A day at Phillip Island - Part 1 Fisher's Wetland

A great day of photography with the Birdlife Australia Melbourne Photography Group at Phillip Island today.

First stop was Fisher's Wetland where there were several pairs of Cape Barren Goose with goslings

Cape Barren Goose, Fisher's Wetland, Phillip Island

One family was almost oblivious to the crowd of photographers, walking close to and even among us, requiring a rapid removal of the tele-extender from my lens. 

Cape Barren Goose, Fisher's Wetland, Phillip Island

 A few Black Swans cruised around the lake,

Black Swan, Fisher's Wetland, Phillip Island

others preened and stretched.

Black Swan, Fisher's Wetland, Phillip Island

Australian Pelicans were resting in the middle of the swamp while Masked Lapwings stood on watch.

Australian Pelican, Masked Lapwing, Fisher's Wetland, Phillip Island

White-plumed Honeyeaters and New Holland Honeyeaters chased each other noisily through the surrounding bush. Their rapid and continuous movement and the backlighting made photography challenging but I managed to capture one White-plumed that sat relatively still for a few seconds.

White-plumed Honeyeater, Fisher's Wetland, Phillip Island

Part 2 The Nobbies and Swan Lake

Part 3 Rhyll

Long weekend in Central Victoria - Day 3

We began the day with a drive through the northern part of the Whipstick Section of the Greater Bendigo NP, stopping at several locations where birds could be heard. This is a beautiful section of the park with mixed Eucalypt forest and Acacia understorey.

Whipstick Section, Greater Bendigo NP

Lots of birds seen and heard but nothing particularly photogenic. It's always a challenge photographing birds in this sort of forest as they are mostly small, dull-coloured treetop-dwellers so are difficult to see and usually shaded by the foliage with bright sky in the background.

The afternoon was a different story. We went to Bells Swamp on the Maldon-Bridgetown Road (see map). I am not misusing the word "on" here as the road is currently closed due to flood damage from the rains earlier in the year but it now provides a fantastic pedestrian access through the middle of the swamp

Maldon-Bridgewater Road, Bells Swamp

offering views of the (currently) flooded River Red Gum forest

Bells Swamp

and close proximity to the birds - in particular the parrots that became more and more active as sunset approached. This pair of Musk Lorikeets was continuously in and out of a nest-hole.

Musk Lorikeet, Bells Swamp

Musk Lorikeet, Bells Swamp

and this one posed on a nearby branch long enough for a classic portrait.

Musk Lorikeet, Bells Swamp

There were also two species of Corella

Little Corella, Bells Swamp

Long-billed Corella, Bells Swamp

and the ubiquitous Galahs

Galah, Bells Swamp

Large numbers of White-plumed Honeyeaters were doing their usual frantic rushing around but this one sat still just long enough for one frame.

White-plumed Honeyeater, Bells Swamp

As I was leaving just before sunset, I couldn't resist this shot of Brooms Lane.

Brooms Lane, Bells Swamp

For more:
The night before

Day 1 - Heathcote-Graytown and Axedale

Day 2 - Kamarooka

Lake Lorne Kites' Conjugal Bliss

Lake Lorne Reserve in Drysdale (see map) is buzzing with avian activity at the moment. I've been watching a pair of Whistling Kites building a nest for a while now (see previous post) but today they took things a little further...

Whistling Kite, Lake Lorne Reserve, Drysdale

While there I also managed to get a half reasonable shot of a White-plumed Honeyeater - common enough around here but very difficult to photograph as they are constantly moving and when feeding usually hidden among foliage.

White-plumed Honeyeater, Lake Lorne Reserve, Drysdale

...oh, and there are waterbirds there too :-)

Eurasian Coot, Lake Lorne Reserve, Drysdale