Sonja was going up to check on a area for the Melbourne Birdlife Photogroup outing in May and offered for us to tag along.  Two phone calls later to cancel important events and a quick scan through an empty diary soon lead to saying “Yes, Please”.  So we went.

We picked up Damien in Heathcote and after a pleasant coffee at the Bakehouse we went to Costerfield and a small dam behind the main street hall.   It was it must be said, pretty quiet, but among other things I heard a Scarlet Robin, so it was hopefully going to be a good day.

Several stops later on the way to Dargyle Picnic Ground and we had located a number of honeyeaters and several pairs of Scarlet Robins.

At Dargyle as we unloaded the car for lunch, Sonja located a pair of birds that we eventually named as Noisy Friar-birds.  Bit to far away for a piccy, but nice to have seen.  Several Brown Goshawks flew over, two of them in a bit of territorial/mating routine.

More Scarlet calls and lots and lots of Eastern Spinebills and about 4 juveniles so the list was growing.

We then drove to the Balieston Quarry area, this is a well dug over area with lots of low regrowth, and some very impressive Ironbarks, and the list began to grow even more, with 6 Yellow-tufted Honey-eaters providing most of the action.

A couple of stops around the back of the water courses near Nagambie, and then it was on the way home.  What a nice way to spend a day.