It was very windy, which made finding birds rather difficult, but soon after entering the park, I found several of this fantastic duck:
Australian Wood Duck, also known as Maned Duck, Melbourne
Nearby was this Crested Pigeon:
Crested Pigeon, Melbourne
Spotted Doves have been introduced to Melbourne from Asia. They really are stunningly beautiful birds and are extremely common in the city.
Spotted Doves, Melbourne
We then came to a small pond, on which there were many Dusky Moorhens, Eurasian Coots (the same species as is found in England) and Pacific Black Ducks, as well as a slight surprise in the form of this Intermediate Egret, a really nice bird to see.
Intermediate Egret, Melbourne
Pacific Black Duck, Melbourne
We continued on to a larger lake, a really stunning area, which had lots of birds on it. Here, I found my first new bird of our trip to Australia, a female Hardhead.
Hardhead, Melbourne
Nearby was this Grey Teal:
Grey Teal, Melbourne
It was fantastic to see one of my favourite birds, the Purple Swamphen, in large numbers around the park. This species is found across Africa, Southern Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand
Purple Swamphen, Melbourne
Nearby, I found my second new species of the trip, with two Bell Miners calling loudly just above my head. Their call is unlike any other bird I can remember hearing, with a very close resemblance to the noise of a frog.
Bell Miner, Melbourne
It was great to find a Nankeen Night-heron roosting just above the water:
Nankeen Night-heron, Melbourne
Silver Gulls are abundant across all of Melbourne, and there were loads of this elegant little gull in the Botanical Gardens:
Silver Gull, Melbourne
Australian Magpies are one of the most evil-looking birds I have seen and are also very common in Melbourne. I had an horrible experience of being attacked by one on Kangaroo Island off South Australia seven years ago when I accidentally passed close to its nest.
Magpie-larks were absolutely everywhere in the park. This bird really does have a suitable name.
It was fantastic to have a view of the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) from the gardens, one of the world's most beautiful cricket grounds and somewhere that I have always wanted to visit.
One of Australia's most magnificent birds, the Black Swan. I was surprised to only find two of this species in the gardens, but it was a great pleasure to see this wonderful species so close.
Three Gallinule species- Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot and Dusky Moorhen. The gardens were literally swarming with these three species.
I was very pleased to find a third new species for the afternoon, when two Australasian Grebes appeared rather distantly in the middle of the lake.
Australasian Grebe, Melbourne
Other species I saw at the gardens included both Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants, White-faced Heron, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Rainbow Lorikeet, Brown Thornbill, Little Wattlebird, Grey Fantail, dozens of Welcome Swallows and Fairy Martins, several Common Blackbirds and Little Ravens and an enormous number of Common Mynas. I really enjoyed visiting these gardens and I will certainly return later in the week.
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