Jerringot Wetlands and Hospital Swamp

A quick trip out this morning to Jerringot Wetlands (in Belmont Common, Geelong) and Hospital Swamp in search of crakes and snipe.

The bird hide at Jerringot proved to be the "spot" for crakes with both Spotless and Australian Spotted Crakes present. They were really difficult to photograph with the backlighting and reeds but I got at least a few record shots:

Spotless Crake, Jerringot Wetlands

Australian Spotted Crake, Jerringot Wetlands

The ubiquitous Purple Swamphens were everywhere (as usual)

Purple Swamphen, Jerringot Wetlands

and a pair Pacific Black Ducks cruised about closeby, one pausing for a quick splash.

Pacific Black Duck, Jerringot Wetlands

Several small birds including Superb Fairy Wren and Australian Reed Warbler flitted about the reeds but the only one that I was able to capture was this Little Grassbird.

Little Grassbird, Jerringot Wetlands

Meanwhile, several White-faced Herons were playing musical chairs with the nesting boxes

White-faced Heron, Jerringot Wetlands

I did spot one Latham's Snipe (the main target for the morning), flushed from reeds close to the road when a cyclist stopped for a look but it disappeared back into the reeds so no photographs :-(

So, on to Hospital Swamp

Black-winged Stilts, Hospital Swamp

where the closest encounter I had was with a pair of Red-kneed Dotterels

Red-kneed Dotterel, Hospital Swamp

So, I dipped on the snipe but a good excuse to keep trying :-)

Crake hunt at the WTP

There have been many reports of crakes and rails at the Western Treatment Plant in recent weeks (mostly while I was overseas). Today was my first opportunity to get there and see for myself. I arrived early at the bird hide (where most of the previous success had been) and watched and waited. Heard lots of crakish sounds (mostly Australian Spotted but one Spotless calling as I arrived) but only teasing glances as several Australian Spotted Crakes and Buff-banded Rails ran across the road or from one bush to another but did not stay still long enough for even a record shot. All was not lost though as there was lots of activity among the small saltmarsh birds:

White-browed Scrubwren, Bird Hide, Western Treatment Plant

Silvereye,  Bird Hide, Western Treatment Plant

Superb Fairy-wren, Bird Hide, Western Treatment Plant

Little Grassbird, Bird Hide, Western Treatment Plant

and some opportunities to practice my birds in flight:

Australian Pelican, Western Treatment Plant

Australian White Ibis, Western Treatment Plant

A very pleasant two hours but time to go and look for some wading birds. There have been reports of early arrivals of migratory waders at the new Western Lagoon so I headed back there via Paradise Road where there was a large flock of Red-necked Avocets feeding in the ponds just near Gate 8 and a few were quite close to the road. Unfortunately the sun was behind them and because they were so close I was shooting hand-held out of the car window through reeds but a reasonable record shot.

Red-necked Avocet, Western Treatment Plant

At Western Lagoon 4, I found many Red-necked Stints and Curlew Sandpipers, mostly too far away for any good photographs but this individual did cooperate for a few minutes.

Curlew Sandpiper, Western Lagoons, Western Treatment Plant