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In September we had a combined Orange-bellied Parrot (OBP) survey and bird walk.

 

It is the first time ever that we have had warm weather on an OBP survey, and it was indeed a delightfully sunny, still day. The Orange-bellied Parrots were, as usual, not to be seen and, disappojntingly, there were also no Blue-winged Parrots either as they flock together.

Good OBP habitat but not even Blue-winged Parrots to be seen

Good OBP habitat but not even Blue-winged Parrots to be seen

We did however see the unexpected sight of two pairs of Red-rumped Parrots using nesting boxes provided by the Victorian Field and Game society in the swampy areas off Baensh’s Lane.

Red-rumped Parrots using nesting boxes

Red-rumped Parrots using nesting boxes

There were surprisingly few duck and swans to be seen, but we ended up with a good sighting of many other birds, such as 8 Magpie-larks in a tree and several singing Cisticolas, with 55 species in total.

A tree of Magpie-larks

A tree of Magpie-larks

Cisticola

Cisticola

We had lunch beside the Barwon River not far from the bridge, and were very glad of our telescopes to view the numerous waders on the sandbanks at low tide.

Wader-watching on the Barwon

Wader-watching on the Barwon

We were delighted to see a number of Eastern Curlews with their amazingly long, curved beaks.

The nearest we got to an Orange-bellied Parrot beside the Barwon River at lunch time

The nearest we got to an Orange-bellied Parrot beside the Barwon River at lunch time

Below are all the birds identified:

1. Black Swan

2. Grey Teal

3. Chestnut Teal

4. Hoary-headed Grebe

5. Australasian Darter

6. Great Cormorant

7. Little Pied Cormorant

8. Little Black Cormorant

9. Pied Cormorant

10. Australian Pelican

11. Eastern Great Egret

12. White-faced Heron

13. Little Egret

14. Australian White Ibis

15. Straw-necked Ibis

16. Royal Spoonbill

17. Yellow-billed Spoonbill

18. Whistling Kite

19. Swamp Harrier

20. Nankeen Kestrel

21. Brolga

22. Purple Swamphen

23. Red-capped Plover

24. Masked Lapwing

25.Eastern Curlew

26.Red-necked Stint

27.Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

28.Caspian Tern

29.Pacific Gull

30.Silver Gull

31.Galah

32.Crimson Rosella

33. Eastern Rosella

34.Red-rumped Parrot

35. Horsefield’s Bronze-Cuckoo

36.Superb Fairy-wren

37. Striated Fieldwren

38. Yellow-rumped Thornbill

39. White-plumed Honeyeater

40. Noisy Miner

41.White-fronted Chat

42. New Holland Honeyeater

43.Australian Magpie

44.Willy Wagtail

45.Little Raven

46. Magpie-lark

47. Eurasian Skylark

48. Golden-headed Cisticola

49.Australian Reed-Warbler

50.Little Grassbird

51.Welcome Swallow

52.Common Starling

53.  red-browed Finch

54. House Sparrow

55. Australian Pipit

Ellinor Campbell

Photos by Ellinor Campbell and Penne Kwiat