Last month we visited the Western Treatment plant at Werribee, and were pleased to see 50 species of birds.

It was a cool and very windy day so most of the birds were hunkering down. We were most impressed with one Pelican which flew against the strong wind to land atop two very narrow poles…what gorgeous birds they are.

Crested Terns

We saw a number of raptors, including a Swamp Harrier which tried to carry off a dead animal, but finally dropped it into the choppy water. There were hundreds of swans but none with babies, unlike our pair with five thriving cygnets at Allen Noble Sanctuary.

Cygnets at Allen Noble

We saw a few of the handsome Whiskered Terns which were characteristically swooping and dipping over the ponds.

Whiskered Tern

At our lunch spot at the far end of the road system, we found shelter from the wind in a more treed area, known to be popular with Orange-bellied Parrots(OBPs)…but not on this day!

However we did see several elegant Black Winged Stilts, and a couple of striking Pied Oystercatchers.

On our way back we visited the bird hide which last time had been in disrepair, but being high tide there were few birds to be seen there.

Outside bird hide

Inside the bird hide and the nearest we got to seeing an OBP

Further on we saw a large number of ducks and cormorants close to the seashore. For a while there was a feeding frenzy, which a number of Gannets joined and exhibited their amazing diving technique.

Masses of duck, cormorants, gulls and spot the tern

In the last moments we were very pleased to able to add to our list two species of Crakes and a Red-kneed Dotterel.

Spotted Crake

Below are all the birds identified:

1. Black Swan
2. Australian Shelduck
3. Pacific Black Duck
4. Gray Teal
5. Chestnut Teal
6. Pink-eared Duck
7. White-eyed Duck
8. Musk Duck
9. Hoary-headed Grebe
10. Australasian Gannet
11. Little Pied Cormorant
12. Great Cormorant
13. Little Black Cormorant
14. Pied Cormorant
15. Australian Pelican
16. White-faced Heron
17. Australian Ibis
18. Swamp Harrier
19. Black Kite
20. Whistling Kite
21. White-bellied Sea-Eagle
22. Australian Crake
23. Spotless Crake
24. Australasian Swamphen
25. Eurasian Coot
26. Pied Stilt
27. Pied Oystercatcher
28. Masked Lapwing
29. Red-kneed Dotterel
30. Silver Gull
31. Whiskered Tern
32. Great Crested Tern
33. Crested Pigeon
34. Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
35. Australian Kestrel
36. Brown Falcon
37. Superb Fairywren
38. White-fronted Chat
39. White-browed Scrubwren
40. Australian Magpie
41. Black-faced Cuckooshrike
42. Willie-wagtail
43. Magpie-lark
44. Crow/Raven sp.
45. Eurasian Skylark
46. Welcome Swallow
47. Little Grassbird
48. European Starling
49. European Goldfinch
50. House Sparrow

Ellinor Campbell