W erribeewag-tales. Wagtails of Werribee at the WTP NOVEMBER 2015 PAGE 1. Christine Shelley

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1 NOVEMBER 2015 Wagtails of Werribee at the WTP Christine Shelley It was a day out of the box, wedged as it was between days when rain fell. Optimism was in the air, when we assembled beneath the trees at Watton Street. Even our required Willie Wagtail appeared promptly, clicking away incessantly above us, until two Little Ravens had had enough. More surprising was the forbearance of the Magpie-lark couple it started on next they uncharacteristically ignored it. It was, then, with great expectations, that our convoy headed to the WTP under the leadership of Dave Torr, to whom the Plant is as familiar as his backyard. With 29 people in nine cars we were ready for the day. Before long we were stepping out at the Beach Road ponds, also known as Crake Lagoon, where you really needed to pause to appreciate the 360⁰ sweep of horizon. The bay, close to the road here, was smooth and silvery, likewise the ponds fringed by the restful green of grasses and reeds. In the distance across the bay loomed the hazy Bellarine Peninsula, while inland the familiar You Yang shapes would remain a scenic back-drop for our day. The sun warmed us and provided a clear bird-watching light, while no more than a gentle breeze played over the waters. Here, the pretty ponds are productive for wader and crake viewing when the water level is right. Count for the Day: 83 Species Winners: Lance Rowley and Chris Clarke W erribeewag-tales Sandpipers and Stints at Rest Photos:Mike Pratt Today, however, it was a little too high to encourage crakes out. Only one person caught a fleeting glimpse, and a call was heard. Still, we did observe other interesting birds, including strikingly colourful Red-kneed Dotterels, a lone Crested Tern, swarms of Whiskered Terns, dipping and rising for insects, an elusive Little Grassbird, and on rocks in the bay a pair of smart Pied Oystercatchers. Towards the You Yangs a Whistling Kite and a Swamp Harrier cruised by. Our leader soon reminded us, we needed to drive to a far-off pond to look for the potential bird of the day, a rare (for here) Ruff, sporting eye-catching breeding plumage. It normally roosted there at high-tide. Nevertheless we took our time birding from the car along the scenic coastal road. Here we encountered a plethora of flustered, kamikaze Purple Swamphens, and observed multitudes of ducks on the lagoons (we would see all possible duck species, except Maned and Freckled). Pleasingly we spotted lots of Great Crested Grebes. In the coastal saltbushes Singing Honeyeaters did their best, though some disparaged their musicality. A suggestion was made that chirruping might be a more apt name. We also saw a man walking his dog! Red-necked Avocet Along here we chose a new spot for morning tea. We knew our usual Borrow Pits stop, was closed off at the moment. Instead we settled into an open, grassy place next to the sea, beside a small, but not so picturesque canal. It had a very convenient selection of bushes and small trees, most with sea-views. A pair of White-browed Scrubwrens were less than amused by our invasion. We sat back to enjoy our coffee in the pleasant sunshine, now tempered by shreds of cloud. At this point Mark produced his wife Kathy s cake de jour, a sizeable, creamy, pink strawberry creation lovely! While Ceri expertly sliced it, we waited patiently - then enjoyed. PAGE 1

2 WAGTAILS OF WERRIBEE AT THE WTP: CONT. Back in the cars, no real stop until we reached the 85 West Pond, also known as The Pond of the Ruff. Luckily we were able to pause to observe some Bluebilled Ducks not far from the bird-hide, and to appreciate the song of the Reed-Warblers, in the reeds. On the river bank there was a single dead tree, bare except for a pristine Royal Spoonbill, an off-white Yellow-billed Spoonbill, and one nice clean White Ibis, and an unattractive dirty one. We also met quite a few car-loads of dejected birders. Ominously they had not found our target. The long, straight road leading to the Ruff pond ran through some of the flattest landscape of the plant, a patchwork of vast, unruffled ponds reflecting the sky. Now we arrived at the perfect, sand-spitted, dead-treed, X-marks-the-spot Ruff pond, which was blatantly Ruffless. It had still been there two days earlier, but search as we might through the resting masses of Avocets, White-headed Stilts and Whiskered Terns, no show. It was some compensation to see among the dainty Whiskered Terns, a giant! A Caspian Tern, an uncommon visitor here, was trying to look inconspicuous in a crowd. There were also Banded Stilts and two Bar-tailed Godwits for the looking. Some of us were convinced we saw a Buff-banded Rail, however, later, photographers demonstrated this was a mass hallucination On the way back we noted the large numbers of Shelducks. Obviously settling in early to claim territory for the post breeding moult. Their flightless state-of-affairs makes you feel guilty every time you drive near them on the roads here. We stopped at the Little River ford to witness a couple of amusing Blacktailed Native-hens scurrying from bush to bush. There were good views here of just one of the many Horsfield s Bronze Cuckoos we saw this day. Some also caught a glimpse of the only Dusky Moorhen we saw at the Plant. We returned to the grassy place for lunch via Lake Borrie, where we added nothing new to our list. We were amazed at the numbers of everflighty Pink-eared Ducks, and some were a bit perturbed to witness the tail of a Tiger Snake as it slithered off the side of the road. The weather gods continued to beam down on us during our relatively leisurely lunch, and the weather would remain agreeable till the day s end. The only blemish would be the heat-haze when we reached the Western Lagoons. It would make it difficult to see bird-life on the Spit. Replenished, we set off for the lagoons of the Austin s Road section. We drove the boundary, stopping at the first lagoon, where we were able to see Cape Barren Geese, among other birds, and there was an unconfirmed sighting of a Marsh Sandpiper. On the way around to other productive lagoons, we kept an eye out for bush birds, but they seemed to be napping today. However, the promised Baillon s Crakes were unmistakably calling, and at intervals they appeared in their favourite reedy lagoon. Some of us were convinced we saw a Buff-banded Rail, however, later, photographers demonstrated this was a mass hallucination. Such is modern bird-watching. This pond was alive with the sounds of a goodly selection of birds, and other creatures. It was mainly the Growling Grass Frog that dominated the symphony. It is not unusual to hear them at the WTP, though they are difficult to spot, yet one sharp-sighted birder did so. For others, it took a while to find a mainly green frog, on just the right blob of green slime, next to the green reed that bent just-so. And what a lovely creature it was, with its vibrant green skin with brown-black mottled side panels and large, googly black eyes it was certainly bigger than some expected. We left the lagoons here, with the turn-keys for the day pleased at passing all the Intelligence Test locks on the gates in this section. Our last stop was the Western Lagoons. We did not see a lot in the wader ponds near the gate, but there was a good view of a Little Egret. A highlight here was a baby Masked Lapwing, which was sternly guarded by its parents. Even though it was still fluffy and gangly, it was already sporting a little black Mohawk so cute! The Spit, as mentioned, proved difficult to observe through the shimmer. However, the promise of finding Brolgas here was kept. One beautiful, but solitary, individual, was duly admired. All that was left to do was to stop at the convenient Murtcain Channel for the bird-tally, and we found that we had amassed the pleasing number of 83. The prize was shared between Lance Rowley and Chris Clarke, and like good Wagtails we all helped devour the chocolates. It was a perfect day at the wonderful WTP. We had all enjoyed the array of birds, the sense of freedom and renewal of being in a special landscape, and some charming chats and laughs with friends. Thank you to Dave for organising us, and leading us so knowledgeably on this day. Thank you Kathy for the delectable cake, and to Mark, her purveyor of fine food. Undoubtedly we had shared another rewarding Wagtails outing. PAGE 2

3 BIRD LIST: WERRIBEE TREATMENT PLANT TRIP NOVEMBER 2015 Cape Barren Goose Black Swan Australian Shelduck Pink-eared Duck Pacific Black Duck Australasian Shoveler Grey Teal Chestnut Teal Hardhead Blue-billed Duck Musk Duck Australasian Grebe Hoary-headed Grebe Great Crested Grebe Australian White Ibis Straw-necked Ibis Royal Spoonbill Yellow-billed Spoonbill Great Egret White-faced Heron Little Egret Australian Pelican Little Pied Cormorant Little Black Cormorant Australian Pied Cormorant Great Cormorant Black-shouldered Kite Little Eagle Swamp Harrier Black Kite Whistling Kite Buff-banded Rail Baillon's Crake Purple Swamphen Dusky Moorhen Black-tailed Nativehen Eurasian Coot Brolga Pied Oystercatcher White-headed Stilt Banded Stilt Red-necked Avocet Masked Lapwing Red-kneed Dotterel Red-capped Plover Bar-tailed Godwit Common Greenshank Red-necked Stint Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Silver Gull Caspian Tern Greater Crested Tern Whiskered Tern Spotted Dove Crested Pigeon Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo Brown Falcon Galah Red-rumped Parrot Superb Fairywren White-fronted Chat Red Wattlebird Singing Honeyeater White-browed Scrubwren Willie Wagtail Magpie-lark Little Raven Eurasian Skylark Welcome Swallow Fairy Martin Tree Martin Australian Reed Warbler Little Grassbird Golden-headed Cisticola Silvereye Common Starling House Sparrow Red-browed Finch Zebra Finch Australian Pipit European Greenfinch European Goldfinch OUR INTERNATIONAL ROVING REPORT: SOUTH AMERICA: Susan Myers I can t resist sending this photo of a Turkey Vulture which landed very close to us. We were being shown a seal colony by our guide when the resident cormorants and gulls took to the air. Sure enough we noticed a pair of raptors with a majestic but unsteady soar. Turkey Vultures are quite accustomed to living near humans and are found in farm areas and around rubbish tips. They have a bright red, unfeathered head and sharply hooked white beak. PAGE 3

4 OUR INTERSTATE ROVING REPORT: CAIRNS, QUEENSLAND Iian Denham When Anna's nephew in Cairns, Queensland invited us to his wedding we thought we would take the opportunity to have a holiday in that area as well and search for my bogey bird the Little Kingfisher. Of course birding was top of my agenda. We stayed with my brother-in-law in Cairns whose home is on the fringe of the city with natural forest literally metres away. Thus the first few days in Cairns were very enjoyable just lazing around his home as the birds, such as Australasian Figbird, Olive-backed Sunbird, and Black Butcherbird were frequent visitors to his garden. Anna and I then went to stay at Kingfisher Park - Birdwatchers Lodge, Julatten for three nights. Not to do anything special, but just enjoy the atmosphere in a relaxed manner. We were a few days early for the migrating Paradise-kingfisher, but we did enjoy many other species such as Pale-yellow Robin, Spectacled Monarch and Noisy Pitta within the grounds. A highlight was to get up at dawn each morning to watch the Platypus in Bushy Creek which borders the park. The main purpose of the trip was a wedding held at Fitzroy Island Resort, which once you get away from the resort is very pleasant natural bush. We didn't sight any unusual birds on the island, but sailing back after the wedding we were rewarded with Brown Booby, and Bridled Tern. The last three days in Queensland were spent at Townsville, just because we had never spent any significant time there. It was disappointing that the area has had below average rainfall and was very, very dry. A spot I had hoped to try for Little Kingfisher on multiple days if necessary was bone dry. In fact most places I had hoped to explore were in very bad shape. This allowed us to explore Townsville as tourists and we were pleasantly surprised at the rich heritage it has to offer. The last day in Cairns turned out to be a gem. On our walk through Queens Gardens three Red-necked Crake appeared and allowed photos. Whilst not uncommon, this bird is notoriously shy and hard to see. In conclusion my quest for the Little Kingfisher was a failure due to lack of knowledge and planning, although I couldn't have changed the wedding date. The bird is most active and seen during the first 6-8 calendar months of the year. So a return to Cairns is on the drawing board for Olive-backed Sunbird MacLeay's Honeyeater Shining Honeyeater PAGE 4

5 PRELIMINARY CALENDAR FOR BIRDLIFE WERRIBEE ACTIVITIES 2016 Date/Start Time Where/What Meet Jan No Tuesday Event Sun 17 Jan 0915 Mt Rothwell Mt Rothwell Tue Feb Melton (Geraldine) Werribee Sun Feb Pinkerton/Eynesbury Pinkerton Tue Mar Brimbank Park (Mark) Werribee TBC Beginners OuOng day at Altona TBA, at locaoon. Tue Apr WTP Car Pool (Dave). Booking es- senoal Werribee Sun 17 Apr 0915 Mt Rothwell Mt Rothwell Tue May Westgate Park/ Elwood (Susan) BUS Werribee Sun May Pinkerton/Eynesbury Pinkerton Tue Jun Werribee River (????) Werribee Tue Jul Woodlands Historic Park (David) Werribee Sun Jul Mt Rothwell Mt Rothwell Tue Aug Altona (Andre) Werribee Sun Aug Pinkerton/Eynesbury Pinkerton Tue Sep Royal Botanic Gardens (ChrisOne) BUS Werribee Oct TBD Camp? To be advised Sun Oct Mt Rothwell Mt Rothwell Tue Nov WTP Car Pool (Dave). Booking es- senoal Werribee Sun Nov Pinkerton/Eynesbury Pinkerton Tue Dec You Yangs (Kevin) Werribee Final Calendar will be posted on BirdLife Werribee Website. updates will be sent before each event. PAGE 5

6 PHOTO GALLERY FROM EVENTS Photos: Mike Pratt Growling Frog Young Masked Lapwing Photos: Len Towerzey Photos: Helen Rowley PAGE 6

7 NEXT OUTING: GISBORNE, MACEDON AREA 1 DECEMBER Mark and Anita have planned an exciting day of exploring the Gisborne and Macedon areas. Leave 8:30am from the usual Watton Street address. Masthead Photo. Enjoy the Masthead photo of our signature bird: the Willie Wagtail courtesy of the editor. BIRDLIFE WERRIBEE CONTACTS werribee@birdlife.org.au Website: birdlife.org.au/ locations/birdlife-werribee President Simply too awesome a responsibility for any mere human to fill. Secretary/Membership Helen Rowley E: helen.rowley@live.com.au Rainbow Bee-eaters: Mt Rothwell Treasurer Iian Denham E: iidenham@yahoo.com Bird Surveys Geraldine Kelly E: g-kelly2009@live.com Newsletter/Calendar David Jenkins E: birdsaspoetry@icloud.com Brown Falcon Photos: Dieter Boznjakovic PAGE 7