A recent observation of a dozen or so vulnerable Pacific Golden Plovers in a flock near the road verge of Wilson Rd at the west side of The Cape, signifies that there is an amazing natural wonder underway at the moment, literally beginning at our back door. A massive migration is in process, as thousands of migratory shorebirds start returning to their breeding grounds and leave our southern land to head way up into the northern hemisphere on exhaustive journeys. Coming the other way, one little winter migrant shorebird, the Double-banded Plover, is going against the grain—some visit our local coast from the south island of New Zealand to spend the winter here. There is so much ‘invisible’ activity in the air as ‘long haul’ birds make remarkable flights following established ‘flyways’. Most humans are probably oblivious to these grand feats of endurance and resilience—so let me share a little glimpse into the lives of some of our locals.
 

The dry weather continues to dominate the Bunurong Coast and the coastal environment is drying out even further. Indeed, it looks stressed. Gold and brown tones dominate the landscape—an unusual sight for this part of Victoria. We are starting to observe the impact the dry is having on the animals as they venture further afield to areas with water, or are at least moist, which provide the various food sources they require. Within the estate, home gardens are becoming more important and various small bush birds are regularly foraging for food and water beyond their native retreats. Larger mammals are also adapting to the situation by spending more time closer to the built up housing zones.
 

I have finally managed to find time to put together this first edition of Cape Chatter for 2025. While much of the northern half of Australia is wet and indeed flooding, the south has been under a prolonged dry period. With nearby farm dams and natural wetlands drying up, and water levels in the constructed wetlands within the estate low, our native animals and birds need to adapt to these conditions. It has been a busy summer with a lot of my time spent on the nearby beaches volunteer monitoring and working in support of the Hooded Plover recovery effort coordinated by BirdLife Australia with supporting partners, including The Cape. But, I have managed to keep one eye on what is happening in nature ‘beyond the dunes’, especially around the home gardens and wetlands, which are vital habitat areas when tough conditions like these persist.
 

A variety of mammals are popping up around The Cape currently … so keep an eye out for them while driving, walking and riding around the estate, particularly as the busy holiday season builds and more people are about. Along with the resident mob of Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Short-beaked Echidna are roaming and the presence of Common Wombat is evident. There has been a sighting of a Koala and a reported sighting of an endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot. These sightings highlight how nature and urban development can co-exist, the importance of building habitat, retaining safe buffer areas for the animals to retreat too and rest in safety, and by people behaving in a way that responsibly shares the environment for all living creatures.
 

Cape Chatter is back after some time exploring the northern tip of Australia and the continents’ east coast marine environment—beautiful ecosystems, but sadly facing many challenges. On return to The Cape, it was great to see things buzzing with life associated with an unusually humid, late spring. Lots of interesting invertebrates, frog calls, finally Hoodie eggs on the beaches, some interesting bird sightings and noisy young birds around the estate chirping and settling into their new lives.
 

This is a special issue of Cape Chatter – all about a bird species I have become very fond of and will spend much of the next 6 months looking out for along with other volunteers – the vulnerable beach nesting Hooded Plover. To help raise more awareness, I have put together a story around a remarkable journey about a special little sub-adult Hoodie, known as White EZ who hatched late last year at Cape’s Pea Creek estuary. It will give you an understanding of what these tough little birds face, the challenges they need to overcome to survive and their determination in the face of adversity.

Cape Chatter is taking a short sabbatical and will be back in December.

A stroll around The Cape habitat zones and along the coastal reserve pathways to the beach is revealing a symphony of natural sound … the birds are in full voice and the pollinators are buzzing, making the most of the flowering weeds, herbaceous plants and flowers on the native plants. There has been an explosion of native Hoverfly competing with the introduced European Honey Bee which are everywhere. A walk in the home garden reveals the same! What a great time for connecting, observing and listening to the natural world. It really is the time for the ‘birds and the bees’.
 

We really are into the swing of spring. On one warm day in the past week, there must have been an explosion of insects in the air for there was a large flock of Dusky Woodswallow feeding on the wing all day. They came, and now they have gone. The coastal bush is in full blossom … the melaleuca, leucopogon and leptospermum are flowering profusely, and while my eyes won’t stop running, the insects and birds are loving it. Right on cue, we are witnessing a changeover of species: the Little Corella flock has arrived, the Galahs are dispersing and their numbers dwindling, the tiny Silvereye from Tasmania are busy among the bush and blossoms. The calls of the Fan-tailed and Shining Bronze Cuckoos are ringing out in the coastal bush, and down on the beach, the migratory and endangered Ruddy Turnstone from the Siberian tundra have been hanging out with our local nesting shorebirds, the vulnerable Hooded Plover.
 

The winds have remained persistently strong to gale force since my last Cape Chatter … when will it ever end! Despite the windy, cold conditions, spring time heralds a period of change, and nature is in full swing, with evidence of nest building and breeding along our coastline and inland. Several intra-continental bird migrants from other parts of Australia are appearing locally with some interesting and surprising observations. The vanguards of the remarkable long distance migratory bird species from the northern hemisphere have arrived, and with it sadly, the potential for the spread of the deadly Avian Flu among our local, indigenous species of birds and mammals.

The Cape (along with a good proportion of the Victoria coast and inland) was blasted with a strong series of wet, windy cold fronts since last Chatter, and it is only now we are getting some reprieve. With no major landmass protection between Cape Paterson and the Antarctic, we certainly felt the full brunt of nature’s power. This was particularly evident on the nearby beaches behind the estate with extensive damage to the beach and foredunes, which are now looking very fragile. I managed one walk around The Cape with the camera when we had a brief break in the winds, and was quite surprised to see a variety of birds and animals about—I wonder where they hang out when it’s blowing a gale, especially the small birds? We are in a seasonal change with some of our migratory birds arriving both on land and along the coast, including the first Latham’s Snipe from northern Japan.