Walka Waterworks

Great Crested Grebe

Hoary-headed Grebe

Australasian Grebe

Out and about early, I headed out to Walka Waterworks in the hope of catching some waterbirds with their reflections. The recent reports of a Black Honeyeater in the grevilleas along the track provided an added incentive.

In Newcastle the day had begun clear and still, but clouds began to gather as I reached Maitland, and after less than an hour ambling along the track I'd lost most of the light and the wind had started to pick up, so a day's outing became a two hour walk.

Yellow-faced honeyeaters were everywhere, dollar birds were giving their distinctive calls from the top of a eucalypt, over twenty hardheads floated out in the middle of the pond, and reed-warblers played hide and seek at the water edge. Grebes were there in good numbers.

Bird list:

Pacific Black Duck
Australian Shoveler
Chestnut Teal
Hardhead
Australasian Grebe
Hoary-headed Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Little Black Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Little Pied Cormorant
White-faced Heron
Royal Spoonbill
Purple Swamphen
Eurasian Coot
Masked Lapwing
Rainbow Lorikeet
Eastern Rosella
Laughing Kookaburra
Dollarbird
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Noisy Miner
Red Wattlebird
Australian Raven
Welcome Swallow
Australian Reed Warbler
Willie Wagtail
Grey Fantail
Silvereye
Superb Fairywren
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill
Rufous Whistler
Australian Figbird
Magpie Lark
White-winged Chough
Australian Magpie
Common Miner