I spent a night at the other campground in Winton Wetlands, Crescent Camp. It bordered several swamps and in the morning I moved the van, very carefully, down a track (backwards) onto the Ashmead Swamp. It was full of herons that immediately took off on my arrival. I thought that once I was settled, they would return. They didn't. For 6 hours.
Not to worry, it was very pleasant sitting in the back of the van, drinking tea and just watching. It was hot but there was a nice breeze. The fairywren and honeyeaters started to come down to drink. I watched as a young Superb Fairywren danced around on the ground in front of me. It was so lovely.
But then, I saw the flash of a Sacred Kingfisher fly past with a brown lump in its mouth and the fairywren was gone. It was a bit brutal.
Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus)
White-plumed Honeyeater (Ptilotula penicillata)
Part of the problem at the wetlands is that it has its own early warning system. They are called cockatoo. The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo rule here, in large numbers. And they travel in large groups, shrieking all day. And if they spot you, they shriek even more. Not very helpful.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)
Eventually, the White-faced Heron started to return and forage in the shallow water. Again, lots of youngsters but I thought I might be safe from the horrors of nature as I watched them.
White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
I really wanted to see the White-necked Heron though. While I have seen and photographed lots of them, they are so stunning that I always want to watch them. And there were lots of them around. After waiting another couple of hours, a single bird arrived and stood at the edge of my lens range. After a squabble with the smaller White-faced Heron, it put on a bit of a show for me.
White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica)
There were a lot of dead trees around the whole area and that meant plenty of perching places for the Brown Falcon. These are terrific birds with such variable plumage, you never really know what to expect.
Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)
eBird List
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