#206 to #209 around Anglesea, Victoria, July 6

Today I thought it would be a good idea to head to Point Addis and do some sea watching. I was hoping for some albatross, maybe a giant-petrel, and who knows what else! I arrived around 10am and found absolutely nothing. The conditions were all wrong. I stayed for a while, ate some delicious sandwiches that my wonderful wife had made for me, listened to some music on the radio, and saw not a single bird. Eventually, I decided to head to my second location - Eumeralla Flora Reserve in Anglesea where I hoped to find the elusive Chestnut-rumped Heathwren...

The conditions at Eumeralla were pretty ordinary. It constantly threatened to rain, but somehow it didn't, and I managed to find some nice birds. I got on to a perched Nankeen Kestrel almost immediately. It was kind enough to allow a close-ish approach for species #206 photographed for the year.

I then spent quite a bit of time wandering around the heath, following the kangaroo tracks, listening for any signs of the Chestnut-rumped Heathwren. On my way, I found a few nice species to photograph, although the poor light certainly put a stop to any 'good' photos. Unfortunately I found no sign of any Chestnut-rumped Heathwren. On my way back to the car, in the exact same spot that I photographed the Nankeen Kestrel, I saw a Crescent Honeyeater and photographed species #207 for the year!

#206 Nankeen Kestrel

#207 Crescent Honeyeater

I then went to Anglesea Heath and drove slowly along the dirt roads to see what I could see. I flushed a Bassian Thrush from the side of the road, and stopped to see if I could relocate it. I couldn't find it. Bugger! A bit further down the road I flushed a Brush Bronzewing from the side of the road. I saw it fly right past the passenger side window, but it zoomed off and I could not relocate it! I was optimistic that I could find both species on the way back, so I continued along the road. I found a few more species here and there, but the heath was mostly quiet today.

On the way out I found a pair of Grey Currawong. They also flushed, but I managed to relocate them and got species #208 for the year, albeit a poor backlit photo! Then, at the end of the dirt road section of Coalmine road where I saw the Bassian Thrush earlier, I decided to get out of the car and approach slowly on foot. This turned out to be a good decision, because a bit further along the road I managed to find a pair of Bassian Thrush and get photo #209.

#208 Gray Currawong

#209 Bassian Thrush

Eumeralla eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30551966
Anglesea Heath eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30552697

After today...
2016 year list: 260
2016 photos: 209