No.1 and No.2 Dams, Chiltern

No early morning photography at the lake this morning as I opted to pack up most of the camping gear to be ready for a quicker getaway this afternoon. However, this female Australian Magpie kept me company while I ate breakfast so I couldn't resist getting a shot.

Australian Magpie (female), Lake Anderson Caravan Park, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 400, f/4, 1/1600

First official birding stop for the day was Chiltern Valley No. 2 Dam (a small pocket of Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, a few kilometres west of Chiltern) but, on the way, I spotted a handful of Australian White Ibis sitting on nests on a small island in a farm dam.

Australian White Ibis, Wenkes Road, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2000

When we arrived at No. 2 Dam, we walked around to the bird hide but there was very little activity on the dam, except for the arrival of this Australian Pelican.

Australian Pelican, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5, 1/1600

The surrounding bush was similarly quiet but this Eastern Yellow Robin landed in a tree almost immediately above my head - not the best angle but you have to take what you can get.

Eastern Yellow Robin, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2000

Back at the car park we spotted a Whistling Kite circling overhead

Whistling Kite, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/8000

Whistling Kite, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/6400

but the highlight of this location was spotting a Yellow-footed Antechinus running along a log and climbing a tree. I almost always have the camera with long lens attached to a tripod but this morning because we were walking to a bird hide (and tripods, crowds and bird hides are a bad combination), I was hand holding the camera...highly serendipitous because there is no way I would have caught this little marsupial if I had to set up the tripod.

Yellow-footed Antechinus, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/2000

Yellow-footed Antechinus, No. 2 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/5000

Next stop was No. 1 Dam, a small picturesque lake surrounded by eucalypt woodland.

No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @16mm, ISO 800, f/11, 1/200

Circling overhead was another (or maybe the same as the two dams are only about 2 kilometres apart) Whistling Kite but this time much higher up.

Whistling Kite, No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/9, 1/2500

A pair of Red-rumped Parrots landed on a stump just offshore from the bank near where we were standing and gave us great views, including the female checking out a hole in the stump.

Red-rumped Parrot, No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/250

Red-rumped Parrot, No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/320

Red-rumped Parrot, No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/500

Red-rumped Parrot (female), No. 1 Dam, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/800

This afternoon, Regent Parrots revisited.

Lake Anderson, Chiltern (Part 2)

Following yesterday evening's walk around Lake Anderson, a few of us were up early this morning to capture the birds in the morning light and we were rewarded with some great opportunities for flight shots of ducks and cormorants flying into the lake.

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/400

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1000

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1000

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/3200

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/3200

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/2500

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/4000

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1000

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1000

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1600

 The lake was mill-pond calm

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/1600

but, the serenity quickly dissipated...

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1250

Pacific Black Duck, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1600

Hardhead, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/3200

Hardhead, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/3200

Little Black Cormorant, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/640

Great Cormorant, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/8000

Great Cormorant, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/6400

Meanwhile, this male Magpie hung around, swooping and generally harassing us...it's that time of the year...

Australian Magpie, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1000

...you can just tell his intent from the look in his eyes!

Australian Magpie, Lake Anderson, Chiltern, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/2000

Next, the search for the Regent Honeyeater.

Freckled Ducks at Begola Wetlands

While walking around the Begola Wetlands in Ocean Grove yesterday I spotted Freckled Duck among the reeds and swimming around the middle of the lake. As it's been six weeks since my last bird outing, I couldn't help taking a late afternoon visit today to see if I could photograph them. I have seen one or two Freckled Duck here before but not in the numbers that are there currently. There were at least 50-60 birds and maybe many more hidden among the reeds.

Freckled Duck, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Many of the usual suspects were also in, on and around the reeds.

Grey Teal, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Purple Swamphen, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Chestnut Teal (male), Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Dusky Moorhen, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Two Great Cormorants were sharing the top of a stump as preening post.

Great Cormorant, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Australian Magpies were hunting for food in the grass around the edge of the wetlands.

Australian Magpie, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

I also found 6 Latham's Snipe but they were typically secretive and cryptic. This is the best photograph I managed.

Latham's Snipe, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

As I was about to leave, an Australian Reed-Warbler, which had been singing from within a large bush at the side of the lake, popped out to sing on a small dead reed in relatively open view but completely silhouetted against the setting sun. Environmentally, it is upsetting to find so much litter in these wetlands but in this case the old bottle adds to the photographic aesthetic (if I stop thinking of it as a bottle).

Australian Reed-Warbler, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Queen's Birthday woes (again)

So I am a slow learner...on the Queen's Birthday Monday last year I was at Powlett River and the swarms of people and dogs made birding nigh on impossible.

This year I had the (apparently not so) bright idea of going to

only to be overwhelmed by the crowds: people, bicycles, wheelchairs...all enjoying themselves, running and riding loudly along the tracks...next year I need to go further afield.

However I did manage to find a few birds

Common Bronzewing (female), RBG Cranbourne

I found this Yellow-faced Honeyeater taking dives into a puddle on the track

Yellow-faced Honeyeater, RBG Cranbourne

The walk across the Wylie Creek valley provided some great views 

but there was not much bird activity at the Wetlands, just the usual suspects: coots, grebes, swans, swamphens and a few ducks in the distance. One small flock of Hardheads did provide a bit of entertainment:

Hardhead, RBG Cranbourne

Perhaps the highlight was a family of carolling magpies, most partially hidden in the long dry grass but this one was happy to show off in full view

Australian Magpie, RBG Cranbourne

I took a drive through the hills of South Gippsland through Bunyip State Park and returned later in the day to Warneet, stopping at the small village of Blind Bight where I caught up with a "water dance" of grebes (yes, apparently that is the collective noun)

Hoary-headed Grebe, Blind Bight

and it seems even among grebes, that the kids can't help mucking about while the parents are trying to have a relaxing swim

Hoary-headed Grebe, Blind Bight

Also close-by was a solo egret

Eastern Great Egret, Blind Bight