HERITAGE

Yesterday my friend Ken took me to Heritage.  This is an area of bushland adjacent to the Heritage Golf and Country Club in Chirnside Park.  It is also adjacent to the Yarra River, and is popular with fisherfolk and canoeists.  The sun was shining.  The birds were singing.  It was a glorious morning.  The grass was long and Ken had seen a very large red-bellied black snake here the day before, so we trod carefully.

We recorded 46 species.  That is to say, Ken saw or heard 46 species, and managed to show me most of them, although I was too slow or too deaf to get on to the call of the Pallid Cuckoo or (worse!) the Lewin's Rail.  In my defence I should say that I was first to see the flock of over 100 Straw-necked Ibis flying overhead (quite a feat that! you could hardly miss them!)  and it was little me who first noticed the Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo sitting up high quite visibly and calling incessantly.  Admittedly, I did not immediately identify it correctly, but I did see it first. 

I also saw a New Holland Honeyeater, which Ken said were not common at Heritage.  We did see some great birds, but there were very few honeyeaters.  In fact, my list includes just four:  Red Wattlebird, Noisy Miner, Yellow-faced and the aforementioned New Holland.

The best birds were two kingfishers:  Sacred and Azure, and two cuckoos:  Fan-tailed and the Horsfield's Bronze that I've already mentioned.  We had an opportunity to admire both male and female Rufous Whistlers (my first for 2021!) and had an excellent, if fleeting, view of an Australian Reed Warbler.

Of course, we saw all the bushbirds you'd expect:  Eastern Yellow Robin, Red-browed Finch, and Grey Shrikethrush.  Superb Fairywrens and White-browed Scrubwrens played in the undergrowth and ubiquitous Brown Thornbills and Grey Fantails seemed to accompany us wherever we went.  One sole pelican soared overhead, while colourful Australian King Parrots, Galahs and Crimson Rosellas flew by.  Of course we couldn't escape noisy Rainbow Lorikeets, or corellas or white cockies.  Add some waterbirds (ducks, cormorants, coots and moorhen) and that's about it.  Apart from the Mistletoebird that sharp-eyed Ken saw and the Shining Bronze Cuckoo that he heard.

But I should not overlook my favourite bird:  the Willie Wagtail.  One came to say hello, then flew off over the golf course.  Ken said that they too were not common at Heritage.  Altogether a good spot for birding.  Thanks, Ken.