A bit of birding in lieu of a pelagic trip

The pelagic birding trip we were booked on today from Port Fairy was postponed due to the weather so I dropped into a few places on the way home to see what I could find.

First stop was the wetlands at the start of the Port Fairy Rail Trail. Several Golden-headed Cisticola were calling from the reeds but they stayed in the centre of the wetland so I couldn't get any closeup shots. This was the best I could do.

Golden-Headed Cisticola, Port Fairy Rail Trail
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/400

Golden-Headed Cisticola, Port Fairy Rail Trail
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/500

Three Common Greenshank were feeding along the edge of the Moyne River but only one was close enough for a half decent shot.

Common Greenshank, Moyne River, Port Fairy
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 800, f/4, 1/1000

I tried Belfast Beach but there were people and dogs along the beach so I didn't bother looking for any birds and headed for Killarney Beach, where I found three of my fellow pelagic-trip refugees and we took a walk along the western end of the beach. We spotted six Hooded Plovers but decided not to approach them too closely as they were fairly skittish. A pair of Kelp Gulls was hanging around on the shore and this one stayed still long enough for a long-distance shot.

Kelp Gull, Killarney Beach
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2000

There were also Sooty Oystercatchers and Australian Pied Oystercatchers flying around.

Sooty Oystercatcher, Killarney Beach
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/2000

Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Killarney Beach
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/500

Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Killarney Beach
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250

Lunchtime was beckoning so I grabbed take-away in Warrnambool and went to Thunder Point to eat and watch the avian passers-by. These two Little Ravens sat right next to the car allowing me this shot out of the window.

Little Raven, Thunder Point, Warrnambool
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/11, 1/250

The final stop before heading for home was a quick drop-in to Lake Purrumbete just outside of Camperdown. There was very little bird activity on the lake but this Little Pied Cormorant posed for a few shots on a fence post in the middle of a flooded paddock - again shot out of the car window.

Little Pied Cormorant, near Lake Purrumbete
Pentax K-1, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x1.4 adapter), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2500