The past fortnight once again has been just glorious. When I have managed to catch a few spare moments, I have enjoyed being out and about around the Bellarine.
Thanks to Pete, president of the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, I managed to spot and photograph the square-tailed kite that has been hanging around the reserve.
In mid-September a lone kite was seen around the south track of the reserve, and it has been hanging around for a few weeks.
Square-tailed kites are considered ‘threatened’ in Victoria and can be more readily seen in the Orbost and Mallacoota areas, around Bendigo and around Horsham. It was exciting to see this bird in our own backyard.
The square-tailed kite is a specialist hunter of small birds, especially honeyeaters and insects in the tree canopy. They hunt by seizing prey from the outer foliage of trees by circling just above the treetops. These birds also raid the nests of smaller birds and feed on the eggs. Barry Lingham saw one being chased by a pair of brown falcons that probably had a nearby nest that the kite was targeting.
Square-tailed kites have a long, square shaped tail with long wings and a large cream crescent at the tips of their wings. These birds look like the more common black kite, so I’ve included a photo of both for comparison.
On my way to work one fine day, I briefly stopped at Blue Rocks, which is located at the west end of 13th Beach. Migratory waders start arriving from the northern hemisphere at this time of year, and they can be seen at this beach. I did see small numbers of these amazing birds, including red-necked stints, one sanderling and one curlew sandpiper. I was reminded of a photo I took near Blue Rocks in September 2013, where I was literally surrounded by a few hundred newly arrived migratory waders. I think I took those numbers of birds for granted, as in seven years the decline has been so obvious.
Monica, who lives near the Barwon River Estuary in Ocean Grove, sent me a photo of a collared-sparrowhawk in her garden, feasting on a poor, unfortunate species of dove. There have been many of these birds around Ocean Grove this year. For example, I was doing my grocery shopping the other day and a sparrowhawk flew over my head.
Kevin sent me an image of a few brolga that he spotted at the Lake Ayrey Conservation Reserve, off the Princes Highway near Colac. It’s always wonderful to see a brolga, especially since they are considered ‘vulnerable’ in numbers in Victoria.
Justin, who is the news editor of the Ocean Grove Voice, sent me a message that he had a small flock of eastern rosella in his garden. Eastern rosella are commonly seen around the Bellarine and can be taken for granted, but they are beautiful birds to have visit the garden.
My friend Nerise had been looking for quite a while to see a spotted pardalote, and she was happy to get a good view of one near the beach in Ocean Grove recently. Spotted Pardalotes are another tiny but colourful bird, and they spend much of their time high in the tree canopy consuming insects, so it’s often hard to get a good look at one.
