Pettman's Beach II

Once we had got over the excitement of beach and pelagic birds, we retreated to the relative shelter of morning tea, kicking aside the Red-browed Finches, Superb Fairy-wrens and their commander, Grey Shrike-thrush.

Red-browed Finch Neochmia temporalis

Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus

Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica

Pettman's Beach

Birding yesterday with BLEG was a bit cold, windy and wet for starters at Pettman's Beach which is a fair way along a dirt road from the Princes Highway near Wairewa. Whilst the others birded in the relative shelter of the carpark and surrounds, three hardy souls, Chris, Ken and myself, hunkered down at the top of the sand dune overlooking a very rough and tumultuous sea.  First off we spotted a Peregrine Falcon zooming the waves about 50 metres out, the photo images give no confirmation at all, but it was a classic falcon shape. Some Australian Gannets breezed past, a few Crested Terns criss-crossed our panorama and two Shy Albatrosses soared the wind and the waves for somewhere between a few, several and many minutes. What is the word meaning "more than several" but "less than many"? Perhaps five minutes. Enough time for viewing through the bins and taking diagnostic images.

Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta

Later, at home, I learnt that there is a "Shy Albatross" complex in which there are four speciesPizzey & Knight, but they could be sub-speciesSlater, but they could be racesMorcombe! Diagnostic details are a pale greyish face and neck, a white cap, one metre wingspan and a small black notch on the leading edge of the underwing extending a short way onto the bodyMorcombe, Pizzey & Knight. Each bird effortlessly rode the very stiff breeze up and over the waves without one flap. The Shy Albatross is the only albatross to breed in Australian waters on, wait for it, Albatross Island in Bass Strait!   A lifer for me.

Albatross Island is the little red dot

A flock of 15 or so Silver Gulls flew past hugging the wave tops where they would be sheltered from the wind, relatively. Then 5 Eastern Curlews flew past going upwind and just a few metres off the beach, hence slowly, hence great for images, hence great backgrounds of the pounding surf.

Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis

According to P & K, the EC is a common summer migran .... [wait a minute ... summer migrant ... ??? ... it's August .. 17th ... ??? ... what's going on]  ... ant to the coasts of north, east and southeast Australia from breeding grounds in northeast Asia. P & K defines "summer" as August to May and both it and Slater mention that many birds over winter. So, not an unexpected bird. Still an absolute thrill to see and I was able to get some great images.

Magic. t1250, moisture protection and be there!

Bernies Bend

This afternoon, Wednesday, I took the opportunity of my vehicle being at the automotive electrician's for a couple of hours to take camera and binoculars around the Macalister Wetlands Reserve. A path follows the lefthand bank of the Macalister River in a northerly direction from the Maffra-Traralgon Road to the MWR. Rivers have a left and right bank with the handedness being allocated as if one is travelling downstream. I do not know why Bernies Bend is so named but just beyond it, I spotted a bundle of birds on the path. Red-browed Finches, Superb Fairy-wrens and Grey Fantails were darting about every-which-way.

As I approached, they all beat a hasty retreat to the safety of a large Pittosporum in the middle of the grass. So I quietly siddled towards said Pittosporum where they, and three other species, all revealed themselves in due course.

The male wren still has a bit of moult to go. Looks a bit like he needs a good brush.

male Superb Fairy-wren

Two fantails were very busy indeed. They seemed most interested in me as I approached the bush and flew to within a metre of me on several occasions. I wondered if some territorial defence/nesting was going on. 

Grey Fantail

The robin was an unexpected pleasure. He popped out of the middle for a couple of minutes then went back in. Nesting again?

Eastern Yellow Robin

I do not have a good or even half-decent picture of a red-brow. Once again they were too quick for me, but you can see the red brow and the red rump.

Red-browed Finch

The Silvereye was very accommodating, sitting on the branch preening away for several minutes. It was a day to be fluffy.

Silvereye

However, the kestrel came and had a look at me, circling twice about 10 metres above me [you can imagine me frantically trying to get the camera off my arm and into position - wasn't going to happen] then flew off 20 metres to the top of the nearest power pole where he proceeded to eat the rest of the meal I had obviously interrupted. The males have a light grey head whereas the head of the female is the same colour as their back.

male Nankeen Kestrel

 Magic. f8, a wooden jumper, beanie and raincoat, and be there.