Werribee Treatment Plant bird walk

We had a wonderful day at the the Werribee Treatment Plant…a bird paradise.

Early highlights were a flock of appealing Zebra Finches, and then a panorama of shining Canola highlighting the distant You Yangs.

canola Field of canola

Next were rows of mud-bottle nests under the eaves of one of the very few buildings. Their owners, Fairy Martins, were sweeping around the building, and nearby on a channel edge were two Black Fronted Dotterels.

Fairy Martin nests

In the paddocks nearby were a number of Cattle Egrets following a herd of steer.

Cattle Egret

cow watching Watching the Cattle Egrets

Flocks of elegant Avocets, with their rusty heads and unmistakable long upturned bills were our favourite sighting at morning tea.

Three Avocets

On reaching the furthest point in the road system we had hoped to see Orange-bellied Parrots(OBPs), as cage-bred young have been released there, and a departing bird watcher had seen one. Our hopes were dashed, as usual, but it was a great location for numerous other species including soaring flocks of migratory waders.

Lunch, but where are the OBPs?

We also were impressed to see, highlighted in the sunlight, the red knees of several Red-kneed Dotterels.

Red-kneed Dotterel

There was also a flock of Banded Stilts with some more Avocets.

Banded Stilts

On the way we saw hundreds of Starlings perched on some posts, and on the return trip they had been replaced by one Pelican.

Starlings

pelican Pelican

Our most unusual sight for the day was a lone Black-tailed Godwit with its amazing long beak. My only other sighting of this species was this year in May, in Amsterdam!

birdhide The only bird hide