The February bird walk achieved the greatest turnout ever of people and birds – 15 people and 43 birds. Blazing Saddles was alive with birds in three different environments: woodland, grassland and water, the last being the Painkalac Creek, and the temporary lake on the paddocks. Margaret Lacey showed us many of the places where she took photos for her book Birds of Aireys Inlet.

Three members of the group used iPhones to provide information about birds and their calls. This innovation was a wonderful aid in identifying less familiar birds, such as Satin Flycatchers.

Highlights were the scores of Dusky Wood Swallows, a recently used nest, and close up views of newly fledged young. We also saw a superb, neat, little, Willy Wagtail nest, with both parents taking turns to sit on two very large nestlings. After morning tea at Distillery Creek, five of us did the Nature Walk, hoping to see a Powerful Owl. We saw a few different species, but no owl.

Below are all the birds identified on this walk:

1. Australian Wood Duck
2. Australian Shelduck
3. Black Duck
4. Grey Teal
5. White-faced Heron
6. Masked Lapwing
7. Common Bronzewing
8. Gang-gang Cockatoo
9. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
10. Australian King-Parrot
11. Crimson Rosella
12. Eastern Rosella
13. Fan-tailed Cuckoo
14. Horsefield’s Bronze-Cuckoo
15. Laughing Kookaburra
16. White-throated Treecreeper
17. Superb Fairy-wren
18. Striated Pardalote
19. White-browed Scrubwren
20. Brown Thornbill
21. Red Wattlebird
22. White-eared Honeyeater
23. White-plumed Honeyeater
24. Brown-headed Honeyeater
25. White-naped Honeyeater
26. New Holland Honeyeater
27. Yellow Robin
28. Crested Shrike-tit
29. Golden Whistler
30. Rufous Whistler
31. Grey Shrike-thrush
32. Satin Flycatcher
33. Willy Wagtail and nest with babies
34. Grey Fantail
35. Dusky Woodswallow
36. Magpie-lark
37. Australian Magpie
38. Pied Currawong
39. Little Raven
40. Red-browed Finch
41. Welcome Swallow
42. Tree Martin
43. Common Starling