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Last month we visited the Western Treatment plant at Werribee, and were pleased to see 50 species of birds.

It was a cool and very windy day so most of the birds were hunkering down. We were most impressed with one Pelican which flew against the strong wind to land atop two very narrow poles…what gorgeous birds they are.

Crested Terns
Crested Terns

We saw a number of raptors, including a Swamp Harrier which tried to carry off a dead animal, but finally dropped it into the choppy water. There were hundreds of swans but none with babies, unlike our pair with five thriving cygnets at Allen Noble Sanctuary.

Cygnets at Allen Noble
Cygnets at Allen Noble

We saw a few of the handsome Whiskered Terns which were characteristically swooping and dipping over the ponds.

Whiskered Tern
Whiskered Tern

At our lunch spot at the far end of the road system, we found shelter from the wind in a more treed area, known to be popular with Orange-bellied Parrots(OBPs)…but not on this day!

However we did see several elegant Black Winged Stilts, and a couple of striking Pied Oystercatchers.

On our way back we visited the bird hide which last time had been in disrepair, but being high tide there were few birds to be seen there.

Outside bird hide
Outside bird hide

Sue in hide
Inside the bird hide and the nearest we got to seeing an OBP

Further on we saw a large number of ducks and cormorants close to the seashore. For a while there was a feeding frenzy, which a number of Gannets joined and exhibited their amazing diving technique.

Masses of duck, cormorants, gulls and spot the tern
Masses of duck, cormorants, gulls and spot the tern

In the last moments we were very pleased to able to add to our list two species of Crakes and a Red-kneed Dotterel.

Spotted Crake
Spotted Crake

Below are all the birds identified:

  1. Black Swan
  2. Australian Shelduck
  3. Pacific Black Duck
  4. Gray Teal
  5. Chestnut Teal
  6. Pink-eared Duck
  7. White-eyed Duck
  8. Musk Duck
  9. Hoary-headed Grebe
  10. Australasian Gannet
  11. Little Pied Cormorant
  12. Great Cormorant
  13. Little Black Cormorant
  14. Pied Cormorant
  15. Australian Pelican
  16. White-faced Heron
  17. Australian Ibis
  18. Swamp Harrier
  19. Black Kite
  20. Whistling Kite
  21. White-bellied Sea-Eagle
  22. Australian Crake
  23. Spotless Crake
  24. Australasian Swamphen
  25. Eurasian Coot
  26. Pied Stilt
  27. Pied Oystercatcher
  28. Masked Lapwing
  29. Red-kneed Dotterel
  30. Silver Gull
  31. Whiskered Tern
  32. Great Crested Tern
  33. Crested Pigeon
  34. Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo
  35. Australian Kestrel
  36. Brown Falcon
  37. Superb Fairywren
  38. White-fronted Chat
  39. White-browed Scrubwren
  40. Australian Magpie
  41. Black-faced Cuckooshrike
  42. Willie-wagtail
  43. Magpie-lark
  44. Crow/Raven sp.
  45. Eurasian Skylark
  46. Welcome Swallow
  47. Little Grassbird
  48. European Starling
  49. European Goldfinch
  50. House Sparrow

Ellinor Campbell