First week of November - Nesting waterbirds

Well, its been a couple of weeks since my last post, and Herdsman Lake is starting to show signs of a potentially exciting summer. The water is receding, and large, tantalising mosaics of mud and grass are forming on the edges of the lake.

Two White-winged Trillers called from the flooded gums this afternoon, my first since the early arrival in September.

Black-fronted Dotterel. Two were in the grass on the western side,
replacing the Red-capped Plovers that nested last month.

A Black-winged Stilt squatting suspiciously on an island of bricks.

Two pairs of Great Crested Grebes are nesting among the Typha
near the wildlife centre.

A colourful Glossy Ibis foraging in the mud.

Second week of October

There were more birders than birds today on my only visit to the lake this week. And they all seemed to be looking for the now all too familiar Freckled Ducks. But today it was different. The Freckled Ducks were extremely tame, feeding right beside the path within metres of the passing hordes. The picture below was taken with my iPhone.

A very tame (female?) Freckled Duck

A pair of Rainbow Bee-eater have set up shop at the sand mound, but there was no sign of the Red-capped Plovers seen a week earlier.

I'm off to Broome tomorrow, so won't be able to report until the fourth week of the month. I hope I don't miss anything too special while I'm away!

First week of October - Fledgling Red-capped Plover!

On the 2nd of October, Ross Jones revealed more than 10 Rainbow Bee-eaters were at Byford. It meant they were back, and it was time to get down to Herdsman Lake and find one for myself.

I started out at the Heron Place carpark and worked my way around the lake in an clockwise fashion. Eleven Barcoo Bantams were skulking on the lawn at Maurice Hamer, and by the time I'd got to the end of this stretch of park, I'd already seen around 40 species. Floundering my way through the Flooded Gums towards the Settler's Cottage, the distinct yet distinct calls of Rainbow Bee-eaters were echoing from the sand mound. Unluckily, a passing Australian Hobby sent them on their way before I could get a photo...

The passing Australian Hobby

With all these Oriental Plovers showing up on the east coast, I thought it was worth a look in the grassy areas to the north of the sand mound. Upon arrival, I flushed a cat, which flushed a Red-capped Plover, which flushed the camera from my pocket. With the cat safely scurrying into the nearby neighbourhood, I suspiciously scanned for more. and soon found another gorgeous adult, and with it a very large chick!

Red-capped Plover adult (above) and fledgling (below)

Bumping into the Herdy Bird Nerds near the Baumea (?) bird hide, I witnessed the experts in action, meticulously ageing a mist-netted Yellow-rumped Thornbill from its tail feathers, and blowing on the belly of a Silvereye to see if she was broody. With overhead Little Eagle, Australasian Darter and Australian Ringneck adding to my morning tally (up to 63), it was time to move on.

A Weebill and Striated Pardalote singing along Jon Sanders Drive was the feature of the often lifeless north-eastern stretch. Arriving at the Wildlife Centre I slowly scoped for Freckled Ducks, which I hadn't seen in a while. Nothing. Until I saw the one right in front of me.

The only Freckled Duck left at Herdsman Lake?

Black-winged Stilts were my concluding bird for the 5hr walk, unless I can count this Mallard as number 70? Please?

Nesting note - apart from the fledgling Red-capped Plover, other new arrivals this spring included 2 Musk Ducklings, and Dusky Moorhen and Buff-banded Rail chicks.

Fourth week of September - Chestnut Teal

Continuing with the duck theme from last week (not much else going on when the place is flooded), Jaime and I came across this teal. It was swimming with an obvious Grey Teal, but was slightly bulkier, and much darker, especially around the head. Having grown up on the east coast where Grey Teals are the novelty, it is always nice to pick out the familiar Chestnut Teal from the west coast flocks.

Chestnut Teal - you can see a hint of green above the eye (female or immature male?)
Photographed through my phone and binoculars

Third week of September - Long-awaited Mallard

I've had a terrible time trying to see a Mallard in Australia that is at all comparable to the wild-type birds I've seen in the northern hemisphere. Usually they are grotesque, pale and fat, and can usually be hand-fed. So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw this drake sitting on the grass at the southern end of Herdsman Lake. I'm ticking this one for my Herdsman Lake list (#110), and my Western Australian list (#366) too!

Mallard drake - a little messy, but note the green head, narrow white collar
uniform dull yellow bill, pale grey body with darker back

Overall, the abundance of ducks is pretty low, and the last of the Freckled Ducks have left, but the Australasian Shovelers, Grey Teal, Pacific Black, Blue-billed and Musk Ducks can still be easily seen.

Second week of September - An early White-winged Triller

My earliest spring White-winged Triller alighted atop a dead swamp paperbark this week. She didn't stay long enough for a photo, but she had beaten last years first triller by 22 days.

Here's a few of the local birds seen during the week:

Nankeen Night-Heron - found in the canopy of swamp paperbarks on the west side of the Wildlife Centre

Sporadic at Herdsman - a pair of Silver Gulls have recently called Maurice Hamer home 

Eastern Great Egrets have exploited the high water, and are often seen on the lake's edges

First week of September - Story of the Barcoo Bantam

Rain is keeping water levels high at Hersdman, so nothing has really changed from last week. The long-staying Freckled Ducks and even longer-staying (over a year now) Black-tailed Native-hens can easily be found mixed with Glossy Ibis and Eurasian Coots along Maurice Hamer.

Freckled Ducks continue (to sleep) at Herdsman Lake

While watching the Freckled Ducks, an elderly man approached, and unexpectedly asked if I knew an ancient name belonging to the native-hens. I didn't, but made an educated guess at Green-and-red-billed Desert Chicken or something along the lines. Without hesitation, he irrupted into the first passage of 'A Bush Christening' by Australian poet Banjo Patterson:

                  "On the outer Barcoo where the churches are few, 
                          And men of religion are scanty, 
                   On a road never cross'd 'cept by folk that are lost, 
                          One Michael Magee had a shanty..."

Turns out, we were both staring at Barcoo Bantams. 

Two of seven Barcoo Bantams at Maurice Hamer Park

Nesting note - the bush birds are starting to hatch young. I've seen Red Wattlebirds and Welcome Swallows delivering items to nests this week.

Fourth week of August - Return of the Wood Sandpiper

My only visit to Herdsman Lake during this week was the last day of the month. I walked the 6.5 km lap around the lake, starting around 7:30 am. I scanned 'Kakaku' to see if there was anything more than two obvious Australian Pelicans, and there was. The first Wood Sandpiper of the spring had arrived, eight days earlier than last year. The water levels seems determined not to recede, so it may be a while until other shorebirds appear.

The first Wood Sandpiper of the spring

Nesting note - A couple of dozen more eggs must have hatched as well, as I saw a pair of Australian Wood Ducks with a chick,  a young Grey Teal, two more hatches of Pacific Black Duck, and a downy Purple Swamphen.

Blue-billed Ducks and Great Crested Grebes just tend to loaf

Third week of August - Owling Take 2

Herdsman Lake veterans John and Marcus Graff joined me on another quest to find an owl at the lake. We worked our way along the southern margins, scanning every bare branch along the way. In the Flooded Gum woodland near the Settler's Cottage, a Tawny Frogmouth caught my eye.

Just like last time, a Tawny Frogmouth was our only night bird

Some owl fodder, a Motorbike Frog

Third week of August - Cuckoo o'clock

Like clockwork, the cuckoos call.

Each year from mid-August, one can often hear the repeated rising whistles of the Shining Bronze-cuckoo. Today I heard two, one near the Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre, and another near the Settler's cottage on the western banks.

Last summer, I came across a juvenile cuckoo with a flock of Willie Wagtails and Yellow-rumped Thornbills, although I couldn't tell which of the two had been forced into fostering this young noisy bird. I hope to solve that mystery this spring, and with adult birds present now, it surely won't be long until they've found a host nest to lay their egg, before departing to enjoy a restful Aussie summer down south.

Second week of August - Tawny Frogmouth

My night was free, and nothing appealed more than going spotlighting for the first time at the lake. I started in the eastern carpark, the local nighttime taxi driver hang out when they have nowhere else to be.

With my LED LENSER lighting up the park like the lights at the MCG, I set forth through the swamp paperbark and flooded gum forests

View across the lake from the northern carpark

It took only 12 minutes, but I came across my first night bird at the lake, a Tawny Frogmouth perched on a branch above a semi-flooded forest floor.

A Tawny Frogmouth hunting from the swamp paperbarks

Apart from some calling Purple Swamphens, Musk Ducks, Australian Shelducks, Pacific Black Ducks and Willie Wagtails, the rest of the night was quiet.

No owls this time, maybe they are hiding out in the river red gum parkland in the south-east corner of the lake. Stay tuned.

Second week of August - Hatching time

This morning on my lap of the lake, I saw a pair of Black Swans with four very small, awkward-walking cygnets. Apart from some ducklings belonging to the Pacific Black Ducks, the only other waterbirds I've noticed this (soon-to-be) Spring with young have been the Great Cormorants. They built their nests in the usual short, dead trees at the west end of Maurice Hamer park, as well as at one spot on the eastern side of the lake. I'd guess there are around 25 nests in total, and the chicks are now adult-size and will probably leave very soon.

Right now, the bush birds are putting on a show, highlighted by my latest patch tick, a female Red-capped Robin (3rd record of the year for Herdsman, but my first ever!). She was flitting around in the Swamp Paperbarks near the Pony Club, occasionally diving to the ground to catch some unsuspecting prey. Spotted Pardalotes continue to sing from the Flooded Gums, and are usually joined by Western Gerygones, Rufous Whistlers, Grey Fantails, Yellow-rumped Thornbills and hordes of Silvereyes.

Freckled Duck numbers are still the same, and the Black-tailed Native-hens are hovering around 10.

First week of August - FRECKLED DUCKS

In fact they are multiplying. Twenty-five at the last count. Until last month Freckled Ducks had enjoyed near mythical status at Herdsman Lake (at least for me). But three of them loafing on a log weren't the slightest bit phased by my gawking binoculars, or by the swimming Tiger Snake that brisked by their feet.

Spring is (just about) here, the Purple Swamphens are shamelessly mating, the Western Banjo Frogs are plucking their chords, and the joggers are often just down to a pair of shorts. If the water level drops, maybe we'll see the first Wood Sandpiper of the spring during the next couple of weeks.