is interesting that for such a brightly coloured bird they build such a low but well camouflaged nest, using live lichen and moss to make the nest almost invisible even when at head height.

Eastern Yellow Robin, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vict

Eastern Yellow Robin, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vict

Eastern Yellow Robin, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vict

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Eastern Yellow Robin, Greens Bush, Mornington Peninsula National Park, Vict

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Eastern Yellow Robin nest, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

Eastern Yellow Robin nest

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Wow that guy is good!

Posted on November 22, 2017 | 6 comments

I reckon the roo was stunned by my stalking prowess. Usually they are quite shy and will bound off as soon as they spot me trudging along the track with all my gear. I do try to walk quietly in case I find a Bassian Thrush or another ground bird on the path. More likely than being impressed, I think this tall male was quite confident that he could take me so he just waited for me to stop walking and then just ambled across the path and away into the forest.

Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Greens Bush, Mornington Penninsula National Park, Vic

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Ruffled Feathers

Posted on November 9, 2017 | 3 comments

On the way back down the hill from the quarry and watching the Falcons I walked along the Pardalote Path to look for any new nesting activity. On an overhanging branch above the path I found a Kookaburra staring intently into the nearby bushes. He ignored me as I walked up and under the branch and as I turned around to see what he was looking at he was dive bombed by a pair of Red Wattlebirds. Maybe the Kookaburra was a bit too close to their nest and they were trying  to get him to move along. As they attacked, the Kookaburra would fluff up its feathers to appear larger and more fearsome. It didn’t really work with the Wattlebirds but did make for an interesting photo.

Kookaburra, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Kookaburra, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Kookaburra, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

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Family Falco Peregrinus

Posted on November 8, 2017 | 4 comments

On my last visit to Moorooduc Quarry I watched as the Peregrines flew across the water and retrieved cached food. One of the falcons flew to a ledge where I suspected it had chicks. I returned to the quarry on Tuesday afternoon and immediately spotted two good size Falcons standing on the ledge watching me. At first I thought they were adults due to their size but on viewing with my binocs I saw the mottled colouring and realised that they were juvenile falcons. I spent some time watching them and then thought about where the parents might be. I turned around to look up at the quarry cliffs and the tall trees and behind me found an adult just staring at me. It soon lost interest as I was too far away to be a threat to it or its chicks. Looking further around the rim I found the other parent high up on a tall gum keeping guard. Four Peregrines in one site visit! – you can’t get much better than that…I am looking forward to dropping in again soon to watch their progress and early flights.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcons, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Juvenile Peregrine Falcons, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Juvenile Peregrine Falcons, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Juvenile Peregrine Falcons, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

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A late breakfast at the quarry

Posted on October 30, 2017 | 4 comments

After the Peregrine Falcon took off from the cliff I watched it circle the quarry a few times and then land at the top of the cliff, under a bush on another side of the quarry. It came out a few seconds later with the remains of a kill in its beak, flew halfway across the quarry and while flying transferred the kill to its talons. It then  landed on a large tree branch for a late breakfast. This is the second time I have seen the falcons at this site retrieve cached food. The previous time the adult falcon used the cached food to entice a fledging to fly up to the branch for a feed.

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

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Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

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Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

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Hunting the Hunter

Posted on October 29, 2017 | 6 comments

With every visit to Moorooduc Quarry in Mt Eliza, I expect to find the pair of Peregrine Falcons that have been calling the quarry home for years. It may take a little bit of time to dig out the falcons from the cliff faces or the over hanging trees but I am rarely disappointed. I find my own roost spot and just wait and keeping watching the cliffs and trees. On this occasion I thought I would not have the time to wait but as I was turning to go I saw a bit of movement on one of the cliffs and found the Falcon (below) as it was about to launch itself into the quarry.

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

The Peregrines colouring is very effective for blending into the blue stone cliffs.

Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

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Peregrine Falcon, Moorooduc Quarry, Mt Eliza, Vic

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