Hospital Swamp 1/12/1997

Hospital Swamp, part of the Lake Connewarre complex of swamps (south of Geelong, Victoria) has been mentioned in despatches before. My visit on Sunday morning got off to a good start when I saw 4 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos flying over before I had even got out of the car. About 500 Whiskered Terns, the majority in breeding plumage but some beginning to look scruffy around the edges and some in their pale non-breeding plumage drifted over the water and reed beds or rested on an exposed mud bank. Waders were numerous, mostly on the 'public' side of the dyke. First, to catch my eye was a solitary Glossy Ibis. I then turned my attention to the waders and was very pleased to find two of the closest birds were Pectoral Sandpipers. Although the waders were jumpy, frequently flying and circling the bay, these two birds always returned to the same patch of mud (close to the car parking area). The call of a Wood Sandpiper was heard and then seen - this is one of my favourite waders with its spangled upperparts - a very smart bird.

Species List:Black Swan, Australian Shelduck 68, Pacific Black Duck 24, Great Cormorant 2, White-faced Heron 1, Glossy Ibis 1, Swamp Harrier 1, Purple Swamphen, Marsh Sandpiper 1, Greenshank 8, Wood Sandpiper 1, Red-necked Stint, Pectoral Sandpiper 2, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper c350, Curlew Sandpiper < 20, White-headed Stilt, Black-fronted Plover 5, Red-kneed Dotterel 1, Masked Lapwing, Whiskered Tern c500, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo 4, Superb Fairy-Wren, Red Wattlebird, White-plumed Honeyeater, White-fronted Chat, Magpie Lark, Willie Wagtail, Australian Magpie, Little Raven, Skylark, House Sparrow, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Welcome Swallow, Little Grassbird, Blackbird, Starling, Common Myna