The Ramsar-listed breeding haven also becomes a magnet for birdwatchers, who flock to look-outs to catch a glimpse of a colourful array of more than 260 species, ranging from the European goldfinch and the New Holland honeyeater, to the sacred kingfisher and the black-shouldered kite.

Werribee resident and photographer Paul Randall recently came face to face with a wedge-tailed eagle at the plant.

"It's not often that you get close enough to a wild wedge-tailed to get portrait shots but this young one was quite obliging. It was just staring straight down the barrel at me," he said.

A love of birdwatching inspired the part-time warehouse worker and stay-at-home dad to take up photography.

"I've always enjoyed being in the outdoors, and photography was a great way to take my love of nature, and particularly birdwatching, to the another level. I try to immerse myself in the bird's surroundings and capture the environment as seen through their eyes. You may get a bit dirty getting right down on the ground as close as possible, but the effect of the out-of-focus background and foreground makes for a great perspective."

He said Werribee was a great location for nature photography.

"We've got a bit of everything here; beach, grassland, shoreline, the You Yangs and the Werribee River. It's a great environment with lots of good trees for the birds, and vantage points for observers."

He said Wyndham's wetlands, stretching from Little River to Point Cook, were an attraction for birds and bird watchers during the warmer months.

"Summer is the time when all the migrant shore-birds come into the sewage farm and along the coastline to breed.

"There's lots of activity because the days are longer and the light is better."

To learn more about Wyndham's variety of bird species as documented by the photographer, visit www.wingsonwire.com