WA - 2017. Fairy Terns, Fairy Wrens, Orchids & Osprey.

It's good to be back in Perth and I am looking forward to meeting up with Bird Life Aus people to visit the Pelican Nature Reserve on the Swan River. Then travelling South beyond the Margaret River to Denmark. I've hit the ground running!

I'm too early for the Fairy Tern nesting season but have been invited by Dr Nic Dunlop to his Fairy Tern workshop and presentation in Mandurah which is an hour South of Perth. I'm keen to check out their decoys which I photographed on previous visits as they appear to be more substantially build than the polystyrene ones we use in NZ.

Timing is spot on for the wild flower season so looking forward to seeing the sites on my list on route to Denmark.

Monday 11th Sept
  Wireless Hill to see the Wildflowers.

Kangaroo Paw

Donkey Orchid

Tuesday 12th Sept
  A visit to Bold Park to visit the Birdlife Aus office and then walk to the top of Reabold Hill then back via the Tuart track. Temperatures in the low 20's are just good for walking
Tuesday Evening
In the evening a  meet-up at Pelican reserve with Murray and Kath from Birdlife Aus. The highlight for me was seeing an Osprey ripping a fish apart as it fed on a wooden post in the Reserve. We counted 23 species of birds on our evening circuit of the Reserve.

WildLife Habitat Protection
I was also interested to see the off-shore line of 7  buoys that are there to protect the shore sand edge of the reserve where birds roost and nest.. These are marked with WildLife Habitat Protection. I'm interested to promote this idea at Shoal Bay to protect the High Tide Roost sites from increasing disturbance from water recreational users especially as the population grows with increased infill housing.

Wildlife habitat protection on the Swan River

Wildlife Habitat Protection

Wednesday 13th Sept
Kings park to search for wild orchids fortunately I met up with some keen orchid hunters. Photographed the Spider orchid, Donkey Orchid, Pink Fairy orchid, and the Cowslip orchid.

Thursday 14th Sept
Headed to Mandurah about an hours drive South of Perth to attend the Fairy Tern workshop on the invitation of Dr Nic Dunlop.

Arrived early afternoon and had an explore of the area finding Fraser Lake and meeting Brian who kindly pointed out an Osprey nest.

30 keen people attended the Fairy Tern work shop and listened to Nic outline local projects to create a Fairy Tern Sanctuary and then we all took part in painting Fairy Tern decoys which was just what I wanted to see.

Presentation and workshop for the Fairy Tern Sanctuary

Friday  15th Sept
Headed South West to Dunsborough via Jarrahdale and Harvey.

Saturday  16th Sept
Orchid and Splendid Fairy wren photography in the Cape Leeuwin National park. This is one of my favourite stretches of coastline. The stretch between Meelup beach and Castle rock is always a delight.

Splendid Fairy Wren (female)

Splendid Fairy Wren (male)

Spider Orchid

Sunday 17th Sept
Travelling further South to Denmark via Nannup

Monday 18th
Exploring the Wilson Inlet.

Staying amongst the Giant Karri trees overlooking the Wilson Inlet

Entrance sand bar to the Wilson Inlet.

Tuesday 19th
Albany and the whaling museum in at Discovery Bay in the Torndirrup forest Park. Amazing Geology at the Gap.

Wednesday 20th
The lake House with the white browed babblers in a group of 4 on the ground. Then the Harewood Reserve Walkway.

Thursday 21st
Very wet day exploring Peaceful bay but the light was just right after the recent rain to walk in the forest near Walpole to see the  Giant Tingle trees.

Friday 22nd
Searching the head of the Wilson inlet for Aus Fairy Tern and found three on the sand bar entrance.

Three Fairy tern and a silver gull at the entrance to the Wilson Inlet.

Then spotted a Southern Right Whale with calf. Moved along the coast for a better view overlooking the whales.

Southern Right Whale with Calf

Saturday 23rd
Left our house in Denmark that overlooks the Wilson Inlet set below Giant Karri trees  and headed for Cranbrook to see the Stirling Ranges. Immediately  South of Cranbrook is an excellent wild flower reserve - The Cranbrook Federation Wildflower Reserve. Many white spider orchids here.

The Stirling Ranges

Staying at Kojonup in a converted Clover/Linseed oil shed. Clover House was very comfortable indeed and I felt very relaxed here .
Kerrie the owner proudly showed us her art creations and art gallery, Outside her sculptures created from recycled materials were dotted around her riverbed garden. A very talented lady.

Amazing wild flowers including wild orchids at the Myrtle Benn Reserve. This area is a biodiversity
hotspot.

Myrtle Benn Reserve habitat

Sunday 24th
Farrar Reserve also near Kojonup is an amazing place too for wildflower diversity. Meeting up with other people who were keen to share their finds of orchids helped as we too shared our finds.

Blue Orchid

Spider Orchids

Dragon Orchid

Zebra orchid

Sundew

Tuesday 26th Sept
Now back in Perth. Osprey on lamps above a breakwater at Cottesloe.

Two Osprey on Lamps over breakwater

Osprey close up

Tuesday evening meet-up with Charles, Murray, Kath & Jean to walk around the Pelican Reserve for a bird count. Great to see the Little egret, red-necked stints and sandpipers.

Little Egret

Thursday 28th September
Point Walter sandbar on the Swan River. Another favourite place. A large flock of between 100-200 little black cormorant flew over then landed on the water and then began rounding up fish by flying together in a long drawn out line. Quite a sight. A lone Terek sandpiper  feeding and disturbed by a hooded plover. Also red-capped plover and red-necked stints feeding too. A lone Great cormorant flew over too.

Great Cormorant

Hooded plover chasing Terek Sandpiper

Friday 29th Sept 

Fremantle then Point Walter to check out the birds. Tide out today. Just crested Terns and silver gulls but heard then watched two Fairy tern at the far end of the spit flying fast and high.

Sat 30th Sept

Back to Mandurah to see and help with setting up the Fairy Tern sanctuary behind the breakwater. Lots of helpers to help spread a huge pile of shell spoil across the site. Soon to follow will be the fencing and then the placing of the decoys.

Formidable pile of shell to be spread around the site

Many hands make light work. Yes that's me in there too.

The pile of shell has been spread across the whole site.

Tuesday Oct 3rd   -  Joondalup Lake Regional Reserve
Unusual duck for me the musk duck strange lobe under its bill.


Tues Evening - Pelican Reserve 23 species recorded including a fan tailed cuckoo and blue shoveller. The red-capped plover have two juveniles now.

Then to the Italian Restaurant meeting with other Pelican Point supporters. Great pizzas, a very enjoyable evening. Many thanks pp people for the invite.

Thursday Oct 6th  - Rottnest Island
The Island is a honeypot for tourists but it is possible to find quiet stretches of the coast and inland Lakes and enjoy the unique wildlife including the Quokkas.

Headed straight for the Osprey stack nest that I visited in 2016. There are said to be 10 stack nests on the Island. This year  there are again a pair of Osprey this time with young but I couldn't get a photo of the chicks. However I did enjoy watching and getting these shots of the Osprey returning with a very large fish.

Osprey returns with large fish catch

Osprey returns to stack nest with fish for chicks and mate.

The Salt lakes are an amazing habitat and this is an area I always head to on the Island Its a peaceful spot the causeway between the two lakes with so many birds to see.

Ruddy Turnstone

Red-necked stint

Saturday 7th Oct -  John Forrest National park
Full of wild flowers and orchids too on the scarp of the Darling Ranges.

Distant view of Perth from the Darling Range.

Fringe Lily

Lemon scented Darwinia

York Township -A delightful historic Town set in the Avon Valley.

Clifton Park Reserve and Leschenaultia Lake

Sunday 8th Oct  - Forrestdale Lake.
Large Lake of Ramsar significance. Rather too much water in the Lake at the present time but as it dries out it becomes and importance feeding site for thousands of wading birds. Extremely important site for Aboriginal people. It was settled in the past due to an abundance of food including the long-necked turtle which are said to be still present.

Piney lakes

Monday 9th Oct  Point Walter

Fairy Terns diving for fish. Terek sandpiper and many other birds.

Tuesday 10th Oct
Pelican Point Nature reserve with Murray, Charles, Kath, Jean and David. A cool strong breeze but a good show of 26 species.

Wednesday 11th Oct
Swan river dolphins.

Arrival of the Godwits

It was great to get an email from Graham announcing that three bar-tailed godwits had arrived in Ngataringa Bay.

  I had to check the High tide roost sites this morning and counted 22 now at Ngataringa Bay. Last year they reached 260 recorded at Shoal Bay on the 15th of December 2016.

On a high tide roost site in Shoal Bay estuary there are still two  of the sixty three wrybill, left.  We would have expected them to have left for the South Island for breeding by now.

 

Miranda Calling

Great to attend the residential NNZ Dotterel course at the Miranda Shorebird Centre this week. John Dowding is the 'Master' when it comes to all things 'dotterel'

John's depth of knowledge through his  research work over many years and his keenness to pass on information to help with dotterel management make for a great few days.

 It was good to catch up with familiar people and some new  from DOC, Auckland Council and other voluntary groups around the East and West Coast too of the North Island.

John teaches the distance that it  is safe to move at risk nests.

Photos to follow.