Just to the north of the coastal bird-hide in the Lake Borrie Lagoons (Western Treatment Plant) is the mouth of the Little River. It is a great spot for various roosting birds at the high tides. On this occasion we found dozens of Red-necked Avocet roosting and preening and a few metres a small family of Black-winged Stilts.
Black-winged Stilt family, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
Red-necked Avocets in a roosting flock, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
A great day at the Werribee Treatment Plant ended with a drive along the surrounding roads looking for the raptors using the fence posts as perches to watch for their evening meals. This little Kestrel was fluffed up against the cool air. The Nankeen Kestrel is also called the Chickenhawk (though it mostly hunts insects, small birds and mice), Mosquito Hawk and Windhover (due to its hunting technique). Its scientific name is Falco cenchroides – “resembling kestrel-like hawk falcon” (doesn’t leave much out).
Nankeen Kestrel, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
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Target sighted…
Another of the raptors we found along the roads in the Treatment Plant was an Australian Hobby. I don’t often see this species though have seen one twice now in the last few months. I actually see Peregrine Falcons more often. This one flew into the Paradise Lagoons section along one of the roads and watched the various birds in the area as well as watch us slowly drive forward. The Hobby (from old French “hobe” meaning small falcon) was also called the “Little Falcon” , “Little Duck-Hawk”, “Black-faced Hawk”, “White-fronted Hawk” and its Latin name means “Long-winged Falcon”.
Australian Hobby, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
Towards the end of my last drive around the Western Treatment Plant we found several Brown Falcons using the fence posts as lookouts for their evening meals. Using the car as a mobile bird hide and watching for nervousness we managed to get quite close to a few. Depending on their age and temperament they had quite different flush distances (no-pun intended).
Brown Falcon, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
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Two thirds of the Elwood Birding Crew aka Port Phillip Birders along with our regional member from up Knox way joined for a day at the pooh farm and surrounding roads. It was cold and grey with dim lighting but the number of raptors along the various roads was surprising and we kept our car windows down, and the heater, gloves and beanies on. We cruised the roads and lagoons, watched and photographed Brown Falcons, Wedge-tail Eagles, Kites and Kestrels. What better way to spend a cold winters day….dont tell Mary.
Brown Falcon, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
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I like it when a bird species has an identifying feature listed in its name, it makes birding just a fraction easier. Before the Spotted Crake did his dash across the small shallow lagoon a few Red-kneed Dotterels worked their way along the edge looking for small insects on the water.
Red-kneed Dotterel, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
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Spotted Crakes are often seen skulking around the muddy edges of wetlands usually very close to cover so a quick dash can get them back under cover and invisible again. I saw this particular Crake late one sunny afternoon at the small lagoon near the bird hide along the coast at the Treatment plant. He was walking quite boldly across the lagoon to the other side. Though as the sun dipped a bit he made the sudden dash back to the other side and straight back into cover.
Spotted Crake, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
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A quick look round and straight at me…
…reached the other side for a peek around the salt-bush…
…and a mad dash back again – the next few seconds later he actually took off in a low flight..
During my last visit to the Treatment Plant, I stopped the car while driving around the Western Lagoons and filmed a Spotted Crake that crept out of the salt bush and heath to have a drink and check for easy prey. Just to the left of the Crake a Little Grassbird also popped out to check in the tidal mud for prey. These birds are often heard at wetlands and seen when they flit low across the water to the next clump of reeds but I dont often see them clearly for a shot. The Little Grassbird’s scientific name Megalurus gramineus means “grassy large-tail” due to its large broad tail and preferred habitat.
Little Grassbird, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, Vic
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Greeting me as I opened the access gate (4) at the Treatment Plant recently was a little Golden-headed Cisticola. It is a small bird of the marshy grasslands surrounding a wetlands area. It has several calls including a very distinctive call that can be mimicked with a bit of effort and strong lips. In my earlier files I found a small video of another Cisticola at another entry gate, perched on a barbed wire fence along the T-section of the Treatment Plant. Towards the end of the file the distinctive call can be heard.
Golden-headed Cisticola, Western Treatment plant, Werribee, Vic
While at the Treatment Plant (aka Pooh Farm) on the weekend I found quite a few elusive Spotted Crakes along protected, muddy patches of various tidal and fresh water lagoons. In Western Lagoons I had stopped the car when I thought I had found one and waited for it to come out into the light again. I fiddled with my camera settings and ended up in movie mode so I thought I would try it out. The result wasn’t bad for a fully extended 100-400 zoom and 1.4 extender. The day was very windy and the wind sound came out on the video so I have added some music I like from a band called Outback (album Baka, song Airplay).
On Saturday I went to the Knife-makers Guild annual show in Attwood (as you do), and instead of fighting the freeway traffic back home, I decided to head south and drop by the Western Treatment Plant (the pooh farm). While driving out of the lagoons to leave I flushed what I thought were two Blue-winged Parrots off the track. I saw a flash of orange as they flew over the windscreen of the car and realised these must be a pair of the released Orange-bellied Parrots, a very rare and endangered species. They only flushed to the back of the car so I used the door for cover and took a few photos – bad light and shooting into the sun but got a few shots. They were smaller than I expected and made such a melodic buzzy call when flying. There has been a real push to try and breed up and release parrots to join the 50 wild birds that are estimated to be left (with only 340 in 10 captive/breeding recovery facilities). In the wild the tiny parrot migrates from its summer breeding grounds in Tasmania, flies over Bass Strait and into the coastal regions of Victoria – a tough flight with very few intact feeding grounds at the end of the journey. I found out later that these two were males and part of the 2017 release program but had not joined the wild population yet. I am hopeful that this parrot does not die out in the wild during my lifetime.
Orange-bellied parrot, Western Treatment Plant, Werribee
A pair of male Orange-bellied parrots
note the pair of leg bands.
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I don’t often see Hares in the wild. I have seen two now at Werribee and both were a surprise…once when it came down a dirt track towards the car I thought it was a fox, then a small dog but then it raised its ears and I saw it was a hare.
The hare below was just sitting and enjoying a bit of sun on a cold winters day. When the birds alert went up that a raptor was cruising by it seemed to recognise the call and became much more aware and started to look up and around.
I had to check Wiki to learn more about it: Long-eared, and long limbed, Hares are fast runners, typically living solitarily or in pairs. Hare species are native to Africa, Eurasia, North America, and the Japanese archipelago. Hares do not bear their young below ground in a burrow as do rabbits, but rather in a shallow depression or flattened nest of grass called a form. Young hares are adapted to the lack of physical protection, compared to a burrow, by being born fully furred and with eyes open. They are able to fend for themselves soon after birth where rabbits are born blind and hairless.
Hares are swift animals: The introduced hare found in Australia (Lepus europaeus) can run up to 56 km/h and can leap up to 3 m (10 ft) at a time.
During a spring frenzy, hares can be seen chasing one another and “boxing”, one hare striking another with its paws (probably the origin of the term “mad as a March hare”). For a long time, this had been thought to be male competition, but closer observation has revealed it is usually a female hitting a male to prevent copulation.
Hare, Western Treatment Plant, T-section, Werribee
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well suited for a life above ground, fast, wary and camouflaged
Many birds are busy at the moment. Potential nest sites explored, claimed and defended, nest mounds are being constructed and the recent mild weather has convinced several species to start the nesting cycle now.
The two mounds below were found in the first T-section lagoon at the Western Treatment Plant. I was surprised to see that they were fairly close to the road and in a large and fairly exposed lagoon. Very happy to see the Brolgas nesting again at the Lagoons, though a little concerned that if it rained further then the nest could be swamped by the rising water levels. The swan’s nest was much higher from the water.
Nesting Brolga, T-section, Western treatmwent Plant, Werribee
Nesting Brolga’s mate nearby keeping a watch…
Nesting Swan, T-section, Western treatmwent Plant, Werribee
One of the best reasons to visit the Western Treatment Plant over winter is the large number of Raptors that can be easily seen. The species found all year round include the Swamp Harriers, Kites (Black-Shouldered, Black and Whistling) and the Brown Falcons. Several more stop by for a few months to breed locally or just to take advantage of an abundant food supply – these include the Black Falcon, Kestrel, Brown Goshawk, Spotted Harrier, Sea-Eagle and Wedge-tailed Eagle.
Below are two regulars that I often see and photograph. The Brown Falcon and the Whistling Kite – both perched in late afternoon light on dead tree branches with great open views of the surrounding area.
Brown Falcon, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
Whistling Kite, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
On the drive out of the Western Lagoons and T-section and back along the Point Wilson Road heading home after along day of birding, I spotted a dark silhouette in one of the bordering Pines. Very easy to identify with the swallow shaped forked tail, the raptor on the branch was a Black Kite. The kite is a medium sized raptor, blackish-brown in colour, and often seen slowly cruising along the country highways. It is reported to be the most common raptor in the world. We regularly see several along this road and it is one of the first birds we encounter for the day and one of the last.
Black Kite, Western Treatment Plant, Victoria
The Gap Year and Beyond 