Dowell Creek revisited

As the Lilli pillies (Syzygium smithii) in Shady Gully are still covered with fruit I thought it might be worth making a second visit to Dowell Creek to check for frugivorous pigeons.  So we took off in the Pajero with some friends.  

Here is the route of our walk, starting on the Fern Gully Track.

 Yes, the Lilli Pilli were well endowed with fruit.

In some cases the top of the tree was clear of fruit and a lot was in the ground, suggesting that the fruiting season was just about over.  However, given the purpose of the visit, the key thing was that no 'special' pigeons were seen or heard.  The only evidence of columbids all visit was he call of a Wonga Pigeon - nice, but not 'special'.

We found some well designed stepping posts across a creek.

 Rain forest was available with a good array of Cyathea australis (tree ferns) in the lower layer. 

 Various bird calls were being emitted from the forest, some of them definitely from a Superb Lyrebird and some others (eg Eastern Whipbird) attributed to the Lyrebird.  Some other calls were not recognisable to me and it wasn't possible to get a look at the calling bird so they became mysteries and were omitted from the list.  It was nice to be able to track one call to a Crescent Honeyeater as it wasn't giving the classic "Egypt" call.

In the open area a Jacky Winter posed nicely.

 A couple of Red-necked Wallabies were also around and looked at us quite intently.

Getting back to the Pajero, parked in a grove of Allocasuarina littoralis, something had been munching on the cones. 

 Option A would be Glossy Black-Cockatoos but they were (unfortunately) no longer in the area.

Dropping our friends off at their house in Karbeethong they showed us a nesting White-headed Pigeon.  This resolved the question of whether they were nesting in the area.

You've got to be quick ....

.. to get good sunrise!

I noticed that there was a tinge of colour in the clouds this morning and about 5 minutes later Frances alerted me to it really colouring up.  So I grabbed the camera and drove up to the top of Angophora Drive.  The following photos start at 0650 hrs.

And finish at 0652.  Possibly in total a 5 minute window for really good colour.

Walks High and Low

With friends visiting from Canberra we did a couple of walks on the 22nd.  The first was to Genoa Peak, mainly because its there but with a faint hope of seeing Glossy Black-Cockatoos.  One of those was fulfilled: it wasn't the cockies!

As we set off from the car park I spotted a Pterostylis grandiflora beside the track.

 Glancing across to the other side of the track there was Pterostylis tunstallii.

It doesn't appear too clearly in this image but there had been an impressive lightning strike on this stringybark. A salutary reminder not to do this walk when thunderstorms are possible.

 Indeed, metal ladders on an exposed granite peak would not be good on a storm.  But hopefully showing one's support for the Saints would deflect divine wrath.

The cap seemed to work as we neither saw nor felt any electrical discharges.  In fact the view from the Peak was a little disappointing as it was very hazy.  But still not a bad look at the area.

Later in the day our second walk was though the heathland to the West of town.  The Allocasuarina nana was into flower.

 Quite a few people were walking their pooches on the beach, but the Hooded Plovers were still trotting about near tyhe estuary of the Betka River.

Coming back through the dunes we found some nice examples of Leucopogon parviflorus. According to the Flora of Victoria it is flowering a little earlier than might be expected

This was growing and flowering  on the bank of the Betka River.  Some other strollers identified it as a 'Pinkie'.  This didn't seem to help getting to the Latin.

 A couple of images of reflections in the water of a small lagoon off the river,

The walk up from the River to the heathland is often a tad boring, going through a monoculture of Melaleuca armillaris.  On this visit it was exciting to find a lot (perhaps 50 plants) of Pterostylis nutans.

 And then the first decent example of blossom on Acacia longifolia.

Captains Creek walk-through

We decided that we'd take our visiting friends on a walk though the Captains Creek area.  After parking their car at Bucklands we all piled into the Pajero and went to the parking area off Genoa Rd.

That gave us a walk of about 9km (and cunningly about a net loss of 100m in elevation)!  Here is the first stretch, to Captains Creek Jetty.

Thanks to records in the Atlas of Living Australia and the Flora of Victoria I am able to identify this bean with a flattened stem and tiny leaves as Bossiaea ensata.

 A nice spiky wattle, of which there are several possibilities.  After reviewing flower colour, seasonality and habitat I have concluded this is Acacia oxycedrus.

 This blue jobbie has me a little bluffed at present.  I suspect it is a Lobelia from the overall shape of the flowers and leaves.  The leaves in particular suggest L. dentata.

One of the eucalypts had quite a bit of blossom - sort of visible in this image - which seemed to be attracting a Crescent Honeyeater,

Again thanks to records in the Atlas of Living Australia and the Flora of Victoria I am able to attach the name Platylobium parviflorum to this bean  I'd note that the shape of the leaves was quite crucial in coming to this conclusion.

 An easy one: Hovea heterophylla.

 Another quite easy one, as the hairiness of the flowers goes straight to Leucopogon and the pink buds takes on quite quickly to L. ericoides.

This white one should be easy but currently is not cooperating!  Thanks to Brigitta I now know  it is Rhytidosporum procumbens!

 As we got close to the Captains Creek Jetty we found a very large colony (~50 plants ) of Pterostylis grandiflora.  This is certainly the most widespread of the greenhoods we have found recently.

From the Jetty we moved on towards Bucklands  (We didn't pause long at the Jetty as the mozzies were numerous, large and hungry.)

 Our first daisy: Brachyscome spathulata.

These leaves, located in the forest on the last slope down to the Inlet, have a very orchidaceous look and feel to them. The spot was marked and we'll go back in a week or so to see what has happened.

 Possibly the leaves above are another colony of Pterostylis curta.  We found  some in flower in the Narrows.

All in all that was a pretty good walk.

Book Review "Birds of Mallacoota"

I was told of this book by one of the volunteers at the Bunker Museum and was able to track a copy down through ABE Books.  It ended up costing $15.00 which seems a little pricey for a 52 page book, but (spoiler alert) good value for an historical reference and absolute delight to own.

The book is the second edition (after the 1st from 1962) and was produced by the Mallacoota School in 1979.  It was printed in Orbost by the Snowy River Mail (which this author is pleased to see still exists).

The book has a brief introduction outlining the background to the book and the history of the area but mainly comprises an annotated list of the bird species recorded in the area.  It concludes with a list of birds which might be added to the list, notes in the habitat in several areas; and a list of the contributors.

The style of the book is most amusing, with most species being reported "straight" but occasional entertaining remarks added.  For example:

Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata): On 2\June 23rd, 1975, Ken Morrison picked up a live bird grounded in the camp park.  This was the first Victorian record.  The bird later died and is now in the National Museum.  It's still dead. 

Pallid Cuckoo (Cuculus pallidus):  ... Ken Nash of Mallacoota has kept records of the arrival of many birds each spring and his notes on cuckoos are particularly interesting.   Ken is a good bloke and works out at the aerodrome.

One major change since the book was published has been the opening of the Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW), which I find to be a  very important site for ducks and other waterbirds.  By way of example Australasian Shovelers are common there but only make the supplementary section of the book as not being recorded in Mallacoota.   The book comments under the listing for Wood Duck    ".. the first edition of "Birds of Mallacoota" listed most ducks as uncommon ... "  On occasion I have found over 500 ducks of various species at the ponds.   I need to do some more research on the history of the WWTW!

Another 'locational' aspect is the number of references in the book to the Genoa Flats.  I suspect that many people simply fly past there on their way to the Coast.  This may reflect the current dryness of the area.  Also, in the wader entries there are many references to the Goodwin Sands: we must get out there sometime soon.

Of course some of the species names in the book reflect old usages and taxonomists have weaved their magic to revise names.  It is possible however to work out the current name in every case.

Most of the remainder of this review comprises comments on various entries in the list either where the situation has changed in the ensuing 40 years or there is some other useful comment to be made.  In most cases the words of the book are in plain font and my comments are italicised,

• Little Penguin: Often seen at Bastion Point at night... I haven't been to Bastion at night but wonder if that is still the case.
• Australian Pelican My impression is that numbers of this species have increased recently from those cited in the book.  Certainly I wouldn't regard 11 birds as noteworthy with 25+ being common at the wharfs, especially when fish are being cleaned.
• Mangrove Heron: I think now called Striated Heron, but the key point is that I have never seen one in the area and it is not on the Birdlife East Gippsland checklist.  Has it vanished?  The location given (Coulls Inlet near Shady Gully) is easy to check: I must do so!
• Yellow-billed Spoonbill: Quite common and found in the same areas as Royal Spoonbills.  I have not seen this species in the area, whereas Royal Spoonbills are resident around Bottom Lake.
• Mountain Duck (Australian Shelduck):Only a single sighting cited whereas there are usually 2 - 5 at the WWTW.
• Letter-winged Kite: recorded in the irruption year of 1977.  If only one would appear now ...
• Swamp Harrier: .. often seen .. giving seagulls nesting on islands in front of the wharf a very hard time.. Looking at the eBird  records the species seems to be seen frequently in November-December, possibly reflecting when most birders come to the area.  I have personally not recorded the species in the area: I must do better.
• Beach Stone Curlew: An interesting sighting: one was reported from Pambula Beach for several recent years.
• Pigeons:  The situation described in the book is rather different in many respects to how it is currently.
• Two fruit-eating species in the list have not been recorded recently:
• Red-crowned Pigeon (aka Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove);
• Emerald Dove;
• and 2 more at best infrequently:
• Brown Pigeon (aka Brown Cuckoo-Dove); and 
• Topknot Pigeon (but see Crested Pigeon below).
• Spotted Dove is recorded most months, in small numbers
• Peaceful Dove is reported as "Quite a few birds in the area ..." but it is not in the Checklist and has few eBird records since 2000.
• Common Bronzewing appears noteworthy in the book but is an everyday bird around town generally these days.
• Wonga Pigeon is discussed as being likely to be disturbed by development.  That has not happened as they are very common garden birds around the area generally.
• Crested Pigeon is not listed in the book but these days is usually visible along Betka Rd near Mortimers Paddock.  This matches the situation in Canberra where the bird was largely unknown before 1980 but is now one of the commonest garden birds.  I also note that some people used to call this species the Topknot pigeon due to the crest!
• Galah... Not common in this area....  I would now rate them as common with small flocks seen most days.
• Purple-crowned Lorikeet .Much less common than either Rainbow or Musk Lorikeets and only occasional records appear.  Not included in the checklist nor reported to eBird.  However I consider it one to watch for.
• King Parrot Seems to have become much more common.
• Indian Koel: now a common sound of Summer.  In 1979 it appears to have only recently established a toehold in Mallacoota.
• Common Skylark (aka Eurasian Skylark) apparently only just recorded in the area when the book was produced.  Still not common with nearly all records from the Airport area.
• Hooded Robin: the book mentions 2 reports of this species but cautions that some experienced observers have never seen it in the area.  Not on the Checklist not reported to eBird.
• Noisy Friarbird Very rare in this district. Not in the checklist.  Several records for eBird but nearly all for March 2018 (by a number of observers).  Suggests a small number (possibly 1) of vagrant birds came, made a ruckus and moved on.  The comment in the book is still true.
• Regent Honeyeater Distributed reasonably widely throughout area.  Not any more.  Rated nationally as critically endangered - if anyone sees one it should be reported to Birdlife Australia ASAP.
• Scarlet Honeyeater ... sightings very few and far between...  Now a common bird of Spring/Summer especially around Callistemons.
• Little Raven in Supplementary List - A call similar to that of this bird is sometimes heard in the area.  A trap for young players!  The call of the juvenile Australian Raven is very like that of the Little Raven and as far as my dysfunctional old ears go that is what I have heard rather than the true call of the Little Raven.

My overall summary is that the authors of this book deserve much praise.  While quite a few of their records differ from our recent findings having such a historical background is extremely useful

Sundry July photographs from East Gippsland

This will hold photographs that I think interesting  that don't fit in other posts.

I think this small puffball (one of a cluster of 6) is Bovista brunnea.

 When Frances was looking out to sea she noticed water running out of this rock.  Her first thought was a mini-blowhole.  However on watching it is merely the wash from big waves filling a slot in the rock and then leaking out through a concealed crack.

There were some good waves getting used at Davis Beach on the 10th.

 And the sunset on that date was pretty good also.

Sunset 8 July

The sunset looked promising for spectacle on 8 July, with low cloud and a gap on the western horizon.  And so it turned out.

At the start (1636 hours) the view to the NW, looking up the Narrows towards Nungatta Peak, was a little cloudy but pleasant in a Brigadoonish fashion.

 A couple of images looking West at the narrow gap on the horizon.

 By 1639 the mist had cleared to Nungatta.

 The colour begins to intensify by 1648.

 Colour, Nungatta Peak and reflection in the Inlet (1649).

 The Western gap...

That's all folks (1657).