Xavier's Bird Lists

Two Eastern Rosella perched on a neighbour's balcony as I picked Al up on the most stunning crisp, sunny morning we've had all year.

First stop was Geelong where we split to catch up with our respective mothers. Mine and I walked around the Botanic Gardens. I was hoping for a black cockatoo, which I haven't seen in this part of the state this year. No luck, but I did spy a small grey bird with colored splotches on wings that I wasn't able to identify. A female pink robin perhaps? Lot of wattlebirds, lorikeets and currawongs causing havoc.

Rendezvoused post-brunch with Al and we made for Long Forest Nature Conservation Reserve near Bacchus Marsh. Neither of us had been before, it was on the way to our next stop, and someone apparently saw a Rose Robin there two weeks ago.

A quick loop around gravelly track yielded no robins, but plenty of varied Thornbill that we struggled to sort from one another. Fun but not good for lists. Al saw her first Golden Whistler (female) for the year. Two Superb Fairywren greeted us back to the car.

Off to Hanging Rock for XC. Al saw a Gray Shrikethrush on her warm up, which I subsequently tracked down as well - thankfully it was calling loudly.