A trio of Robins

Australia has more than its fair share of Robins; 16 species in all. of which 7 occur in Victoria.

The You Yangs are a block of granite rising proud of Melbourne’s coastal plain covering about 30 square kilometers; much of which is given over to the You Yangs National Park. It is an area rich in bird life. At the end of last month I spent a day there mooching around searching for a few things to photograph. I was in my element.

The first birds I saw on walking to the aptly named ‘Big Rock’ was a pair of Eastern Yellow Robins. It wasn’t until I got to the top did I find the Scarlet Robin – a new bird for me. Well, in fact. I didn’t find it, it found me. Landing on the ground in front of me I was blown away by this sprightly little bird. However, nothing prepared me for the Flame Robin we stumbled across at the end of the day. As the light of a winters day began to fail a beacon of colour perched up in front of us. Wow!