BIRDING THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Yesterday morning, I birded the Mornington Peninsula, ending up with 72 species, which wasn't bad given the grey skies and sporadic rain.  The highlight was an unexpected Bassian Thrush which I saw at Balbirooroo Wetlands in Balnarring.

I started at West Heads in Flinders, watching a Black-shouldered Kite attack a White-bellied Sea Eagle.  Three Sooty Oystercatchers landed on the shore below and immediately disappeared amongst the rocks.  The next noteworthy sighting was an Australian Hobby struggling against the wind.  

Driving back towards the township, lots of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos had fun making a mess, leaving a carpet of dropped cones and twigs beneath the pine trees.  A couple of currawongs confused me; I initially thought they were Grey, but on closer inspection, they turned out to be my 'normal' Pied.

I expected some good waterbirds at Balbirooroo Wetlands, but, surprisingly, the best birds were all bush birds.  There were literally dozens of Grey Fantails.  (Lovely photo above my Ken Haines, who wasn't there!)  I never get sick of them.  There were both male and female Australian Golden Whistlers, several White-browed Scrubwren and Superb Fairywren, Spotted Pardalote and Brown Thornbill.  A (or perhaps more than one) Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo drove me mad, calling from a distance, but not showing himself.  I could picture him, hiding behind a branch, giggling and poking his tongue out at me.  Finally, he flew down to gloat, and I had satisfactory views.  Despite many flowering eucalypts, my honeyeater list was not huge:  White-plumed, New Holland and White-eared, as well as the inevitable Noisy Miners and Red and Little Wattlebirds.  As I say, the waterbirds did not dominate.  There were swans, moorhens, coots, cormorants, Australasian Grebes, Pacific Black Ducks and I did manage to add a Black-fronted Dotterel to the list.

Then it was on to the Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve, where I had heard that Glossy Black Cockatoos had been seen.  Sadly, not by me.  There were few casuarinas, so I wasn't sure where to look.  This was a pleasant spot, but I didn't add much to my list.

Last stop was the Boundary Road Wetlands (above), opposite the Frankston Clay Target Club, quite a noisy neighbour.  Here there were quite a few waders, many of them colouring up beautifully.  They were 98% Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, with just a handful of Curlew Sandpipers and Red-necked Stints to keep me on my toes.  There were more dotterels here, too, and both Royal and Yellow-billed Spoonbills.  A few Pied Stilts, a couple of pelicans and some duck, mainly Chestnut Teal, but also just enough Grey Teal sprinkled among them to make sure I had a good look.  A Swamp Harrier took pleasure in disrupting this peaceful scene, but luckily, having had his fun, he disappeared.

I reckon over 70 species for a morning's work is quite satisfactory, especially when it includes a Bassian Thrush, and a few of my favourites like black cockies and White-eared Honeyeaters.