Day: March 20, 2023

Along the Track: A Morning at the Plant

Posted in "Western Treatment Plant", Along the Track, Australasian Grebe, Australian Wood Duck, Brolga, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Visits, Picture Postcards, Swamp Harrier, Western Treatment Plant, White-bellied Sea-eagleTagged , , , , , , , 12 Comments

After the last couple of ranty posts, I thought I fine day at the plant might be a good idea. 🙂

The Western Treatment Plant is about the size of Phillip Island and to travel all the tracks and explore all the possible bird sites can easily consume an entire day, and a goodly chunk out of the fuel budget for the week. 🙂

We tend to be a bit selective about the areas we travel through. Preferring to stop at one location for a time and see what is moving about. It also depends a lot upon the weather. Being a flat farmland, there is little shelter from high winds or the heat of midday.

So we tend to go either late in the afternoon when conditions are good, or early in the morning. Morning can be hard at first as the long drive in from the main road is directly into the rising sun. But once in the bird area it becomes easier.

We had decided to go on the morning as the weather looked promising, and if the wind picked up as predicted then back to the Highway Lounge and a Gerry Coffee.

Here then is a look at how the morning, and the birds progressed.

White-bellied Sea-eagle being harassed by a passing Swamp Harrier. I don’t think the apex predator was fazed.
Said Swamp Harrier, then made a close pass over the reeds on our side of the lake.
The ponds held many Hoary-headed Grebes.
A committee meeting. These two Sea-eagles were resting a long way out in the middle of the large lake.
Meanwhile up close the Reedbirds were moving about in the sunshine
A small selection of the many hundreds of Hoary-headed Grebes.
Whatever the current title, I still refer to them as Mountain Duck. The nomenclature police seem to think they are Australasian Shelduck. I don’t think the birds care really. They now all have nice new feathers and will be journeying northward soon
Not sure if this Sea-eagle was from the earlier lake ones, or whether it came in from south along the beachline. But there could be as many as four working in the area at present.
This Collared Sparrowhawk was making the most of the increasing high winds. And showing off that extended middle toe.
Fueling up for a long trip ahead. Curlew Sandpiper
These two Sharp-tailed Sandpipers are starting to colour up. Here they are ‘hiding’ out of the strong wind behind some reeds
It has been an increasing good year for Brolga at the Plant. We saw one pair with two well grown young. A second pair with a young one, and this third pair on their own
One of my fav inflight birds. The Little Egret
I can’t ever recall seeing an Austalasian Grebe standing up, nor on a rock. Perhaps a nest is on the way.
Also managed a great wing display just for bonus points.