The group visited Winton Wetlands on Thursday 11th April. It was a clear sunny morning, which gave us great views of the main wetland and a range of waterbirds at the Boat Ramp on Lake Mokoan Road. With the help of a telescope, we were able to identify 16 different waterbirds. There were plenty of Black Swans, Coots and Grey Teal, plus several Great Egrets, Plumed Egrets and Yellow-billed Spoonbills, while a Whistling Kite flew overhead. Helen M did well to spot a beautiful Turquoise Parrot which flew into a small eucalypt. ​Altogether we recorded 28 species for the morning. Then it was off to the Mokoan Café to enjoy coffee and cake.

​The next outing for the U3A Birdwatching group will be held on Thursday 9th May at Shadforth Reserve, Violet Town. We will meet in the car park behind the Seniors and Community Centre at 9.30am for the drive to Violet Town. Shadforth Reserve is on the northern edge of town off Shiffner Street. With a good mix of mature trees, understorey shrubs and open grassland, it is a very good birdwatching site. Please bring a hat, water and binoculars if you have them, and wear sturdy walking shoes.

Kathy Costello

Nine people were able to attend our extra outing in December, with a bird walk at Winton Wetlands on Thursday 1 December, followed by lunch at the Mokoan Hub café. We spent a warm sunny morning birding around the boat ramp area not far from the café. A few people were surprised to see water part way up the boat ramp. There is certainly a lot of water at the wetlands at present.

I did not expect to see many waterbirds, telling the group that the birds have half of Australia to choose from at present so could be anywhere.

To my surprise we actually did quite well with waterbird sightings. We had excellent views of groups of White-necked Herons and Australian White Ibis, plus two White-faced Herons and a Yellow-billed Spoonbill, all close to shore. There were a few ducks; Grey Teal, Pacific Black Duck and a pair of Hardhead, plus 2 different cormorants. And we saw one Black Swan. Brown Quail were calling loudly in the long grass near the boat ramp, but they stayed well hidden, as did the calling Little Grassbird. We had good views of Sacred Kingfishers and Red-rumped Parrots.

​​We recorded 28 bird species on our walk. Here is a link to the eBird list:              
https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S123583827

​Other animals seen were Grey Kangaroos and a Black Wallaby. We were surprised to see a large Eastern Bearded Dragon in the middle of the walking track. This reptile is listed as Vulnerable in Victoria, so we were lucky to see one.

Provided COVID restrictions allow us to have up to 10 people (and hopefully more) for an outdoor activity, there will be a morning birdwatching outing to Winton Wetlands on Thursday 14 October. Some water is currently flowing into the main wetland for the first time since 2016, providing significant areas of marshland along roadsides and other low-lying areas. It is well worth a look, as a number of different waterbirds have moved into the area.

We will meet at the Mokoan Hub café on Lake Mokoan Road at 10am. Bring sturdy walking shoes, a hat, any food or drink you need for the morning, and binoculars if you have them. Maybe mosquito repellent, although mozzies weren’t a problem on my recent visit.

I hope we can stop for tea or coffee at the café before heading home.
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Please let me know if you plan to attend, and if you need any help with transport. If we are limited to 10 participants, it would be worth booking early.
 
Our September outing to Reef Hills State Park was cancelled because of COVID restrictions. We missed out by one day.
 
Kathy Costello
Mobile 0447 625755

​Nine people attended our walk along the bike track to Winton Wetlands 4km out of Benalla, on Thursday 11 June 2020. The weather was mild and sunny which made for a pleasant morning stroll.

There have been extensive plantings of native shrubs along the channel, and quite a few birds are making good use of this habitat – among them Superb Fairy-wrens, Grey Shrike-thrush, Red-browed Finches and Yellow-rumped Thornbills. We saw 2 Whistling Kites fly overhead, and several Australian Ravens and Little Ravens.

​And her a photo of a Welcome Swallow allowed us to identify the Tree Martin perched near it.

Rupe explained that concrete structures along the inlet channel lower the water level as it gets closer to the Winton Wetlands. We looked at one structure which allows Kennedy Creek to flow unimpeded above the channel as it heads west towards the railway line. It was flowing strongly after good autumn rains. We walked 2.6km and recorded 25 bird species for the morning. Details on eBird list https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S71771259

​Kathy Costello

Seven people attended our outing to Winton Wetlands on Thursday 11 June 2020. We were lucky to have a mild sunny morning for our walk along part of the dam wall, near the outlet channel.

The birding was surprisingly good, even though waterbirds were few - just some Black Swans and Black Duck on one of the ponds. We saw quite a few birds in the red gum saplings below the dam wall: Eastern Rosella, Red-rumped Parrot, Superb Fairywren, Striated Pardalote, Yellow-rumped Thornbill and White-plumed Honeyeater.

The most surprising find was a covey of nine Brown Quail sunning themselves on the rocks of the dam wall, until we disturbed them and they flew down into the long grass below. Another good sighting was a Golden-headed Cisticola, a bird that lives in long grass or reeds in wetland areas. It is a tiny bird, about the size of a fairywren. We also recorded several Zebra Finches and 3 Black Wallabies.

Kathy Costello

The group made a morning visit to Winton Wetlands, with 21 staying on to enjoy lunch at the Mokoan Hub café.  Our first stop was a woodland area beside Lake Mokoan Road, about 1 km further on from the hub.
 
Conditions are very dry everywhere at present, so the birds were hard to find. We recorded Grey Butcherbird, Blue-faced Honeyeater, a flock of nine Brown-headed Honeyeaters and several groups of Red-rumped Parrots.  We then continued on the Green’s Hill, off Boggy Bridge Rd. There were even fewer birds here, but it still provided an impressive 360 degree panorama of the region, especially for those who had not been there before. Some people did a short walk while others enjoyed morning tea in the picnic shelter.
 
We then drove on to look at the portraits recently painted on a large water tank at the corner of Boggy Bridge Rd and Winton North Road. Birds viewed along the road included three Brown Falcons, a Whistling Kite and a Nankeen Kestrel.  The last carload back to the café found two White-browed Babblers in the car park. A total of 24 bird species was recorded. Thanks to fellow Birdlife Australia member Christine Holmes for helping me lead the walks.
 
Our next outing will be to Reef Hills State Park, 5km off the Midland Highway south of Benalla on Thurs 12th May 2016. Please meet at the car park in Barkly Street behind Aldi at 10am. Bring morning tea and a chair. We should finish about 12 noon. Please note there are no toilet facilities at Reef Hills.   Kathy Costello
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