A local bird count is undertaken in the Ballarat district in early December each year, with several teams active during the day. All teams stay within 40km of Ballarat.
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Birds such as banded stilt, spotted harrier, tawny frogmouth, black falcon and diamond firetail were some of the highlights found during this year’s count.
The Lake Wendouree team found 53 species. A total of 92 black swans were seen, which is fewer than expected at this time of the year, when cygnets should be swelling the numbers. Musk ducks numbered just 19. The usual small number of pelicans was increased by flying birds, to an impressive total of 72. A chestnut teal was a further interesting sighting, with magpie geese also recorded at Lake Wendouree.
A pair of tawny frogmouths and a rufous fantail were highlights of the high total of 97 species reported by the team covering the Creswick district.
Thirteen species of raptors – hawks, kites, falcons, eagles and similar birds – were seen across the region during the day. Spotted harriers were seen at Enfield and Burrumbeet, and a pair of black falcons in open country north of Enfield. Peregrine falcon, Australian hobby and brown goshawk were others.
Diamond firetail and brush bronzewing were further noteworthy birds discovered by the Enfield team, while the Grenville team found a banded stilt on a large dam at Mt Mercer. This was the first regional report of a banded stilt for the year.
Other birds included the brown songlark, rufous songlark, rainbow bee-eater, red-capped robin, restless flycatcher, white-winged triller, blue-winged parrot, red-necked avocet and cattle egret. The combined total for all teams during the day was 145 species, all within a 40km radius of Ballarat. Twenty bird watchers took part in the day.
RED BEARDS
The purplish beard orchid is well-known to local bush-lovers, but the red beard-orchid is much scarcer.
It was one of many orchid species found at Enfield last month during a combined outing of naturalists from Ballarat and Geelong.
The flower’s “beard” is shaggier than that of the more common purplish beard orchid and it has a bare tip. It lacks the other species’ two tiny “eyes” in the centre of the flower.
It is a widespread plant across Victoria, but is nowhere common. It is scarce in the Ballarat district, not found each year.
Other noteworthy orchids discovered were a stunning pure white form of dotted sun orchid, and a bright pink hybrid sun orchid, which was possibly a dotted sun orchid and salmon sun orchid cross.