Bartley's Block, Chiltern

Bartley's Block is the site of a gold rush era brewery. While there is very little evidence of the old buildings remaining, the site is great for birdwatching as there are open grassy areas surrounded by mixed Acacia-Eucalypt forest with several dams and boggy areas providing water.

Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @16mm, ISO 800, f/4, 1/640

Again, Superb Fairy-wrens seemed to be everywhere and I found this female collecting spider webs (presumably for nesting).

Superb Fairy-wren (female), Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/800

Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters and Noisy Friarbirds were in the trees right near the car park.

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/1250

Noisy Friarbird, Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/1600

Noisy Friarbird, Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/1600

We spotted a Bronze Cuckoo perched among the foliage high in a tree near the back of the block and, following a lengthy discussion about whether the bars went all the way across the breast or not, we settled on Horsefield's Bronze Cuckoo.

Horsefield's Bronze Cuckoo, Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/2500

We found another one (or maybe the same one) an hour or so later in a much better location for photographs

Horsefield's Bronze Cuckoo, Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/400

along with a male Mistletoebird in the same tree.

Mistletoebird (male), Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/1600

Several species of birds were 'hanging out' in this wattle bush but only the Silvereye and White-eared Honeyeater were photographable.

Silvereye, Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/5000

White-eared Honeyeater, Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/4000

White-eared Honeyeater, Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/4000

A tiny Weebill (Australia's smallest bird) was flitting about the foliage in this box tree. After I got this shot, we realised it was in and out of a nest so we left it alone

Weebill, Bartley's Block, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/5000

and headed back to Lake Anderson for some more evening shots.

In Search of the Regent Honeyeater

The critically endangered Regent Honeyeater is one of the rarest birds in Victoria. In fact, there are estimated to be only 500-1500 birds remaining Australia-wide. A national recovery program has been established to save this species including a captive breeding program at Taronga Zoo. Birds have been released in the Box-Ironbark forest of Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park in north-eastern Victoria over the last seven years with the latest release occurring earlier this year. This morning we went out to a location near the release site where there had been reports of recent sightings.

Box-Ironbark Forest, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 16mm, ISO 800, f/4, 1/1600

The site was dominated by a cacophony of Noisy Friarbirds flying around the treetops (and almost impossible to photograph) and small flocks of Fuscous Honeyeaters flitting around the understorey.

Fuscous Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/160

including this one doing its best impression of a treecreeper.

Fuscous Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 1600, f/11, 1/500

There were also several larger birds flying from tree to tree and I caught a glimpse of a mottled black and white belly and got a little excited...but once the bird landed and I got a closer look, it turned out to be an Olive-backed Oriole.

Olive-backed Oriole, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/2000

I was happy to see this bird, albeit from directly underneath - not the best view! However, the prime target for the morning remained elusive...until I spotted this bird flying from behind a clump of trees...a few clicks of the shutter, one in focus...

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/1600

and then it was gone. Examination of the shot in the camera revealed that it was a Regent Honeyeater...so mission accomplished. For a while I thought this was all I was going to get as the next 15 minutes revealed only a few scant glimpses high up in the trees and behind foliage but eventually at least four birds came closer and stayed (reasonably cooperatively) for a few photographs.

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/11, 1/80

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/400

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/400

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/400

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/320

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/320

Regent Honeyeater, Cyanide Road, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/160

It was difficult to leave but lunch beckoned so we headed for Honeyeater Picnic Ground where a pair of Superb Fairy-wrens (the male in final stages of moulting into breeding plumage) displayed right next to the car park. I photograph these little characters a lot (they seem to be ubiquitous across a wide range of habitats in SE Australia) but they are hard to resist.

Superb Fairy-wren (female), Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/125

Superb Fairy-wren (male), Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/250

Superb Fairy-wren (female), Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/640

Superb Fairy-wren (female)
Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/640

An Olive-backed Oriole sat for a few seconds on a low branch nearby (and was much more photogenic than it's colleague at the previous site).

Olive-backed Oriole, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/400

Olive-backed Oriole, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/400

Brown Treecreepers were feeding on the ground in the grass but I couldn't get a good shot until this one posed on a tree trunk.

Brown Treecreeper, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 800, f/8, 1/2000

White-Naped Honeyeaters were feeding on insects high in the treetops - too far away for any good shots (this image is heavily cropped) but great to record them here.

White-Naped Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250

The most common birds around the picnic ground were the Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters feeding on insects in the Black Wattle.

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/1250

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Honeyeater Picnic Ground, Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victoria
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (x2 adapter), ISO 400, f/8, 1/640

A great morning! We found the Regent Honeyeaters and Honeyeater Picnic Ground lived up to its name. This afternoon, more bush birds at Bartley's Block.

Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

I had to do a presentation in Wangaratta today so took the opportunity to drop by Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park. As I did not have much time I decided to concentrate on one area and the short walk around Cyanide Dam from the Honeyeater Picnic Area is usually good for a variety of bush birds but the first thing that hit me when I arrived here was the frog chorus:

The walk around the dam is only 500m but the surrounding forest provides plenty of opportunities for spotting birds. In forest environments, it's often best to find a good spot and just sit/stand and wait for the birds to come to you. However, forest bird photography has its own particular challenges: the birds are mostly in the canopy so they are a long way away, usually backlit by a bright sky and always seem to be behind a branch or foliage...but, hey, that's what makes bird photography fun...isn't it?

This afternoon was no exception, lots of backlit, obscured birds a long way from wherever I was resulted in a lot of very ordinary shots. These are the best of them and they are mostly cropped and heavily worked in Photoshop to make something half reasonable of them.

Brown Treecreeper, Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

A pair of Golden Whistlers could be heard in the vicinity and it took me about 10 minutes to get the male isolated against the sky and clear of obscuring foliage. A fraction of a second before I hit the shutter, he turned his head away making this shot (the first in the sequence) the only (vaguely) usable one and then within a few seconds he flew away to call from the top of an adjacent tree, completely obscured from any viewpoint I could find. I did manage to find the female but she remained high in the treetop foliage.

Golden Whistler (male), Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

I tried for 15 minutes to get a shot of one or more of the handful of Noisy Friarbirds feeding in the treetops but this is the best I could get. What was interesting was that all the friarbirds were feeding from the flowers as well as catching insects from the leaves.

Noisy Friarbird, Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

Two Spotted Pardalotes were singing and flitting around the under-storey in perpetual motion until one landed on a tree trunk close-by (albeit in heavy shadow) and started shredding strips of bark (almost identical to the one I saw at Anakie Gorge on Saturday).

Spotted Pardalote, Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

Even the usually 'assertive' Willie Wagtails remained at a distance, except for the one that landed on the picnic table right next to me when I stopped for a drink (a bit hard to photograph with 600mm worth of lens at a distance of 1 metre)

Willie Wagtail, Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

A small flock of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were feeding on eucalypt flowers but were in heavy shadow with bright sky in the background.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

Perhaps the most exciting encounter was this territorial dispute between a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and Yellow-tufted Honeyeater. It only lasted a few seconds, I managed to fire off a few shots but the whole thing occurred at a distance and behind branches.

White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

These Australasian Grebes were the only two birds on the whole dam. They spent most of their time just cruising around the dam with occasional spurts of synchronised swimming: circular 'dancing' followed by parallel gliding with loud chirping calls from both birds.

Australasian Grebe, Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

The heavy shade over this section of the pond combined with the bright background reflections made exposure a bit of a challenge but they occasionally swam though sunnier patches of water.

Australasian Grebe, Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP

and for something completely different...I dropped by Woolshed Falls right on sunset. No birds but a beautiful place :-)

Woolshed Falls, Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP