W erribeewag-tales. A Sunny Altona Ramble AUGUST 2016 PAGE 1. Dave Torr

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1 AUGUST 2016 A Sunny Altona Ramble Count for the Day: 63 Species Winner: Gwen Thomas W erribeewag-tales Dave Torr The original forecast had been for a miserable day, but as it happened we enjoyed good winter weather apart from a brief shower. Our walk started at the car park by the 100 Steps of Federation, and we then headed around the wetlands towards Laverton Creek. In contrast to the last time I visited the area in late June there were very few birds at the mouth of the creek (although we did see both Yellow-billed and Royal Spoonbills and as well as Great and Little Egrets), but on the way there and back we picked up a good number of birds including a Fan-tailed Cuckoo, the usual Singing Honeyeaters and some Flame Robins always a welcome sight. After morning tea in the shelter (with a very welcome banana cake from Cathy) we drove to Apex Park on the Flame Robin Photo Mike Pratt other side of the estuary. The sand bank opposite the car park had good numbers of birds sheltering from the wind, including both Pied and Sooty (often rare locally) Oystercatchers, both White-headed and Banded Stilts, Red-necked Avocets, Pacific Gulls (including a good sighting of a juvenile) and a number of Greater Crested Terns. We also saw some Australasian Gannets in the area. A walk through the park along the banks of the estuary gave us further views of many of the birds we had seen earlier in the day, but we added a pair of Red-capped Plovers before adjourning for lunch. Our final destination for the day was to be the walk along Kororoit Creek from the ford to the mouth, but unfortunately recent heavy rain had Singing Honeyeater Photo Dieter Bosnjakovic rendered the ford impassable on foot (and seemed to have washed all the birds away) so we stayed on the southern side of the creek and walked around the site of the old racecourse. It was pleasing to see a number of new information signs in the area, but, again, heavy rains had meant some tracks were flooded. We had good views of Eurasian Skylarks in the area before finishing with bird call 63 species was the count for the day and Gwen Thomas won the chocolates. PAGE 1

2 BIRD LIST: ALTONA AREA AUGUST 2, 2016 Black Swan Pacific Black Duck Grey Teal Chestnut Teal Australasian Grebe Hoary-headed Grebe Royal Spoonbill Yellow-billed Spoonbill Great Egret White-faced Heron Little Egret Australian Pelican Australasian Gannet Little Pied Cormorant Little Black Cormorant Australasian Swamphen Dusky Moorhen Eurasian Coot Pied Oystercatcher Sooty Oystercatcher White-headed Stilt Banded Stilt Red-necked Avocet Masked Lapwing Red-capped Plover Silver Gull Pacific Gull Greater Crested Tern Whiskered Tern Spotted Dove Crested Pigeon Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo Fan-tailed Cuckoo Nankeen Kestrel Brown Falcon Galah Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Eastern Rosella Rainbow Lorikeet Superb Fairywren New Holland Honeyeater White-fronted Chat Red Wattlebird Singing Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Spotted Pardalote Striated Pardalote Yellow-rumped Thornbill Australian Magpie Willie Wagtail Magpie-lark Little Raven Flame Robin Eurasian Skylark Welcome Swallow Little Grassbird Silvereye Common Myna Common Starling Common Blackbird House Sparrow Red-browed Finch European Goldfinch FROM OUR FOOD CORRESPONDENT Gourmet Grab: Going Bananas. Whilst reclining at Glen Iris, nursing two sprained ankles, you might wonder how I can produce a gourmet report for Andre's Altona Activity. Well my sauce has divulged that the participants went bananas over Cathy and Mark's cake and swiftly devoured the lot. For just desserts, two varieties of Oyster(catchers) were provided but merely observed not served up! All this washed down with a light Chablis, sent down from above. A three star result! Sue Seagull WAGTAILS OUTING TO THE BOTANIC GARDENS SEPTEMBER 2016 The bus should arrive around 9.30am at Gate A on the corner of Anderson St and Alexander Boulevard. We begin our first walk at Gate A. Not far inside Gate A there are toilets available along the left-hand path. There are toilets scattered all around the areas where we shall walk, and at the Lakeside Restaurant, where we shall stop for morning tea and lunch. PAGE 2

3 A DAY OUT, IN PICTURES Photos Dorothy Jenkins Photos Helen Rowley Brown Falcon Photo Dieter Bosnjakovic Royal Spoonbill Photo Mike Pratt PAGE 3

4 ROVING WAGTAILS: BRITAIN AND IRELAND EXPLORER PART II Our next stop on our fabulous journey was Iona Island where we visited the Iona Abbey which is still in use for local church services and you can stay in the cloisters. After visiting the Abbey, we went on a nature walk trying to listen for Corncrakes but all was quiet. We returned back on board for lunch while the ship sailed to Lunga. What an amazing place. This is one giant nesting colony for Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Shags and Fulmars. Birds were rafting offshore as we slowly made our way to the rocky beaches and disembarked our zodiacs. We walked across the rocks and up onto the grassy knoll where hundreds of Puffins had their burrows. We were only metres from these flying penguins with their brightly coloured bill which drops off after the breeding season. Razorbills, Guillemots and Fulmars nested on rocky shelves on the cliffs and rocky islands offshore. Shags nested under rocks near the Puffins in the grassy area. Like most nesting sites it was very noisy and smelly. After dinner we went on a zodiac cruise and walked into Fingal s Cave which had the same hexagonal columns as The Giant s Causeway. Our itinerary was changed due to expected rough weather conditions in the next few days at St Kilda s largest island, Hirta. Fortunately, however, the weather was perfect while we were there for our visit. St Kilda has Dual World Heritage Status for its natural and cultural significance. On Hirta there is the remains of a village abandoned in the 1930s. It is slowly being restored by the National Trust of Scotland. The village was abandoned due to disease and the harsh life style. We then walked up a very steep hill at the back of the village past the cleits, which were used for storing Fulmar oil, wool and other produce right up to the cliff edge. The villagers would harvest Fulmars by going down the cliff face on ropes to collect their eggs and then boil them for oil. There was also a nesting area of Arctic Skuas on the clifftop. We returned on board for lunch, then took a zodiac cruise around the three closest islands for more bird watching where all the seabirds were flying to and from their nests. There were plenty of rafts of birds on the water so we could get fairly close to some of them. Later we sailed around Stac an Amin and Boreray which are home to the largest North Atlantic Gannet colony in the world. So many birds, we took lots of pictures of them flying as they passed our ship. We watched with interest as the skuas attack the returning gannets making them regurgitate their catch for an easy meal. Part iii in September Wag-Tales Words and Photos Geraldine Ke!y North Atlantic Gannet Guillemot colony, Lunga Island Shag, Lunga Island Puffins, Lunga Island PAGE 4

5 Melton Environment Group and Melton City Council Celebrating Bird Week 2016 Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday 19 October 20 October 21 October 22 October 23 October 24 October 25 October 26 October Launch of Bird Week 2016 Hannah Watts Park Melton Botanic Garden Front Lake Caroline Springs Navan Park Lake Playground Toolern Vale Primary School Eynesbury Discovery Centre Eynesbury Discovery Centre Melton Library and Learning Hub 5.30pm - 6pm 7pm pm Live bird educational display-full Flight Centre 6pm to 6.45pm Whose nest is that? by Nora Peters The Connies and bird cards RSVP essential 6.30pm pm Spotlight Walkcreatures of the Night Meet at the Rotunda Hannah Watts Please wear sturdy shoes and bring a torchwalking flat ground (Also Melton South Primary talk by Nora Peters) 10am - 12pm Garden walk and talk Which bird was that? Birds you can see in the Melton Botanic Garden by Daryl Akers Diggers Rest Family Services Centre 3.30pm- 4.30pm Nest making workshop for 5-10 year olds rsvp Melton City Council (Inderdeep Thapar) 10am 12pm Walk and water bird identification for beginners. Meet at the building on the lake near Caroline Springs Bvd and Western Highway 12 pm- 2pm Feeding the ducks some healthy food and learning who they are Meet at the playground Navan Park 2.15pm pm Whose nest is that? By Nora Peters Parents and community members welcome 10.30am am Storytime for 2-5 year olds Making a nestlearn how to make a birds nest Rockbank Primary 10am-11am Whose nest is that? by Nora Peters public welcome rsvp Melton City Council (Inderdeep Thapar) 7.00pm - 8pm Whose nest is that? by Nora Peters RSVP essential for opening event (19 October). Please book through TryBookings Gould League certificates and bird badges available at all sessions, door prizes and more. PAGE 5

6 THE LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL IN SARDINIA The Lesser Black-backed Gull that is common in Europe is a large gull the size of a Pacific Gull. We saw many throughout Sardinia both along the coast and inland. Like our gulls the Lesser Black-backed Gull is a scavenger feeding on garbage as well as fish, insects and marine invertebrates. Its head and underparts are white and its back is dark grey. The wingtips are black with white spots and the legs yellow. The bill is yellow with a red spot near the tip of the lower mandible. The nest is a substantial mound of vegetation built on the ground. The spotting on the eggs is reflected in the dusky down of the newly hatched chicks. There have been reported sightings of this gull in northern Australia, as yet unconfirmed. Words and Photos Sue Myers BIRDLIFE WERRIBEE CONTACTS werribee@birdlife.org.au Website: birdlife.org.au/locations/ birdlife-werribee President Dave Torr E: werribee@birdlife.org.au Secretary/Membership Helen Rowley E: blw.committee@gmail.com Treasurer Iian Denham E: iidenham@yahoo.com Bird Surveys Geraldine Kelly E: g-kelly2009@live.com Events Coordinator Sue Boekel E: sueboekel@hotmail.com Newsletter David Jenkins E: birdsaspoetry@icloud.com PAGE 6