Philip Island

On Monday July 22nd we took a tour to Philip Island and our first stop was at the Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park. This consisted of a bunch of exhibits placed around a billabong, with the 'Wallaby Walk' area consisting of several wallabies along the trail through the trees. Food was available to feed these animals. The billabong area had the usual selection of moorhen, swamphen and ducks but also a few Cape Barren Geese and a Black-tailed Native Hen. We were luck enough to see wild versions of both species later in the day on Philip Island. We had Crested Pigeons and Spotted Doves soon after we got to the sanctuary but I was surprised to find lots of Common Bronzewings on the wallaby walk. This was a bird that I had only glimpsed once before!

Black-tailed Native Hen

Cape Barren Goose

Common Bronzewing

After lunch we headed to Philip Island and saw a Swamp Harrier and a large block of corellas on the way. We stopped briefly at Woolamai surf beach where two Black-browed Albatrosses were flying over the waves some way out to sea, and then stopped at Churchill Island for tea, a sheep shearing show and the chance to crack a whip. We did not, choosing instead to wander around the area where we found Eastern Rosellas and over 30 Cape Barren Geese. We were surprised to see to Black-tailed Native Hens as we left the island.  

Eastern Rosella

The next stop was a koala conservation center where we saw Grey Currawong as well as White-naped and White-plumed Honeyeaters. After that we headed to the Nobbies where we saw sa couple of Little Penguins under the boardwalk and then saw many Swamp Wallabies as we headed to the Penguin Parade. The latter did not disappoint and we saw about a thousand penguins heading home for the night.

Little Penguins

Swamp Wallaby