A Weekend of Bird Photography - October 2026

October 28, 2026

I spent a long weekend based in Swan Hill in NW Victoria with the Melbourne group of Birdlife Photography. We visited a range of locations in Kerang, Lake Bolac, Swan Hill, Sea Lake and surrounding areas.

Friday 16 October

Middle-Reedy Lake Ibis Rookery, Kerang

First stop was the ibis rookery at Middle-Reedy Lakes near Kerang. During the early afternoon most of the ibis were away feeding but there were still plenty of pelicans roosting on Middle Lake.

Photograph of pelicans on wetland — Australian Pelican
Middle Lake, Kerang Victoria

There were Black-tailed Native Hens galore at several sites visited over the weekend but I managed to get closest to one beside the road around Middle Lake. These birds are unusually flighty—running for cover at the slightest disturbance—so I photographed this one out of the van window.

Black-tailed Native Hen
Middle Lake, Kerang, Victoria

A pair of babblers was feeding in the woodland near the car park. It was very dark and they spent most of the time hidden in the foliage but this one stopped on a branch in the sunlight for a few seconds.

Photograph of Grey-crowned Babbler — Grey-crowned Babbler
Middle Lake, Kerang, Victoria

Perhaps the highlight of the day was this Sacred Kingfisher. I found a pair flying back and forth along the channel near the car park and eventually this one landed on a branch close enough for a portrait.

Photograph of Sacred Kingfisher on branch — Sacred Kingfisher
Middle Lake, Kerang, Victoria

Lake Tutchewop

Next stop was Lake Tutchewop, primarily in search of White-winged Fairy-wren. We spent an hour or so searching and eventually found a male in full breeding plumage but it was on private property and about 100 metres away—far too distant for anything but a rudimentary record shot. I did, however, find this female who was much more co-operative, albeit backlit.

Photograph of female White-winged Fairy-wren — White-winged Fairy-wren (female)
Lake Tutchewop, Victoria

Saturday 17 October

Lake Tyrrell

Early morning and we drove to Lake Tyrrell near Sea Lake. While waiting for the full contingent to arrive, I spotted a Singing Honeyeater foraging in the bushes beside the car park. As I watched through the viewfinder, it grabbed a large moth and flew to the ground to ‘finish it off’.

Photograph of Singing Honeyeater with Southern Moon Moth — Singing Honeyeater and Southern Moon Moth
Lake Tyrrell, Sea Lake, Victoria

There wasn’t a lot of avian activity around the visitor centre and viewing platform so I headed out along “Lake Tyrrell Road” (actually a dry weather only rutted track along the southern shore of the lake) to a small open wooded area next to Robinvale-Sea Lake Road in search of Yellow-throated Miner and Purple-backed Fairy-wren. The latter would prove elusive for the whole weekend but the miners were there.

Yellow-throated Miner
Lake Tyrrell, Sea Lake, Victoria

Also there were several Black Kite flying overhead. These birds are the most common raptors in country Victoria and are great for photography because they are not easily spooked and fly low to the ground enabling good close-up opportunities.

Photograph of Black Kite flying overhead — Black Kite
Lake Tyrrell, Sea Lake, Victoria

Green Lake Regional Park

Next stop was Green Lake Regional Park, south of Sea Lake. I had driven past this location many times but never stopped and I was pleasantly surprised at the camping facilities and birding opportunities. Definitely on the list for the next trip to NW Vic.

There were several species of ducks including Pacific Black Duck, Grey and Chestnut Teal but the highlight was a pair of shelducks.

Photograph of a pair of Australian Shelduck — Australian Shelduck (male and female)
Green Lake, near Sea Lake, Victoria

Plenty of Black-tailed Native Hen but, as usual, very wary and, despite my careful stalking and photographing through foliage, this little bunch managed to stay more than 100 metres away.

Photograph of a small flock of Black-tailed Native Hen — Black-tailed Native Hen
Green Lake, near Sea Lake, Victoria

The highlight on my walk around the lake was coming across this little huddle of Hoary-headed Grebe.

Photograph of four Hoary-headed Grebes — Hoary-headed Grebe
Green Lake, near Sea Lake, Victoria

Woorinen South Bushland Reserve

Last stop for the day was another spot I’d never been to: Woorinen South Bushland Reserve. This small reserve next to the small town from which it derives its name, provided a pleasant short walk, the avian highlight of which was this pair of pardalotes.

Photograph of a pair of Striated Pardalote — Striated Pardalote
Woorinen South Bushland Reserve, Victoria

Sunday 18 October

Goschen Bushland Reserve

Sunday morning was spent at the compulsory Goschen Bushland Reserve, west of Lake Boga. This remnant native bushland is famous for its avian diversity and the number of inland birds that appear in spring and summer. We expected to find plenty of woodswallows—usually Dusky, which on this day were absent—but there were several White-browed Woodswallows flying around and occasionally perching for a portrait. Arguably the prettiest wood swallow, they are less common in Victoria than several other species so it was good to see them.

Photograph of White-browed Woodswallow — White-browed Woodswallow (male)
Goschen Bushland Reserve, Victoria

Goschen is perhaps most famous for its resident population of Brown Treecreepers and there were plenty around.

Photograph of Brown Treecreeper — Brown Treecreeper
Goschen Busland Reserve, Victoria

Two small inland parrots—Budgerigar and Cockatiel—had been seen at Goschen in the previous few days. We didn’t manage to spot any ‘budgies’ but were delighted to find Cockatiel feeding on the ground. Awkward to photograph but great to see!

Photograph of Cockatiel on the ground — Cockatiel (male)
Goschen Bushland Reserve, Victoria

Expected to be seen at this time of the year, but always a delight, there were several pairs of bee-eaters spotted.

Photograph of a pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters — Rainbow Bee-eater (female (L) and male (R))
Goschen Bushland Reserve, Victoria

Lake BOGA

Famous for being the home of the Catalina Flying Boats during WWII, Lake Boga is also a pleasant place for a picnic, camping and birdwatching. We had lunch at the picnic spot on the south shore of the lake and were entertained by Whiskered Terns flying by.

After lunch I set up camp on the opposite shore of the lake where for a few dollars you can camp right on the lakeshore. Whiskered and Caspian Terns were flying along the shore in search of food for the whole afternoon so I sat on the shore with the camera and grabbed a few shots.

Photograph of Whiskered Tern standing on sandy lake shore — Whiskered Tern
Lake Boga, Victoria

Photograph of Caspian Tern in flight — Caspian Tern
Lake Boga, Victoria

There were also several Great Crested Grebe fishing among the reeds on the shoreline.

After a very pleasant afternoon with the terns and grebes, I was treated to a beautiful sunset.

Photograph of sunset over lake with reeds in foreground — Lake Boga, Victoria

Monday 19 October

Tresco West Bushland Reserve

Monday morning and I was determined to find Purple-backed Fairy-wren so I headed to Tresco West, where some of the group had seen them on the Sunday afternoon, when I had remained at Lake Boga photographing terns. No luck with the fairy-wrens but I did find a Blue Bonnet, one of our more elusive parrots.

Elmore

Plumed Whistling Duck had been seen at the two bunker silo dams at Elmore. I hadn’t photographed this species in Victoria previously so headed there as my last stop on the drive home. There were a lot of ducks on both dams but it was a challenge to find even a half reasonable photograph. It was mid afternoon and hot (>30ºC) so there was a lot of heat haze and at both locations, the ducks were on the other side of the dams. This is the best I could do but it’s a state tick so I’m happy enough.

A fantastic weekend away with a great bunch of people and some nice birds as well. Thanks to Peter and John for their planning and organisation.

Now, to plan another trip t get those pesky Purple-backed Fairy-wren :-)

A Weekend at the Farm

April 21, 2026

I spent the weekend of 18-19 April 2026 at the family farm along with my wife, son and his family.

I had just purchased a new (2nd hand) camera and lens—in fact we delayed our departure from home to accept the delivery—and I was keen to try them out. I created this small project for the weekend: 36 black and white “landscape” photographs (there’s a few more than 36) taken around the farm, all made with the new camera-lens combination.

The camera is a Panasonic Lumix GX85—a small micro 4/3 mirrorless camera—and the lens is a 15mm wide-angle (30mm full frame equivalent) prime lens, an ideal combination for hand-held street photography, so it stimluated some different approaches to framing compositions from the normal zoom lenses used on my other cameras.

I hope you enjoy the results as much as I enjoyed making them.

Ian

Out of Eden - Pelagic trip to Victorian waters

March 31, 2026

On Sunday 22 March, I took another pelagic trip, this time out of Eden in southern NSW, with the intention to motor south into Victorian waters. We cast off from Eden Harbour before sunrise and as we headed south from Twofold Bay the sun burst over the eastern horizon, its golden glow hitting the east face of Boyds Tower.

Boyd Tower at sunrise — Boyds Tower, Twofold Bay, NSW

and the cliffs along the coast of Beowa National Park.

Coastal cliffs, Beowa National Park, south of Eden, NSW

It wasn’t long before our first birds of the morning arrived with several gannets flying past - mostly juveniles and immature birds.

We passed Green Cape, close enough to clearly see the maintenance work on the cottages.

Green Cape Lighthouse, Beowa National Park, NSW

By then our first shearwaters made an appearance - mostly Flesh-footed but an occasional Wedgetailed (of which I didn’t manage to get any reasonable photographs)

Flesh-footed Shearwater, off Green Cape, NSW

and our first albatross followed a few minutes later.

Shy Albatross with Green Cape Lighthouse in background, NSW

These were to be the most common species all day.

By the time we reached Victorian waters, little had changed with Flesh-footed Shearwaters and Shy Albatross making up the majority of birds around the boat.

Flesh-footed Shearwater, off Cape Howe, Victoria

Shy Albatross with Gabo Island Lighthouse in background, Victoria

As we began to burley, many birds settled on the surface to feed

It’s always fun watching albatross take off, running along the water surface to get sufficient air under their wings to lift off.

We did get a couple of rare tropical vagrants appear. Unfortunately I missed the first one - a Tahiti Petrel (I was on the wrong side of the boat - the only downside of being out on a large boat) - but did spot the immature White-tailed Tropicbird, albeit at some distance.

White-tailed Tropicbird (immature)
Image heavily cropped

Just before we turned for the return trip, three other species appeared.

Gibsons (New Zealand Wandering) Albatross (immature)

So, while low in species diversity, it’s always a good day when you get four species of albatross (there was also an immature Black-browed Albatross, of which I didn’t get any half reasonable photographs) and I got a lifer (tropicbird) as a bonus.

Thanks to Neil (Birdswing Birding & Wildlife Tours) and Simon and crew of “Bubbles” (Sapphire Coastal Adventures) for a great day out on the water.

In search of the Yellow Wagtail

February 14, 2026

Friday 13 February

With the reports of Eastern Yellow Wagtail appearing at Reef Island on Westernport Bay, I decided to make a day trip to see if I could find it. I planned on some additional stops - Stockyard Point to see if I could find any rarer wading birds, Corinella because it’s a nice spot for a break and San Remo for lunch (fish and chips at the Co-Op has been a must for decades).

I departed home at ridiculous o’clock (4:15 AM) to avoid the Melbourne traffic and arrived at Stockyard Point just after sunrise. First find was this character among the mangroves.

Eastern Grey Kangaroo among the mangroves, Stockyard Point

I was early enough on the incoming tide to make the walk along the beach relatively easy but I wasn’t the first one there.

When I arrived at the point, there was still some of the spit exposed with a few birds roosting.

There were no waders but I was pleased to find Australian (Gull-billed) Tern and Caspian Tern among the gulls.

Caspian Tern (with Silver Gull and Sooty Oystercatcher), Stockyard Point

A Pacific Gull flew in, temporarily disturbing the peace.

Pacific Gull and Caspian Tern (among Silver Gull and Sooty Oystercatcher), Stockyard Point

I didn’t approach the birds for fear of scaring them away so set up sitting on the beach to wait for the incoming tide to (I hoped) move the birds closer. However, as soon as they got their feet wet, they flew off.

I moved further along the beach and captured this shot of the thin band of the spit remaining above water just as the sun broke through the clouds and serendipitously captured a Greater Crested Tern fly through the scene while fishing in the shallows.

Australian Pelican, Pacific Gull, Silver Gull roosting and Greater Crested Tern fishing, Stockyard Point

A few minutes later, a Cape Barren Goose flew past.

High tide came and went but no waders arrived. I knew the high tide was not really high enough (Stockyard Point is a relatively high location tide-wise which makes it an ideal roosting refuge as other mudflats around the bay become inundated) but I was still surprised to see NO waders. I had planned an early lunch at San Remo but dropped into Corinella for a quick look. There wasn’t much activity at the boat ramp or along The Esplanade but was pleased to find a handful of Cape Barren Geese feeding in the fields as I drove out of town. A quick stop to shoot out the passenger window was rewarded with this shot.

On to San Remo for an early lunch at the Fisherman’s Co-Op. The Co-Op runs a Pelican Feeding session on the beach at midday every day so there are always pelicans gathering in the late morning.

After a delicious fish and chips lunch, I drove to the car park at the end of Soldiers Road and headed off down the beach towards Reef Island, which can be accessed at low tide via a rock rubble intertidal “causeway”.

In fact, the island is accessible at most times other than high tide - but be careful at spring tides not to get caught. It’s best to time your walk with the outgoing tide.

Keep your eye out for birds on the sand and mud flats and among the rock rubble.

The key target for this trip was the Eastern Yellow Wagtail that had been sighted on the island most days for the last week. Following advice from a fellow birder (thanks Chanith) that the bird was seen “hanging out” with White-fronted Chat near the centre of the island, I made my way to the suggested location. Found several chats (mostly immature) among the mangroves and on the rocks and dead seagrass along the “path”.

White-fronted Chat (immature), Reef Island

White-fronted Chat (immature male), Reef Island

White-fronted Chat (juvenile), Reef Island

However, no wagtail to be seen. Several other birders joined me and we spread out to get a better chance of spotting the bird. Eventually, it was spotted. I managed to get the camera pointed at and (mostly) focussed on the bird albeit it was facing the wrong way…

…and then it was gone.

I waited another half an hour scanning the mangroves and the rocks and piles of seagrass but to no avail. Happy I got the “tick” but disappointed I didn’t get a better look, I departed for the trudge back across the rock rubble and back along the beach to the van in time to drive to Sorrento to catch the ferry rather than endure the Melbourne traffic.

Portland Pelagic Birding Trip 1 February 2026

February 5, 2026

I went on the pelagic birding trip out of Portland, Victoria, on Sunday 1 February. The trip was organised by Chanith Wijeratne on board the Kraken Fishing Charters boat, the Lucky 8, skippered by Jon Dukker.

The trip out into the Southern Ocean was brutal. The weather was expected to be windy and rough but we had not expected the 3-5 metre swell. It took nearly 4 hours to reach the continental shelf but the discomfort was well rewarded with more than 20 species of birds seen and many giving good shows for photographs - albeit in challenging conditions. I managed 3 photographic lifers as well as another 2 ticks for Victoria. Here are my favourite shots from the day. Click on any image for slide show.