Hi all,
Being a Virgo I like things to be balanced and symmetrical. To this end I finished 2012 with a visit to Werribee and started 2013 …. with a visit to Werribee. As usual both days were as bird-filled as ever. The New Year’s Eve visit was to try and clean up a few birds missed earlier in 2012 and to look for the Great Knot that had been reported. I was mostly successful but the Spotless Crake eluded me again. This was a trifle annoying because in 2011 they were running all over my toes every time I went to WTP.
The New Year started the way I plan for the year to continue, in sunshine with friends and lots of birds. I have read how people go to the WTP and see over 100 species but I have never done that, until yesterday. Ninety five is fairly easy, ninety seven we have done occasionally but not 100. Yesterday Joy and I set out to fix that. With an early start we headed down Point Wilson Rd and started ticking. And it wasn’t all hard work as we met and chatted with friends along the tracks. Lunch was particularly pleasant as we sat with 2 friends and watched the resident Broad-billed Sandpiper just inside the Beach Rd gate. The sun was out, the tide was out, waders waded and our assorted salads, sandwiches, fruit and nuts were complimented by a particularly pleasant faux-champagne from New Zealand.
A quick tally over lunch showed we had 87 species on our day list and we headed for the ford. We did not find the Pectoral Sandpipers that everyone was talking about but the numbers climbed steadily until finally we drove out the front gate with 103 species. Not too bad an effort for the first day of the year (smile).
Some interesting species were the Brolga and Cape Barren Geese in the grassland down Austin Rd, a Black-tailed Godwit on Paradise Rd lagoon, 5 Freckled Ducks on the rocks in Lake Borrie near Paradise Rd, the Broad-billed Sandpiper on the rocks inside the Beach Rd Gate, Banded Lapwing on the grazed paddock with the dam down Beach Rd and the flock of Golden Plover that are still on the rocks at Kirk’s Point.
So I hope everyone has a wonderful 2013 and that all your wanted bogie birds finally give themselves up to your binoculars
cheers
Jenny http://jenniferspryausbirding.blogspot.com.au/ ===============================
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