Tag Archives: Victoria

A Day in the Sun

Posted on July 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

A beautiful sunny day in Melbourne today. Met up with Dave E down at St Kilda Marina to look for some uncommon birds. No luck for me but we did find the more common birds and enjoyed some rare sunshine. Walked back up Elster Creek and ran into Gio (another local birder) and took a few more pics. Quite nice to be out and in the sun for a change – it has been so cold and wet lately.

Currawong, Elster Creek

Currawong, Elster Creek

Little Wattlebird, Elwood

Little Wattlebird, Elwood

Cormorants and Gull

Cormorants and Pacific Gull

Great Egret, Elster Creek

Great Egret, Elster Creek

Great Egret, Elster Creek

Great Egret, Elster Creek

En Plein Air Artist

En Plein Air Artist

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Posted in Birds, Black & White, Victoria

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Hunters and Prey

Posted on July 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

The small birds are very aware of what is around and above them and are always on the lookout for the raptors that are everywhere at the Western Treatment Plant lagoons. The images below are from a few visits to the lagoons over the last several weeks. Even in winter it is a haven for many species of birds.

Superb Fairy Wren

Superb Fairy Wren

Superb Fairy Wren

Superb Fairy Wren

Little Grassbird

Little Grassbird

Zebra Finch, Western Treatment Plant,

Zebra Finch

Blue Winged Parrot

Blue Winged Parrot

Red Necked Avocet

Red Necked Avocet

Black Falcon

Black Falcon

Brown Falcon

Brown Falcon

Black Kite, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria

Black Kite

Black Shouldered Kite

Black Shouldered Kite

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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The Littlest Falcon

Posted on July 14, 2015 | 1 comment

The Nankeen Kestrel is Australia’s smallest Falcon. It prefers the grasslands and open forests. It hovers or perches and watches for movement below and pounces  or drops straight down. There are a number of them at the moment at the Western Treatment Plant and surrounding grasslands and paddocks. I took photos of the two below while waiting for sunset and the Barn Owls to come out from their daytime roosts under the large Pine Trees in the area .

Nakeen Kestrel, Weribee, Victoria

Nakeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)

Nakeen Kestrel, Weribee, Victoria

Nakeen Kestrel, Weribee, Victoria

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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Ghost Owl

Posted on July 12, 2015 | Leave a comment

Last night while trying to figure how to use my long lens to take a night-time photograph of an owl that was high in a pine tree, I took this image. One of many that was blurred and unusable as an ID shot but interesting as an abstract image.

Ghost Owl, Beach Road, Weribee

Ghost Owl, Beach Road, Weribee

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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Barn Owl – Victorian Lifer 311

Posted on July 11, 2015 | Leave a comment

Over the last few weeks people have been reporting a number of Barn Owls along one of the roads at the Western Treatment Plant. I decided that I would take a look and see if I could find any – I have never actually seen any in the wild before. I went mid afternoon and waited for sunset and for the owls to appear. I eventually saw 3 and took many photos. None turned out well except for these two images. Very pleased to get my 311th Victorian bird and to actually get a few images as well.

Barn Owl, Western Treatment Plant

Barn Owl, Western Treatment Plant

Barn Owl, Western Treatment Plant

Barn Owl, Western Treatment Plant

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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On the Hunt

Posted on July 10, 2015 | Leave a comment

A very photogenic raptor – The Black Shouldered Kite. There are at least a dozen of them at the Western Treatment Plant at the moment. They catch mice and other smaller prey. There must be quite of bit of food around for them as they have started to nest already and it is only mid-winter here in Southern Victoria.

Click image to enlarge

Black Shouldered Kite, Western Treatment Plant

Black Shouldered Kite, Western Treatment Plant

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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Flight

Posted on July 9, 2015 | 3 comments

A few images from one of the recent visits I have made to the Western Treatment Plant in the last month. It is a great place to photograph birds in flight – always a tough subject. There are many raptors always on the prowl that are constantly spooking the flocks on the water giving you opportunities to practice. The reaction of the flocks tell you that something good is above and you have to quickly spin around and look for the raptor that is causing the fuss. Some are ignored like the Black Shouldered Kite and others are taken very seriously – like the large mature Whistling Kites.

Click image to enlarge.

Pink Eared Ducks, Western Treatment Plant

Large flock of Pink Eared Ducks (aka Zebra Duck), Western Treatment Plant – one of my favourite ducks  – very photogenic and quite strange looking, and no other Aussie duck sounds like it.

Black Shouldered Kite, Western Treatment Plant

Black Shouldered Kite on the hunt – beautiful wing structure and displaying its black shoulder.

Whiskered Tern, Western Treatment Plant,

Whiskered Tern – two were flying and hunting along the lagoons and one would keep dive-bombing the other. This pic is of the lower tern avoiding its hunting partner that had just dived past it.

Black Kite, Western Treatment Plant

Black Kite – a different angle

Whistling Kite, Western Treatment Plant,

Whistling Kite prowling the lagoons.

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Posted in Bird Behaviour, Birds, Victoria

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Determined and Focussed

Posted on July 8, 2015 | Leave a comment

A few weeks ago a friend (Ron J)  and I stopped by Pencil Park in Keysborough to have a look around and see what was new. It was a nice sunny day and pretty mild for a winter’s day but it was quiet with not many birds around. We watched the wetlands for a while and took a few shots of the birds like Dusky Moorhens (Gallinula tenebrosa) and Egrets getting a late afternoon feed.

This particular Moorhen had a determined look about it as it hunted around the fringe and ate what it could find in the foliage along the water’s edge.

Dusky Moorhen, Pencil Park, Keysborough,

Dusky Moorhen , Pencil Park, Keysborough

 

 

 

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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A gutsy attitude

Posted on July 7, 2015 | 2 comments

Amongst the many bird species seen and photographed over the last few weeks at the Western Treatment Plant, this little guy is one of my favourites – he is inquisitive, territorial and not afraid to get up and have a look at what is happening in his neighbourhood. I first saw him and heard his melodic call at one of the permit gates entering the Treatment Plant. He dashed off after seeing me but I used my playback call on my phone and he responded and stuck around for a while looking for the intruder. When calling he wags his upright tail back and forth like a battle flag…

Striated Fieldwren

Striated Fieldwren  – Calamanthus Fuliginosus

Striated Fieldwren

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Striated Fieldwren

III

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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Caution – Falco Berigora

Posted on July 6, 2015 | 3 comments

Over the last month I have been making weekly visits on my own and with friends to the Victorian Western Treatment Plant in Weribee. It is an amazing place for birds any time of the year. At the moment there are many species of Raptor stopping by and taking advantage of the conditions and hunting opportunities. At least one species has even started to nest and raise chicks.

On this occasion, I was on my own reviewing the usual areas and seeing what had changed since I had last been here in February. I found this Brown Falcon enjoying a bit of late afternoon sun on an old wooden sign. It spotted something nearby and took off.

Brown Falcon - Falco Berigora, Western Treatment Plant.

Brown Falcon – Falco Berigora, Western Treatment Plant.

Brown Falcon - Falco Berigora, Western Treatment Plant.

Brown Falcon – Falco Berigora, Western Treatment Plant.

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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Elwood Tawny Frogmouths

Posted on July 4, 2015 | 1 comment

I heard about this pair of Tawny Frogmouths last week and had a chance to look for them late last Sunday evening – I found them but it was too dark to take any pictures. After a week at work and a morning of rain I finally just got back from observing them again and taking a few pics. They are still one of my favourite birds to photograph. This pair is a bit unusual in that they are roosting in an exposed spot over the road near a suburban intersection in a large plane tree without any leaves. They still have decent camouflage with their colouring but just stick out a bit to a keen observer. I have added these guys to my local birds  page.

Tawny Frogmouths, Elwood

Tawny Frogmouths, Elwood

Tawny Frogmouths, Elwood

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Tawny Frogmouths, Elwood

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Tawny Frogmouths, Elwood

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Tawny Frogmouths, Elwood

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Posted in Birds, Victoria

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Hosier Lane Selfies

Posted on July 2, 2015 | 2 comments

I walked through Hosier Lane yesterday to check the latest wall art and found quite a few people visiting – many internationals, including a Spanish family, who I kept seeing around where I was photographing. I ended up taking a few street shots of them as well as they were funny to watch, enjoying themselves. I was using my very wide angle lens so I could not stand right back and pretend that I was doing anything other than taking photos of them…other than a quick glance they did not seem to mind at all

Hosier Lane,Melbourne CBD

Hosier Lane,Melbourne CBD

Hosier Lane Selfie

Hosier Lane Selfie

Hosier Lane Selfie

Hosier Lane Family Selfie

Hosier Lane Tourists, Melbourne CBD

Hosier Lane Tourists – mum using the Selfie stick – it took her a few goes at trying to photograph them rather than herself (and I think me over her shoulder)

Hosier Lane Tourists, Melbourne CBD

Hosier Lane Tourists – hamming it up,  and another couple taking a selfie

My own Hosier Lane Selfie

My own Hosier Lane Selfie – I thought I would give it a go as well…no smiling please this is serious…

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Posted in Black & White, Melbourne CBD, Street Art, Victoria

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Protest and Statement Street Art

Posted on July 1, 2015 | Leave a comment

At various street art sites you can always find good examples of protest and statement art. They are usually much smaller and one needs to look in the out of the way places along the laneway walls. The pictures below were taken in the last week.

Protest and Statement Art, Duckboard Place

 Statement Art, Duckboard Place

Protest and Statement Art, Hosier Lane

Statement Art, Hosier Lane

Protest and Statement Art, Duckboard Place

Protest and Statement Art, Duckboard Place

Protest and Statement Art, Duckboard Place

Duckboard Place

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Posted in Laneways, Melbourne CBD, Street Art, Victoria

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Odd Melbourne: Shopfronts and displays

Posted on June 30, 2015 | Leave a comment

It is not everyday that you find a giant cross in the window display of a clothing  shop.  Apparently the shop has a “unique style with sophisticated quirk”.

Shopfront, Flinders Lane

Shopfront, Flinders Lane

And this Building display window has been converted into the seating area for about 5 customers for the Switchboard Cafe – one of the tiniest cafes in Melbourne with a small hole in the wall for coffee and food prep –  room for one,  under the stairwell of the Manchester Unity Building – where the old electrical switchboard was located.

Switchboard Cafe, Manchester Unity Building

Switchboard Cafe, Manchester Unity Building

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Posted in Architecture, Melbourne CBD

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Graffiti Birds

Posted on June 28, 2015 | Leave a comment

Birds and Street Art, a great combination…

Birds, ACDC Lane

Birds, ACDC Lane

Bird, Hosier Lane,

Bird, Hosier Lane,

Union Lane Street Art, Melbourne CBD

Bird, Union Lane

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Posted in Melbourne CBD, Street Art, Victoria

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