| Mon 20 | | Square-tailed Kite
Crusoe Reservoir, Bendigo |
|
| Bird cruising around for over an hour from 7.30 am |
| Deb Oliver 20/1 #244298 |
| Sun 19 | | Black-tailed Nativehen
Coolart |
| On the island in the main lagoon. eBird checklist |
| Terry Gourley 19/1 #244288 |
|  | Australian Pratincole
Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park--Chiltern Valley #1 Dam |
|
|
| Donald Jordan 19/1 #244287 |
| Sat 18 | | Long-toed Stint
Western Treatment Plant (Werribee) |
|
| Two birds seen in the T-section, pond 5, opposite the crake pond. The photo attached shows one Long-toed Stint compared to the larger Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. |
| Indra Bone 18/1 #244284 |
| | Little Friarbird
Napolean/Allora Rd, Ferntree Gully |
| A bird foraging amongst some Eucies and mid-story. Call was very similar to Graeme Chapmans audio No 646 - tone and chatter. Observed briefly but mostly amongst the foliage. Resident wattlebird species were not around at the time. Perhaps some displacement from the fire affected areas? |
| Greg Cobern 18/1 #244282 |
| | Magpie Goose
Swan Lake (Phillip Island) |
| Two Magpie Geese still present east of the first birdhide. |
| Sally & Derek Whitehead 18/1 #244280 |
| Thu 16 | | Intermediate Egret
Eastern Treatment Plant--Boundary Rd Wetlands |
|
| Identified through a scope from the unsealed road. It tended to hang around the border of a private property and the wetland, only moving away when there were Swamp Harriers around. Great & Cattle Egrets present for comparison. eBird checklist |
| Ryan Kilgower 16/1 #244270 |
| | Magpie Goose
Swan Lake (Phillip Island) |
|
| Two Birds observed, unusual here. |
| Jefferson J Maltman 16/1 #244268 |
| Tue 14 | | Australian Pratincole
Lake Eppalock--Old Bendigo Road |
|
| Initially reported by Michael Ramsey. Bird on the dried part of the mud flats merging for Mt Ida Creek and Wild Duck Creek. Sandy above, pale below. Red on the face/bill. Black on wings. Many Red-capped Plovers, Red-necked Stints and a few Sharp-tailed Sanpipers also present. eBird checklist |
| Scott Eaton 15/1 #244261 |
| Mon 13 | | ? Shelduck
WTP Pond 24 |
|
| Mystery Shelduck still there. Through the scope definite grey wash on cheeks. Doesn't help does it? eBird checklist |
| Alf Forbes 13/1 #244247 |
| Sun 12 | | Common Sandpiper
Hastings Foreshore Reserve |
| Five birds seen on mud flats beside the Hastings jetty. |
| S and S king 13/1 #244244 |
| | White-throated Needletail
River Road Tarrawingee |
| At approximately 7.15pm we noticed a small flock of White-throated Needletails circling overhead as we crossed over Hodgsons Creek. A small flock of only five to ten birds. Definitely White-throated Needletails. |
| Michael and Carole O’Sullivan 12/1 #244241 |
| | Australian Spotted Crake
Albert Park Lake--SE Conservation Ponds |
| Foraging on mudflats in westernmost pond. |
| Aidan Powell 12/1 #244240 |
| Sat 11 | | Freckled Duck
Lake Lonsdale, Stawell |
| Flock of 40+ birds roosting on spit on southern side. |
| Ian Morgan. 14/1 #244251 |
| | Eastern Koel
1000 Steps Carpark |
| Heard with others at 7.50am |
| Michele Damschke 11/1 #244233 |
| | Common Tern
Ricketts Pt, Beaumaris |
|
| Sighted at 1 pm in flock of Crested Terns. Stayed for an hour before flying off. Positive ID as 'common' and not White-fronted by Tern expert. |
| Michael Genesin 11/1 #244232 |
| Fri 10 | | Pacfic Swift, White- throated Needletails
McCrae |
| Abut 20 swifts, mostly fork tails, but also some needletails. 11:20am , heading east (towards Dromana). Warm windy conditions before southerly change. |
| Russell Thomson 11/1 #244228 |
| | Pacific Swift, Lewin's Rail, SA(?) Shelduck
Western Treatment Plant (Werribee) |
| 12 Swifts over Paradise Rd, Lewin's Rail at Little River causeway. Shelduck (South African?) still in Pond 24 |
| Dave Torr, Rick Bateman 10/1 #244224 |
| | Fork-tailed swift
Lorne |
| 50+ swifts flying over Lorne ahead of southerly change. |
| Janet chapman 10/1 #244222 |
| Thu 9 | | Square-tailed Kite
Chiltern-Beechworth Rd |
|
| Scott Jessup 10/1 #244219 |
| | African (Cape) Shelduck (?)
Pond 24, Western Treatment Plant |
|
| As noted by earlier observers, bird was found this morning from road bordering eastern edge of Pond 24. It was about half way from Gate 4 to southern end of Lake Borrie. Dark grey cap and rear neck and rest of face/ head/ neck white correspond to African (female) but not to Paradise or Ruddy. Zoos Victoria advised by phone that it holds no African Shelducks in its Werribee Open Range collection. However, the species does not seem from literature to be migratory or strongly mobile. So how it got all the way to WTP seems a mystery. |
| Jack Krohn with Damian Slattery 9/1 #244211 |
| | Australasian Bittern
Braeside Park |
|
| Seen on the ground from the viewing platform at the wetlands just before 10:55 am and in the air on three occasions at 10:30 am from the grassy path, 10:55 am just after I arrived at the viewing platform and at around 11:15 am when it returned back to the viewing platform area. It is unusual for this species to be sighted in South-East Melbourne during January, with this being the first ebird record for January in the region since 2011. eBird checklist |
| Ryan Kilgower 9/1 #244208 |
| | Superb Parrot
Churchill National Park |
|
| Single bird, juvenile. Possibly up to three others that took off. |
| Stephan Megroz 9/1 #244207 |
| Wed 8 | | White-throated needletail
Greater Bendigo National Park--Kamarooka--Campbell Rd |
| Approx 30 white-throated Needletails & 2 Pacific Swift soaring over Campbell Rd. |
| Brian Johnston 9/1 #244204 |
| | Cockatiel
Greater Bendigo National Park--Kamarooka |
| One Cockatiel seen along Elmore-Raywood Rd |
| Brian Johnston 9/1 #244203 |
| Tue 7 | | Black tailed native hen
Wye River |
| First time seen in more than than ten years at wye river. No doubt pushed out of range by the drought. Also spotted shining bronze cuckoo in the rainforest also first time in this location. |
| Paul Brown 9/1 #244206 |
| | Glossy Ibis 25+
Hospital Swamp |
|
| Rodney Long 7/1 #244196 |
| | Shelduck
Western Treatment Plant (Werribee) |
|
| Continuing bird still present and easily seen feeding quite close to the road. |
| Indra Bone 7/1 #244194 |
| Mon 6 | | Eastern Koel
Western Treatment Plant (Werribee)-- Point Wilson Rd b/w Paradise Rd and Beach Rd |
| One heard calling continuously. Apparently this is the first record for the area. |
| Tom Fletcher & Angus Hartshorn 6/1 #244186 |
| | Whimbrel
Western Treatment Plant(Werribee) beach east of Beach Road |
| One carrying long sand worm and being chased by a Silver Gull. |
| Tom Fletcher & Angus Hartshorn 6/1 #244185 |
| Sun 5 | | shellduck
Western Treatment Plant, Werribee--Pond 24 |
|
| duck located and watched for a lengthy period-south african field guide
seems to point to south african shellduck but by no means sure |
| clive kaplan aidan sudbury 7/1 #244199 |
| | ? Shelduck
WTP pond 24 |
| Seen by a number of observers around 10.30 in the same area as previously reported, but too distant for a decent photo. One birder with a South African background was quite sure it was a Cape Shelduck |
| Betty and Graeme Horskins, Marie and Mick Brasher 6/1 #244183 |
| Sat 4 | | ? Shelduck
Western Treatment Plant (Werribee) |
|
| Seen in pond 24. Photo by Will Bridgeman |
| Corrie and Ian Macartney, Will Bridgeman and Elke Link 7/1 #244195 |
| | Fork-tailed Swift
Black Rock, Red Bluff area. |
| Approximately 20-30 birds overhead, many flying low over houses and trees along Beach Road and side streets. Good views, unmistakable long deeply forked tail and white rump. Also seen at Ricketts Point. The birds moved on shortly before a dry, windy, cool change. |
| Val Stajsic & Anastasiya Kiryanava 4/1 #244171 |
| | Fork-tailed Swift
Beaumaris |
| At least 55 seemingly feeding overhead for about an hour during the morning, approximately two hours before the wind change. Also Gang-gang Cockatoo in the neighbourhood which is highly unusual for summer. |
| Sean Dooley 4/1 #244169 |
| | Fork-tailed Swift
Port Melbourne Rail Reserve--Ingles to Graham St |
|
| Approximately 20 birds flying high over light rail reserve near Graham Street. |
| Daniel Gilmore 4/1 #244165 |
| Fri 3 | | Banded Lapwing
Stanhope |
| Approx 40 Banded Lapwings observed on private property 4km south of Stanhope (adjacent to Girgarre-Rushworth Rd) |
| David Kleinert 6/1 #244184 |
| Thu 2 | | Swift parrot
Memorial park, Mornington |
| At least two birds seen and heard in Sugar Gums in park |
| Doug Robinson 4/1 #244173 |
| | Diamond Firetail
Euroa Arboretum |
| Two birds in immature plumage near the picnic area, indicating a recent breeding event. eBird checklist |
| Darryl Smedley 2/1 #243159 |
| Wed 1 | | Blue-faced Honeyeater
Yea |
|
| 2 Juveniles in a Eucalypt tree |
| Ron Litjens 5/1 #244178 |
| | Juv White-bellied Sea Eagle
Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary |
| Just the second record of a Juv Sea Eagle for the reserve. |
| Birdlife Ballarat Members 4/1 #244168 |
| | Paradise Shelduck (probable)
Western Treatment Plant (Werribee) |
|
| Seen on pond 24 - the last big pond just before the main Lake Borrie as you come through gate 4. This bird is in heavy moult and currently has no primaries. The best fit seems to be a female Paradise Shelduck. eBird checklist |
| Andrew Allen 2/1 #243155 |
| | Black-tailed Native Hen
Swan Lake (Phillip Island) |
| A single bird seen from the more northerly of the two hides, present from 11-11.30 am. |
| Chris Doughty 1/1 #243151 |
| | Square-tailed Kite
Glenelg Highway between Smythe Creek and Smythesdale |
| Square-tailed Kite flying over Glenelg Highway. Clearly distinguished from Black Kites that frequent the area |
| Brian Bending 1/1 #243148 |
| Tue 31 | | Pied Currawong
Holdsworth Road, White Hills |
| Typically a rare winter visitor to the Bendigo area, a single bird was heard calling as it flew over the folks place near the White Hills Cemetery (approx 7:50pm today). The bird sounded as though it was heading southwards. |
| David Parker 31/12 #243145 |
| Mon 30 | | Glossy Ibis
Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands--Edithvale |
| Four still present on the adjacent public golf course, viewable from Edith Vale Road, Highway 40. |
| Trevor Williams - North East Norfolk Bird Club, UK 31/12 #243141 |
| | Superb Parrots
Sampsons Road Numurkah Vic. |
| Superb Parrots sighted south side of Sampsons Road 7am, about 25 in all, some flying north towards Katamatite Road. |
| Richard & Catarina Gregson 30/12 #243132 |
| Sun 29 | | Fork-tailed Swift, Great Knot, Pectoral Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit
Western Treatment Plant (Werribee), Victoria |
|
| Saw around 60 Fork-tailed Swifts feeding low and in the same spot from 4:35 pm to 5:50 pm. They kept going back to the top of this old eucalypt and presumably fed on something, because it was an obvious target for them. I've never seen them do this before. Usually see them on dull days, but this was bright afternoon sunlight and meant I could get good photos of them. They also fed with a few Fairy and Tree Martins. The area was next to the Western Conservation ponds drain, at the gate on the South Road, just west of 35E Pond. Also 1 colour banded Great Knot with 30 on it, at the Little River bird hide and later at the Beach Road Rocks. 2 Pectoral Sandpipers pond 5. 2 Black-tailed Godwit, Beach Rd Lagoon and Lagoon 29 of South Lake Borrie. |
| Kevin Bartram (Tfrd from Birdline Australia) 3/1 #243161 |
| Fri 27 | | Glossy Ibis, Brown Songlark
Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands--Seaford |
| Five Glossy Ibis in the centre (difficult to access) section of the swamp along with 1300 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Seemingly the first record of the ibis here since 2015. 83 Latham's Snipe in dry south-western corner, and a female Brown Songlark seen flying over. |
| Sean Dooley 28/12 #243117 |
| | Glossy Ibis (6) and Pied Honeyeater (2)
Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park--Chiltern Valley #2 Dam |
| Ibis & honeyeaters observed from the picnic area near the bird hide. High temperatures may have increased the species list for this location... |
| Kaye Trainor & M.O'Brien 27/12 #243112 |
| | White-bellied Sea-eagle
Koomba Park |
| An immature bird circling at height moving in a north westerly direction. |
| Darren Wallace 27/12 #243106 |
| Thu 26 | | Square - tailed Kite
Smythes Creek near Ballarat |
| Bird gliding fairly low over houses at Smythes Creek. |
| Noel Billing 28/12 #243118 |
| | Australian Pratincole
Patho Plains, East side of Gunbower Terricks Road south of O'Keefes road, private property |
|
| 7 seen late morning on private property ( larger numbers seen by others later in the day along dirt track heading off to the east) |
| Simon Starr 26/12 #243105 |
| Mon 23 | | Red-kneed Dotterel
Banyule Flats Reserve |
| Single bird feeding along north-west margin of lake around 7.30AM this morning.. Unusual here. Also Latham's Snipe at south end of lake, and Buff-banded Rail on Grotty Pond. eBird checklist |
| Peter Bennet 23/12 #243091 |
| Sun 22 | | Blue-winged Parrot
Wombat State Forest--Whipstick Loop walk |
|
| Great views of two adult Blue-winged Parrots flushed from feeding on the ground in tall, damp forest. Other birds observed in a lovely afternoons walk included Brush Bronzewing, Red-browed Treecreper and an Australian King-Parrot |
| Damien Cook 22/12 #243090 |