Birds, Bunker and BBQ

 As a contribution to the Victorian Seniors Festival U3A Mallacoota organised a visit to the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) followed by lunch at the WW2 Bunker Museum site, an inspection of the Bunker and a natural history exploration of part of the Bunker site.  Thank you to East Gippsland Water for permission to visit the WWTP and to the Mallacoota and District Historical Society (MDHS) for opening the Bunker Museum site.

I had had some concerns about the weather we might experience with rain forecast at some stage.  As we started the sky was clear although the wind was a little brisk when out of the shelter of the trees.

We gathered on Betka Rd beside the entrance to the tip and followed tracks through the bush checking out the birds as we went.  Most observations were by ear, with quite of lot of calls being evident.  The most frequent calls were of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters  earning their historic vernacular name of Bush Canary.  Of course Grey Fantails came to inspect us.  As we approached the entrance to the WWTP a Leaden Flycatcher was heard - my first record for the season - but remained hidden somewhere in the dense foliage above us.

On entering the WWTP an unusual site for the area was an Australian Pelican soaring over the ponds.  This appeared to disturb the waterfowl a little, possibly they mistook it for a large raptor, but they settled down again.  

As we headed towards the ponds with more fowl a moderate sized (a little over 1m in length) Red-bellied Black Snake was seen absorbing a few sun rays: after a period of mutual observation it headed back down its burrow.

The waterbirds on the ponds have been in reduced numbers for a few months as several species have headed off to the floodwaters of the Western inland.  This meant we didn't see any Pink-eared Ducks or Hardhead nor surprisingly any Eurasian Coots (which have been in remarkably reduced numbers this year across East Gippsland).  A few Australasian Shovelers were the least common Ducks seen.   As usual several Australian Shelduck were present and several ducklings of that species were evident (in reduced numbers compared to recent visits presumably due to predation by birds of prey).  The Black Swans were accompanied by a flotilla of cygnets. 

As the site contains extensive timbered country with much regrowth after the 2019-20 fire  a good range of bush birds were seen and (notably) heard.  As we were close to leaving a Restless Flycatcher posed nicely for a photo.

Within the WWTP we recorded 30 species which I regard as a pretty good outcome for a rather windy day with quite a few of the on-water species missing in action.

On the way back to the cars it was surprising to note a number of specimens of Glossodia major (Large Waxlip Orchid).  Most of these were the 'normal' blue/mauve flowers

.. but we did notice one white form flower.

On our way to the Bunker we swung into Betka Beach to look for the Hooded Plovers.  However as the mouth of the Betka River was closed again the water was covering most of the area where the Hoodies roost and nest so they were not available for viewing.

After a very enjoyable BBQ cooked by members of U3A and MDHS (who hadn't come to the WWTP) we checked out the display in the Bunker Museum itself and then went to explore 

• some of the nest boxes erected by Birdlife Australia; and 
• the Nature Trail being developed by MDHS in the vicinity of the Bunker.

Previous checks of the nest boxes had found no clear evidence of occupancy but on this occasion inserting aprobe camera (thank you, Caroline) into 2 boxes found they were occupied (o the camera was rapidly withdrawn to avoid stressing the Ring-tailed possums.

On the way to look at other parts of the Nature Trail we came across a nice specimen of a sun orchid: I think Thelymitra arenaria.  In the first image the orchid is just visible above the pamphlet.

We then went to explore the signage and tree-fern plantings.

All in all I found it a very pleasant outing covering a few of the many enjoyable aspects of Mallacoota.

A miscellany of snaps

 Various photos from 10 - 11 October.

I went to the poo pits yesterday mainly to show a local birder the back way in.  She spotted a nice goanna beside the track past the tip.

You can't have too many photos of Pelicans.  This quizzical one was next to Fisheries Jetty.

On the morning of 11 October it was pretty chilly (around 7C) with picturesque fog visible across the Lake.  

The full moon was heading towards setting.

Pelicans behaving oddly

 On our morning walk today as we were returning along the Lagoon Boardwalk we noticed a large group of Australian Pelicans heading towards the entrance to the Lagoon.  I expected them to be in pursuit of a school of fish and to form a circle and start feeding.  When we got past the last vegetation we found that they weren't doing that, but rather forming a mob of 28 birds on a sand bank.

They then formed an orderly queue and swam under the boardwalk.  The water level was so low under the boardwalk that they emerged walking in an organised line!

Some didn't enter the Lagoon but the episode concluded with all on the Left swimming up the Lagoon and round the bend.  They didn't seem to pause to feed anywhere in this process.

Please explain?  From time to time I refer to motorists that seem to have got their licence in a Weetbix box as Pelicans: this seems to justify that epithet for the cognitively challenged!

Following a forecast

 The 7 day weather forecast for Mallacoota issued by BoM on 3 October looked interesting with an apparent series of rain events.

I was particularly interested in the heavyish rainfall suggested for the 6th, 7th and 9th (especially that for the 9th).  So I recorded these to see what happened.  As I start this post off the forecast period has not yet finished so I can't give an overall mark, but it is not looking good.  Here is the Meteye forecast issued on the 8th: note particularly the rainfall now offered for the 9th.

A little later (1940 AEDT) I looked at the Canberra (ie Captains Flat) radar image.

The system is basically moving South so we still seemed to have a fair chance of a fall.  However by 0626 on the 9th it seems the system has stalled, or perhaps is slipping a bit to the East.  Canberra has copped 34 mm, Jervis Bay 80 mm and Uller Duller (sorry Ulladulla) 105 mm.  Interestingly, when looking at a pressure map (isobars etc) the system appears as a linear front, rather than the cyclonic low pressure cell I would have expected from the radar image.  By midday the system had either moved right out f range r dissiated completely.

What the numbers quoted by BoM for rain mean are the lower number is 50% chance of greater than this and the higher number is the 25% chance.  (Another way of looking at this is to say there is a 50% chance of LESS than the smaller number!)

We have now reached the end of the forecast period.  Here is an image of the colour-coded outcome:

Quite a few of the readings were "about right": I don't feel inclined to attempt to be precise in such a dodgy exercise, especially where the BoM changed its forecast as the date approached.  The only element they understated was the rainfall on 8 October.  My suspicion is that they expected the area of rain to come slightly further South than it did before moving out to sea.  I'd rate the Bureau's performance as perhaps a C grade: good have been better but not the epic fail it looked like at one point.

A longish walk

 After our tramp to 2 Heath Cove we decided to try a slightly longer walk starting at Betka Beach and turning back at Pebbly Beach.  The route followed, effectively 5 km each way, is shown on the following image snipped from Google Earth.  It had the great benefit of being quite flat with small hills at Betka, Quarry and Pebbly beaches.

A view towards the West End of Betka.

The regrowth gives the walk somewhat the feel of a box hedge maze from England: given my view that official Parks agencies want the manicured look of Stately homes that is to be expected.

The good thing is that this trimming has given a bit of air for some orchids to be visible,  There were a lot of Caladenia carnea and quite a few of these Prasophyllum sp. visible along the way.

Lomandra sp were also visible - I think this is the female plant of L. longifolia.

Burchardia umbellata was seen, but not in profusion.

In contrast in some areas Lasiopetallum macrophyllum was forming the bulk of the shrub storey and revealing its flowers.

A cluster of Dampiera stricta.

An unusually large outbreak of Hybanthus vernonii.

Leptospermum laevigatum.

Stackhousia monogyna

There was a lot of Comesperma sp visible in the more heath-like areas.  As well as the very common pink C. ericinum a few specimens of the blue C. volubile were seen between Quarry and Secret beaches.

I don't usually photograph Billardiera scandens but this large and visible specimen won the day.

Kennedia rubicunda is still flowering well, with a floriferous backdrop.

Dianella tasmanica (the specific ID reflecting its height).

Goodenia ovata

 is taking on the role of dominant shrub in many areas, filling in the position occupoed in 2020-21 by Solanum aviculare (Kangaroo Apple)

There were a few birds around, especially around Secret Beach.  Fan-tailed Cuckoo.

Immature Great Cormorants (a group of 12 adults of this species were at the West end of Pebbly Beach).

Dusky Woodswallows were hawking above the bush.

Getting back to Betka, the mouth has closed again after a brief opening in a rainy spell.

2 Hooded Plovers were inspecting the sandbar: probably checking out nest sites.

Wildlife around town

A few interesting bits and bobs from a scout around the centre this morning.

I stopped at Fisheries Jetty to count the Black Swans as they seemed to be in good numbers on our morning walk today. The answer was 240, which would seem to imply there is a good growth of eelgrass in that area as well as towards the Goodwins.

Then a juvenile Striated Heron came off the Marsh just upstream of the Jetty.

It flew off towards Seagull Island - one of the species usual haunts. That sighting is particularly exciting as almost at the same time Frances saw one near Schnapper Point Drive. So definitely at least 2 in the area.

A flotilla of Little Black Cormorants came by, continually diving after a school of fish.

I had been in the area of the Pumping Station where I got the answer to "what is better than a koala?". The answer is of course "2 Koalas."

Another question from the same area was "can I - or at least Photoshop Express - improve a photo of a Lyrebird in deep shadow?"

I think the answer is "Yes."