Monday 17th October - Birding at Wyong

I got up at 6.10 am this morning and Will gave me a lift to Tuggerah station where I had agreed to meet Alan Morris. We arrived there at about 6.45 and I went into Hungry Jacks for a bite of brekkie. A hash brown, egg and bacon roll and cup of coffee cost AUD 4.95 (1GBP = 1.55 AUD). Alan picked me up in his 4x4 Subaru and we drove the short distance to the wetland he wanted to show me.
The Pioneer Dairy Wetland Reserve was once a large dairy farm on the edge of the town of Wyong. The government compulsorily purchased the land to build a power station. This was never built and now the land has been leased back to the community to develop a wetland reserve. Alan, I believe, is involved in the committee managing the development of the reserve.
Today Alan had two pieces of business to attend to. Firstly, a meeting with two local government workers to explain certain access problems. Then he had to speak to a visiting interest group to explain the origins, purpose and future course of the reserve. But before this he showed me some interesting birds and suggested some places for me to try. I was left to my own devices for about two hours. By the end of this visit, I had notched up 15 new birds. 15 "lifers". That's pretty exciting for an enthusiast like me.
First off, we visited a little marsh where we saw several new birds: a brown grass bird was pretty uninspiring as its name suggests, but the soaring black-shouldered kite was beautiful. We also got a good one for Alan here which added to his year list - a spotless crake. (imagine a dull black water rail).
At the reserve, Alan showed me a lovely bird, a black-fronted dotterel. It was a pretty little wader with a buff back, White underside and a black band around its chest and another through it's eye. The eye itself was red as was its beak. I returned to the car and fetched my "big camera" - the Nikon with the 400 mm lens. I returned to where we saw the dotterel and positioned myself next to a handy chest high post on which I rested the camera. The dotterel performed perfectly and I got some good shots. I also got some good shots of the local water fowl: black swans, various ducks and Australasian grebes.
I then took a walk along a small creek where I had two good views of buff-banded rails and stopping near some bushes I was treated to excellent views of my first Australian finch, a red browed. A small flock was resting in a bush and I had lots of time to watch and photograph them. Another confiding little bird that gave me excellent views was a yellow rumped thornbill. A sacred kingfisher sat on the wires above my head for a while and a swamp harrier stirred up the local residents as it quartered the marsh. On the return trip to the station, Alan showed me a darter's nest on the river. The male bird was busy feeding several demanding youngsters, a process which involved the babies sticking their beaks right down his throat. A brief stop at the water front on Tuggerah Lake was next with several great white egrets, White faced heron and some Caspian terns. There was also a large flock of chestnut teal. Our last stop was at a sewage works where we found three hoary headed grebes amongst the ducks and more usual Australasian grebes.
Alan dropped me at the station and I got a train back to WoyWoy where Di and Ollie met me in the car and took me home where I stayed for he rest of the day, looking after Ollie whilst Tash had her hair done and Di did some shopping. Today was THE "due date". No sign of the baby though. Nothing else to add save that I helped Di prepare a delicious cottage pie for dinner.