Mount Korong

Visited: summer

Recommendation: I went to this area to find the Painted Honeyeater. I did and I was thrilled but there was so much more to see. A fabulous place to see wildlife.

I wanted to go to Mount Korong as the birds looked fantastic and I specifically wanted to look for the Painted Honeyeater, which I knew was there. A small picnic and camping area met me and was very pleasant. There were lots of birds around, particularly Galah making a lot of noise. I didn't do much birding as it was already hot.

I woke the next morning feeling unsettled. I knew I had stirred in the night and didn't know why. It slowly came back to me. Something about a noise and an owl. I got out of the campervan and saw the blood stains running down the side of my van. A Southern Boobook had been sitting on top of my van, eating some poor, wretched creature. Sigh. I didn't get to see it and also didn't have enough water to clean it. Gross.

Anyway, at dawn I was off. I walked along the track heading west. It was quiet beyond the cockatoo cacophony but I started to see the odd bird. There were a few treecreepers and some honeyeaters. As the sun started to climb and the morning chill wore off, there was a lot more activity. I was concerned I wouldn't find the honeyeater as I was skirting the mount, rather than heading further into the bush toward it. However, I don't do hills whenever possible. Too much hard work.

I thought I heard the Painted Honeyeater once or twice in the distance and then I hit a patch of bush where there was suddenly a lot more activity. I stopped and waited. And there it was. The distinctive call of the honeyeater. It flew right over me and I crept towards where it was sitting on a dead tree. To my amazement, as I started to take photos it actually cam closer to me. And in the sunlight!

Painted Honeyeater (Grantiella picta)

It was only 7.30am and I was done for the day. I started back along the track to get some breakfast. I had the sun in my eyes and didn't expect to see much else. But there was something running along a fallen tree. I knew straight away it was an Antechinus. It is a marsupial that looks like a giant mouse. Very cute. There were 3 of them running around. Not a great shot but fabulous to watch them.

Further along I heard bee-eaters. I just love their buzz call. I found a branch where a youngster was being fed. Rainbow Bee-eaters are insectivores, and, as you might expect, their favorite food are bees and wasps. They're quite skilled hunters and can catch these stinging insects mid-air with their long, slender beaks.

However, they aren't exclusive to bees and wasps. Rainbow Bee-eaters will also consume other flying insects such as dragonflies, beetles, butterflies and moths.

They're adept aerial hunters, and their eyesight is sharp enough to spot potential prey from up to 45 meters away. Once they catch an insect, they'll typically take it back to a perch to subdue it by beating it against the surface before swallowing it. Interestingly, they're known to be immune to the stings of bees and wasps they consume, but they'll still rub them against their perch to remove the stingers and venom glands before eating them.

Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)

Behind me were some rosella. Always shy, I struggle to photograph them before they take off. These photos were better than usual.

Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius)