It had been 2.5 years since I last returned to the place where I grew up, Melbourne, Australia, so it was about time we visited family friends again and November is generally a great time of year to do so – not too hot, but definitely not cold. Amidst all the visiting, and an unfortunate bout of stomach flu (that hit every member of the family!), I was able to do a little bit of bird photography in my folks’ backyard, as well a ‘big day’ of birding with a great local birder & guide (Steve at www.themelbournebirder.com), followed by some coastal birding in Sorrento on Port Phillip Bay.
The higlight from the backyard were the Rainbow Lorikeets – a noisy bunch, but just about unbeatable for colourful plumage:
There were so many highlights on the ‘big day’, given that we visited multiple ecosystems from scrub to rainforest to coastal wetlands, but I was very pleased with the fairy wrens, the wetland birds in flight and some nice close-ups of a Black-shouldered Kite, who had eluded us up until the very end of the day :
I know the birds I got to see were just the tip of the ice-berg, so I hope to be able to go back & check out some other ecosystems next time!
- Black Swan
- Black-shouldered KIte
- Black-shouldered KIte
- Brown Thornbill
- Brown Thornbill
- Cape Barren Goose
- Crested Pigeon
- Crested Pigeon
- Australasian Darter
- Dusky Moorhen
- Eastern Rosella
- Eastern Yellow Robin
- Eastern Spinebill
- Cuckoo
- Galah
- Gang Gang Cockatoo
- Great Crested Grebe
- Egret
- Egret
- Grey Fantail
- Grey Fantail
- Cuckoo
- 3 cormorant species
- Pelican
- Stilt
- Sandpiper
- Superb Fairy Wren
- Honeyeater
- Little Black Cormorant
- Cormorant
- Cormorant
- Musk Lorikeet
- Noisy Mynah
- Pacific Gull
- Pacific Gull
- Cormorant
- Cormorant
- Cormorant
- Oystercatcher
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Flame Robin
- Scrub Wren
- Scrub Wren
- Scrub Wren
- Cuckoo
- Silver Gull
- Silvereye
- Spotted Pardalote
- Straw-necked Ibis
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
- Superb Fairy Wren (f)
- Superb Fairy Wren
- Harrier
- Tawny Frogmouth & chick
- Sitella
- Terns
- White-faced Heron
- White-faced Heron
- Tree Creeper
- Willie Wagtail
- Yellow Spoonbill
- Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
- Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
- Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
- Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo