2019 5MR Challenge Catch-up + Wrap-up

So we're 4 months into the new year and I'm just now checking in with my 2019 5MR total... oops! It is a bit overdue, but first: a catch-up of the last few months of the challenge!

After my success at Wilson Reserve and Yarra Bend Park during the colder months, and the bonus Eurasian Tree Sparrow, I didn't expect to be able to add many more species to my list before the end of the year. I did however have a rather optimistic idea of seeing a 5MR platypus so did a few hopeful stakeouts along the Yarra once the days got longer.

platypus potential?

I didn't see any platypus but this did lead to me being able to add a few more final birds. On one evening visit to Bolin Bolin Billabong in October, a Fan-tailed Cuckoo was calling loudly. It proved a bit hard to locate despite its persistent calls but we finally found it - I think my first of the season and for sure my first for 2019 in the 5MR.

On a walk around the inside of the billabong that evening we also came across a Tiger Snake sunbathing on the side of the track just ahead of us.

only have a cropped phone pic - sorry :( 

October Sparrow Challenge

Obviously I have a bit of catching up to do on this blog! Given current circumstances I now have time to do it, so let's start by going waaaay back to October when Jen announced that the monthly 5MR challenge would be... sparrows! Or more specifically, how many sparrow species you could find in your radius.

And in Australia this is a bit of a challenge. We only have two sparrow species, with both of them being introduced. House Sparrows are pretty common in my 5MR, as they are in most of Melbourne, but the Eurasian Tree Sparrow not so much. There are a few reliable locations where birders will seek them out because a tick is a tick after all, but none that I knew of anywhere near my 5MR.

the only time I've seen them is at Serendip - this scruffy-looking one is from 2018

But in August I saw an eBird report of some Eurasian Tree Sparrows in Abbotsford - interesting! I had been thinking about going to a market at Abbotsford Convent anyway, and then Jen announced the challenge so really I had no excuse by then but to go and look for them.

PT birding!

I was catching public transport to the market and my walk from the station would take me right past the location mentioned in the report - see, no excuse!

And by the way, a warning: I didn't take my binoculars or camera with me on this outing so if you're offended by phone photos in which you can barely see any birds, look away now.

Autumn + Winter at Wilson Reserve

Wilson Reserve was quite good to me during the cooler months this year.

It started with a last-minute after-work visit on the second of April - there were Flame Robins! Scanning the ovals and expecting to see the usual Willie Wagtails, Red-rumped Parrots and Australian Magpies I was surprised and very happy to find some Flame Robins on the grass too.

a female... or young male?

I believe there were two females and two males. A first for my 5MR and Wilson Reserve lists, and not one I was necessarily expecting to find locally. But I'm so glad they showed up!

I didn't get any photos of the bright adult males

I went back on the following weekend but couldn't see the robins anywhere. They may have just been passing through while moving about at that time of year. On that visit though I did get a new bird for the 5MR year list with a Grey Shrikethrush.

a Crested Pigeon in the carpark

Swift Parrots!

So in between the two Swift Parrot surveys, I did actually manage to catch up with some Swifties.

Each winter there's usually a group that turn up and hang out somewhere long enough for birders to go and visit them. This year that spot seemed to Truganina Park in Altona when large flocks of 20-40 birds started being reported there in late June. (This is on the other side of the city, well outside my 5MR.)

I've been birding at the park quite a few times before so knew the area where they'd been reported. As expected, a few other birders were also looking for the parrots when I arrived late in the afternoon on the last day of June.

At first I saw some of them perched high on bare branches over the trees, but the other birders motioned to me that actually there were more in the leafy branches just around me.

They were feeding on lerps I think, very busy in the foliage, when they weren't just perching around or darting about in flight.

It was a pretty overcast day so my photos aren't amazing, especially those against the sky.

But that's ok, I got to see the Swift Parrots again this year. These guys will probably be back in Tasmania by now, or well on their way. They are critically endangered, but hopefully they will have a good breeding season and we will still have them visiting us for many winters to come.

See you next year!

Swift Parrot Surveys - Part 2

At the start of August I headed back to Yarra Bend Park for the second part of the Swift Parrot survey. This time my mum came along. I was still not that optimistic about finding any Swift Parrots here but thanks to an eBird list posted just a few days before I was closing in on those 5MR Scarlet Robins!

it was that time of the year when all the wattle had just come out

We started at Studley Park, near the boathouse, and before we'd only just made it out of the car park we were approached by a local out for this morning walk who had seen our binoculars. He had many bird questions. As we were both heading the same direction he asked to accompany us along the river and we ended up giving an impromptu bird tour for the first part of our walk. He seemed interested but also a bit confused by the whole birding thing. At one point he had to answer a call to tell someone he'd be late to meet them because he was "watching birds at the river". Apparently he was meant to be singing in a church choir that morning.

Anyway, after imparting what bird-knowledge we could and saying goodbye, my mum and I went to check out the area above Yarra Boulevard.

and also have a homemade treat my mum brought- yum!

Up here we found Australian Wood Ducks, Eastern Rosellas, Rainbow Lorikeets, Musk Lorikeets and Galahs all in one tree. And we also saw some Australian King Parrots.

including this guy who was thinking about getting his adult plumage

Swift Parrot Surveys - Part 1

Last weekend we were having some very cold, rainy, wintery weather - a good time to catch up on blog posts!

And as well as cold, rainy weather, winter also brings us Swift Parrots! Each year they migrate from Tasmania to spend the colder months on the mainland with us. And like many birders I like to try to catch up with the Swifties at least once each year while they are here. Back in April I had my first (very brief and unsatisfying) sighting of four in flight at Jells Park.

Then in May I volunteered for the first of the biannual Swift Parrot surveys. My allocated area was Yarra Bend Park where as far as I know Swift Parrots haven't been sighted in recent years (or ever?) and there are no records of them there on eBird at all.

But that's ok! Yarra Bend Park is in my 5MR! And there are flying foxes!

the first stop

I started at Bellbird Picnic Area where the Grey-headed Flying Fox colony is. Checking down by the river, I found a Pacific Black Duck and some Australian Wood Ducks and the first of many flying foxes.

Then I headed up the path to the observation platform where there was nice new signage with lots of bat facts.

cute pic!

There were also Little Ravens, a Tawny Frogmouth and a pair of Eastern Rosellas. But no Swift Parrots.

the Tawny

Stockyard Point

So it seems to take me a while to get around to posting about things on here, for example, this post is about a little birding adventure from about two months ago... eep!

I'd been meaning to take my mum birding at Stockyard Point for a while and so way back on the Labour Day long weekend in March we finally made it down.  We were hoping to see lots of waders before they left on their long journeys north, and maybe some in pretty breeding colours too. 

mangroves near Jam Jerrup

First up, there were about 85 Cape Barren Geese in the farm paddocks just before going through Jam Jerrup. I'm not sure I've ever seen that many together!

Then, after parking the car, we set off down the beach. You need to time your visit to Stockyard Point just right: waders use the point as a high tide roost, and you need get down there early enough to walk along beach before the tide comes in a blocks off access.

the walk down

Usually on the way down you can see some birds in a bit of a wetland over a farm fence, but it was totally dry that day.

no wetland birds today