Weekend at Phillip Island - Swan Lake bushwalk

I spent the weekend at Phillip Island, mostly helping my wife on a field trip but the best thing (apart from working on the rocky shore) about intertidal field work is that when the tide is in there's time for birding. 

Swan Lake is a large body of fresh water on Phillip Island and attracts a wide range of wildlife. The short walk to the lake through the coastal woodland offers great birding. The following were among the 20+ species seen in a 30 minute morning walk

Little Wattlebird, Swan Lake, Phillip Island

Grey Fantail, Swan Lake, Phillip Island

Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Swan Lake, Phillip Island

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