A few intrepid ‘birdos ‘ braved a cold winter morning at Point Addis.

We were looking for pelagic birds, which spend a large portion of their life on the open ocean. Initially we had trouble seeing and identifying far-off birds over the choppy waters, however a bird expert arrived and helped with the identification.

There was a large flock of about 200 small, black, Fluttering Shearwaters, plus two Shy Albatross. One sat cooperatively on the water so we could have a good look through the telescope, while the other flew over the waves nearby in the typical low, effortless gliding flight, with the black colour of the back changing to the white of the front as it turned.

Albatross

The bird expert also said he heard Little Penguins, but we were not sufficiently attuned to hear their call. A Rufous Bristlebird entertained us nearby with its song, and a few other birds appeared briefly.

After sighting a total of only 9 species, but feeling satisfied with seeing the pelagic birds, we decided to move on. The rain that had threatened all morning appeared, and we decided that the bush birds we had planned to see at the Ironbark Basin would be sheltering quietly out of sight, so returned to Angelsea and a warm, welcoming coffee shop.

Later we learned that, about an hour after we left, a whale was spotted off the point ‘cruising along from the point to the beach, spouting and fins seen’...ho hum, maybe another time!

Below are all the birds identified (and the number of birds)

1. Shy Albatross 2
2. Fluttering Shearwater 200
3. Australasian Gannet 1
4. Little Black Cormorant 1
5. Pacific gull 1
6. Crimson Rosella 2
7. Superb Fairy Wren 1
8. Rufous Bristlebird H
9. White-browed Scubwren H

Ellinor Campbell