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Werribee Mansion

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 I read that a Barking Owl was findable in the Park around Werribee Mansion, which lurks behind the Zoo off the M1.  So we took ourselves there, with a little Satnav amusement due to a recent update to my iPhone and possibly a connectivity issue.  Buried in the Parks webpage is a warning about road works on the nearby K road, which I unfortunately didn't see.  Even by the low standards of Roads Victoria and its useless contractors this was a shambles.   It did give us a good look at the surprising amount of horticulture in the area! I went armed with a copy of this page from the Parks Visitor Guide on my phone expecting to get an easier to read hard copy on site. So we saw signs to a Parks Victoria office and I climbed 3 floors of stairs to get there.  No public access: it is the admin facility.  The public (aka scum) access is in the front of the Mansion.  So I go there, and the map is A5 with half the detail of the online one.  I asked...
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South Melbourne

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 The aim of this was to have a post about the House Crow that has taken up residence in Clarendon St , South Melbourne.  This smap (sic) shows where sightings have been made to eBird. Unfortunately I couldn't spot the bird (it was probably sitting in a nest it a well foliaged tree).  But I did see some excellent art.  This was in a lane off Coventry St, towards Kingsway: the building is a restuarant. The next three are all in a lane parallel to Clarendon St, between Coventry and York Sts. Having got better particulars on where the Crow was lurking I returned the next day.  One extra artwork was found. I then assumed my common position (sitting in a gutter) when I spotted the nest in a leafy tree. I shifted one door down to dining table and had a better  view of the nest. Eventually a Little Raven flew to the nest and a two-toned Jackdaw rose and departed.  Good enough for me to count as a House Crow, my 503rd tick for Australia. A Little Raven flew ove...
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Tunnel and Parkville

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 On 22 December I decided to explore the new train tunnel from Anzac Station to Parkville.  This is partly to see what the Metro Tunnel is like, and to see if it is a viable route to get to Melba Hall.  Getting a little more value from the trip I would also check out the area around Grand-daughter 1's school, which is just off Royal Parade. So I hopped on a tram to Anzac Station.  Hear are the turnstiles, where a helper assured me my Myki tap on would transfer to the train. There is a glass wall between the platform and the tracks with lots of wide doors which open when and where trains arrive. A helpful sign above the platform. There were a few people around - from conversations overhead many were, like me testing the system out as an alternative to switching trams in the CBD.  I have obscured faces in the hope it annoys AI systems and their owners (looking at you Elon). In the train. An 'up' escalator at Parkville .  It is a 2 stage ascent from about 25m ...
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December Adventures (part 2)

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 The previous post was getting a bit long so I have started a new one ! This begins on 9 December with a drive to Altona for birding and retail therapy.  The birds were quite good, the weather and insects rather less so.  There were a lot (~100) of Pied Stilts, but as far as we could see no Avocets nor Banded Stilts. A couple each of Common Greenshank and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.  Both Godwits were present (but not photographed). Regular waders missing included Red-necked Stint and Pied Oystercatcher.  A large flock of Whiskered Terns were loafing (and 178 counted on two images). Leaving the beach we attended North Altona mall and then hit the Westgate Freeway.  This was the first time we had done this since the Tunnel opened and I didn't realise quite where we were relative to the start of the tunnel.  Quite soon we were in the Tunnel.  I had intended to visit it sometime soon, just not right now.  Out the far end and with a little prayer and...
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