Karkarook Park, July 2014

I happened to be over Oakleigh way which gave me a great opportunity to have a walk around Karkarook Park. It's a name that I'd seen many times on Eremaea Birds as a birding hotspot. The park has a 15 hectare lake as well as numerous wetland ponds easily accessible with walking trails.

There were plenty of the usual suspects; Coots, Dusky Moorhens, Purple Swamphens, Silver Gulls, and Teals. I also noticed a Black Swan and a Blue-billed duck. But my first photographic shot was of a small greeny/yellowy bird which was a new tick off my list. It was a small flock of European Greenfinches feasting on seeds amongst the tall grass.

European Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris

 Superb Fairy Wrens covered the lawns and were being very photogenic!

Superb Fairy-wren (male, moulting into breeding plumage), Malurus cyaneus

Red-browed Finch, Neochmia temporalis

A flock of Straw-necked Ibis and a Nankeen Kestrel circled above the wetlands. 

Straw-necked Ibis, Threskiornis spinicollis

Nankeen Kestrel, Falco cenchroides

White-plumed Honeyeater, Lichenostomus penicillatus

Grey Teal, Anas gracilis

Australasian Darter, Anhinga novaehollandiae

Little Pied Cormorant, Phalacrocorax melanoleucos

Overall, it was a lovely spot for a walk with plenty of birdlife and I've increased my tally to 201.

Powerful Owl & cracking the 200 mark! July 2014

A month ago my husband was jogging along the trails by the Yarra when he heard a hooting call. He stopped to have a look around and soon found a lady staring up into a wattle tree looking at a Powerful Owl. A few days later I went with him to the same spot and it was still there. I showed some friends the next time I was in the area and was excited to find not one, but two owls sitting in the wattle tree. Today I went on a mission with my camera to photograph them in good light. I only found the one owl, but I'm very happy with the photos.

Powerful Owl, Ninox strenua

Common Bronzewing, Phaps chalcoptera

Flowering Wattle

Red-browed Finch, Neochmia temporalis

And finally...I cracked the 200 mark with a Crested Shrike-tit! It's a terrible photo, I know, but I'm calling it all the same. I spent a long frustrating time trying to re-focus my camera as this bird moved quickly from tree to tree. And of course, the short time it posed on an open branch for me, was the time my camera cracked it and wouldn't focus. I will be back searching for this bird again and hoping for a better shot but until then this is as good as it gets.

Crested Shrike-tit, Falcunculus frontatus

This next one was tricky to ID. I ended up having to post it on a forum to find out that it's an immature Golden Whistler. Looks very different from the adult version.

Golden Whistler (immature), Pachycephala pectoralis

Common Bronzewing, Phaps chalcoptera

This Kookaburra flew straight past my head onto a nearby low branch. He seemed perfectly happy for me to walk within a few metres and take a some photos.

Laughing Kookaburra, Dacelo novaeguineae

Horsham - June 2014

A quick trip out west had us staying in a caravan park in Horsham. We arrived late afternoon on a cold and overcast day so I only got a very quick walk in before the light disappeared. Right outside our cabin was a tree full of chattering Musk Lorikeets having a good feed. It was nice to see something other than the noisy flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets that I am used to. 

Musk Lorikeet, Glossopsitta concinna

I found a massive flock of Long-billed Corellas near the river. 

Long-billed Corella, Cacatua tenuirostris

And a Blue-faced Honeyeater, Entomyzon cyanotis, hanging out in a picnic shelter. 

The next day the sun was shining so we headed for a 10km walk along the banks of the Wimmera river. Brown Treecreepers were a common sighting. 

Brown Treecreeper, Climacteris picumnus

A group of 3 geese looked pretty happy on the bank of the river.

Purple Swamphen, Porphyrio porphyrio

We saw 3 different birds of prey on that short stretch of river - a Nankeen Kestrel, Brown Goshawk and Whistling Kite.

Nankeen Kestrel, Falco cenchroides

Collared Sparrowhawk, Accipiter cirrocephalus

*UPDATE - I thought this was a Brown Goshawk but thankfully someone has pointed out that this is in fact a Collared Sparrowhawk. This is exciting because it adds another tick to my list. I will be spending more time confirming my ID's from now on! 

We saw this Whistling Kite flying somewhat erratically with a branch hanging below it. At first we thought it might have been tangled up in something but thanks to the extra zoom on the camera it was clear that it was grasping this branch in it's talons. It later landed in the leafy top of a gum tree which I presume was it's nest. 

Whistling Kite, Haliastur sphenurus

Heavily cropped version

I presume this is an escapee pet or homing pigeon?

I was hoping to crack the 200 mark this weekend but unfortunately didn't spot anything new. Might be sitting on 199 for a while!