5MR in March

After only adding one bird to the 2019 challenge in February, I thought I should get out and try to find a few more in March.

back to the Botanic Gardens

Conveniently some Rufous Fantails had been reported in the Royal Botanic Gardens so I went for a look early on Saturday of the Labour Day long weekend. Up to five had been reported during the week but I was still super pleased when I found just one of them. It flitted about only allowing brief clear views and definitely no photos. And it was hanging around with a large flock of Silvereyes which were constantly moving around and feeding.

Silvereyes + snacks

I also found another 5MR year bird - a Golden Whistler that was also possibly associating with this flock.

the whistler was a bit shy

Many of the other usual birds at the Gardens were out and about too.

I spotted this young Nankeen Night-Heron shortly after arriving

and this is a Grey (not Rufous) Fantail

there were also quite a few Eastern Spinebills

and a cormorant combo on the Ornamental Lake

In March I visited Bolin Bolin Billabong for the first time this year and had success in finding a couple of species I was hoping for there. Yellow-faced Honeyeaters appeared in pretty much the same spot I'd seen them last time and I got distant views of Striated Thornbills. Thankfully the little guys were calling to let me know they were around.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Also at Bolin Bolin I heard a Swamp Wallaby bounding off and although the water was still very low in the billabong there were a few birds on the small pond of weird-coloured water.

Australian Wood Ducks with ducklings

White-faced Heron

Speaking of billabongs, I realised that I hadn't seen a 5MR Australiasian Darter yet and remembered seeing them on eBird lists every now and then from Kew Golf Club Billabong. Thanks to a tip from Leigh I realised that this hotspot was viewable from the Main Yarra Trail and turns out it's a very short walk from Burke Road Billabong Reserve where I've been birding quite a bit.

the view from the bike path

...and on the other side

Too bad this section of the trail runs along the Eastern Freeway. But the darters and cormorants don't seem to mind the 8 lanes of 100km/h traffic or all the bike riders and walkers.

I counted about 12 Australasian Darters

but none of them seemed to be the black-fronted males

there were also Great Cormorants nesting in the dead trees in the middle of the water

one gumtree on the far side was full of Little Black Cormorants

and a few bonus Australian White Ibis

There were also Little Pied Cormorants and I saw a Nankeen Night-Heron fly across the water into cover. So it turned out to be pretty birdy spot and I got a bonus Mistletoebird at Burke Road Billabong Reserve on my way back through - yay!

Closer to home, I'd been hearing large flocks of Corellas flying around the neighbourhood which were most likely Little, rather than Long-billed. But I can't tell from the call and hadn't got a proper look so didn't officially put them on the list until I caught up with a flock that had settled into snacking on the exotic trees at a local footy ground.

Yep, Little

 a small fraction of the flock

Towards the end of the month I met my mum at Wurundjeri Walk. There were some big flocks of Little Corellas flying around here too but the parrot highlight was some Crimson Rosellas - another new 5MR bird for 2019!

Wurundjeri Walk

All-up in March I found eight more 5MR birds for a year total of 79. Those Rufous Fantails and Little Corellas are a sign that Autumn movements are underway so hopefully a few more interesting things turn up as the weather cools down.