You Yangs

You Yangs Regional Park (see map) is one of my favourite places for bushland birding within easy reach (less than an hour's drive) from home. I visited there late in the afternoon and managed to find a few birds of prey cruising overhead. As I got out of the car at one of my usual stops on the eastern side of the park, I noticed this Wedge-tailed Eagle flying low over adjacent farmland

Wedge-tailed Eagle, You Yangs

and land in a dead tree in the middle of a paddock.

Wedge-tailed Eagle, You Yangs

A Little Eagle was also flying high overhead allowing reasonable views from the visitor centre

Little Eagle, You Yangs

although this Dusky Woodswallow was less impressed (and fighting several classes out of its weight division)

Dusky Woodswallow and Little Eagle, YouYangs

The area behind the visitor centre is usually good spot for robins, honeyeaters and parrots. There was not a lot of activity there this afternoon despite the eucalypts being in flower but the ever present New Holland Honeyeaters were in full force

New Holland Honeyeater, You Yangs

and, if you stand or sit still long enough, other birds will get quite close

Eastern Yellow Robin, You Yangs

Jacky Winter, You Yangs

Jacky Winter, You Yangs

The two photographs of the Jacky Winter are of the same bird taken less than a minute apart. It's amazing how different birds can look in different lighting.

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