#201 and #202 at Eynesbury, Victoria, July 1

What a week I've had! I finished the week with a quick visit to Eynesbury to see if I could find any Diamond Firetail. I've seen them there a few times in the past, but never reliably, and never in the same place twice! Today, like every other time, I checked the sports ground to see if any firetail were feeding on the manicured lawn. And to my surprise, there was! I approached slowly. Very slowly. I took 'insurance' photos along the way, just in case it flushed and disappeared. I got to about 20 metres away and slowly got to the ground. After a few more insurance photos, I started to commando crawl over the wet, muddy ground. Eventually, I manged to get about 5 metres away and decided that I was close enough, and took about 200 photos using a range of settings, desperately hoping that one of them would be just right. The bird saw me, but didn't seem at all bothered by me. After a few minutes, a pair of Galahs flew overhead and the firetail flushed into the bushes. I then got a few more photos of it perched in a small tree and it then flew back to the grass to feed. What an amazing experience it was to spend some time with what I consider to be one of the most beautiful birds in the world!

I spent the rest of the time wandering around the ornamental lake, getting some nice photos of  Freckled Duck and a Brown Treecreeper. Then I heard a loud call coming from behind me. I knew that call, but couldn't quite remember what it was. I checked the area and saw the bird fly quickly into a clump of trees. A few seconds later I was extremely pleased to see that it was a Crested Shrike-tit, a bird that I hadn't yet photographed this year. After a lot of patience following it around and getting very crappy photos it eventually perched in the open for a few seconds. Unfortunately I didn't get the whole bird in frame, but I was very happy with the photo that I got anyway.

#201 Diamond Firetail

#202 Crested Shrike-tit

eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30475780

After today...
2016 year list: 257 species
2016 photos: 202 species

#196 to #200 at the Western Treatment Plant and then Woodlands Historic Park, June 30

I planned to wake up early-ish this morning and head to the Western Treatment Plant. The weather forecast predicted rain all day, and at the treatment plant you can stay dry by birding from the car, so it looked like the best option. But when the alarm went off, I looked at the rain radar and decided that another few hours sleep would be better than birding in the heavy rain. So after a relaxing morning, I eventually headed off around 10:00am.

The drive to WTP was completely dry, and when I arrived I found that there were even periods that were quite sunny! I headed through gate 4, but there was very little around. I then headed towards the Western Lagoons, hoping to find a few nice birds of prey, but instead found a pair of Little Egret and managed a new photo for the year. Then, a few seconds later, I saw a 'piplark' (a term I use to describe the very similar looking Australasian Pipit and Eurasian Skylark). I took a few photos before it flew away. It looked like a Eurasian Skylark to me, but to be sure I posted the photo in the bird ID facebook page and got the confirmation I needed - another photo for the year list.

Next, I checked the rain radar and saw A LOT of rain coming. I didn't want to hang around in the rain, so I looked at the rain patterns to find a drier location. I noticed that the area around Woodlands Historic Park (which is close to home) was fairly rain-free, so that's where I decied to go. But I only made it a few metres down the road before I saw a pair of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike. They're fairly common, but for some reason I struggle to get a photo of this species. I put in a solid attempt but only got a well below average photo, but I’m still quite happy to use it here as species #198.

I stopped off at home for a very quick lunch and a much needed toilet break before heading to Woodlands. The rain radar gave me hope that I would stay dry, and I did! There was only a very brief period of drizzle, but it was dark and gloomy the whole time I was there. At first, I struggled to find any birds. Then, a bit off the track, I stumbled upon a 'mixed species feeding flock' and got some photos of a Varied Sittella. The flock was quite extensive and contained about 8 sittella, a pair of Golden Whistlers, many Yellow-rumped Thornbills, a few Yellow-thornbills, Weebill, Grey Fantail, a single female Scarlet Robin, and a lone Brown-headed Honeyeater. I followed the flock for a while and then came across a milestone - I managed to photograph species #200 for the year - a Striated Pardalote. Both Striated and Spotted Pardalotes are reasonably common birds, but for some reason I have a lot of trouble photographing them! Luckily, today, I managed the ever so common Striated Pardalote as bird number 200 for 2016! Yay!!!!

#196 Little Egret

#197 Eurasian Skylark

#198 Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

#199 Varied Sittella

#200 Striated Pardalote

WTP eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30465022
Woodlands eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30465030

After today's outings...
2016 year list: 255 species
2016 photos: 200 species

#193 to #195 around Anglesea, Victoria, June 29

After some luck finding and photographing the Lewin's Rail at the Western Treatment Plant, I headed towards Anglesea to see if I could have any more luck. And I most certainly did!!!

My first stop was Point Addis where I was looking for sea birds and bristlebirds. As soon as I could see the water I could see a horde of sea birds circling around. I quickly parked, leapt out of the car, and the first bird I looked at was a lifer - a Black-browed Albatross. Unfortunately the photos looked more like a black-browed smudge as the birds were a long way from the shore. There were plenty of interesting birds, but all of them fit into the "too far away to identify" category. Then, within what seemed like no time at all, they were all gone. I was about to get in the car and go but I decided to stay and have see if I could get a bristlebird photo. A bit later, there was a beautiful Rufous Bristlebird walking around within centimetres of my feet, and I managed to keep my cool and get a photo. More luck!

My next stop was the Eumeralla Flora Reserve in Anglesea where I was looking for a few notoriously hard to find species. It seems that I hadn't run out of luck because not long after I left the car I stumbled upon a Brown Quail just a footstep away. I got some nice close-up phots and then backed away leaving the quail alone. Just as I left the quail, I found a distant Tawny-crowned Honeyeater. It was too far away for the sort of photo that I was hoping for, but I still got a better photo of this species than I have ever achieved in the past. Then, only moments later, I managed to find myself standing within a group of about 6 Southern Emu-wren as they hopped around in the bushes. I should have gotten much better photos than I did, but I am extremely pleased with the photos I did get. Unfortunately I wasn't lucky enough to find a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, but considering how fortunate I had been all day long, I was not at all dissapointed!

#193 Rufous Bristlebird

#194 Tawny-crowned Honeyeater

#195 Southern Emu-wren

Point Addis eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30435798
Eumeralla Flora Reserve eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30437177

2016 year list: 255
2016 photos: 195

#192 at the Western Treatment Plant, Victoria, June 29

Today I finally managed to get photos of the elusive Lewin's Rail. I have seen this secretive species a few times in the past, but I've never had better than a quick glimpse, like when they run out across the road right in front of your car (this has happened twice!). A few other people have been getting some ridiculous photos of Lewin's Rail over the past week or so, with this usually shy species coming out of the reeds and into the full sun. I was hoping for such an occasion, but I was more than happy with what I got. Actually, I was ecstatic!

#192 Lewin's Rail

#189 and #190 at Woodlands Historic Park, Victoria, June 26

I've attempted to get photos of Red-capped and Scarlet Robins at Woodlands a few times already, but I've had trouble even finding them, let alone getting photos. In previous years, I've found both species quite easily at Woodlands. But I fear two things have made the birds harder to find there. First, it's been quite dry - so dry that all the dams at Woodlands have been dry for a long time. Secondly, some of the bush was cleared in the exact spot that I reliably found Red-capped Robins in the past. Unfortunately, I have not seen any red-caps since that clearing. But today I managed to get photos of both species for the year list!  The Scarlett Robin is the most orange looking one I have ever seen. The Red-capped Robin was in the same area, and is the third Red-capped Robin that I've managed to photograph this year - the first was a scruffy looking juvenile that I decided not to add here - the second was a poor photo of a back-lit female - and now I'm glad I waited because I managed to get close-ish to a beautiful full-coloured male!!!

#190 Scarlet Robin

#191 Red-capped Robin

#189 Hoary-headed Grebe at Lake Niddrie, Victoria

I stopped in by Lake Niddrie today while out and about in the area doing non-birding things to see if the resident Peregrine Falcon was around. Of course it wasn't, as expected, as they're not usually around during the winter months. But I did see a Hoary-headed Grebe and added that to the 2016 photo list at number 189. Hoary-headed Grebe are extremely common, and I've taken photos of them this year, but being a common species I didn't want to add a heavily cropped barely recognisable photo. I was waiting to get a better one, which I did, but it's still far from what I would call good. Still, it's clearly goood enough to include here, so I have!

#189 Hoary-headed Grebe

#188 - Orange-bellied Parrot - undisclosed location, Victoria, June 11

I found myself with a spare hour or two this morning, so I got up early and went to look for the super mega endangered Orange-bellied Parrot. And I managed to find two! They were at a certain "not so secret location" that I won't disclose, but quite a few birders have already been to that exact location and seen THREE birds. Unfortunately, I only saw TWO. I can't help but worry about the whereabouts of that third bird... This was a massive lifer, and a real privilege to see such a rare and beautiful bird in the wild.

EDIT: 3 were seen later in the day and on the next day as well!!!

#188 Orange-bellied Parrot

#187 at Taylors Lakes Wetlands, Victoria, June 2

We had beautiful weather this afternoon for this time of year! I managed to get home from work by 4pm so I decided to go out with the camera for a quick look around the local wetlands. And luck seemed to be on my side, because I unexpectedly found a pair of Little Lorikeet feeding in a flowering gum tree. I was also pleased because I successfully made an ID from their call, which I used to get mixed up with Purple-crowned Lorikeet. I think I have their calls sorted now! And luck was on my side again because I managed to get a photo. This is the FIRST TIME that I've managed to get a clear photo of a Little Lorikeet. I hear them around the place every now and then, but they are fast little things and they're usually at the top of a tree and deep inside the foliage. Today, I was in the exact right spot at the right time! Yay!

#187 Little Lorikeet

eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S30036217