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

Begola Wetlands

Begola Wetlands is a remnant of the once more extensive wetlands that ran behind the dunes of Ocean Grove and Pt Lonsdale to Swan Bay (see map). It contains a shallow lake that dries out in most summers and is a haven for waterbirds that feed in shallow water or mud. The recent hot, dry weather has dried up most of the lake leaving extensive mudbanks that have attracted a large number of birds. 

Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

I spent an hour walking around the wetlands this evening as the sun was setting and saw 25 species:

• Pacific Black Duck
• Grey Teal
• Chestnut Teal
• Australasian Grebe
• Purple Swamphen
• Dusky Moorhen
• Eurasian Coot
• Australian Spotted Crake
• Masked Lapwing
• Nankeen Night-Heron
• Australian White Ibis
• Royal Spoonbill
• Silver Gull
• Latham's Snipe
• Black-fronted Dotterel
• Rock Dove
• Spotted Dove
• New Holland Honeyeater
• Australian Magpie
• Magpie-lark
• Willie Wagtail
• Superb Fairy-wren
• Common Starling
• Little Raven
• Welcome Swallow

I'm not a great list keeper but I cannot remember seeing this many species here in a single visit before. 

With the receding water, most of the birds were in the central part of the lake, 50-100 metres away, so were not the best photographic subjects but I managed to capture a few (mostly cropped quite heavily).

Masked Lapwing, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Australian Spotted Crake, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Black-fronted Dotterel, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Chestnut Teal, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Grey Teal, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Nankeen Night-Heron, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Royal Spoonbill, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

I counted at least 6 Latham's Snipe, all out in the open, feeding and preening on the mudflats. Snipe are usually quite secretive so it was great to see them so clearly and manage to photograph some, albeit from a long distance.

Some were heavily camouflaged among the weeds in the mud

Latham's Snipe, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

Others were up and about, feeding

Latham's Snipe, Begola Wetlands, Ocean Grove

While this one shared a bath with a Chestnut Teal, closely observed by a Dusky Moorhen