Category: Victoria

Big Zigzag Birding

week 025 | Around Melbourne | trip list 442 – 448

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Mountains and Woods, Penguins and the Ocean

In an Eggshell:

  • Big Zigzag bird species count: 448 (+6 this week)
  • Big Zigzag bird families count: 84 (+1 this week: Penguins, Shearwaters and Petrels) 
  • Big Zigzag Lifers: 91 (+0 this week)
  • Campsite Lifers 23 (+0 this week)
  • Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 131 (+3 this week)
  • eBird days of checklist streak: 173
  • Week’s special milestones: Travelled so far milage passed the 20000 km

Bird(s) of the Week

Little Penguin under St. Kilda Pier

White-rumped Sandpiper from the “Crakes Pond” at Western Treatment Plant

Pectoral Sandpiper from the same magic pond

Cape Barren Geese were not allowed to enter the motorhome with muddy feet 

Thousands Great Crested Tern at Philip Island

One Great Crested Tern at Philip Island

Non-bird image(s)

Kurth Kiln Regional Park

Nobbies Centre Philip Island

Nobbies Centre Philip Island

Week's Key location(s)

Western Treatment Plant

Little Penguin site, under St. Kilda Pier edge

Nobbies Centre at Philip Island is a great birding spot

Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 20220 km (this week 650 km)

eBird Checklists this week

1583. 04 Jan 2025 4:49 PM The Nobbies (Philip Island)
1582. 04 Jan 2025 8:55 AM Yarra State Forest–Big Pats Creek Picnic Area
1581. 03 Jan 2025 11:01 PM Yarra State Forest–Big Pats Creek Picnic Area
1580. 03 Jan 2025 2:30 PM Yarra Ranges National Park–10 Mile Picnic Area
1579. 02 Jan 2025 5:42 PM Kurth Kiln Regional Park

1578. 02 Jan 2025 8:59 AM Kurth Kiln Regional Park

1577. 01 Jan 2025 1:12 PM Memorial Oval, Edithvale
1576. 31 Dec 2024 6:16 PM St Kilda Pier
1575. 31 Dec 2024 11:25 AM Allisons Road, Clonbinane, Victoria, AU (-37.321, 145.17)
1574. 30 Dec 2024 4:46 PM Allisons Road, Clonbinane, Victoria, AU (-37.321, 145.17)
1573. 29 Dec 2024 11:08 AM Western Treatment Plant–T Section Ponds
1572. 29 Dec 2024 7:31 AM Western Treatment Plant–Ponds 28-30 and Adjacent Coast
Big Zigzag Index
Big Zigzag Birding

week 024 | Around Melbourne | trip list 437 – 442

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From the woody parks and wetlands east to the city - to the legendary West Treatment Plant

In an Eggshell:

  • Big Zigzag bird species count: 442 (+5 this week)
  • Big Zigzag bird families count: 82 (+0 this week ) 
  • Big Zigzag Lifers: 91 (+0 this week)
  • Campsite Lifers 23 (+0 this week)
  • Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 128 (+1 this week)
  • eBird days of checklist streak: 166
  • Week’s special milestones: none

Bird(s) of the Week

Local rarity: Long-toed Stint at Western Treatment Plant 

Thousands Australian Shelducks at West Treatment Plant 

Although Pink Robin was in this section last week as a lifer – this week it’s here again with better photo. From Donna Buang Mountain.

Blue-winged Parrot seen already in flight in 2018 and earlier this trip. This week around 20 of them seen well at Kurth Kiln Regional Park

Baillon’s Crake is also here for the second week in a row as photographed better on Edithvale Wetlands.

Non-bird image(s)

View from Donna Buang summit lookout tower (128 steps)

Kurth Kiln campsite

Kurth Kiln Regional Park

Week's Key location(s)

Donna Buang Mountain

Great free camping site at Kurth Kiln Regional Park, with some nice birds as Blue-winged Parrot

Edithvale Wetlands – Nice birding close to Melbourne CBD

Western Treatment Plant – Key birding site mainly for water birds, not too far from Melbourne (and you need a key to get in! )

Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 19570 km (430 km this week)

eBird Checklists this week

1571. 28 Dec 2024 7:40 AM Western Treatment Plant
1570. 27 Dec 2024 11:17 AM Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands–Edithvale
1569. 26 Dec 2024 7:56 AM Kurth Kiln Regional Park-
1568. 25 Dec 2024 7:01 PM Kurth Kiln Regional Park-

1567. 24 Dec 2024 12:38 PM Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands–Edithvale

1566. 24 Dec 2024 7:39 AM Dandenong Valley Wetland
1565. 23 Dec 2024 3:19 PM Kurth Kiln Regional Park–Kurth Kiln
1564. 22 Dec 2024 2:22 PM Yarra Ranges National Park–10 Mile Picnic Area
1563. 22 Dec 2024 8:41 AM Toolangi State Forest–The Tanglefoot Trails
Big Zigzag Index
Big Zigzag Birding

week 023 | Towards and around Melbourne | trip list 422 – 437

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Is Pilotbird Victoria's secret?

In an Eggshell:

  • Big Zigzag bird species count: 436 (+14 this week)
  • Big Zigzag bird families count: 82 (+0 this week: Barn-Owls) 
  • Big Zigzag Lifers: 91 (+7 this week: Pink Robin, Flame Robin,
    Gang-gang Cockatoo, Beautiful Firetail, White-throated Nightjar, Little Lorikeet, Pilotbird)
  • Campsite Lifers 23 (+4 this week: Gang-gang Cockatoo, White-throated Nightjar, Little Lorikeet, Pilotbird)
  • Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 127 (+9 this week)
  • eBird days of checklist streak: 159
  • Week’s special milestones: bird 555 on my Australia’s list, clean-up Australia’s  Cockatoos

Bird(s) of the Week

Clean-up all Australia’s Cockatoos (Cacatuidae) with Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum), which is also monotype genus. Out of 22 species in the family, 14 seen in Australia:
  • Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
  • Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo
  • Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo
  • Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
  • Glossy Black-Cockatoo
  • Cockatiel
  • Palm Cockatoo
  • Gang-gang Cockatoo
  • Galah
  • Pink Cockatoo
  • Western Corella
  • Little Corella
  • Long-billed Corella
  • Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Tough one – Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella) hard to get out of the grass… patient and luck needed.
Bunyip State Park–Mortimer Picnic Ground

Flame Robin – ticked at Beauchamp Falls, photographed at Toolangi State Forest.

Pink Robin – Hopefully better photo will follow

Baillon’s Crake -not a lifer but rare and seen twice this week: at Lake Elingamite and at Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve.

Non-bird image(s)

Triangular road, Bunyip State Park near Mortimer Picnic Ground – Beautiful Firetail site

Toolangi State Forest

Toolangi State Forest

Week's Key location(s)

Great Otway National Park–Beauchamp Falls – three lifers location: Pink Robin, Flame Robin, Gang-gang Cocatoo

Triangular road, Bunyip State Park near Mortimer Picnic Ground – Beautiful Firetail site

Bunyip State Park–Helipad – White-throated Nightjar & Sooty Owl site

Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve just across St. Kilda street, Elwood – Little Lorikeet site.

Toolangi State Forest–The Tanglefoot Trails – Pilotbird site.

Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 19140 km (650 km this week)

eBird Checklists this week

1562. 21 Dec 2024 10:01 AM Toolangi State Forest–The Tanglefoot Trails
1561. 20 Dec 2024 6:37 AM Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve, Bayside
1560. 19 Dec 2024 6:31 AM Bunyip State Park–Mortimer Picnic Ground
1559.  18 Dec 2024 7:13 AM Bunyip State Park–Mortimer Picnic Ground
1558. 17 Dec 20249:00 PM Bunyip State Park–Helipad
1557. 17 Dec 20242:01 PM Bunyip State Park–Helipad
1556. 17 Dec 20246:49 AM Bunyip State Park–Mortimer Picnic Ground
1555. 16 Dec 2024 7:05 AM Great Otway National Park–Beauchamp Falls

1554. 15 Dec 2024 1:28 PM Great Otway National Park–Beauchamp Falls

1553. 15 Dec 2024 7:20 AM Lake Elingamite
1552. 14 Dec 2024 1:58 PM Lake Elingamite
1551. 14 Dec 20246:58 AM Fawthrop Lagoon
Big Zigzag Index
Big Zigzag Birding

week 022 | Adelaide – SW Victoria | trip list 405 – 422

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Along the coast from South Australia to Victoria

In an Eggshell:

  • Big Zigzag bird species count: 422 (+17 this week)
  • Big Zigzag bird families count: 81 (+0 this week: ) 
  • Big Zigzag Lifers: 84 (+2 this week: Long-billed Corella, Olive Whistler)
  • Campsite Lifers 19 (+0 this week)
  • Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 118 (+9 this week)
  • eBird days of checklist streak: 152
  • Week’s special milestones: none

Bird(s) of the Week

Hooded Plover (Thinornis cucullatus), VU Vulnerable. Endemic to southern Australia  sandy ocean beaches. Not a lifer, but much better distance comparing to the one seen in 2018. 

Olive Whistler, Enchanted Forest, Glenelg. Back in Victoria lifer.

Surprise lifer! Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) was not on my target list as I have seen it in New South Wales in 2013 & 2018. But after posting today’s checklist on eBird of a random drive stop at  Tantanoola, I found that the old reports considered as non-countable exotic species, and today’s birds from South Australia are mentioned on eBird as a lifer!

Having the biggest beak of all birds can be an advantage, although sometimes cause a headache.. Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus).

Australasian Gannet colony at Point Danger, near Portland, VIC.

Purple-crowned Lorikeet. Happy with the photo (not with the cable 😜)

Non-bird image(s)

I was trying to photograph the only inland lighthouse in Australia, at Point Malcolm (narrow passage between Lake Albert and Lake Alexandrina), but unfortunately the building is not on focus 😜

Echidna. Defiantly not a bird.

Crumpets Beach, VIC.

Week's Key location(s)

Tantanoola is a surprising key location (see Long-billed Corella above)

Enchanted Forest, Olive Whistler site.

Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 18490 km (1050 km this week)

eBird Checklists this week

1552. 14 Dec 2024 1:58 PM Lake Elingamite
1551. 14 Dec 2024 6:58 AM Fawthrop Lagoon, Glenelg
1550. 13 Dec 2024 11:39 AM Narrawong Beach, Glenelg
1549. 13 Dec 2024 9:48 AM Enchanted Forest, Glenelg
1548. 13 Dec 2024 7:21 AM Great South West Walk, Portland, Victoria, AU (-38.382, 141.641)
1547. 13 Dec 2024 6:55 AM Great South West Walk, Portland, Victoria, AU (-38.382, 141.641)
1546. 12 Dec 2024 6:24 PM Fawthrop Lagoon, Glenelg, Victoria
1545. 12 Dec 2024 9:37 AM French Point, Grant, South Australia
1544. 12 Dec 2024 8:41 AM Pelican Point, Grant

1543. 11 Dec 2024 11:38 AM Pelican Point, Grant

1542. 11 Dec 2024 11:04 AM Cape Banks (The Carpenter)
1541. 11 Dec 2024 10:32 AM Tantanoola, Wattle Range
1540. 11 Dec 2024 7:29 AM Cape Jaffa, Kingston
1539. 10 Dec 2024 10:37 AM Coorong National Park–Salt Creek
1538. 10 Dec 20248:47 AM Lake Albert Caravan Park (Meningie)
1537. 10 Dec 2024 7:25 AM 3708 Narrung Road, Narrung, South Australia, AU (-35.53, 139.185)
1536. 10 Dec 2024 6:59 AM Alexandrina Drive3, Narrung,South Australia, AU (-35.513, 139.185)
1535. 09 Dec 2024 8:37 PM Alexandrina Drive, Narrung, South Australia, AU (-35.513, 139.185)
1534. 09 Dec 2024 8:27 AM Cox Scrub Conservation Park–East end
1533. 08 Dec 202412:17 PM Whicker Road Wetland, Port Adelaide
1532. 08 Dec 2024 10:53 AM Whites Road Wetland, Salisbury
1531. 08 Dec 202410:08 AM Dead Mans Pass Reserve, Gawler
Big Zigzag Index
Big Zigzag Birding

week 021 | Murray – Sunset to Adelaide | trip list 395 – 405

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Add Your Heading Text Here

In an Eggshell:

  • Big Zigzag bird species count: 405 (+10 this week)
  • Big Zigzag bird families count: 81 (+0 this week: ) 
  • Big Zigzag Lifers: 82 (+3 this week: Red-lored Whistler, Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Crescent Honeyeater)
  • Campsite Lifers 19 (+0 this week)
  • Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 112 (+3 this week)
  • eBird days of checklist streak: 145
  • Week’s special milestones: Zigzag vird list over 400, 98th global Honeyeater – 50% of Meliphagidae

Bird(s) of the Week

Milestone Honeyeater. Crescent Honeyeater (Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus) is not just a lifer. Not just clean-up genus Phylidonyris (With New Holland & White-cheeked Honeyeaters). This is my 98th global honeyeater, which means I have more the 50% of the 195 Honeyeaters in the world.
Photographed at Scott Creek Conservation Park, South Australia.

Red-lored Whistler at Murray – Sunset NP

Elegant Parrot (Neophema elegans) ticked 2 weeks ago without photo. At Cox Scrub Conservation Park it was easier.

Dusky Woodswallow feeding chick

Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) – not a lifer – but you can see the water through his nostrils!

Non-bird image(s)

Cox Scrub Conservation Park

Scott Creek Conservation Park

Murray – Sunset National Park

Week's Key location(s)

Red-lored Whistler location – Murray-Sunset National Park–around Millewa South Bore Track at Pheenys Track

Ettrick Conservation Park, Purple-gaped Honeyeater location

Cox Scrub Conservation Park, Elegant Parrot site.

 Scott Creek Conservation Park, Crescent Honeyeater site.

Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 17440 km (990 km this week)

eBird Checklists this week

1530. 07 Dec 2024 10:23 AM Bald Hill Beach, Wakefield
1529. 07 Dec 2024 8:03 AM St Kilda
1528. 06 Dec 2024 11:19 AM Scott Creek Conservation Park, Adelaide Hills
1527. 06 Dec 2024 8:46 AM Woorabinda Bushland Reserve, Adelaide Hills
1526. 05 Dec 2024 10:01 AM Barker Inlet North–bird hide, Port Adelaide Enfield
1525. 04 Dec 2024 8:37 AM Cox Scrub Conservation Park

1524. 03 Dec 2024 12:07 PM Cox Scrub Conservation Park

1523. 03 Dec 2024 7:24 AM Ettrick Conservation Park
1522. 02 Dec 2024 5:37 PM Glenburr Road, Burdett, South Australia, AU (-34.967, 139.374)
1521. 02 Dec 2024 12:57 PM Ettrick Conservation Park
1520. 01 Dec 2024 7:20 AM Murray-Sunset National Park–Millewa South Bore Track at Pheenys Track, Victoria
Big Zigzag Index
Big Zigzag Birding

week 020 | Gluepot to Hattah – Kulkyne | trip list 391 – 395

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West Victoria Mallee (and both, only "Mallee" named birds, as lifers!)

In an Eggshell:

  • Big Zigzag bird species count: 395 (+4 this week)
  • Big Zigzag bird families count: 81 (+0 this week: ) 
  • Big Zigzag Lifers: 79 (+4 this week: Chestnut Quail-thrush, Mallee Emu wren, Pink Cockatoo, Malleefowl)
  • Campsite Lifers 19 (+0 this week)
  • Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 109 (+4 this week)
  • eBird days of checklist streak: 138
  • Week’s special milestones: Clean-up genus Stipiturus (Emuwren), Clean-up Megapods of Australia

Bird(s) of the Week​

A warm Victorian welcome with Chestnut Quail-thrush (Cinclosoma castanotum) at Hattah – Kulkyne National Park

Pink Cockatoo (aka Major Mitchel Cockatoo) seems like an easy lifer in the right time and location. I spent a few hour in Ouyen with not much activity, but late afternoon they become the nosiest birds around 

Malleefowl, the mound-builder or the Megapod of the Mallee, not easy to spot. On the right places, they seen feeding on roadsides, dangerous for them, may useful for spotting it. Thanks for Michal from Explore The Mallee from his help!

Mallee Emuwren – ticked at Hattah – Kulkyne National Park, photographed better a few days later at Murray – Sunset National Park

Non-bird image(s)

Crossing from South Australia to Victoria

Mallee landscape at Hattah – Kulkyne NP

Sunset near Ouyen, Pink Cockatoo time

Week's Key location(s)

Hattah-Kulkyne NP was the site for the first to lifers: Chestnut Quail-thrush & Mallee Emuwren. Striped Grasswren was seen as well. I spent most of the time on Nowingi trail.

On the 2 evenings I was in Ouyen, Pink Cockatoos seen west and north to Blackburn Park. During the day could not find them. 

Seems that the best way to see Malleefowl is when the feed on roadsides as Hopetoun Walpeup Rd. May a better option is to contact 

Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 16450 km (this week 990 km)

eBird Checklists this week

1519. 30 Nov 2024 10:13 AM Murrayville
1518. 30 Nov 2024 8:41 AM Salt pans west of Ouyen on Mallee Hwy
1517. 29 Nov 2024 6:15 PM Hopetoun Walpeup Rd at -35.30639, 142.17528

1516. 29 Nov 2024 8:49 AM Hopetoun Walpeup Rd at -35.30639, 142.17528

1515. 28 Nov 2024 6:56 PM Ouyen
1514. 28 Nov 2024 6:27 AM Hattah-Kulkyne National Park–Nowingi Track at Konardin Track

1513. 27 Nov 2024 8:54 AM Hattah-Kulkyne National Park–Nowingi Track at Konardin Track

1512. 26 Nov 2024 7:41 PM Kings Billabong Nature Walk, Nichols Point, Victoria, AU (-34.217, 142.227)

1511. 25 Nov 2024 9:25 AM Waikerie River Front Walk

1510. 24 Nov 2024 10:26 AM Gluepot Reserve
Big Zigzag Index