NEW YEAR'S DAY BIRDWATCH 1999

Our third New Year's Day down-under was spent on a bird-watching 'big-day'. As in previous years, both in England and Australia, we limited ourselves to an area within 10 km of home. During our first year in Australia we lived in Seaholme and spent our first new years day (1997) birdwatching within 10 km of Seaholme station. Although we moved during 1997 we decided to use the same area for our New Year's Day bird-watch in 1998, and again on 1 January 1999.

Seaholme is a small suburb, sandwiched between Williamstown and Altona, to the west of Melbourne, Victoria. Taking Seaholme Station as the centre of our home range, Melbourne's western suburbs occupy the north-eastern quadrant while much of the south-eastern quadrant is covered by the waters of Altona Bay. The coast and Marybyrnong River form the southern and eastern boundaries with Point Cook R.A.A.F. base the southernmost point. The western border was formed by the Derrimut/HopkinsRoad (north of Werribee) while to the north we did not cross the Western Highway. This area offers a range of habitats including suburban gardens, grassland, wetlands and coast but little in the way of woodland. In this area, on the first days of 1997 and 1998 we recorded 74 and 85 species respectively. This year our aim was to beat our 1998 score and our dream was to record 100 species which should be possible if our luck held.

To maximise our chances we changed our strategy from last year. We would still start with a walk round Truganina Swamp, my local patch, followed by a drive around various sites such as Newport Lakes and Laverton grasslands before ending the day at Point Cook and Laverton saltworks. Andrew and I surfaced at about 05:00 on a cool, calm new year's morning while Jenny, my wife and Matthew, our younger son opted for a lie-in. By straining our ears we picked up the call of a Willie Wagtail for our firstbird of 1999 followed shortly by the carolling of an Australian Magpie. Breakfast of a crunchy muesli bar was taken while wandering around a still dark garden but nothing was heard until the munching abated. Rule 1 for the aspiring big-day birder, forget the crunchy muesli bars. Then, Skylarks could be heard singing from nearby Truganina Swamp and Blackbirds from closer rooftops while Silver Gulls called as they flew overhead. As the sky slowly lightened other birds gradually joined the dawn chorus; the raucous calls of Common Mynas, the soft coos of Spotted Turtle Doves and the whistles of White-plumed Honeyeaters from surrounding gardens were joined by the harsher calls of Red Wattlebirds in trees bordering the swamp. House Sparrows feeding in a neighbour's garden as we made our way towards Truganina Swamp became the first birds seen on new year's day.

The swamp has been my local patch since we moved to Altona Meadows in mid-1997 and forms part of Melbourne Water's drainage system acting as a retarding basin to prevent flooding. Laverton Creek flows through the middle of the swamp and has been widened to facilitate flood control. For much of the time the swamp has been dry grassland due to lack of rain but currently the north-eastcorner is flooded. There are areas of salt marsh and reed-bed, the latter mainly to the east of the creek, and a small freshwater pond/swamp behind Mount St. Joseph's school which in contrast to last year is full of water. Kooringal Golf course, to the south-east, is well wooded but there is no access from the swamp. The Western Purification Plant, to the south-west, is similarly out of bounds but the settling tanks can be viewed through the fence and often hold concentrations of ducks and gulls.

As we approached the swamp Superb Fairy-Wrens were heard calling from the long grasses and a flock of mostly immature Common Starlings, some moulting into winter plumage, flew out from the housing estate and settled in some boxthorn bushes before dropping to the ground to feed. We were still hearing more birds than we were seeing so we stopped at the edge of the swamp for a listen. A Purple Swamphen squawked from the reeds growing alongside Laverton Creek; Magpie-Larks called from nearby suburbia; Golden-headed Cisticolas buzzed and Little Grassbirds whistled from the taller stands of grass and reeds while Masked Lapwings complained, I don't know what about, from the centre of the swamp. Rabbits are common around here despite various control measures and were the first mammal seen followed shortly after by a solitary Hare, the only other mammal we recorded all day. New birds were coming much slower than at the same stage last year. As we followed the cinder track down the west side of Laverton Creek a party of Little Ravens flew over, heading towards the trees of the golf course. Where the creek broadens out there was a flock of six Greenshanks standing in the shallows, plus our first wildfowl of the morning; a couple of Black Swans, a pair of Grey Teal and Chestnut Teal plus a few Pacific Black Duck. Three White-headed Stilts waded amongst the duck delicately picking items from the surface of the water and 4 White-faced Herons foraged along the creek bank while a Common Tern in non-breeding plumage patrolled over the creek. The wheezing song of a Greenfinch was heard from the pines bordering the golf course and a pair of Little Lorikeets screeched overhead. As last year the settling ponds and surrounds of the Western Water treatment plant brought a rush of species. Australian White Ibis and Straw-neckedI bis stood on the grassy banks where a pair of European Goldfinch fed at a thistle head. The tanks held numerous Grey and Chestnut Teal plus Hoary-headed Grebe, Eurasian Coot, a small flock of Hardheads and a lone Australasian Shoveler. A single Little Black Cormorant and an Australian Pelican sat on the pontoons separating the ponds. We paused just long enough to complete a count for the Victorian Wetland database before continuing towards Queen Street. As we crossed the bridge over Laverton Creek a party of Musk Lorikeets exploded noisily from a flowering tree where they had been feeding and a pair of Feral Pigeons circled over the nearby netball and basketball centre. Following the edge of the golf course northwards we disturbed a flock of Yellow-rumped Thornbills and then some Crested Pigeons, the latter flying away with an audible whirring of their stubby wings while overhead an Australian Hobby soared on stiff wings. From the golf course woodland we heard the calls of Galah just before two flew over and then had our first surprise of the day when an Eastern Rosella, only previouslyr ecorded once, was seen clambering through the casuarina trees that edge the golf course where there were also several New Holland Honeyeaters. Welcome Swallows and Eurasian Tree Sparrows belatedly put in a welcome appearance, they are normally common around home, where had they been earlier? As last year Red-capped Plover and Marsh Sandpiper were the only new birds seen on the shallow salt marsh. At 07:42 a burst of Clamorous Reed-Warbler song from the reed bed in the north-east corner of the marsh brought up our half-century, some 34 minutes later than last year. Two juvenile Black-shouldered Kites, still showing some pale rufous markings on the underparts, perched on top of a tall pole near Mount St Joseph's pond where only Dusky Moorhen was added to the list. In contrast to last year the pond remained full of water and this year there were no muddy margins to entice crakes into the open. However, a portion of the north-east corner of Truganina Swamp has been flooded and during December I had regularly seen Buff-banded Rails here. We were not disappointed on New Year's day. As we headed home across the northern end of the swamp a Striated Fieldwren popped up onto the fence bordering the track. This is a species that has eluded us on previous big days and is only irregularly recorded from the swamp, so it was doubly pleasing to see it this time. The mournful whistle of a Brown Quail was heard from the grassland where a party of White-fronted Chats fed on the shorter sward. Nearer home Purple-crowned Lorikeet, the commonest of the three smaller lorikeets fed in a flowering eucalypt where there was also a Little Wattlebird. Although birds seemed to be coming at a slower pace than in 1998 we had completed a circuit of my local patch at about the same time and with about the same number of species, 58 in 1999 cf 61 in 1998.

After breakfast, Jenny and Matthew joined Andrew and I for a drive to more distant parts of our home range. A Song Thrush perched on the overhead wires near home was the first new bird. This species can be surprisingly elusive so it was nice to get it under the belt without too much hard work. A small flock of Fairy Martins swooped over rough grassland south of Laverton and a shallow stretch of Skeleton Creek in Hoppers Crossing held a Black-fronted Dotterel and a Latham's Snipe. Richard's Pipits were common in the grasslands north-west of Laverton where we also found some Banded Lapwings near their regular site. Singing Bushlarks were back in residence and where one had imitated a Galah for us last year, this year we were treated to a fine rendition of a Goldfinch calling. Continuing west along ? road we could not repeat the luck of last year when we discovered a male Brown Songlark but were treated to a fine collection of raptors. Every other telegraph pole seemed to offer a perch for a Brown Falcon but one had been claimed by a magnificent Peregrine which allowed us two minutes to admire his finery before effortlessly powering away over the fields. A pale-phase Little Eagle soared over the Derrimut-Hopkins road which marks the western edge of our territory and nearby another smaller bird of prey also soared on high - but too far away for me to identify. A Nankeen Kestrel was our last new bird from the grasslands.

Newport Lakes is an old quarry that has been made into an attractive park featuring wetland and some native bush. We visited it as a guaranteed site for Australasian Grebe, but we also pleased to add Darter and, our second surprise of the day a Great Crested Grebe in immaculate breeding plumage. At Jawbone Point, part of the Williamstown wetlands on the north shore of Kororoit Creek we saw Pacific Gull, Pied Cormorant (our 75th species at 11:39) and Little Pied Cormorant perched on rocks just offshore and a Royal Spoonbill roosting in the reeds with its bill tucked under its wing. Crested Terns off Altona were our last new birds of the morning.

Only Andrew and I ventured out after lunch, first visiting Cherry Lake, where we recorded Silvereye and Red-browed Firetail in the waterside vegetation and numerous Australian Shelducks on the lake. Next we visited a lower section of Skeleton Creek, near where it enters Laverton saltworks, but saw no new birds. Finally we drove to Point Cook Metropolitan Park where we intended spending much of the remainder of the day. Singing Honeyeaters were numerous around the picnic site car park and a male Swamp Harrier flew over Spectacle Lakes where there were a pair of Wood Duck. Sadly, the Pink-eared Duck and Black-tailed Native-hen that I had seen at this site on Christmas Day were no longer in evidence. At the gate to Laverton saltworks we met the ranger Bernie McGarrick who kindly offered to drive us around, so saving us a fair amount of leg work. Most of the waders were roosting on one pond where we saw Red-necked Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Pacific Golden Plover but, disappointingly, could not pick out any other species. However, with 87 species we had now beaten our 1998 total although we were struggling to think where new birds were going to come from. A Whistling Kite in wing moult soared over the saltpans; the buzzy calls of a White-browed Scrub-Wren were heard near the Point Cook Homestead and an adult Gannet was seen off-shore from Point Cook. So we ended New Year's Day1999 on 90 species. We were a little disappointed not to have made the ton, especially as this will probably be our last new year down under (at least for a while), but we really could not think where we could have found another 10 species.

Post Script: On 23 January 1999, on one of my regular walks around TruganinaSwamp, I recorded six species that we did not see on New Year's Day. These were Musk Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Little Egret, White-necked Heron, Great Cormorant and Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo.

Opportunistic foraging by Superb Fairy-Wrens Malurus cyaneus

From Point Addis, Victoria (38o25' S 144o15' E) the coast and hills to the west were bathed in a golden light as the sun went down, while off shore there was a steady, if not spectacular, eastward passage of Fluttering Shearwaters Puffinus gavia. The fine, calm evening of 6 August 1998 was not really conducive to sea-watching with only a few of the shearwaters passing close enough for us to be confident of identifying them. While waiting for these occasional closer groups of birds our attention wandered. A Rufous Bristlebird Dasyornis broadbenti fed in the open around the edge of the cliff top car park even running under some of the parked cars.

Two female-plumaged Superb Fairy-Wrens Malurus cyaneus were also working their way along the seaward edge of the car park. When they reached our car, they flew up onto the bumper and proceeded to glean dead insects from the headlights, radiator grill and bumper. The two birds fed in this way for about 90 seconds before continuing round the edge of the car park. We had watched from a distance of c. 6 m using 10 X 50 and 8 x30 binoculars but could not discern what the Fairy-Wrens were picking from the car, whatever they were taking was too small. Not being entomologists, we were also unable to identify the insect remains on the front of the car.

We have not been able to find any references to this behaviour for Superb Fairy-Wren, or any other Fairy-Wrens (Schodde 1982, Rowley & Russell 1997), although they are noted to quickly take advantage of any new food source that may present itself (Schodde 1982) and, for example, a male Superb Fairy-Wren took dead flies from the window ledge of the bird observatory at Melaleuca, SW Tasmania (RH pers obs). Other species have been recorded taking advantage of similar food sources e.g. House Sparrows in the U.K. (Bankier 1984, Simmons 1984)

Bankier, A.M. 1984. House Sparrows collecting insects from cars. British Birds 77(3):121.
Rowley, I., & E. Russell. 1997. Fairy-Wrens and Grass-Wrens. Oxford.
Schodde, R. 1982. The Fairy-Wrens. A Monograph of the Maluridae. Lansdowne Editions. Melbourne
Simmons, K.E.L. 1984. House Sparrows collecting insects from cars. British Birds 77(3):121.

NEW YEAR'S DAY BIRDWATCH 1998

As has become a Hicks family tradition we spent the first day of 1998 and our second New Year's Day down-under on a bird-watching big-day. Usually we limit ourselves to an area within 10 km of home but as we had moved during 1997 (albeit only 5 km from Seaholme to Altona Meadows) we decided to use the same search area as last year.

Seaholme is a small suburb, sandwiched between Williamstown and Altona, to the west of Melbourne, Victoria. Taking Seaholme Station as the centre ofour home range, Melbourne's western suburbs occupy the north-eastern quadrant while much of the south-eastern quadrant is covered by the waters of Altona Bay. The coast and Marybyrnong River form the southern and eastern boundaries with Point Cook R.A.A.F. base the southernmostpoint. The western border was formed by the Derrimut /Hopkins Road (northof Werribee) while to the north we did not cross the Western Highway. This area offers a range of habitats including suburban gardens, grassland, wetlands and coast but little in the way of woodland. Last year we recorded 74 species but felt we could have done better witha bit more local knowledge and more experience of Australian birds. Our aim was to beat last year's total and if possible push on to the magical ton although to achieve this total we would need to be exceedingly lucky.

New Year's Eve had been warm and sticky and it did not seem much cooler when the alarm roused us from a deep slumber at 05:05. It was still dark outside but the first bird of 1998 was heard before we were out of bed when the distant strains of a Skylark wafted through the open window on the light morning breeze (poetical aren't I?). As night gradually gaveway to day, a Willie Wagtail was the second bird to join the dawn chorus quickly followed by a tuneful Blackbird, noisy White-plumed Honeyeaters and even more raucous Common Mynas. A little later the dulcet tones of an Australian Magpie and the more strident calls of a Red Wattlebird were heard. With the light improving and the eyelids gradually unsticking a flock of Silver Gulls drifting over the house became the first birds seen on New Year's Day.

It was 05:40 and time to get out and about. House Sparrow, Starling and Spotted Turtle Dove were seen in neighbours' gardens as we made our way to Truganina Swamp, my local patch. The swamp forms part of Melbourne Water's drainage system acting as a retarding basin to prevent flooding. Laverton Creek flows through the middle of the swamp and has been widened to facilitate flood control. Much of the area is currently dry grassland due to lack of rain but there are areas of salt marsh and reed-bed; the latter mainly to the east of the creek. There is a small freshwater pond/swamp behind Mount St. Joseph's school which is also in the processing of drying out. Kooringal Golf course, to the south-east, is well wooded but there is no access from the swamp. The Western Purification Plant, to the south-west, is similarly out of bounds but the settling tanks can be viewed through the fence and often hold concentrations of ducks and gulls. Since moving to the area, in May1997, I have recorded 91 species here and over recent weeks have regularly seen over 50 species in a two-hour walk. We were hoping for a similar score today.

As we neared the swamp a pair of Magpie Larks foraged on the grass reserve but more birds were being recorded by sound than sight; the buzzing song of several Golden-headed Cisticolas were heard from the first reed-bed while a Greenfinch wheezed and Superb Fairy Wren twittered nearby; the disjointed jangling notes of an Australian Reed Warbler came from the reed beds alongside the upper reaches of Laverton Creek. All this was a bit frustrating for Andrew and Matthew who wanted to see some birds. On cue, three Little Black Cormorants flew towards the coast, following the line of Laverton Creek while a solitary Australian Pelican and a squadron of Straw-necked Ibises glided towards the settling ponds of the Western Water treatment plant. Little Ravens flew over; Purple Swamphens and Dusky Moorhens streaked for the cover of the creek-side reed-beds. Black Swan, Pacific Black Duck and Hoary-headed Grebe inhabited this narrow, reed-fringed, section of Laverton Creek and the whistled call of Little Grassbird came from the reeds. Where the creek widened and the water became shallower a single Great Egret and White-faced Heron fed beside 15 White-headed Stilts. They were joined by 72 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, 28 Curlew Sandpipers and three Greenshank, while overhead flew Welcome Swallow and Whiskered Tern,the majority still in breeding plumage although some are beginning to look scruffy. On land a female White-fronted Chat searched for food on the cinder track and a couple of Goldfinches feed from the seed head of a giant thistle. Stubble Quail had been heard calling from the grassland west of the creek for the first time in mid-December and we were fortunate to flush one from near the track on New Year's day. As expected the settling ponds and surrounds of the Western Water treatment plant brought a rush of species. Masked Lapwing, Feral Pigeon and Australian White Ibis foraged on the grassy banks while the tanks themselves held numerous Australian Shelducks, Eurasian Coots, Chestnut and Grey Teal. I was particularly pleased to pick out a pair of Australasian Shoveler. These had first been noted on 27 December and I was hoping they would hang around. Little Pied Cormorants sat on the pontoons separating the ponds and a small flock of White-eyed Duck (Hardheads) swam and dived on the pond closest to the road. Three Galahs flew from Kooringal Golf Course, where we think they roost, to feed on the short turf of the water works and a Royal Spoonbill flew down the creek. At 07:08 Yellow-rumped Thornbill became our 50th species(approximately an hour earlier than last year).

We crossed Laverton Creek and headed north beside the golf course fence. Grey Fantail and New Holland Honeyeater were seen in the bushes. By now the sun was up and had burnt off the early morning haze sending temperatures climbing. Marsh Sandpiper and Red-capped Plover were the only new birds seen on the shallow salt marsh on the east side of the swamp but there were a pair of White-headed Stilts with three young about half adult size. Mount St Joseph's pond, situated behind the school of the same name has been slowly drying out over the last month and has been home to several Australian Spotted Crakes and a couple of Latham's Snipe. Fortunately, the muddy margins had not dried out completely and both the crake and snipe found their way onto our list without too much hassle. With the rise in temperature bird activity had dropped off and as we headed homewards across the north end of the swamp we were bothered more by flies than birds, only Black-shouldered Kite, hovering laboriously over the dry grassland and a Brown Falcon perched on the railway's overhead lines were added to the new year's day list. Back home, our resident Tree Sparrows were up and about having been conspicuously absent when we set out, they must be late risers. Over breakfast in the garden Purple-crowned Lorikeets fed in some flowering eucalypts on the other side of the road and a Song Thrush visited our vegetable patch searching for snails. We had scored well on my local patch recording 61 species and were beginning to think the ton might be possible.

By 09:30 breakfast was over and we were on the road, heading for Point Cook Metropolitan Park. Richard's Pipits were common in the roadside fields. Spectacle Lake, in the Point Cook Metropolitan Park, was even drier than when we had last visited on Christmas Day, with even fewer birds present. Red-necked Stint was the only new bird amongst the small numbers of waders. A male Red-rumped Parrot bursting past the narrow windows of the hide in a kaleidoscope of colour was a nice bonus. From the homestead, we walked through the coastal scrub, hearing first then seeing Silvereye, before following the shore to Point Cook. An immature Pacific Gull and, Crested Terns were perched on the rocks while awinter-plumaged Common Tern patrolled off-shore. The buzzy calls of a White-browed Scrub-wren were heard from the brush at the back of the beach where a Singing Honeyeater was also seen. Further round the coast, also perched on rocks exposed by the falling tide were Pied Cormorants and a solitary Pied Oystercatcher. At 12:45 with the sun high in the sky we headed home for some shade and a late lunch. So far we had recorded 72 species, only two less than last year's total.

Only Andrew and I ventured out after lunch, the others deciding to remain at home in the shade. In the dry conditions the Fairy Martins had abandoned the only colony, of 5 nests, that I knew of within the area, so we dipped out there. Our first new bird of the afternoon was a Singing Bushlark, doing a very passable imitation of a Galah, while perched on a fence in the grasslands to the north-west of Laverton. Nearby, in the same fields we had first seen them on New Year's Day 1997, were a flock of 16 Banded Lapwing which included four juveniles. While scanning a mixed flock of Starlings and House Sparrows, one bird parachuted down to the fence with its legs extended, most un-starling-like. Closer examination revealed it to be a male BrownSonglark. This was a lifer and quite a bit bigger than I had expected. Not a bad way to go past last years total. The time was 15:10. Continuing through the grasslands we found a pair of White-browed Wood-Swallows along Woods Road (near Truganina homestead). I had not previously seen either the songlark or the wood-swallow in this area before and wondered whether the inland drought conditions had pushed these birds further south than usual. Nearby an Australian Kestrel hovered over the desiccated grasses. Now it was time to try and pick up species we had so far missed. Australasian Grebes, in breeding plumage were found at Newport Lakes and two Swamp Harriers terrorised the gulls and ducks at the Williamstown wetlands on the north shore of Kororoit Creek. A walk along the levee between Cherry Lake and Kororoit Creek produced a Crested Pigeon, our 80th species at 17:15, Red-browed Firetail and a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, but the water level was high in the pool where the creek widens out so no waders were present. Finally, we returned to Point Cook where the Black-tailed Native Hens still refused to show themselves at Spectacle Lake but we were compensated with an Australian Hobby dashing past. Near one of the picnic sites we came close to running over a covey of six Brown Quail that decided to cross the road right in front of the car - at least theygot themselves noticed and on our list. A Little Wattlebird, flying froma flowering gum tree was our 85th and last species of New Year's Day1998.

Is it possible to see 100 species within a 10km radius of Seaholmestation? Well, it should be. In December 1997, I saw 12 species in this area that we did not record on New Year's day. These were Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Black-tailed Native Hen, Red-necked Avocet, Black-fronted Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Arctic Skua, RainbowLorikeet, Fairy Martin, Tree Martin, Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike and Striated Fieldwren. As we get to know our home range better, there is more chance. Maybe next year - if my contract is renewed!

Broad-billed Sandpiper: 29 December 1997

To build up an appetite for Christmas lunch, I went  for a walk round Point Cook, on Port Phillip Bay about 20 km west of Melbourne city centre - easily reached by following the signs from the Westgate Freeway.

We visited Spectacle Lake which has shrunk to about one-third its winter size, where there were a few waders, Marsh Sandpiper, Greenshank and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper plus Black-tailed Native Hen and Australian Shelduck.

At Point Cook itself (near the homestead) there was a flock of about 1000 waders feeding on the beach, on the falling tide. These were predominately Curlew Sandpiper and Red-necked Stint with a few Sharpies and Red Knot.

Amongst this throng was one Broad-billed Sandpiper (I apologise to the Melbourne and Victorian birders for not posting this earlier, but I only discovered the rarity value of this sighting yesterday). My field notes are as follows:-

Larger than a Red-necked Stint, smaller than Curlew Sandpiper. Most distinctive features a broad white supercilium extending from in front of eye to well-behind the eye. Bill proportionally longer than Red-necked Stint's but shorter than Curlew Sandpiper's although also down-curved. There seemed to be a reddish tinge to the base of the lower mandible otherwise the bill was black. The legs were dark, possibly greenish. Wings extended just beyond the tail. The bird's upperparts were greyish, but not as grey or as uniform as Curlew Sandpiper. Breast and undersides to the undertail coverts were white. There was fine grey

streaking on the ear coverts, extending onto the side of the neck and throat. There was a dark spot or patch on the wing between the bend of the wing and where it joins the body.

I looked hard for the split eye-strip but could not see it. I did not see the bird fly and so did not see the rump pattern. When I left the bird was happily feeding. (any comments on these notes would be gratefully received)

One other sighting of interest was a dark phase Skua heading past the point a long way out. I tentatively identified it as an Arctic Skua because it did not look powerful enough for a Pomarine. However, there was nothing else with which to compare it and it was a long way out.

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

Spring Arrivals

A wander around my local patch of Truganina Swamp, Altona (in Melbourne's western suburbs) provided a taste of spring with a singing Horsfields Bronze-Cuckoo, actually first seen a week earlier, followed by a Fan-tailed Cuckoo mobbed by several White-plumed Honeyeaters and a Whiskered Tern in full breeding plumage. Add to this a pair of Black Swans with a nest and Little Ravens carrying nesting material and it seems as though spring has arrived.

Portland Pelagic : 13 April 1997

A week later than planned, inclement weather in the form of very strong winds claimed the scheduled trip, a pelagic from Portland, SW Victoria, went ahead, on 13th April in fine conditions. In fact, the weather was probably too fine, with a low number of species and total numbers of birds recorded. By compensation, those on board were treated to wonderful views of 2, possibly 4, Blue Whales seen about 8 miles south of Lawrence Rock both on the outward and return journey to Portland. One spouted, close enough to the boat to smell its breath and seen rolling on its side with a huge flipper in the air. This close encounter of the Leviathan kind was the highlight for most on board.

Weather was fine with minimal cloud cover for much of the day and temperatures climbing to the high 20s. The wind was 5-10 knots for most of the day but increasing to 20 knots in mid-afternoon giving us a bumpy ride home. The sea was slight with no swell and not a single case of mal-de-mer. We reached the shelf about 20 miles south of Lawrence Rocks, motored west along the shelf and then returned to Portland. Those on board were: Ian Ashton, Gail Berry, Rob Berry, Mike Carter,Peter Crabtree, Murray Grant, Ivor Grainey, Roger Hicks, Martin Hulzebosch, Peter Lansley, Rory O'Brien, Rod Sympson.

Birds
Little Penguin 1 in moult, on Lawrence Rocks and another dead in the seaover the shelf
Black-browed Albatross 30+ attracted to 'chum' put over the side of which about half were the pale-eyed race
Yellow-nosed Albatross 10 - In the morning seen closer inshore than other two species of albatross
Shy Albatross 30 attracted to 'chum' commonest albatross over the shelf
Great-winged Petrel 10 over the deeper water at the shelf
Fleshy-footed Shearwater 4 over the shelf
Short-tailed Shearwater small numbers (<20) in shore and 1 over shelf
Fluttering Shearwater 6
Wilson's Storm Petrel one flock of 30 over the shelf and other individuals seen during the day
White-faced Storm Petrel up to 6 with the Wilson's Storm Petrels and other singles seen through the day.
Common Diving Petrel 1
Australasian Gannet Numerous inshore with the colony on Lawrence Rocks being the focus of their movements
Black-faced Shag 50+ on the rocks of Lawrence Rocks
Pacific Gull Portland Harbour
Silver Gull Portland Harbour and Lawrence Rocks
Crested Tern Portland Harbour and 2 over the shelf
Arctic Skua (Jaeger) 6 2 light phase and 4 dark phase including 2 lightgrey/brown birds
Long-tailed Skua possibly one

Mammals
Blue Whale 2-4 about 8 miles south of Lawrence Rocks

Starlings feeding on mudflats: March 1997

I have regularly recorded Starlings feeding on the beach on my local patch at Seaholme (western suburbs of Melbourne) where they forage amongst the seaweed along the high tide line. Most of the birds recorded have been juveniles with flocks of 30+ being noted, but these are now being 'joined' by winter (non-breeding) plumaged birds which may be juveniles (although most of these still have some vesitiges of their brown plumage at the moment) or adults that have finished breeding.

It is not unusual in the U.K. to see starlings feeding on mud flats or along the high tide line - indeed piles of seaweed above the high tide line seemed to be one flock's favoured feeding area in Whitley Bay, near Newcastle, Northumberland (north England). In Shetland, the beach is probably this species major foraging area during the winter, especially in harder weather.

On a similar vein, one of the few (and possibly only) Starling recorded from PNG was seen at the famous Moitaka sewage farm where it feed on the banks between the settling ponds and in those delightfiully sludgy bits around the ponds edge!

ERECT-CRESTED PENGUIN ON VICTORIAN BEACH

On 23 February 1997, while showing the sights of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road to a non-birding visitor, an unusual penguin was seen on the beach immediately west of the Twelve Apostles viewing platform (map refs. Topographic Map Sheet 7520 - XC828181; Lat/Long 143o 07’E 38o 40’S). We watched the penguin from the cliff top viewing platform, which was about 100 m from the bird, using Zeiss Jenoptem 10x50 Binoculars and Opticron Viewmaster x20 telescope. Numerous tourists enjoying the coastal scenery also stopped to look at the penguin, some taking photographs and video film, but as far as we are aware no other bird-watchers were present.

Description :-
It was larger than the Little Penguins Eudyptula minor seen earlier in our stay in Australia, although there were no other birds available for a direct comparison.

The bill was large, although finer than the illustrations in Slater et al (1986) and Simpson & Day (1996) suggests, and dark with a reddish tinge (rosy according to JHH). The feet were large and pink with dark, possibly black claws. The colour of the eye could not be determined from our observation point. The upper parts were uniformly black from head to tail except for a pale supercilium. This began as a narrow line in front of the eye, almost reaching to the bill, and broadened out behind the eye. Its shape seemed to vary, sometimes being arched over the eye and thinning to a point near the back of the head and at others flaring to be broadest near the back of the head. When the bird turned its head it seemed as though there was a ridge of feathers along either side of the crown. When first seen through binoculars the throat and chin appeared black but on closer observation (through the telescope) this area was grey and grizzled. We thought there probably was bare skin around the base of the bill. The remainder of the underparts were white.

We spent a long time looking at the flippers as Slater et al (1986), the only field guide we had with us, implied that the underwing pattern was one of the more reliable field characteristics. The upper-flipper was black with a thin white trailing edge on the inner half of the wing. The leading edge of the wing (not on the upper surface of the flipper) was pale. The under-flipper had a broad solid black leading edge and black tip. The centre of the under flipper and central portion of the trailing edge were white.

Enclosed is a photocopy of the field notes made at the time and a photo taken using a Canon Sureshot looking through the telescope. We also took some slides but these are still being processed.

Identification:
From these observations we decided it was probably a juvenile Erect-crested Penguin Eudyptes sclateri, based primarily on under-flipper pattern plus shape and extent of the supercilium. Royal Penguin E.chrysolophus was ruled out because the throat was dark. Rockhopper Penguin E. chrysocome was ruled out by the shape of the supercilium, which extended in front of the eye on the observed bird. Fiordland Penguin E. pachyrhynchus was ruled out as it has a white leading edge to the flipper where that on the observed bird was black. The choice between Erect-crested Penguin and Snares Penguin E. robustus was more difficult. In Slater et al (1986) both are shown as having a black leading edge and tip to the to the flipper. We decided this bird was probably Erect-crested Penguin because of the extent of black on the flipper’s leading edge (more extensive on Erect-crested than Snares) and the shape of the black/white feathering join at the wing tip (which is shown as more square on Erect-crested than Snares in Slater et al (1986).

Reference to further books at home reinforced this identification. Simpson & Day (1996) show a greater difference in the under flipper pattern than Slater et al (1986) with Snares Penguin having white feathering in the black leading edge and some black streaking in the white trailing edge of the flipper. The Erect-crested Penguin is depicted as having an entirely black leading edge to the flipper and entirely white central portion to the trailing edge. Harrison (1983) shows Snares Penguin with a narrower black leading edge to the flipper and less black at the flipper tip than for Erect-crested Penguin.

We have had no previous experience of any of the crested Eudyptes penguins and relatively little experience of any other penguins having only previously seen three species in the wild: Little Penguin Eudyptula minor, Yellow-eyed Penguin Megadyptes antipodes and Humboldt Penguin Spheniscus humboldti.

Behaviour:
When we first saw the bird it was standing on the beach, below the high-tide line and apparently following the water out. It shuffled forward a few steps but seemed in no hurry to reach the sea. When the water came further up the beach it retreated a little. At the top of the beach is a small sand-dune system; on the seaward side of this and amongst the vegetation were numerous tracks which were probably made by this penguin suggesting it had been present for a while. When we left it was still standing on the beach below the high water mark.

Prevailing weather conditions:
In the preceding week Melbourne had sweltered in 35+oC temperatures with a cool change passing through on Thursday. Another cool change passed through late on Saturday afternoon accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds. On Sunday morning, the day we observed the penguin, winds were SE and force 6. The wind dropped through the day, but the seas were still big at 15:00 when we arrived at the Twelve Apostles.

Further notes:
This penguin was apparently first noted by national park rangers on 20 February 1997 (M. Cameron pers. comm.). We first saw it on 23 February 1997 and broadcast its whereabouts the following day on the Birding-Aus mailing list. Subsequently, it has been seen by many people although it sometimes hides amongst the tussock grass growing on the small dune system at the base of the cliffs. The latest sighting I have is for the evening of 14 March 1997 (R.Atherton on Birding-Aus). Its arrival coincided with that of several other rare penguin species with a King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus on Bruny Island, Tasmania, another Erect-crested Penguin near Portland, Victoria and a Royal Penguin E. chrysolophus at Bridgewater, Victoria.

HANZAB lists only six previous records of Erect-crested Penguin in Australia with one each for South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia and three from Victoria of which the last was a live bird at Phillip Island in February 1979 (Marchant & Higgins 1990). Five of the six previous records have also occurred in February and March. If this record, and that of the bird at Portland are accepted, they will constitute only the seventh and eighth documented occurrence of Erect-crested Penguin in Australia.
Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds. An Identification Guide. Croom Helm.
Marchant, S. & P.J.Higgins (co-ordinators). 1990. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 1 Ratites to Ducks. Part A, Ratites to Petrels. Oxford.
Simpson, K. & N. Day. 1996. Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. 5th Edition. Viking.
Slater, P., P.Slater & R. Slater. 1986. The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds. Rigby.

Erect-crested Penguin?

This weekend while showing a non-birding visitor the sights of Victoria's Great Ocean Road we happened upon an unusual penguin on the beach immediately north of the 12 Apostles viewing platform. We tentatively identified it as an immature Erect-crested Penguin, mainly based on the pattern on the underside of the flipper, but none of my guide books show the immature plumage of an ECP. (Slater et al,Simpson & Day, and Harrison). There had been very strong winds from the SE the preceding day and night.

Melaleuca Magic

With a population of less than 200, the Orange-bellied Parrot ranks alongside Whooping Crane and Takahe as one of the rarest birds in the world. Like these species, it is the focus of an intensive conservation plan, but unlike the majority of rare birds the Orange-bellied Parrot is also migratory. It winters on the coastal marshes of Victoria and South Australia but breeds in woodland and isolated trees on the edge of the button grass plains of south-west Tasmania, where it is concentrated in the Melaleuca area, south of Bathurst Harbour.

The Orange-bellied Parrot’s rarity, isolated breeding range and migratory habits confer on it an almost mythical status. It is one of those species that most bird-watchers would like to see but have to content themselves with reading accounts of efforts to conserve the species and gazing longingly at published photographs. So it was for me when I took up a one-year contract in Melbourne in March 1996. I wasted no time in contacting the RAOU and was soon taking part in several of their surveys, including the winter Orange-bellied Parrot survey on the coasts of Port Phillip Bay. Unfortunately, my arrival coincided with a period when the Orange-bellied Parrots have been forsaking their traditional winter haunts for as yet undiscovered sites. Despite visiting likely habitat, Swan Bay, Swan Island and Werribee Spit, at the right season I failed to make the acquaintance of a single Orange-bellied Parrot.

In October 1996 I received an Email requesting volunteer wardens for the Orange-bellied Parrot recovery programme. A family conference was unanimous that we should volunteer, Jenny, Andrew (aged 8) and Matthew (aged 7) being as eager as I was to see these enigmatic birds. Mark Holdsworth, the recovery programme coordinator, raised no objections to the boys accompanying us, in fact quite the reverse (which made a very refreshing change to the attitudes of some organisations when we had offered our services elsewhere in the past). So plans were made.

We flew down to Tasmania on 10 January 1997 and spent the weekend round and about Hobart. A dawn visit to Mount Wellington brought the first birds of the trip including the Tasmanian endemics, Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Tasmanian Thornbill, Green Rosella and Tasmanian Scrubwren; search as I might I could not find a Scrubtit. The remainder of the morning was spent enjoying the sights and sounds of Hobart’s Salamanca market before we had brunch at a pavement cafe. The Port Arthur settlement was our destination that afternoon; we dutifully completed a Bird of Prey Watch sheet (recording a Brown Falcon and a Swamp Harrier) as we covered the 100 km from Hobart. The boys were more interested in the cricket pitch, where Shane Warne & Co had recently played a charity game, than the historic buildings, but these held some interest. Up to five pairs of Tree Martins were feeding young in nests above the windows. We returned via the tessellated pavement at Eaglehawk Neck which allowed us to add Strong-billed and Black-headed Honeyeaters to our list. The following day we headed south, seeing a Yellow Wattlebird in suburban Hobart, to take the ferry from Kettering across to Bruny Island. Roadside birds here included Dusky Robin and Tasmanian Native Hen but our main quarry was Forty-spotted Pardalote. We had seen this species on a previous visit to Bruny, seven years ago, and headed back to the same site. We took the first left off the ferry road and followed the coast north towards Barnes Bay. Forty-spotted Pardalotes are supposed to occur in the wooded valley of MacCrackens Creek but we had no luck this time. A little further on we came across a flock of birds moving through the roadside bushes. These proved to be predominantly Spotted and Striated Pardalotes. Jenny managed to pick out several Forty-spots with their paler faces but I struggled until I saw them flying away across open water when their uniform greenish back and rump was conspicuous. Later, we watched a very confiding individual from less than two metres. Nearby a flock of 13 Swift Parrots allowed a similar close approach as they fed in a flowering gum tree. We had a picnic lunch on the sand dunes of Bruny Neck, the narrow isthmus that links the north and south ‘islands’ and the boys even braved the cold waters of the southern ocean. I chose to remain dry. Our weekend ended with a delicious meal on the Hobart waterfront.

Monday morning was spent stocking up on provisions for our two-week stay in Melaleuca - it seemed we would need more than a cessna to transport our mountain of gear into the remote south-west. The weather was perfect for our flight with clear blue skies affording spectacular views over the rugged landscape of this corner of Tasmania. From Cambridge we headed south-west, crossing the Derwent just south of the Tasman Bridge and flying over Hobart city centre, leaving Mount Wellington to the north. At Huonville we left the populated south-east behind although the marks of man were still evident with large areas of clear-felled forest on the slopes above the Picton River. Our pilot pointed out Mount Bob to the south but passed closer to Federation Peak with its curious Hanging Lake. The rugged ridge of the Arthur Range was stark against the northern horizon as we dropped down to Bathurst Harbour before following Melaleuca Inlet up to the airstrip. We circled once, having views over Melaleuca Lagoon and the nearby walkers accommodation and ranger’s hut; the latter to be our home for the next fortnight. Before long we were on the ground, stretching our legs after an exhilarating flight.

As we trundled our pile of gear the 500 m from the airstrip to the huts we enjoyed the surrounding scenery; the button grass plain stretching to the south, Melaleuca Lagoon and its fringe of woodland with rugged Mount Rugby as a backdrop to the north, and lower more rounded, moorland covered hills to the east and west. It was much more open than both Jenny and I had expected with the woodland restricted to the waters edge and in some of the steeper valleys. As expected we could not load everything on a single flight, and while waiting for the remainder of our stores to arrive, we saw our first birds as some Tree Martins swooped over the trees alongside Moth Creek. We also paid a brief visit to the public bird hide, erected in memory of local tin-miner and naturalist Deny King, and there on the bird table were our first Orange-bellied Parrots. MAGIC.

The ranger’s hut at Melaleuca is situated in the forest, predominantly Woolly Teatree and Smithton Peppermint Gum, close to the southern shore of Melaleuca Lagoon. It proved to be a comfortable home-from-home being well provided with a cooker and oven running off bottled gas and electric light powered by solar panels. We occupied one of the bedrooms with boys taking the bunk beds. From the hut’s windows were views into the canopy of the surrounding forest where we saw Strong-billed Honeyeater, Black Currawong and Green Rosella. Olive Whistler and Tasmanian Scrubwren would take cheese from the kitchen windowsill, while a Grey Shrike Thrush would take food from your hand. Andrew and Matthew, after a chat with Albert the ranger, decided that perhaps these birds should have a more natural diet and collected all the dead flies from the ranger’s and walker’s huts. The birds seemed to appreciate these offerings as much as the cheese.

Our duties as volunteer Orange-bellied Parrot wardens were not too onerous. The very comfortable Deny King hide acts as a focal point for visiting tourists. When the weather was fine nearly 20 planes a day landed. We were responsible for keeping the hide neat and tidy and, if present, explaining the conservation programme. A bird-table/feeding station has been established in front of the hide. We had to put seed out for the parrots early in the morning (usually between 0630 and 0700) and evening (1630 - 1700) and then record which birds came to the table. A large proportion of the parrots are colour banded so individuals can be recognised. During our stay we saw 39 different banded birds and had a maximum of 14 unbanded birds in view at one time so recorded a minimum of 53 individuals. Our highest count at the bird table, at any one time, was 44 birds, probably over 30% of the breeding population, a staggering proportion that makes you realise this species’ vulnerability. Several other species also fed at the bird-table including Beautiful Firetails, the males, especially, living up to their name, Olive Whistler and Dusky Robin. Green Rosellas also fed on the supplied seed, apparently only a recently acquired habit. When there were more than three Green Rosellas at the table, and on occasions there were as many as seven, they intimidated the Orange-bellied Parrots and other smaller species with their bulk, keeping them away from the seed. Numerous nest-boxes have been put up to enable easier monitoring of the Orange-bellied Parrot’s breeding success. We kept watch at several in an attempt to identify the parent birds but more than half were unbanded. Orange-bellied Parrots were not the only species to utilise the nest boxes; Tree Martins especially found them to their liking occupying 7 of the 17 we observed while a pair of Starlings bred in another.

Our nearest resident neighbours were Peter and Barbara Willson who operate the tin mining lease south of the airstrip. They have been recording the Orange-bellied Parrots they see at their garden feeding station for many years, We paid them a visit on our first day and they were kind enough to tell us something of the area and its birds, including possible pitfalls when recording the coloured bands. When we returned a few days later, we were pleased to see that the colour combinations we had noted closely matched those Peter and Barbara had recorded in their garden. It gave us confidence in our observations. Towards the end of our stay in Melaleuca we were treated to a tour of their tin mine and shown how they extract the tin ore from the rock. We had never considered mining on such a small scale before and it seemed a hard way to make a living. Andrew and Matthew were especially thrilled to learn that very small amounts of gold are found with the tin and were already to stake their own claim there and then.

If we had expected Melaleuca to be a quiet haven we were surprised. Visitors to the ranger’s hut during our fortnight included Parks & Wildlife scientists, journalists writing a book for Australian Geographic, a BBC film crew getting footage for the latest David Attenborough wildlife spectacular and last, but by no means least, Albert the ranger. At times it felt like all these people were trespassing on our turf when really, of course, it was the other way round. All added, rather than detracted, from our stay in Melaleuca. We watched the film crew in action, helped locate small mammal traps in the button grass plain and watched Mark Holdsworth colour band nestling Orange-bellied Parrots. We were even fortunate enough to hold some of these priceless youngsters - and now fully expect these birds to visit our local patch in Altona!

Although we spent most of our time in the vicinity of Melaleuca airstrip, we did have a memorable ride aboard the Parks and Wildlife patrol boat, Maatsuyker. From the mooring on Melaleuca Creek we headed down Melaleuca Inlet to a very calm Bathurst Harbour, where Mount Rugby and the clouds were reflected in its still waters. Then it was through the narrows which separate Bathurst Harbour from Port Davey before circling the Breaksea Islands which as their name implies, lie across the mouth of the Narrows protecting them from the ocean beyond. A White-bellied Sea-Eagle soared on the updraughts from the islands’ cliffs while Swamp Harrier quartered the grassland. We made a brief landing at the idyllic Bramble Cove where temperate rain-forest comes down to the shore. While I bird-watched, seeing very little, the boys swam and fossicked in the rock-pools. Then it was back to Melaleuca ahead of the freshening sea-breeze.

Weatherwise, we experienced the rough and the smooth. The fine, sunny weather of the first few days gave way to a grey, drizzly period. This was followed by a period of northerly winds, blowing out of central Australia and raising the temperature to a sweltering 38 oC - even I braved the waters of Melaleuca Creek that day. The good, as ever was followed by the bad and the BBC film crew had their departure delayed by 36 hours when the clouds and rain rolled in. Eventually, the clouds cleared and the weather slowly improved over our second week.

Throughout it all we were logging the activities of the Orange-bellied Parrots and other birds, recording 34 species of which eight were only seen on the boat trip. Among the highlights were the five Ground Parrots which Jenny and I flushed from the side of the tracks . Unfortunately, the boys always missed them and had to content themselves with hearing their bell-like calls coming from the button-grass plains at dusk on still evenings. By way of compensation, Andrew managed to see a Lewin’s Rail running across a trail south of the airstrip, a species which still eludes me. We all saw the Southern Emu-Wrens in the taller shrubs alongside the airstrip. A fair selection of animals were also seen including a couple of close (but not too close) encounters with Tiger Snakes. More pleasurable were the several sightings of Spotted-tailed Quoll; seen a few times on the boardwalk leading to the hut and several times around the bird-table, causing all the avian diners to scatter in panic.

It seemed as though our stay in Melaleuca would be brought to a triumphant climax when we saw our first Orange-bellied Parrot fledgling at the bird table on our last morning. We returned to the ranger’s hut in buoyant mood to complete our packing. By the time of our anticipated departure the clouds had once again rolled in, and like the BBC crew before us, we were weathered in for 36 hours. With plenty of food to see us through, it was not really a hardship to spend an extra couple of nights in Melaleuca. We continued with the observations at the bird table but did not see any more fledgling Orange-bellied Parrots. Too soon the weather cleared and we were whisked back to Hobart and thence to Melbourne. It had been a magic fortnight for us all.

There are several people we would like to thank for making this trip possible and enjoyable. Chief amongst these is Mark Holdsworth who gave us the chance to visit south-west Tasmania and become part of the Orange-bellied Parrot recovery programme. Peter and Barbara Willson were extremely friendly, and, dare we say it, a ‘mine’ of information concerning the local area. We are especially grateful to Albert Thompson, the ranger, who could not have been more helpful , organising our boat trip to Port Davey and the replenishing of our dwindling supplies. To all these people a big THANK YOU.

NEW YEAR'S DAY BIRDWATCH 1997

Traditionally New Year's Day has been a bird-watching 'big-day' and 1 January 1997 was not going to be an exception. As in recent years the search for birds would be limited to an area within 10 km of home but there the similarity ends. Having only recently arrived in the southern hemisphere, last new year's day was spent in the depths of darkest Hertfordshire (southern England) where the temperature only barely exceeded zero and visibility was rarely greater than 50 m. Despite the prevailing conditions, 60 species were recorded of which the highlights were a Dipper (unusual in lowland England) and a pair of Common (River) Kingfishers. Along with the change of hemisphere came the change of seasons and associated length of daylight; at least in the northern hemisphere the first dawn of the new year was not much before 08:00 allowing at least some recuperative sleep after the celebrations!

Home for our first year in Australia has been the small suburb of Seaholme, sandwiched between Williamstown and Altona, to the west of Melbourne, Victoria. Taking Seaholme Station, only 100 m from home as the centre of our home range, then Melbourne's western suburbs occupy the north-eastern quadrant while much of the south-eastern quadrant is covered by the waters of Altona Bay. The coast and Marybyrnong River form the southern and eastern boundaries with Point Cook R.A.A.F. base the southernmost point. The western border was formed by theDerrimut/Hopkins Road (north of Werribee) while to the north we did not cross the Western Highway. This area can offer a range of habitats including suburban gardens, grassland, wetlands and coast but little in the way of woodland.

It was still dark when the alarm sounded at 05:00 on the first morning of 1997, but the sky began to brighten while we sipped a refreshing cup of coffee. Like us some birds were active before it was fully light. First awake were Common Mynas closely followed by House Sparrows. The next few birds were all species we had seen regularly from our garden over the last 10-months; Red Wattlebirds breakfasted in a red-flowering eucalypt (we are still struggling to get to grips with the identification of Australian trees); a femaleBlackbird possibly one of the pair that nested under our porch, fed along the edge of a flower bed tossing wood chips to one side as she searched for grubs; Spotted Turtle Doves were also active feeding on the grass verge while flocks of Silver Gulls flew towards the coast and a male Greenfinch sang briefly from his perch on an overhead cable. Starlings were perched on the rooves of houses across the street and White-plumed Honeyeaters visited the tree frequented by the Wattlebirds earlier.

The plan was to walk round my local patch first, following the railway line east, crossing the Cherry Lake overflow before continuing along the shore to Kororoit Creek. Shortly after leaving home, two Common Terns,in winter plumage flying over the houses of Seaholme were a bit of a surprise. I had expected to see them later, but not over suburbia. Little Wattlebirds visited another flowering gum while two juvenile Goldfinches, lacking the red-faces of adults, twittered from a phoneline. As usual there were a couple of Australian Pelican incongruously perched on the lamp-posts by the boat ramp, surely not waiting for a free hand-out at this early hour. Little Raven, Australian Magpie and Magpie Lark foraged on the grassy expanses just behind the beach. Pacific Gulls landed on another lamp-post near the Pelicans. Welcome Swallows swooped low over the waters of Cherry Lake over-flow. They had nested under the railway and road bridge, but no longer seemed to be caring for young. A Song Thrush perched on a fence was the first I had seen in this area for several months and the twentieth species of the day. Of these 20 no fewer than eight species had been introduced to Australia. Once across the Cherry Lake overflow we made our way to the seashore. Two Royal Spoonbills headed east along the coast towards Kororoit Creek. As we crossed the rough ground masquerading as cricket pitch we disturbed a Willie Wagtail and seven Yellow-rumped Thornbills that had been feeding amongst the grasses. The high-pitched contact calls of Superb Fairy Wrens were heard from the nearby bushy perimeter of Altona workers club and two Masked Lapwings flew up from the middle of the cricket pitch where the outfield is continually dug up by the large population of rabbits. The calicivirus does not seem to have reached Altona yet. Skylark, another introduced species sang on high reminding us of summer (and not new year's day) back home. The tide was high and several Black Swans swam close in shore. No other birds were seen west of the rocky point but a single, pale Brown Falcon perched on top of a bush in the area of grassland and scrub known as Altona Coastal Wetland. Up to 300 Red-necked Stint were roosting on the exposed rocks and among them were a few Curlew Sandpipers. A careful check through the telescope revealed that none of the waders were wearing leg-flags. Six Australian Shelduck flew over, the first time I have seen them at this site. BlackSwan were more numerous in the bay between the rocky point and KororoitCreek with 149, all adults, being counted. Is this a flock of non-breeding birds or a moulting flock? A solitary Greenshank fed at the water's edge and two Little Pied Cormorants stood on a sandbank with their wings out to dry. Earlier in the season the song of Golden-headedCisticolas had been a common feature of the grassland, but now the breeding season is almost over only one male was seen performing his song-flight. As we continued along the shore an adult Crested Tern flew in the opposite direction while a flock of Feral Pigeons wheeled over the large storage tanks of the mobil refinery, which dominates the skyline to the north. A single White-faced Heron fed in the shallows accompanied by two Australian White Ibis. Six Chestnut Teal, four males and two females stood at the water's edge, waiting for the tide to recede so they could continue feeding. An adult White-headed Stilt disturbed from the head of a small creek, flew about making its yapping call. Similar agitated behaviour had been noted on a couple of recent visits and it was thought to be nesting nearby. This was confirmed on new year's day when a young stilt (about half adult-size) was seen running across a bare area ofg round. We left the area quickly, so the young stilt would not be left alone longer than necessary. A group of White-fronted Chats, one male and several female plumaged birds flew along the track in front of us. An obvious Grey Teal was feeding at the edge of a pool left behind after a high tide but the six Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were much more difficult to see. The drawn out whistle-call of a Little Grassbird was heard but the bird not seen. An adult Black-shouldered Kite hovered in a laboured fashion over the grassland, soon moving on when mobbed by several Little Ravens. At 07:40 we were bird-watching along the lower part of Kororoit Creek. Just down stream from the ford is a rocky area of the stream with a few small islands which normally attracts several ducks and other waterfowl. New birds here for 1997 included Little Black Cormorant, Pacific BlackDuck and Hoary-headed Grebe. Above the ford, which is only affected bythe highest of tides the only new species was a Dusky Moorhen. The small reed bed which up until Christmas had held a singing Australian Reed Warbler was ominously quiet.

By now Jenny and the boys had had enough bird-watching and headed home while I continued up Kororoit Creek to complete a circuit of Cherry Lake. Two Purple-crowned Lorikeets (a pair?) and several New Holland Honeyeaters (my fiftieth species at 08:10) were feeding in a floweringt ree beside Millers Road. Eurasian Coots were as numerous as ever on Cherry Lake; it seems strange that I so rarely record them on Kororoit Creek. From Millers Road I followed the embankment between Cherry Lake and the extensive reed beds that line Kororoit Creek. Red-browed Firetails flew from the track to nearby bushes where some of their old, bulky, grass nests were seen. The pool formed where the creek widens out amongst the reeds was a haven for birdlife with 14 species seen there including eight Red-necked Avocets and three Black-fronted Plovers. Other waders, apparently using this pool as a high-tide roost as none were actively feeding were eight White-headed Stilt, 13 Greenshank, six Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and five Curlew Sandpipers. A short burst of Australian Reed Warbler song greeted me as I reached the shore of Cherry Lake, thankfully they had not all given up singing. Purple Swamphens frequented the reed beds and a Great Cormorant stood amongst the birds on the point opposite the bird hide. A flock of 67 Australian Shelduck were spread around the western end of the lake. Several Tree Sparrows were in the bushes on the south shore from where a Pied Cormorant was seen to have replaced the Great Cormorant that was there earlier. By 09:45 I had returned home having seen 59 species and looking forward to a cooked breakfast.

After breakfast it was time to explore further afield. Matthew decided he had had enough bird-watching for one day, so Jenny stayed at home with him, while Andrew came with me. Skeleton Creek, was disappointingly devoid of waterbirds, as it had been for the twitchathons back in October and no new birds were seen here. We fared better at Point Cook disturbing a Richard's Pipit form the access road and seeing four Australasian Grebes, two adults plus two full-grown juveniles, on the small pond near the homestead. A single Pacific Golden Plover flew along the coast where Silvereyes and Singing Honeyeaters called from the bushes and a Whistling Kite flew over the car park before dropping into the grasses. The water level in Spectacle Lake was low so there were few waterfowl, but Black-tailed Native Hens fed on the lake's grassy banks and an adult Red-capped Plover stood at the water's edge. An Echidna, ambling across an open space between two bushes during the heat of the day, was our most surprising sighting. It was now 15:00 and difficult to think where new birds might be found. The resident Crested Pigeons could not be found near Point Cook R.A.A.F. base but a male Australian Kestrel was seen perched on a fence post. We headed out to the grasslands around Truganina, north-west of Laverton and explored the many tracks. Singing Bushlarks were reasonably common, frequently perching on fences and a Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo seen in a patch of scrub took the species total to 70 but bird activity was at a minimum in the 30^oC temperature and blustery, dry wind. Most unexpected bird of the day was Banded Lapwing, a flock of 13 was seen sharing afield with several horses from a nearby stables. And with that sighting we headed for home and tea.

I ventured out alone in the evening. Now that the temperature and wind had dropped somewhat, the birds were again active. The Point Cook Crested Pigeons had returned to their usual haunt. From a vantage point near Skeleton Creek a vixen and two cubs were watched trotting across the dried salt pans startling a hare, the fourth animal recorded. The final birds of the day were two Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrikes flying over the creek and a flock of 41 Marsh Sandpipers roosting in the shallows.

So ended my first New Year's Day birdwatch down-under. Few regularly recorded species were missed (e.g. Great Egret, Straw-necked Ibis and Striated Fieldwren) but given the available habitats within 10 km of Seaholme, the total of 74 species was not a bad haul, although I am suremore experienced Australian bird-watchers could have bettered it.

Return From The Red Centre

Of course, in order to return from anywhere you first have to get there. The cost of flights and one-way car hire proved to be too costly for us, so we opted for a long train ride - car and all. We travelled on the overnight 'Overland' from Melbourne to Adelaide, where we had a few hours before joining the famous 'Ghan' for the long haul (18 hours and 1555 km) north to Alice Springs.
Alice Springs, when we arrived, was sunny and hot with temperatures in the mid-thirties; a bit of a shock after the air-conditioned cool of 'The Ghan'. After stocking up with provisions we headed west through the spectacular red scenery of the West MacDonnell Ranges, made even more spectacular by the strong, gusty winds raising storms of red dust. In these conditions birds were few and far between and little time was spent birding as we concentrated on keeping the car on the road.

Ormiston Gorge, in the heart of the West MacDonnell National Park and about 130 km west of Alice Springs was our first base. The campsite here lies in the shadow of the mountains with a view towards the gorge where Ormiston Creek has cut its way through the range. Beware, the rocky ground was extremely hard and we are now the proud owners of several interesting shaped tent pegs; we ended up guying the tent to large rocks, of which there were plenty. While pitching camp, we saw the first of the birds we had come this far to see. A Western Bowerbird foraged around the barbecue area and was later seen to take items from a hot barbecue plate as were Little Crows. Crested Pigeons were common around the camp and were soon joined by up to 20 Spinifex Pigeons; running around like 'little clockwork red indians' according to Andrew (aged 8). While the campsite was relatively deserted these engaging pigeons were always present but when busy, they made themselves scarce.

At the mouth of the gorge is a permanent water hole, created where rocks carried by the river when in flood have scoured out the ground to below the level of the water table. No real rains had fallen in this area for 18-months prior to our visit so the rivers were dry and water in the water hole low. Andrew and Matthew (aged 7) needed no second invitation to cool off in the surprisingly chilly water. Just as the water was irresistible to two boys so it was to various waterbirds with the following being present during our stay: Australasian Grebe, 10; Little Black Cormorant 4; Pacific Heron,1; White-faced Heron, 1; Pacific Black Duck 2; Grey Teal 4 and Black-fronted Plover, 1. Also seen at the waterhole were our first Diamond Doves plus thirsty Common Bronzewings.

The blustery conditions continued all day and put us off walking through the hills. Instead we opted for a drive to Glen Helen, at the western end of the sealed road. From here an unsealed road passes through aboriginal land and a permit is required. En route we crossed range land, where cattle had completely denuded the vegetation leaving tracts of bare red earth - the source of the dust. The waterhole here is much larger than that at Ormiston with extensive reed beds at its southern end from where a few Clamorous Reed Warblers could be heard singing. Further exploration was unfortunately thwarted by the challenging climb along the sides of the waterhole, so while Jenny and the boys went for a dip, I contented myself with a wander round the northern shores adding Little Woodswallow to our slowly expanding list.

Thankfully, the wind died down overnight and our second morning at Ormiston dawned bright and calm. We were up with the sun, (well almost), for a saunter along the Ghost Gum trail. It follows the gorge beyond the waterhole before climbing the cliffs and returning to the campsite via a solitary ghost gum perched on a crag high above the waterhole. Apparently, the roots of this tree reach down to the watertable some hundreds of feet below. This early in the morning we shared the gorge only with the previously invisible Black-footed Rock-Wallaby; amazingly agile as they bounded over the scree slopes. We counted 34 including at least one joey in the pouch, but suspect that others remained invisible. As the sun rose the ringing calls of the Pied Butcherbird echoed eerily from the ever-changing, but always vivid red, coloured walls of the gorge. As we followed the trail back along the cliff tops two small, dark birds were disturbed from the path, flying to a nearby bush where they perched in full view allowing us to identify them as Dusky Grasswrens. This was my first species in a family I had long wanted to see and we watched them for more than 5 minutes. The male was often in view as it sang from exposed perches, either a rock or bush top. The presumed female was more secretive. As we returned to camp a pair of Pink (Major Mitchell's) Cockatoos were perched in the top of a gum tree, breaking up small ants nests and apparently eating the contents. They were accompanied by a single Australian Ringneck which was apparently feeding from the nests that the cockatoos had already broken open.

After a cooked breakfast, shared with a Western Bowerbird and Little Crow, we broke camp and headed back towards Alice Springs. In stark contrast to our outward journey birds were plentiful by the roadside in the calm but hot conditions. Our first Red-backed Kingfisher was seen near the Ochre Pits. Zebra Finches flocked to drink at Ellery Creek Big Hole regardless of the swimmers nearby. A Crested Bellbird perched high in a bush when I expected to see it on the ground while Black-faced Woodswallows swooped overhead.

In Alice Springs we visited the School of the Air and Flying Doctor Service, Australian institutions about which we had heard much back in England. Both offered a fascinating insight into the problems of providing services to remote locations in the vast, sparsely populated interior. A picnic lunch was taken at the original springs, near the Telegraph Station, currently no more than a small muddy puddle in the bed of the dry Todd River. In bushes around the car park we identified Slaty-backed Thornbill and Red-browed Pardalote. Still celebrating these latest two additions to our list, we attempted to start the car, only to be greeted with an ominous whirring. Not what we wanted to hear with the best part of 2500 km to drive home. It bump-started O.K. and we reached a garage who diagnosed a poorly alternator. The good news was that they could probably fix it for the next morning. We would not lose too much time but my plans to go in search of Bourke's Parrot were scuppered.

Next day we were on the road before midday with nothing more than a hole in the budget for our problems. We were bowling along quite nicely, with one eye on the sky for raptors, when, less than 100 km south of Alice Springs the car lost all momentum. Not being mechanically inclined I did not have a clue what had gone wrong. Fortunately (?) we were less than 2 km from Stuart's Well, a small wayside halt with motel, bar and garage. Within 30 minutes we had been towed in.The problem this time turned out to be a broken timing chain which would take 4 hours or so to fix once the part was available. Unfortunately, that would not be until late the next day so we would be marooned in Stuart's Well for a couple of nights at least.

Common birds around the roadhouse included Galah, Yellow-throated Miner, White-plumed Honeyeater and Little Crow. A waterhole, by the carpark, attracted Zebra Finch, Tree Martin and Common Bronzewing. The rocky, scrub-covered hills to the north seemed particularly devoid of birds with only the antics of brightly coloured Rainbow Bee-eaters enlivening a long walk. A dry valley through the hills, where the water course was traced by a wriggling line of small trees was more productive with Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Crested Bellbird and White-backed Swallow (one of my favourite Australian birds) all being seen. Across the Stuart Highway ('look both ways before crossing!') is a lucerne farm, a vivid swathe of green, maintained by irrigation, in stark contrast to the surrounding reddish-brown countryside. Many birds came to feed where the crop had been harvested including Australian Bustard, Banded and Masked Lapwings among the Galahs and Little Crows. The locals reported both Cockatiel and Budgerigar occurred in the area but I did not have the fortune to find either. If you are interested in birding the area around Stuart's Well, I can supply a mud map. Please seek permission from the bar before wandering away from the immediate vicinity of the roadhouse.

Following a day's sojourn, which included a camel ride plus a dip in the motel pool as well as the birding, our car was ready to go the next morning. Now it was decision time. One of the main reasons for coming to this part of the world was to see Ayers Rock but we were running short of time. We decided that having got 'so close' we could not miss out. With some trepidation and an even bigger hole in the budget, we said farewell to the kind folks of Stuart's Well and continued south on the Stuart Highway. At Erldunda we filled up with petrol (only 97 cents per litre!) before heading west on the Lasseter Highway. A fortuitous lunch stop at a picnic site resulted in directions from a fellow traveller to a nearby saltpan where White-winged Fairy Wrens and Grey Falcon could be seen Disappointingly, Grey turned out to be Brown but the Fairy-Wrens, the male a vivid blue against the dull green of the vegetation, were present as were a couple of Banded Whitefaces, a flock of White-browed Babblers and a pair of Red-backed Kingfishers. Continuing towards Yulara every cutting through the sand dunes/hills seemed to hold a pair of White-backed Swallows.

Our arrival at Yulara campsite coincided with an unexpected rain shower which dropped the temperature by several degrees. Thankfully, the storm had passed before sunset and we were able to enjoy the rock changing through various hues of red with the additional treat of a rainbow over one end. Arriving at 16:00 one day and departing at midday the next did not give us nearly enough time to do the area justice. We could have lingered much longer in the cultural centre, an ideal place to visit during the heat of the day and would have enjoyed longer walks through the Olgas and round the base of Ayres Rock. Maybe next time.

We now only had 2.5 days to get back to Melbourne and a large portion of Australia to cover. Our stops were brief and highlights were few. A spectacular electrical storm raged overhead as we drove south towards Coober Pedy where we spent the night in a very nice cave. Continuing down the Stuart Highway, we disturbed 7 Wedge-tailed Eagles from a road-killed Kangaroo and saw our first House Sparrows and Starlings at Glendambo roadhouse. A party of Blue-Bonnets were seen just north of Port Augusta where we turned east, reaching Peterborough as the sun was setting. We were woken early by the noisy calls of an Apostlebird and thanks to this unusual alarm-clock were on the road before 07:00 with the promise of breakfast in Broken Hill. Twenty Wedge-tailed Eagles, mostly perched on telegraph poles beside the railway, were seen along this stretch.

Being Sunday, Broken Hill appeared closed and we missed out on breakfast so we turned south on the Silver City Highway. A close encounter of the bird kind (actually a Little Corella, now one of our least favourite Australian birds) left us with a starred windscreen, with most of the damage on the passenger's side. A very welcome break of a couple of hours was taken in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park where rest was more important than birding but Regent Parrot and White-winged Choughs came to us. After negotiating flooded sections of the Calder Highway, we eventually reached Melbourne and home at 23:00. We had made it back from the Red Centre!

In conclusion we could easily have spent our entire holiday at each of the places we visited, even Coober Pedy had a certain fascination. We saw some wonderful scenery, a few good birds (but left plenty to go back for) and drove a long, long way (3726 km) while completing more than 20 Bird of Prey Watch sheets.

Return from the Red Centre: Species List

Emu
Australasian Grebe M
Little Black Cormorant M
Little Pied Cormorant
Australian Darter M
Great Egret M
White-faced Heron M
Pacific Heron M
Sacred Ibis
Straw-necked Ibis
Black Swan
Wood Duck
Pacific Black Duck M
Australian Grey Teal M
Chestnut Teal
Collared Sparrowhawk S
Brown Goshawk
Black Kite A
Whistling Kite A
Wedge-tailed Eagle M
Black-shouldered Kite
Brown Falcon MSU
Australian Kestrel MS
Australian Hobby S
Australian Bustard S
Eurasian Coot M
Black-tailed Native Hen A
Masked Lapwing AS
Banded Lapwing S
Black-fronted Plover M
Silver Gull
Spinifex Pigeon* M
Crested Pigeon MASU
Common Bronzewing MS
Diamond Dove* M
Peaceful Dove A
Pink Cockatoo M
Galah M
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo M
Little Corella*
Long-billed Corella
Rainbow Lorikeet
Ringneck Parrot M
Regent Parrot H
Mulga Parrot S
Blue Bonnet
Pallid Cuckoo
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo S
Southern Boobook M
Laughing Kookaburra
Red-backed Kingfisher* MS
Rainbow Bee-eater S
Welcome Swallow
Fairy Martin M
Tree Martin S
White-backed Swallow S
Richard's Pipit S
Singing Bushlark
Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike MASU
White-winged Triller A
Hooded Robin MS
Rufous Whistler S
Grey Shrike-Thrush MS
Crested Bellbird* MS
Willie Wagtail MASU
White-browed Babbler
Grey-crowned Babbler M
Clamorous Reed Warbler M
Superb Fairy-Wren
Splendid Fairy-Wren
White-winged Wren*
Variegated Fairy-Wren
Dusky Grasswren* M
Western Gerygone M
Southern Whiteface AS
Banded Whiteface*
Weebill A
Yellow-rumped Thornbill A
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill S
Slate-backed Thornbill A
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater ASU
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Yellow-throated Miner MASU
Noisy Miner H
Singing Honeyeater
Grey-headed Honeyeater* MASU
White-plumed Honeyeater MASU
Mistletoebird MA
Red-browed Pardalote* AS
Zebra Finch MASU
House Sparrow
Common Starling
Common Myna
Magpie Lark MASU
White-winged Chough H
Apostlebird
Little Wood-Swallow* M
Black-faced Wood-Swallow MSU
Masked Wood-Swallow*
Pied Butcherbird MASU
Australian Magpie SU
Western Bowerbird* M
Little Crow* MAS
Australian Raven H
Little Raven

105 Species recorded 13 lifers

Abbreviations :- *=lifer; Northern Territory Sites: A=Alice Springs; M=MacDonnell N.P.;S=Stuart's Well; U=Uluru; Victorian Sites: H=Hattah-Kulkyne N.P.

Report of 'THE MURUKS' 1996 Twitchathon

'THE MURUKS', also known as the Hicks Family, (Roger , Jenny, Andrew (aged 8.5) and Matthew (aged 7)), being relative newcomers to the Melbourne area (having only arrived in March this year) were taking part in their first RAOU twitchathon. Our preparation time had been limited (by among other things holidays and a seventh birthday party) so we decided to stick to areas we knew, reckoning we should notch up between 120 and 150 species. We did not expect to challenge the big guns but hoped for a good 24 hours birding and a reasonable score. We also decided that as Andrew and Matthew were not too hot on bird calls, and mum and dad were no better, that to count a species at least three of us, in line with Twitchathon rules, would have to SEE it.Access to Laverton Salt Works was arranged. We met the ranger, Bernie McCarrick, at 14:00 and he treated us to a guided tour. This proved invaluable for locating birds once the race had begun. Half of the old saltworks have been sold for a residential development including an exclusive golf course, designed by Greg Norman, and an extensive freshwater lake. The remainder, the salt pans closest to the sea, will be maintained as a nature reserve. Many of the pans are currently drier than normal as vandals had wrecked the pump, a replacement is due next week. This was possibly to our advantage as it concentrated the birds on the few ponds where some water remained.Shortly after 15:00 we were back at our car and ready to begin the Twitchathon. First bird was a Welcome Swallow soon followed by a Willie Wagtail. No surprises there. New birds came rapidly as we drove into the salt works; Common Starling, Australian Magpie, Little Raven etc. As on the junior twitchathon the previous weekend, Skeleton Creek was disappointingly devoid of wildfowl, the only duck were a pair of Pacific Blacks, presumably indicative of the wet conditions inland. By way of compensation a Swamp Harrier drifted low over a reed bed while 3 Whiskered Terns patrolled along the edge of the reeds. Our visit coincided with high tide in Port Phillip Bay and we estimated 5000 waders were roosting on the salt pans. By far the most numerous were Red-necked Stints; at least 3 were wearing orange leg flags, followed by Curlew Sandpipers and then fewer Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Red Knot, including one of the latter still retaining the vestiges of its breeding plumage - made it much easier for the boys to pick up through the 'scope. A pair of Masked Lapwing were seen with a full grown young while the behaviour of a Red-capped Plover suggested it might be breeding nearby. Greenshank and Marsh Sandpiper were seen where the water levels were higher while on the ponds closest to the sea, where the water was deepest, were Red-necked Avocet and White-headed Stilt plus numerous Black Swan and Australian Shelduck. An Australian Kestrel seen as we left the salt works was particularly pleasing as we had contrived to miss this species entirely on the junior twitchathon. We felt we had done quite well to reach 43 species although we had probably spent half-an-hour longer than intended. Many thanks to Bernie for allowing us into the saltworks - it got our twitchathon off to a good start.It was a short drive down the road to Point Cook Metropolitan Park. Unfortunately, the track leading to the homestead was closed off so we had to double back to the picnic area adding common species such as Greenfinch, New Holland Honeyeater, Blackbird and Spotted Turtle Dove. SingingHoneyeater became our 50th species at 17:00. Spectacle Lakes provided the highlight of the twitchathon, not for waterbirds, although we saw Black-tailed Native Hen and Chestnut Teal but for a small party of Blue-wing Parrots, probably 3 pairs, feeding on the small white flowers of the common bushes near the hide (sorry, I do not know what they are). This was a LIFER and it was extremely difficult to tick and move on besides Matthew was trying his hardest to turn them into OBPs. We couldn't be that lucky!!>From Point Cook we drove to the You Yangs picking up Crested Pigeon and four species of parrot en route. The Tawny Frogmouth was sat on its nest near the park gate and Purple-crowned Lorikeets were zitting through the tree tops. Fan-tailed Cuckoos were calling incessantly and we eventually managed to locate one perched so we could all see it. A gang of White-winged Choughs were feeding by the track side and were feeding young in their mud bowl nest. We could have done with being at You Yangs half-an-hour earlier (the time we had lost at the salt works) as dusk came all too quickly. We failed to locate any night birds on a cross-country route back to Altona and so finished the first day on 71 species.The next morning we were on the road by 05:45 (remember daylight saving came into effect overnight) heading for the Brisbane Ranges. It was already too light for any chance of an owl but we had a wait before finding our first new bird, a Eurasian Coot seen at a roadside dam where therewas also a Grey Teal. Other roadside sightings included Long-billed Corella, Singing Bushlark and Laughing Kookaburra. By 07:00 we were at Stony Creek picnic ground enjoying a cup of coffee and the Brown Treecreepers which foraged around the picnic tables like sparrows in suburbia. A pair of Crested Shrike-Tits were nesting in the top of a small tree by the car park while another White-winged Chough nest was located near the road. Twenty species were added before 09:30 with a Red-browed Firetail being number 100. Scarlet Robin, Buff-rumped Thornbill and Yellow Thornbill were seen on the drive up to the main road.I now made a tactical blunder deciding to chase down to Lake Gherang for birds I hoped might be there rather than going to sites we knew. In the last seven hours of the race we only added a further 17 species seeing relatively few new birds while travelling. This decision probably cost us 10-15 species and I am still kicking myself. We did see both Yellow-billed and Royal Spoonbill at Lake Gherang while on the Lake to the east were our only Pelicans of the race plus a pair of Caspian Terns. An Australasian Gannet was eventually seen by the required majority from Point Addisbut it was tricky. We were late setting out for Melbourne, not even leaving ourselves enough time to visit our local patch in Altona so we were a little bit down as we approached the zoological gardens. Tree Sparrow and Rainbow Lorikeet were our last birds, taking our total to 120 species.Before I finish here are some suggestions for twitchathon novices (so you do not fall into the same traps as us):- 1) Have a game plan including route, sites and latest departure times AND stick to it; 2) Go where you know there are birds NOT where you hope they might be; 3) For night birds especially, but diurnal species too, known sites where you can tick and run are invaluable; 4) Some knowledge of bird calls is similarly invaluable, even if like us you intend seeing every species, knowing what you are looking for helps. I just hope we can follow our own advice.Finally, it was great to unwind at the post-race barbecue, and to listen to the other racers stories. Andrew and Matthew really liked the idea of spot-lighting for waterfowl but I am not sure Jenny or I have the stamina. It was even better to realise we had not disgraced ourselves and were not even last. And last but by no means least a very big THANK YOU to all those who sponsored 'The Muruks'Now, we are off to plan 'The Muruks' assault on the 1997 twitchathon......

'THE MURUKS' 1996 Twitchathon List
SATURDAY 26th OCTOBER 1996
Laverton Salt Works - 15:00-16:45
001. Welcome Swallow n
002. Willie Wagtail
003. *Common Starling
004. Australian Magpie n
005. Little Raven
006. *Common Myna
007. Yellow-rumped Thornbill
008. White-fronted Chat
009. Magpie Lark
010. Swamp Harrier
011. Whiskered Tern
012. Hoary-headed Grebe
013. Great Egret
014. Pacific Black Duck
015. Purple Swamphen
016. White-faced Heron
017. Silver Gull
018. *House Sparrow n
019. *Skylark
020. Curlew Sandpiper
021. Red-necked Stint
022. Red Knot
023. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
024. Red-capped Plover
025. Masked Lapwing y
026. Greenshank
027. Australian Shelduck y
028. Marsh Sandpiper
029. Sacred Ibis
030. White-headed Stilt
031. Black Swan ny
032. Red-necked Avocet
033. Pacific Gull
034. Little Grassbird
035. Golden-headed Cisticola
036. Dusky Moorhen y
037. Little Black Cormorant
038. Little Pied Cormorant
039. Black-shouldered Kite
040. European Goldfinch
041. Silvereye
042. Superb Fairy-Wren
043. Australian Kestrel

Point Cook Metropolitan Park 16:50-17:30
044. *Greenfinch
045. New Holland Honeyeater
046. Pied Cormorant
047. White-plumed Honeyeater
048. Red Wattlebird
049. Crested Tern
050. Singing Honeyeater
051. *Blackbird
052. *Spotted Turtle Dove
053. Blue-winged Parrot *** LIFER ***
054. Black-tailed Native-Hen
055. Chestnut Teal
056. Pallid Cuckoo
057. Crested Pigeon

Point Cook - You Yangs 17:30-18:00
058. Galah
059. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
060. Straw-necked Ibis
061. Red-rumped Parrot
062. Eastern Rosella

You Yangs 18:00-19:00
063. Tawny Frogmouth n
064. Purple-crowned Lorikeet
065. Noisy Miner
066. Tree Martin
067. Eastern Yellow Robin
068. Dusky Woodswallow
069. White-winged Chough
070. Little Wattlebird
071. Fan-tailed Cuckoo

SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER 1996
Altona - Brisbane Ranges 04:45-06:00
072. Eurasian Coot ny
073. Grey Teal
074. Singing Bushlark
075. Long-billed Corella
076. Australasian Grebe n
077. Crimson Rosella
078. Grey Shrike-Thrush
079. Grey Currawong
080. Mistletoebird
081. Australian Shoveler
082. Laughing Kookaburra
083. Maned Duck y

Stony Creek Picnic area, Brisbane Ranges06:00-08:30
084. Brown Treecreeper
085. Rufous Whistler
086. Grey Fantail
087. Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike
088. White-browed Scrub-Wren
089. Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
090. Musk Lorikeet
091. Crested Shrike Tit n
092. Striated Pardalote
093. Olive-backed Oriole
094. White-throated Treecreeper
095. White-naped Honeyeater
096. Striated Thornbill
097. Brown Thornbill
098. Satin Flycatcher
099. Sacred Kingfisher
100. Red-browed Firetail
101. Scarlet Robin
102. Buff-rumped Thornbill
103. Yellow Thornbill

Brisbane Ranges - Lake Gherang
104. Brown Falcon
105. Whistling Kite
106. *Feral Pigeon

Lake Gherang
107. Royal Spoonbill
108. Yellow-billed Spoonbill
109. Richard's Pipit

Lake Modewarre
110. Australian Pelican
111. Cattle Egret
112. Caspian Tern
113. Brown Goshawk

Point Addis & Ironbark Basin
114. Australasian Gannet
115. Brown-headed Honeyeater

Torquay - Melbourne 15:00-16:10
116. Little Egret
117. Great Cormorant
118. Black Kite
119. *Tree Sparrow
120. Rainbow Lorikeet

Key: * = Introduced Species; n = nesting noted; y = noted with young