Gherang Gherang Bushland Reserve – 9 May 2026

The weather was very good for birdwatching: not much wind and some sun. Gherang is a relatively sheltered spot, and the wind is generally not as strong as nearer the coast. There was a good turnout of 15 people with mix of newcomers and experienced birdwatchers, and also some fungi experts from Torquay. A couple who arrived early were lucky enough to see a male Rose Robin.

We headed off along the track at the north end of the reserve. It is often the case that there is a flurry of birds within a few hundred metres of the parking spot, and this turned out to be the case again. A group of White-naped Honeyeaters flew by on their northerly winter migration. There was also a male Mistletoe Bird seen briefly high on a dead branch, and a female Golden Whistler just above the path. Unusual for Gherang, there was also a couple of White-plumed Honeyeaters.

One of the group saw some Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrikes, and further along, there were a couple of Wedge-tailed Eagles sitting in a dead tree across the paddock. These birds are often seen perched there early in the morning. We continued heading west along the path referred to as Old Tip Road on Google Maps to the old quarry area. Sometimes there is something interesting sitting in the dead trees in this area (e.g. Brown Falcon, or in the summer a Blue-winged Parrot) but not today although a couple of Australian Shelducks were circling over head, honking as they went.

We continued to the end of the path where it ends at Nobles Road, where we saw a male Golden Whistler.

Male Golden Whistler (photo by Paul Wright)

We then headed back, walking along the old quarry. Another highlight was an Eastern Rosella.

Eastern Rosella (photo by Paul Wright)

Eastern Rosellas are scarce in the Anglesea area (apart from the golf course!) but there have been several around Gherang for the last year or so.

We returned the cars after 2.5 hours and 2.5 km. Most people headed off to other activities at this stage. The remaining few had morning tea at the Anglesea Cricket Ground. Overall, an excellent day of birdwatching. Full bird list below.

James Orton

Gherang – Bird List

The table below shows the names and count of birds seen/heard on the walk at Gherang. Note this list has been recorded in eBird, and shared with the Angair eBird account.