Monday 11 June 2012

Powlett River Mouth

After a few weeks of no birding I had the opportunity to get out with the camera this morning on my way to visit friends in Gippsland. I have been meaning to visit Reef Island for a while and today seemed like the ideal time. I was going to be in the area and low tide was mid morning, so what could be better?



...being able to see the island would have been a good start! The morning fog had disappeared inland but the sea air was obviously still damp and cold so the fog was still thick over Westernport Bay. On the chance that the fog would lift, I walked down the beach to the narrow low-tide isthmus that leads to the island but, alas, the fog was getting thicker...



So instead, I headed for the Powlett River Mouth (see map). This is usually a great place for a variety of birds with the ocean beach, river estuary, swamp and grasslands providing a variety of habitats. What I hadn't counted on was that every man, woman, child and dog also thought this was a great place to visit on a (now) sunny holiday morning. With so much activity, there was not a lot of bird life on the river but I did manage to find a solo heron, feeding on the exposed river bed on the opposite bank. It allowed me to get quite close--it's amazing how tolerant feeding birds are, especially when there's water between you and them.




White-faced Heron, Powlett River Mouth

There was a small flock of European Goldfinch in the swampy grassland beside the road. Small flocking birds are hard to photograph but one came quite close.

European Goldfinch, Powlett River Mouth

A small mob of Eastern Grey Kangaroos loafing about in the nearby grassland provided the non-avian entertainment for the morning.



Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Powlett River Mouth

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