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.