Stilts, Plovers, Coots and a lot of rain

I was fortunate to spend the day at a Birdlife Australia / Barwon Estuary Project workshop on shorebirds today.

The morning was spent with presentations from Birdlife Australia ornithologists on the life-cycles and environmental challenges faced by both migratory shorebirds (those that breed outside Australia and travel here in their non-breeding season) and indigenous shorebirds (those that breed, feed and generally hang around permanently within Australia - although several species migrate around Australia depending on weather conditions), and sessions on hints to ID shorebirds.

We spent the afternoon (or as much of it as we could bear given the persistent rain) at Lake Victoria in Point Lonsdale.

I arrived a little early so spent a few minutes photographing a pair of Eurasian Coots on the delightfully named 'Emily's Pond' nearby.

Eurasian Coot, Emily's Pond, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Panasonic Lumix G9 with Lumix-Leica 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 lens @ 400mm
ISO 400, 1/1250 second @ f/6.3

Once everyone had arrived we walked through the salt marsh to a viewpoint across one of the small lakes adjacent to Lake Victoria where we suspected there would be Avocets and Stilts. Despite the gloomy and 'damp' conditions, we were not disappointed as there were several small flocks of Red-necked Avocets in the middle of the shallow lake

Avocet, Lake Victoria, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Panasonic Lumix G9 with Lumix-Leica 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 lens @ 400mm
ISO 400, 1/1000 second @ f/6.3

and a large flock of Banded Stilts sheltering beside a small island in the lake.

Banded Stilt, Lake Victoria, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Panasonic Lumix G9 with Lumix-Leica 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 lens @ 137mm
ISO 400, 1/1600 second @ f/4.5

Several smaller groups of Stilts took off giving us fleeting glimpses of them in flight

Banded Stilt, Lake Victoria, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Panasonic Lumix G9 with Lumix-Leica 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 lens @ 400mm
ISO 400, 1/1600 second @ f/6.3

before landing on the small ponds on the shore of Lake Victoria proper, giving us a closer view of these beautiful birds, many of which were in breeding plumage displaying their brown chest band.

Banded Stilt, Lake Victoria, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Panasonic Lumix G9 with Lumix-Leica 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 lens @ 400mm
ISO 800, 1/4000 second @ f/6.3

Banded Stilt, Lake Victoria, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Panasonic Lumix G9 with Lumix-Leica 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 lens @ 400mm
ISO 400, 1/2000 second @ f/6.3

 There were a few (unphotographable) Red-necked Stints doing their sewing-machine impersonations feeding on the sand banks and a flock of Red-capped Plovers sheltering amongst the Bearded Glasswort on one of the small, semi-inundated islands.

Red-capped Plover, Lake Victoria, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Panasonic Lumix G9 with Lumix-Leica 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 lens @ 400mm
ISO 400, 1/1250 second @ f/6.3

So, not a great day photographically but it's always great to see Avocets and Banded Stilts, both of which migrate around Australia chasing the wet so we don't always get to see them.

Indented Head Fly-by

I spent today with the Melbourne Birdlife Photography Group, checking out some of my favourite sites around the Bellarine Peninsula. Unfortunately, the weather was dismal - grey clouds and drizzly rain - for most of the day but we managed to get a few shots of birds in flight at the last stop for the day at the Indented Head boat ramp. Indented Head juts out into Port Phillip Bay, intersecting a well used seabird flight path, so it's a great place in the late afternoon when birds are heading back to roosting sites for the night. With heavy cloud cover, the light was not great so it was a constant balancing act of trying to get the best ISO and aperture to maintain at least a reasonable shutter speed but a few cormorants and gulls provided some entertainment.

The lights and railings on the jetty provide roosting spots for the gulls

Pacific Gull, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/4000

Silver Gull (immature), Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/3200

while they wait for the returning fisherman to throw them some scraps.

Pacific Gull, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/2000

Pacific Gull, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/1600

Silver Gull (immature), Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 400, f/4, 1/6400

Little Pied Cormorant, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 640, f/4.5, 1/1000

Pied Cormorant, Indented Head
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 extender), ISO 640, f/4.5, 1/2000

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

Lunchtime Surprise

Another quick trip out for lunch today, this time at Ripview Lookout in Queenscliff. There's always something going on here with plenty of gulls and cormorants and, if you're lucky or patient there are gannets and, at this time of the year if the weather is right, albatross flying past. It was a quiet day today with just a few birds around.

This Pacific Gull stood sentinel on the reef marker

Pacific Gull, Ripview Lookout, Queenscliff

A few Pied Cormorants flew by and the dull overcast conditions reduced the contrast making it easier to get some underwing detail without any fiddling in Photoshop.

Pied Cormorant, Ripview Lookout

As I was about to pack up and leave, I noticed a small ship entering The Rip (the perpetually rough entrance to Port Phillip Bay) and I recognised it as one of the Sea Shepherd ships, the Sam Simon, named after the co-creator and executive producer of “The Simpsons" and managed to capture it just as it was turning into the channel.

so I hung around for a few more minutes as it passed by Point Nepean.

Driving back through Queenscliff, I noticed a lot of White-faced Herons feeding on the mudflats of Swan Bay. The backlighting made for some interesting silhouettes.

White-faced Heron, Swan Bay, Queenscliff

There were many other birds there too but work beckoned...

Silver Gulls at Pt Lonsdale

The weather was cool and rainy today but a quick stop at the Pt Lonsdale lighthouse, while out running a few errands, proved fruitful despite there being very few birds around. Usually in bad weather at this time of the year the lighthouse is a good place to spot albatross, gannets and other seabirds flying around offshore. However, despite the frequent rain storms today, the wind was an unseasonable northerly and not very strong. In the 20 minutes I spent at the lighthouse between rain storms I did not see one bird offshore.

The lookout in front of the lighthouse does provide a great view west to The Bluff at Barwon Heads

The Bluff, Barwon Heads from Point Lonsdale

and east to the limestone cliffs and fortifications on Point Nepean.

Point Nepean from Point Lonsdale

Serendipity played its part though when for a brief few minutes a gap in the heavy cloud cover in the north allowed a diffused sunlight to pass through just as a pair of Silver Gulls landed on the cliff top in front of me. The light combined with the soft, out of focus sea behind the birds and their "modelling" display (they really did look like they were trying out poses for me to shoot), allowed me to capture this sequence in a few minutes before I had to retreat from another oncoming storm.

Silver Gull, Pt Lonsdale

These really are glorious birds when you find them away from car parks, rubbish dumps and fish'n'chip shops.

Another lunchtime at the river

As the title suggests, following yesterday's encounter with a grebe, I went back to the Barwon River at lunchtime today. No grebes but did manage a few shots of some other waterbirds.

There is a boardwalk along the Barwon Heads side of the river that gives great access to the mangroves but is obviously restrictive in the views you can get of the birdlife. This Pied Cormorant sat preening on a fence post but the only view possible was almost directly into the sun with a wire fence in the way. This is the best I could do.

Pied Cormorant
Barwon River Estuary, Barwon Heads

I came across this Eastern Great Egret standing on the edge of one of the small jetties.

Eastern Great Egret
Barwon River Estuary, Barwon Heads

It got spooked by an approaching fisherman and took off

Eastern Great Egret
Barwon River Estuary, Barwon Heads

but quickly wheeled back and landed on the path, ironically only a few metres away from another fisherman.

Eastern Great Egret
Barwon River Estuary, Barwon Heads

As I walked back past the jetty, a Little Pied Cormorant had taken up the egret's position.

Little Pied Cormorant,
arwon River Estuary, Barwon Heads