Drysdale Ducks

There was a post on the Birding-Aus list asking about the recent reports of large numbers of Pink-eared Duck and Freckled Duck at Lake Lorne in Drysdale. As this lake is only 10 mins from home I did a quick drive-by at lunchtime today so I could provide more details.

Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Most of the ducks were away from the shore, close to the central islands

Pink-eared Duck, Freckled Duck, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

but as I was facing into the wind, I waited for about 10 minutes for the birds to float closer to shore in the breeze.

Pink-eared Duck and Freckled Duck, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Pink-eared Duck, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Also spotted two male Australasian Shovelers

Pink-eared Duck and Australasian Shoveler (male), Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Australasian Shoveler, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

and a pair of Eurasian Coots

Eurasian Coot, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

I also tried my hand at taking movies of the flock of ducks but haven't processed these yet...if they are any good, I'll post a sample here.

Great weather for ducks

The weather turned cold, wet and windy today but I couldn't resist a late afternoon look for the Freckled Ducks that had been reported at Lake Lorne in Drysdale (see map). At 5:15PM it was 11°C, raining and windy but there were ducks galore including (at least) 15 Freckled Duck.

Freckled Duck, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Also seen were Pacific Black Duck, Hardhead, Chestnut Teal, Australian Wood Duck, Blue-billed Duck and a single Australasian Shoveler (eclipse male, I think, based on the buff coloured patch behind the bill). Terrible photo but in the conditions and with the bird more than 100 metres away I was happy to record my first sighting of this species here.

Australasian Shoveler, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

There are lots of Hoary-headed Grebes on the lake and some cooperated by staying close enough to the bank to be photographed

Hoary-headed Grebe, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

One good thing about the low light conditions is the serendipitous abstract art shots of birds in flight

Superb Fairy-wren, Lake Lorne, Drysdale

Coolart

After more than a month with no birding it was good to get out again today with the MELBOCA Photography Group on an outing to Coolart Homestead and Wetlands in Somers (see map). I took the first ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento, which was early enough to catch sunrise over Port Phillip Bay.

The showery weather arrived as predicted but judicious use of the bird hides enabled us to avoid the worst of it while still getting some shots of ibis, ducks, cormorants and grebes.

Chestnut Teal, Coolart Wetlands

Australian White Ibis, Coolart Wetlands

Australian White Ibis, Coolart Wetlands

Hoary-headed Grebe, Coolart Wetlands

Australasian Shoveler, Coolart Wetlands

Little Pied Cormorant, Coolart Wetlands

as well as some bush birds on the Woodland Walk

Little Wattlebird, Coolart Woodland Walk 

Noisy Miner, Coolart Homestead

and a pair of Red-capped Plovers on the nearby Balnarring Beach

Red-capped Plover (female), Balnarring Beach

Red-capped Plover (male), Balnarring Beach

A great day with more than 50 species sighted and/or heard. Highlight of the day though was the pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles perched on a dead branch just upriver from the bridge on the track to the beach. A long way off and the light wasn't great but one half decent shot of one eagle in flight.

Wedge-tailed Eagle, Coolart Wetlands