Our mid-winter walk took the form of mini-twitchathon, as we stopped briefly at a number of places, mainly on the edge of the Anglesea Heath.
The sun came and went, as did the birds, but it was mostly quite still with only a couple of light showers, and so good bird watching conditions, and we particularly enjoyed seeing a range of robins.
An area of compost mounds in a paddock on Forest Road clearly provided a good food source for Scarlet and Flame Robins. Their colourful breasts were a beautiful sight in the crisp winter sun.
Female Scarlet Robin with just a faint blush to the breast
However it was a Rose Robin, briefly glimpsed by one of our party along Harrison track, which was the best sighting for the day.
We looked carefully in several locations for Southern Emu Wrens, but they were their usual elusive selves and were not to be seen or heard.
Where are the Emu Wrens?
Raptors were also surprisingly absent. Apart from birds, we saw large flocks of kangaroos in the paddocks along Forest Road.
We finished near the corner of Forest Road and Flaxbournes Road, and were about to return to Angair for morning tea as all seemed quiet and overcast when the sun returned, as did a multitude of little birds. Some were disporting in a pool on the track leading into the heathland going towards the old aqueduct. All in all it was a very satisfying and pleasant day, despite not seeing a great number of species.
Below are all the birds identified:
(H) heard
1. Wood Duck
2. Galah
3. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
4. Crimson Rosella(H)
5. Laughing Kookaburra (H)
6. White-throated Treecreeper.
7. Superb Fairy-wren
8. Yellow-rumped thornbill
9. Brown Thornbill
10. Eastern Spinebill
11. White-eared Honeyeater
12. New Holland Honeyeater (H)
13. Crescent Honeyeater
14. Golden Whistler
15. Grey Shrike-thrush
16 Australian Magpie
17. Pied Currawong (H)
18. Willie Wagtail
19. Grey Fantail
20. Little Raven
21. Scarlet Robin
22. Flame Robin
23. Rose Robin
24 Eastern Yellow Robin
25.Starling
Ellinor Campbell