Check my birding map for specific location.
I had visited the Woody Lake area of Esperance and was quite disappointed. I felt that the birds there were rather pedestrian for the area. I knew that the wattlebirds, honeyeaters etc should be very common. I decided to try Monjingup Lake. Anywhere that has bird hides is a good place to start. I knew it wouldn't be disappointed as the birds were zooming all over the place as I arrived. As soon as I got out of the van I could hear Fan-tailed Cuckoo calling. Another great sign.
I set off to find the cuckoo and didn't have far to go. I got very close to 2 in a pair of large gum trees but I had real trouble finding them. Eventually I spotted one and as neither of the birds moved I suspected they had hijacked a nest nearby and were keeping an eye on it. I found another pair close to the boardwalk with a third still calling in the background. I was so close that their shrill call hurt my ears but I just couldn't see any of them. Eventually I thought I would cheat a little and played their call on my phone. However, we now had 4 sets of calls and I couldn't tell which was which. I got dizzy spinning around trying to find them. I gave up and moved on. I could hear them calling where ever I went, taunting me I'm sure. Bastard birds was my rather uncharitable thought!
I returned the next day and they took pity on me, sitting out ling enough for me to get reasonable photos and even a video.
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabeliformes)
The park and walking trails were relatively contained and small and I just looped around and around. There was a bird hide on the loop and I kept stopping by there too. The bad news was that it was overcast and quite cool but the wind whipped through the hide and made it very cold. The good news was that the wind and temperature meant no flies or mosquitos. I'll take that deal! The hide overlooked the lake and on first look it was very quiet. A dead tree was sticking out of the water right in front of the lookout and my first customer were some swallows. They zoomed about over the lake and then took a rest on the dead branches.
Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)
As I sat and tried to stay warm, waterbirds started to emerge. A pair of Pink-eared Ducks swam towards the hide and I got some shots right in front. Very attractive ducks but like most ducks, they don't really do very much.
Pink-eared Duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus)
A little late on I saw some Musk Duck on the periphery of the lake and I kept returning to the hide to see if they came closer. On on visit, I saw the male skirting the side of the lake and coming towards the hide. This is when my notion of boring ducks was blown out of the water. First off, I heard it calling. A unique peeping sound. Then it started splashing its feet on the water as it called. Then its tail came up in a fan shaped. It slowly built up as the call got higher pitched and the tail came further out. I saw the female and knew it was displaying to her. She was trailing some way behind but heading slowly towards him. He got more and more excited and looked like he was just about to fold in half! Eventually she approached and swam around him as he displayed. Then, all of a sudden and from nowhere, he stopped, relaxed his body and simply swam away. She looked quite bemused. You can see this happen in the second video. It was such a privilege to watch this amazing display. The reputation of ducks being exciting is restored.
Musk Duck (Biziura lobata)
The dominant small honeyeater of this area was the New Holland Honeyeater. I was not unhappy with that as gold and black streaks were everywhere and very pretty to see. They are a most attractive honeyeater.
New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)
The birds making the most commotion were the wattlebirds. I had seen plenty of Red Wattlebirds on my way here so I was really keen to get some shots of the Western Wattlebird. They are slightly smaller than their red cousins and darker overall. Both species were very active amongst the flowering banksia so it was a case of patience (for a change). There was a walking trail out into some scrub land where the path was lined with banksia and I thought that was my best chance. Eventually, I got one sitting right on top of a flower. It was magic.
Western Wattlebird (Anthochaera lunulata)
A boardwalk ran through part of the paperbark forest over the water and it was also full of birds. The Silvereye were there in numbers feasting on the creamy flowers.
Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)
I heard the Western Whistler a number of times at the end of the boardwalk and on my third loop I found the female. Her plumage is dull compared to the male (who I never saw) but you can't tell me she isn't gorgeous!
Western Whistler (Pachycephala occidentalis)
There is an environmental centre at the lake and the small area around it had been cleared down to grass. 3 times, as I approached the area I saw a Red-capped Parrot. Unfortunately, I also flushed it each time. Grrrr. I followed it when possible and got one shot of it. Got to catch up with this guy again.
Red-capped Parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius)
https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S120621668
https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S120575021
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