I think the residents of the Bellarine had better start performing rain dances as it’s been so dry over the past few months.
Let’s hope that the heavens open soon, but hopefully the people who are camping over Easter have some decent weather first.
I had a lovely weekend at Aireys Inlet and stopped at Anglesea Heath on the way, but it was very quiet with only a few brown thornbills hopping around the trees.
It was around 35 degrees, so I’m not surprised that the birds were sheltering. At Aireys I spotted a few rufous bristlebirds, white-eared honeyeaters and a pair of rufous fantails.
My friend Susie Baker and I witnessed a sulphur-crested cockatoo lifting the lid of a rubbish bin, which was amazing to see. The cockatoo proceeded to eat fruit that had been placed in the bin, including grapes and strawberries.
I visited my friend Robyn’s property in Wallington. Robyn has a male and female Indian peafowl or peacock, and they have five hatchlings to look after at the moment. The hatchlings all hang around the peahen or female bird, while the male bird seems to just prance around looking so handsome.
The male is currently moulting and Robyn gave me many of his feathers and they have to be the most beautiful feathers imaginable.
While wandering around the property I also spotted a kookaburra, yellow-rumped thornbills, common bronzewings and white-plumed honeyeaters.
There is still water in the Bellarine Bushland Reserve, but not a lot. I was hoping to see a few crakes or black-fronted dotterels, but it was not to be.
Robyn told me that a few wedge-tailed eagles have been flying over her property lately and she thinks that they have a fledgling. I hope I spot them soon.
I was driving home from work one day and while passing Barwon Heads Airport a brown falcon was perched on a fence post and amazingly remained there while I took some photos. I was so close that I could have almost touched the bird and it was such a privilege to have a close encounter with such a magnificent creature.
I received an email from Carole, who advised me to visit Swan Bay, as she was amazed at the number of birds that she saw there. Carole guessed that the water level was low enough to enable all of the birds to feed.
The royal spoonbills could be seen everywhere and Carole has never seen so many all together feeding. The other birds in numbers are pelicans, all different cormorants, silver gulls and terns.
