BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="podargus" data-source="post: 2947390" data-attributes="member: 109359">17/02/12I think this was probably my favourite day of birding in Australia. The species seen weren’t necessarily that colourful or rare, but there were just a lot of really quality birds in a really beautiful location. If I was going to live anywhere in Oz, Anglesea might be the place.Anyway, I set off in the morning along the coastal track to Point Addis. In the open heath at the start of the track a Striated Fieldwren flew up, and then gave good views as it sat on top of a low bush. There was a group of Southern Emu-wrens in the same spot, and these cracking little birds were seen at regular intervals along the walk. Crimson Rosellas were quite common in the heath here too, and I saw a few more Grey Currawongs. At one point, a pair of huge Wedge-tailed Eagles were playing on the updrafts at the cliff edge, giving great views before being seen off by a pair of territorial Peregrines. On the beach by Point Addis it was a shame to see a dead Little Penguin, and at the Point itself there was no sign of the hoped-for Rufous Bristlebirds. The previous evening I’d seen numerous dark shearwaters passing by offshore, and although I knew they were pretty much guaranteed to be Short-tailed Shearwaters they were too distant to identify properly. However, on this day there were a few passing much closer to the shore which allowed me to confirm it.Walking up the track behind the point I had a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren fly up from the low heath, pause momentarily on a branch, then disappear back into the undergrowth. This is a scarce and elusive species and I didn’t think I stood any real chance of seeing it, so this sighting was a major bonus. There were also a few Jacky Lizards in this area. Heading back down towards the point I came across a mixed flock of birds, which contained both Striated and the attractive Buff-rumped Thornbills. I wasn’t sure whether the tide was going to cut me off, so I had to give up on the Bristlebirds at the point and start walking back towards Anglesea. However, a little further along the track I was stopped by an interesting song coming from some dense scrub. At that point another walker called me over to try and show me a snake which had just crossed the track – it had disappeared by the time I got there so I went straight back to try and catch a glimpse of my mystery singer. After a short wait, a brilliant Rufous Bristlebird hopped out into the open, gave excellent views for a few seconds, and then disappeared back in to the heath – result B <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />Getting back to Anglesea I was fairly tired from the day’s walking, but in the end I decided to carry on to Point Roadknight. In town, there was a pair of Pacific Gulls in the lagoon behind the beach, and both Musk Lorikeets and Gang-gang Cockatoos were in the trees by the campsite. Reaching Point Roadknight, it looked like it was going to be a wasted trip as I couldn’t see any birds on my first scan. However, once again the magic stretch of beach came up trumps – after turning away for a moment I looked back to find a beautiful Hooded Plover trotting along the strandline a few metres away – how had I missed that? I then had the predicament of having a rare, easily disturbed wader between me and my route back, but eventually I managed to very carefully circle around past it. It immediately took off and positioned itself between me and the track back once again, so I’ll have to assume that they get a kick out of forcing birders to sneak past them <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />Birds382. Striated Fieldwren383. Chestnut-rumped Heathwren384. Buff-rumped Thornbill385. Short-tailed Shearwater386. Rufous Bristlebird387. Hooded PloverReptiles & Amphibians28. Jacky Lizard</blockquote>

Verification