This is a short recording which captures the sounds of the cliff top heathlands at Cape Nelson, near Portland. This is one of the very few recordings I was able to make during a recent trip to the Western borderland of Victoria, due to wet and windy conditions for the majority of the trip.

The recording is mainly environmental, rather than focused on bird call, and features the surf crashing on cliffs of the cape, wind in the heathland shrubs and bushes, the sounds of crickets, and the occasional bird call.

Cape Nelson Lighthouse

On this visit to Cape Nelson State Park we were a bit disappointed by the beautiful fine sunny weather and blue skies. We came to do some seabird watching and were hoping for the stormy weather which brings seabirds closer to the shore. We decided to stay at the luxuriously appointed lighthouse keepers cottages , situated next to the lighthouse, which enabled us to relax and enjoy this beautiful location. There is also a cafe located next to the cottages which is open for lunch.

Not long after arriving we took our scope out to the cape. With a bit of patience we identified Black-browed Albatross, Fluttering Shearwater and Short tailed Shearwater, there were also many gannets and a couple of Black-faced Cormorants. Last time we were here the weather was grey and blustery and more seabirds were present including Shy Albatross.

There are many paths leading into the coastal heath which enable you to explore the park. We had a few brief glimpses of Rufous Bristlebird scuttling across the path and into the heath on the Lighthouse walk, a few hundred meters from the lighthouse. In the morning we took a long walk through the bush and saw a number of common species such as Grey Shrike-thrush and New Holland Honeyeater, but the birds here seemed very shy and flighty and we didn't catch up with any of the more unusual species such as Brush Bronzewing and Beautiful Firetail.

Apart from seabirds the cape is a good place to spot marine mammals. We saw Blue Whales in the distance and on one occasion were able to see them with our binoculars, they were easy to spot by looking for their water spouts, and then soon afterwards the whales grey back and dorsal fin appeared above the surface. While watching the whales we also saw a pod of 100+ dolphins porposing through the water. On our last visit there were a couple of seals frolicking in the waves at the base of the cliffs. Blue whales are usually present here between November to March and during winter the Southern Right Whale can be seen.

Cape Nelson Bird List