South-East Oz Part 3: Bendigo & Ballarat

Black-eared Cuckoo

On our last morning in Deniliquin (see following post) I again checked out the back roads north of the town, seeing Pallid Cuckoo and a nice female Superb Parrot feeding in a flowering eucalypt.

Pallid Cuckoo

Superb Parrot

We headed on further south to the Victorian city of Bendigo for a 2-night stay in the Central City Caravan Park. We did some touristy things here like the Deborah underground gold mine and the trams. I was impressed with how well-wooded and birdy the city was. Grey Currawong and Musk Lorikeet were among birds seen close to the CBD.

Grey Currawong

Musk Lorikeet

A Common Bronzewing sitting on a suburban roof-top is not seen every day.

Common Bronzewing

A spent a morning 30km north of town in the Greater Bendigo National Park, birding along Bendigo Tennyson Road and Campbell Road in the dry sclerophyll-mallee woodlands, ablaze with wildflowers at this time of year.

Greater Bendigo National Park

I pulled up at the spot where my friend Kevin Bartram recently spotted a Black-eared Cuckoo, 100m or so up Campbell Road from its intersection with Bendigo Tennyson Road. Within seconds I had a Black-eared Cuckoo, soon to the joined by a second bird; both were extraordinarily fearless. One of the birds at one point kind of flattened itself out on the branch. I heard a third bird later and also had Shining and Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoos.

Black-eared Cuckoo

Black-eared Cuckoo

I was keen to photograph Purple-gaped Honeyeater and came across several pairs and small groups along Campbell Road.

Purple-gaped Honeyeater

I saw a Black Honeyeater along here and other honeyeaters were plentiful: White-fronted, Yellow-plumed, Brown-headed, Yellow-tufted, White-eared and Tawny-crowned.

Tawny-crowned Honeyeater

White-fronted Honeyeater

Other nice birds included Brush Bronzewing, Red-capped Robin and Crested Bellbird. I had good views of Shy Heathwren at Round Hill Reserve in NSW but was happy to connect with a co-operative individual of this different subspecies here.

Shy Heathwren 

We moved further south for a 2-night stay at the Eureka Holiday Park in Ballarat. Again, a nicely wooded city, this one with the impressive Lake Wendouree in its heart. On the lake were plenty of Great Crested Grebes along with a few Musk Ducsk and Blue-billed Ducks.

Musk Duck

Great Crested Grebe

While plenty of Black Swan families were about.

Black Swan family

Swamp Harriers quartered the reed-bed, where a pair were clearly attending a nest.

Swamp Harrier