Chiltern, Mount Pilot National Park and driving South to Marysville, Victoria.

A successful Morning seeing (but not photographing) target species in the woods again and later travelling South.

Australia, Day Fourty Three.

 

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops).

Deb, Renate and I headed back into the Woodlands on Mount Pilot where we again parked at the Honeyeater Picnic Area and spent a while watching the open area around Cyanide Dam hoping to catch-up with some of the Parrot species we had missed yesterday.

Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus).

Black-faced Cuckooshrike (Coracina novaehollandiae).

On the way we had Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata), Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina), Brown Falcon (Falco berigora), Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen), Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula) and Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata).

Little Lorikeet (Parvipsitta pusilla).

Little Lorikeet (Parvipsitta pusilla).

Once we were by the pool we had Black-faced Cuckooshrike (Coracina novaehollandiae), Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus), Noisy Friarbird (Philemon corniculatus), Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris), Yellow-tufted (Lichenostomus melanops), White-plumed (Ptilotula penicillata), Yellow-faced (Caligavis chrysops), Fuscous (Ptilotula fusca) and White-naped Honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus), Willie-wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) and then two small Little Lorikeets (Parvipsitta pusilla) flew into one of the taller trees, we had good views but the photo's were abysmal.

Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor).

Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor).

We returned to the car and went for a drive out to Ballarat Road where we found Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans), Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides), Grey Shrikethrush (Colluricincla harmonica), Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus), White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos) and ust as we were about to give up due to the mist getting worse a flock of Swift Parrots (Lathamus discolor) flew in and gave us a bit of a run around but we eventually got good views but again the photo's were pretty bad.

Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor).

Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor).

We drove out of the woods and into Chiltern to use the Loo's which as with quite a few buildings had a nice mural on the wall but this one was better than most as it was of the very rare and elusive Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia).

Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos).

Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos).

Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos).

From the Loo we walked up to the lake in Chiltern Park Reserve where we had views of Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae), Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa), Little Pied (Microcarbo melanoleucos) and Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris), Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita).

Dark Morph Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides).

We headed West out of town and followed the motorway on the northern side for a while adding Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes), Great White Egret (Ardea alba), Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) and just after we went under the Railway line a soaring dark morph Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) which bought us to a stop so we checked the trees nearby at the same time finding Crested Shrike-tit (Falcunculus frontatus) and Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides).

Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes).

Female Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus).

We crossed the motorway and took a road which followed it on the south side for way, as we drove we passed a small dam where I had my first Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes) along with Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis), Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) and White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae).

Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea).

Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea).

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting to Marysville, on the way we saw Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena), Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris), Scarlet (Petroica boodang) and Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea), Yellow-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa), Galah's (Eolophus roseicapilla), Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) and White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica).

Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea).

We arrived in Marysville just after dark in the rain and eventually found a place to stay, this was harder than expected as we had not allowed for it still being the sking season locally.