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Anglesea Heathland and Otways The return of autumn meant that the heat of summer has abated and we experienced some lovely sunny days in April. Many birds move about at this time of year, some moving from the heavily forested Otway Ranges to the more open lowland areas around Geelong, while others move further north to tropical zones. Four people from Geelong came on the trip and it was nice to be able to show them some of the “harder to find” birds of the region, as well as some new sites that had good birding. We managed to find a Rufous Bristlebird on the coastal heathland and then spent some time along Forest Road where we had great views of a pair of Scarlet Robins, White-eared Honeyeaters and Crescent Honeyeaters. We noted a Grey Fantail with very dark grey markings and a rich buff-coloring on the breast, showing it to be a Tasmanian sub-species that visits Victoria over winter. It is hard to imagine these small birds battling across the treacherous waters of Bass Strait, but many make the journey every autumn. Deeper into the heathland, we observed Eastern Spinebills, Grey Shrike-thrush, Brown Thornbills and New Holland Honeyeaters. We could hear White-naped Honeyeaters and a few Brown-headed Honeyeaters, but they were difficult to spot as they flitted between clumps of flowering mistletoe or blossom. After a pleasant morning tea near Aireys Inlet, we moved on into the wetter forests of the Otway Ranges. White-browed Scrubwrens were seen in the undergrowth and Crimson Rosellas were fairly numerous. Eastern Yellow Robins perched to watch us watching them. Recent rains had rejuvenated the bush, but it was still reasonably dry. We noted several areas that had been recently burned by the DSE as part of their planned control burn program. Some burning is done to reduce fuel loads so that wildfires are not as severe, while other ecological burning is done to regenerate the flora. The habitat is well adapted to fire and many plants will not germinate unless periodical fires stimulate the seeds to grow. Many birds and small mammals rely on this fresh regrowth. We have been lucky to have been spared from the savage fires that burned other parts of Victoria in early February, and it is a relief that the fire danger period is now past. A walk into Lake Elizabeth allowed us to spot several new species, with the highlight being an Olive Whistler. These birds are only found in the wetter forests of the region. Barry
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Wyld By Design |
