Some photos of my recent travels

Some photos of my recent travels

Well, I'm finally back to writing blog posts.  I have been really busy with work and other things that have kept me distracted from birding. However, I have been doing some exploring around Bruthen looking for old gold mines. I will post a few photos, while I am trying to get a proper blog post written up. 

Stamping equipment at Tubal Cain Mine, Deptford

Straight down......

Boiler, Deptford

Old map of Deptford

And here is a video of a shaft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NK3t_AbHQM

Stuart Creek

Stuart Creek

After a long break from writing blog posts, due to work and the Christmas season, I'm finally back. I haven't been anywhere of interest birding in a long while, but last week I was able to head up to Stuart Creek. While the birdlife was not spectacular, and I didn't really get any photos, I thought I'd write a post anyway. 

Stuart Creek is around 15 minutes from Bruthen. Head up the Great Alpine Rd 11Km, and you will come to Stuart Creek Rd on your right.  Drive along Stuart Creek Rd for 3.2 Km, and you will come to Moonlight Rd on your right. Drive down Moonlight Rd, and you will come to a bridge over the Tambo River. You can park on the right-hand side of the road, just before the bridge.

The Tambo River

The Bridge over the Tambo River, at Stuart Creek

Turn right down Moonlight Rd

Birds seen and heard at Stuart Creek were: 

Sacred and Azure Kingfisher.

Golden Whistler

Grey Shrike Thrush

White Throated Treecreeper

Yellow faced honeyeater

White Throated Needletail

Welcome Swallow

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Red-Browed finch

Hopefully I will be able to go back again soon, and get more photo opportunities. 

Misc Photos from 2017

Misc Photos from 2017

Here are some photos from 2017 that I never got to put in any blog posts. 

Peregrine Falcon, Wairewa

Great Egret, Jones Bay

Square Tailed Kite, East Gippsland

Yellow Tufted Honeyeater, Wairewa

Peregrine Falcon, Wairewa

Sharp tailed Sandpiper, The Cut

Black and Bar-Tailed Godwits, The Cut

Black Swan, Lakes Entrance

Topknot Pigeon, Metung

I am looking forward to 2018 birding and blog posts, and hopefully I will continue to get time to write them regularly.

The Metung Fig Tree

 The Metung Fig Tree

Recently I received a report of a flock of Topknot Pigeons at Metung. Topknot pigeons are not very common in East Gippsland. According to eBird and Birdata, most of the sightings are around Cabbage Tree Reserve and Cape Conran.  The Topknot Pigeon appears to be extending its southern range, though it must have been at least visiting East Gippsland for some time, as according to "The Emu", Topknot Pigeons where known at Marlo in 1919. ( http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/MU918265) .

I had only ever seen Topknot once, near Bete Belong in a semi rainforest gully. They were very wary, and I didn't have a camera with me, so I missed a photo opportunity.

So, when I heard of around 30 Topknot pigeons at Metung, along with a Brown Cuckoo Dove and a couple of Koels, I went down as soon as I could. By the time I got there, the cuckoo dove had left, but there were still lots of Topknots.

The birds where feeding in a large Morten Bay Fig Tree. This tree seems to be a focal point for a number of migrants including Channel Billed Cuckoo, Figbird, Koel, and of course, the Topknot Pigeons.

The Fig tree is located on Mairburn Rd, Metung. You can access it by either Stirling Rd or Beach Rd.

Google Maps

The Fig Tree

The Topknots where very approachable, and seeming rather engrossed with their feeding. They were, however, very aggressive towards other birds that attempted to land in "their" fig tree.

On the three occasions I was there, I noticed that a number of Topknots where flying in from the north. Maybe they had another roost or feeding location?

Pacific Koel

Pacific Koel

Crystal Bay Day Visitor Area

Crystal Bay Day Visitor Area

Crystal Bay Day Visitor Area is located on the western branch of Lake Tyres. It is an excellent birding location, with all the more common East Gippsland bush birds to be seen.

Crystal Bay Day Visitor Area can be accessed from the Princes Hwy via Burnt Bridge Rd. You can get there by driving on the Princes Hwy for 17.2 km from the Lakes Entrance Post office, or 5.2 Km from Nowa Nowa. Follow Burnt Bridge Rd for until you come to Pile Bay Track. Turn onto here, and continue 3.5km where you will find the turning circle for Crystal Bay Day Visitor Area.

Azure Kingfisher

Crystal Bay Day Visitor Area - Google Maps

Great Egret

Birds that can be seen at Crystal Bay are Little Pied Cormorant, Black Swan, Chestnut Teal, Great Egret, Azure Kingfisher, Eastern Yellow Robin, Spotted Quail Thrush, Rufous and Golden Whistler, Grey Shrike Thrush and Silvereyes.

Pelican

Chestnut Teal

Little Pied Cormorant

Eastern Yellow Robin

Orchid

Crystal Bay Day Visitor Area

Tambo Bay

Tambo Bay

Tambo Bay is a bay in the Gippsland Lakes. It it located between the mouth of the Tambo River and Metung.

Tambo Bay is accessed from Princes Hwy from Swan Reach. Turn onto the Metung Rd and continue 4.5Km until you come to Punt Rd, on your right. Turn onto Punt Rd, and drive 1.6Km, and turn left onto Reynolds Rd. Continue on Reynolds Rd until you reach Tambo Bay. There are a few houses near the water, most of them holiday dwellings.  You can park on the grass near the bay, and then walk along the sand. 

White Faced Heron

Tambo Bay-Google Maps

Tambo Bay is a favourite spot for Australian Pied Oystercatchers, and occasionally a lone Sooty Oystercatcher. Chestnut Teal, Hoary Headed Grebe and Silver Gull are also common. Australasian Pipit, Straw Necked Ibis and Golden Headed Cisticola inhabit the grass near the bay, while Little and Red Wattlebird feed in the banksias along the shore.

Australian Pied Oystercatcher

Australian Pied Oystercatchers

Australasian Pipit

Lake Bunga and the Lakes Entrance Waste Water Treatment Plant

Lake Bunga and the Lakes Entrance Waste Water Treatment Plant

I have been wanting to write a blog post on the  Lakes Entrance Waste Water Treatment Plant (hereafter referred to as "treatment plant" ) for some time, but there is not enough interesting information for a single post.  However, after Birdlife East Gippslands' outing to Lake Bunga on Monday,  I had the perfect match for the treatment plant. 

Male Scarlet Honeyeater

Lakes Treatment Plant and Lake Bunga

Lake Bunga is a tiny inlet that is fed from Bunga Creek and a few surrounding gullies. The lake is surrounded with pittosporum, banksia and Coast Tea-tree. This habitat is ideal for a wide range of birds, especially Eastern Whipbirds, Bassian Thrush, Eastern Yellow Robin and a variety of honeyeaters.

Lake Bunga, looking "upstream"

Lake Bunga, Looking "downstream"

Lake Bunga is accessed from Princes Hwy, 4.5 Km from Lakes Entrance. Turn right onto the Lake Bunga Beach Rd, and follow it until you come to the car-park. The last few hundred metres is gravel, and quite narrow, but is 2wd accessible. 

Eastern Spinebill

From the car-park, you can either walk to the surf, or through the Tea-tree towards Lakes Entrance. 

The walk towards Lakes Entrance takes you to the Treatment Plant. The Treatment plant is a 3 pond treatment plant that treats waste water from Lakes Entrance, Lake Bunga and Lake Tyers. These ponds are a favourite spot for ducks, teal and grebes. Pink Eared Ducks can often be seen here, as well as Blue Billed and Hardheads. 

A walking track skirts around the southern edge of the treatment plant, from which most of the treatment plant can be viewed from. The vegetation between the walking track and treatment plant often has Eastern Whipbird and Eastern Yellow Robin in it. 

Bassian Thrush

Superb Fairy Wren

The Treatment Plant can also be accessed from Lakes Entrance on Golf Links Rd. Follow this road until you come to the treatment plant.

***For those who have asked me where I saw the Scarlet Honeyeaters, here is a map.

The squiggly line is where the Scarlet Honeyeaters were.