Honeyeaters on search for nectar
EARLY this week, in beautiful autumn weather with a small group from the field naturalists club, I spent time on the west shore of Swan Bay.
We are searching for a rare lizard called the swamp skink, a denizen of coastal saltmarsh areas in Victoria.
There is one record of the species being found on Swan Island, but so far not on the main shoreline of the Bellarine Peninsula.
Our survey technique is to place roof tiles on the ground in the hope the lizards will use them as refuges.
It works for other species, so why not the swamp skink?
We paused from our work for a while to admire the beauty of the bay and its birdlife, their shapes and colours reflected in the calm water.
Suddenly a small flock of bush birds landed in the coast wattle trees behind us, yellowfaced honeyeaters mainly.
They were restless and quickly moved away towards Edwards Point.
A few minutes later there was a second flock, then a third.
We were right in the path of the migrating honeyeaters that are on their way along the coast to New South Wales or Queensland.
Where they had come from we don’t know with certainty, nor where they will end up.
Perhaps they will find flowering eucalypts where there is ample nectar and insects for them to feast on.
No doubt some will have come from the Otways where they nest, others from further west.
Although we didn’t see them, there would be some white-naped honeyeaters with them, for the two species move together.
In spring they will be back, enjoying the food the flowering yellow gums provide, and splashing in the pools of water that winter rain has left.
But in truth, the full story of the honeyeaters’ migration has yet to be told.
We have studied international migration of waders and seabirds for many years, and understand them well.
Far less is known of our local honeyeaters. Wildlife information and questions can be sent to ppescott@gmail.com