Our November walk was on a most unpleasant hot and windy day, but there were more than enough birds to make it worthwhile.

We met at Barwon Heads but made a quick escape as it was full of people walking dogs on the beach.

‘Riverview’ at Ocean Grove was, however, clear of dogs and the low- tide sandbanks had masses of birds. Unfortunately, large numbers of these were too far away to identify even with telescopes. One lone Eastern Curlew stood out, and a flock of waders landed near us and challenged us to sort out the species.

Freshwater Lake, opposite Lake Victoria, was showing signs of being close to drying up, but there were large numbers of birds, again many too far away, though four Bar-tailed Godwits stood out. A nearby Red-capped Plover was a new sighting for a couple of people. Lake Victoria was the highlight, with uncountable numbers of ducks and waders. Whiskered Terns fluttering over the water were enjoyed by all, and of special interest were 6 Banded Stilts and over 20 elegant Red-necked Avocets with their long, upturned, fine bills and rusty heads.

On another occasion, I was looking for the two Hoodies on Aireys Inlet beach, near the mouth of the river. I couldn’t find them, although I had seen them several times prior. I turned to walk back, and nearly fell over a Ruddy Turnstone that stood for ages in one or two spots, enabling me take numerous photos.

Below are all the birds identified and numbers of each at the various locations:

BH -  Barwon Heads Bridge carpark

R   -  ‘Riverview’ Ocean Grove

FL -   Freshwater Lake Point Lonsdale

LV -  Lake Victoria      Point Lonsdale

 

1. Black Swan: 35R, 16LV

2.  Australian Shelduck: 3LV

3.  Grey Teal: 30R, 1000? LV

4.  Chestnut Teal: 200+LV

5.  Hoary-headed Grebe: 1LV

6.  Rock Dove: 4BH

7.  Crested Pigeon: 1LV

8.  Little Pied Cormorant: 1R

9. Great Cormorant: 3BH, 3LV

10. Little Black Cormorant: 6LV

11. Pied Cormorant: 7R

12.Australian Pelican: 16R, 2LV

13. Eastern Great Egret: 1R, 1FL

14. White-faced Heron:  1R

15. Little Egret: 4LV

16. Australian White Ibis: 4R

17. Royal Spoonbill: 2R

18. Eurasian Coot: 100+LV

19. Black-winged Stilt: 20LV

20. Red-necked Avocet: 20+LV

21. Banded Stilt: 6LV

22. Red-capped Plover:  1FL

23. Masked Lapwing: 1R, 2FL, 4LV

24. Bar-tailed Godwit: 4R

25. Eastern Curlew: 1R

26. Common Greenshank: 2R

27. Red-necked Stint:LotsFL

28. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: 6R, lotsFL, 6LV

29. Curlew Sandpiper: 2R lots FL.

30. Whiskered Tern: 2R, 20+LV

31. Pacific Gull: 3R

32. Silver Gull: 6BH, 18R

33. Eastern Rosella: 1FL

34. Superb Fairy-wren:  4FL

35. Brown Thornbill: 2FL

36. Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater:  1R, 1FL

37. Rufous Whistler: 1FL

38. Australian Magpie: 10FL

39. Grey Fantail: 3FL

40. Little Raven: 2FL

41. Magpie-lark: 1BH, 1FL

42. Silvereye: 1LV

43. Welcome Swallow: 11BH, 6R, 20LV

44. Common Starling: 2R

45. House Sparrow: 2BH

Ellinor Campbell