First Day of Birding On The Road

If I were doing a big year, I would bird like a maniac. All those who know me know that I can bird with a passion. We are taking this easy, but still keeping a list. Yesterday we saw our 100th species on that list. I have seen more than that in a day of hard birding, but we’ve mostly been spending time with family and getting Matilda ready. I am very grateful for it all.

Yesterday morning began with a walk around this beautiful caravan park in Anglesea. We picked up a few birds that we had not seen this “year.”
   

The precious and ubiquitous Superb Fair-wren (female or plain male). 

Singing Honeyeater

Yellow-rumped Thornbill

The always wonderful Red-browed Finch

Then we drove our house to Point Roadknight, one of the most beautiful places I know and a consistent spot for the endangered Hooded Plover. We saw two. They are precious. We walked around the point and had a couple of Great Cormorants and Pacific Gulls as well as a flock of Crested Terns. And in the middle of them all was a Black-faced Cormorant. Not a bird I expected to see there. I am grateful.

         

Hoodies!

Black-faced Cormorant, an unexpected bird... (Pacific Gull behind him).

Then we headed to Aireys Inlet and ticked off a few more birds and even found Lynn a lifer! We ended up seeing several Crescent Honeyeaters walking in the beautiful forest near Distillery Creek Picnic area (where we ate lunch… still getting used to birding from “home!”). I am so grateful.
     

Masked Lapwing showing why it has been called the "Spurred Plover." Look at those spikes on its wings!

Often seen and usually taken for granted, the Pacific Black Duck, beautiful, yes?

Lynn's Lifer Crescent Honeyeater! We saw several including one beautifully colored male, but this was her first and the only one I photographed.

Today we begin to journey inland and up. I will certainly attempt to keep this blog up to date. I know the challenges of internet connection will present themselves as well as just time itself. This is a much more quickly written blog than usual (I just banged this out, so to speak). So don’t always expect wit and clever writing (ever). Just remember, I am very grateful to be able to do this and share it with you all. Yes I am.

Birds. Peace. Love. Earth. Laughter. Music.