Day: February 15, 2026

Along the Track: Interlude at the Lake

Posted in Ballarat, Black Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Little Corella, Long-billed Corella, Masked Lapwing, Pacific Black DuckTagged , , , , 2 Comments

We had an invitation for lunch with our Ballarat connection, so decided to leave a little earlier, spend a few minutes around the Ballarat Lake, while we had the opportunity.
As the day would have it, it was porridge skies, but sometimes, as I’ve discovered lately those softer melded light conditions are really good for detail of bird feathers.
Mind, I’m partial to a run of sunshine too. 🙂

As they say,—have you ever wondered who ‘they’ are?—obviously not ‘us’,—anyway as ‘they’ say, what we found were the ‘usual suspects’

The highlight of the hour or so was several Great Crested Grebes. And we did spend quite a bit of time photographing insane Corellas as they flew about in large, super-noisy flocks. I’ve never been sure as to what puts them into a frenzy, but once started its self-multiplying and they just keep going until everyone runs out of energy.

So here in no particular order.

Lake Wendouree has no end of Black Swans, and there always seems to be new clutches on the way. This one is quite advanced and good to see those feathers taking shape.
A Masked Lapwing has decided to take a snooze on the side of the track. Totally unphased by passing foot traffic.
Always good to find these birds. Dreaming of seeing, and photographing them dancing.
And here they come. This is the 4,234 trip up and down the lake, calling raucously as they go.
With so much action its hard to keep just one in frame. This is a Long-billed Corella
And a Little Corella zipping between the trees
They’ve seen it all before. This time they are just going to sit and watch it all happen.
Too good not to share another one
Never cease to be amazed that such a big bird can balance so well on one leg and nap at the same time.
Maned Ducks have such distinctive markings on their backs and folded feathers. Something we often miss with the front
No matter the place, or the occasion, a Pacific Black Duck knows how to work a space.

Enjoy.