Month: June 2010

We’ve just begun a trip around the Cairns region…we’ll be reporting on the activities, birds and places to see birds and stay in the area. This was a nice added bonus on arrival, as we visited the botanic gardens and had a Little Kingfisher on the freshwater lake. Time to try out the Swarovski digi-scoping set up and a new Canon 550D digital SLR and video camera.

http://bird-o.com/2010/06/30/little-kingfisher/

Watched Cassowary down to a couple of feet today – I will see if I can get that video online tomorrow. A truly amazing if slightly nervy experience, as she took an interest in the end of my lens and paced slowly towards me as I sat on the verandah at at Cassowary House. Far more than I imagined and quite regular occurrence I am told.

Time for bed now…Sooty Owl calling outside.

All the best birding,

Simon.

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I’ve just returned from a trip to Peninsula Malaysia, Borneo and Java and have a few notes for south-east Asian birding enthusiasts. I had done Malaysia before on an extensive trip so was looking for specialties I’d dipped on in the past. Highlights on the peninsula were Rusty-naped Pitta at Frasers Hill (a pair just after the first stream crossing on Bishop’s Trail) and Mangrove Pitta at Air Hitam Dalum, near Penang, where local birder Tan Choo Eng was very helpful. I went to Kuala Gula south of Penang where the reintroduced Milky Storks are free-flying and nesting, but are still being fed; a handful of truly wild birds remain in the area. On Borneo, I spent a week at the Danum Valley Field Centre. Highlights here include a male Bulwer’s Pheasant, a stunning Blue-banded Pitta, Black-headed and Blue-headed Pittas, great views of Bornean Wren-Babbler, a party of Pygmy White-eye, Helmeted Hornbill, Crested Partridge, Brown-backed Flowerpecker, Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo, Cinnamon-rumped Trogon and Rufous-collared Kingfisher. As I had visited Mt Kinabalu previously, I went to the Crocker Ranger near Tambunan, where nice birds included Bornean and Mountain Barbets, Red-breasted Patridge and Streaky-breasted Spiderhunter. On Java, good birds at Gung Gede Pangrangro included Javan Trogon, Javan Hawk-Eagle, Javan Cochoa, Spotted Crocias, Pink-headed Fruit-Dove, Waterfall Swift, Mountain Serin, Sunda Cuckoo, Salvadori’s Nightjar and Javan Owlet. At Carita I failed to see White-breasted Babbler in three mornings and fear they have all been trapped. This remnant of lowland rainforest is supposed be a reserve but I saw a constant stream of villagers on the track with guns, axes and bird-trapping gear, with the authorities doing zilch to protect the area. I did see Black-banded Barbet, Sunda Scops-Owl, Javan Frogmouth and Javan Sunbird here. At Pulau Dua I had Streaked Weaver, Javan Plover and White-headed Munia, and the first bird I saw at Maura Angke was a Sunda Coucal. Greg Roberts

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There is an interesting article on the evolution of marsupial forelimbs and a discussion as to why marsupial reproduction precluded the development of wings and flippers.

see http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8754000/8754412.stm ===============================

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This afternoon I saw two widely separated pairs of Beach Stone-Curlew on an island in the Maroochy River estuary on the Sunshine Coast. With the cooler weather, the birds are emerging earlier to feed. This species is rare in southeast Queensland and it is encouraging that two pairs appear to be holding fort at this site. With a pair also seemingly firmly established in the Noosa River estuary, the Sunshine Coast is looking like a good place for the species. Greg Roberts ===============================

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Dear Birders, A reminder that Mike Carter is speaking in Sydney this Saturday afternoon at the Building 22 in the Newington Armory (adjacent to the Birds Australia Discovery Centre. The talk commences at 2:00 pm and is followed by afternoon tea. This is a free event for members of BASNA and visitors. The Newington Armory is accessed from Jamieson St Newington and is part of the Sydney Olympic Park. If you go into Google maps and enter “Birds Australia Discovery Centre” it will come up wit a map highlighting the centre.

For the Twitchers among you this is a rare opportunity to hear the master of all Australian twitchers. For the rest of you you can find out that Mike’s interest in birds is far broader than twitching and it is for these reasons that Mike was awarded Birds Australia’s Hobb’s Medal in 2009

I suggest you arrive early and visit the Discovery Centre as EagleCam is up and running and our resident pair of Sea Eagles have an egg and are actively sitting. There is a heap of archived clips of the birds renovating the nest, feeding etc that can be viewed at the centre. .Regards Peter Marsh ============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au

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Dear Birders / Pelagic enthusiasts, I’m arranging back to back pelagic trips out of Eaglehawk Neck – Tasmania on the 4th and 5th September 2010. The trips will be $120 / person / day – i.e. $240 for the weekend. I will be paying the same amount as everyone else on the trip. i.e. no profit for me , no free trip etc. etc. The trips will be all day leaving 7/7.30 to 4-4.30pm and go out beyond the edge of the shelf. If you’re interested there are 2 places unexpectedly available. Please let me know if you are interested. If you search for Eaglehawk Neck on Birding Aus – you’ll get an idea of what we might see. As always, trips are weather dependent. All the details will be sent out at a later point in time. Kind regards Rob Morris

Brisbane, Australia

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Hi All, My wife and daughter are travelling to New Caledonia in September – ostensibly for a school French excursion, but they’re both possibly more interested in doing some birding!!

Just wondering whether there are any Birding-Aus subscribers in New Caledonia who would be interested in linking up with them for some birding, and/or BA members who have been to New Caledonia who might be interested in making contact offline with some advice and suggestions??

Thanks in advance, John Tongue Ulverstone, Tas.============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au

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With the Fruit-dove records in Victoria, it appears they are mostly in autumn/winter and are therefore probably some form of post breeding dispersal?

Alternatively while hanging out in a fig tree up the coast they may have been talked into a road trip down south by a fast talking Spangled Drongo…

Sydney often appears to have juvenile Fruit Dove records in autumn/winter such as the one noted in May in Birdline where they must be overwhelmed by the lights of the big city and collide wth house windows.

Tim

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Hi folks,

Jack has put his latest trip report on Wildairies for our recent quick trip out to where there were a couple of possible Night Parrot sightings of late. Details are contained in Jack’s report available here.

http://aussiebirding.wildiaries.com/trips/10242

Elegant Parrots were seen at the spot but it is ,of course, possible that a bit of 2 bird theory was at play. Jack’s comment about no small native mammals being seen over 3 nights is topical. On 60 Minutes last night, that subject was reported as well as the lead story in the most recent AWC mag, Conservation Matters.

Anyway, I can highly recommend that part of the East Pilbara, Oakover River and especially Eel Pool….amazing countryside. Highlight was seeing a few of the Pilbara dragonfly specialties and cleaning up a feral cat with both front and back wheels!

Cheers,

Bill ============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au

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Thought this may be of interest to Birding Aus readers.

Alan

Begin forwarded message:

From: MaldivesOrnithological society Date: 29 June 2010 3:38:46 PM AEST To: orientalbirding@yahoogroups.com Subject: [OB] National bird ringing programmes to be start up

Dear All

We the Maldives Ornithological Society would like to conduct a National Bird Ringing Programme on sea birds in the Maldives. If anyone interested to involve in this project and work voluntarily please respond or revert back to us .

Note : Tickets to Maldives should be purchased by yourselves and we can only provide the accomodation and food.

Also if anyone is interested to donate the mist nets , ringing tools or bring by themselves we always welcome.

Your inquiries can be send to

Vikram Director

Maldives Ornithological Society Ma.Uivashaage Bodufulhah goalhi Male’ Rep.of.Maldives Tel : +9607907553 E-mail : maldivesornithologicalsociety@gmail.com

[Non-text portions of this message (and Yahoo bloody ads) have been removed;-)

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******************************************************************************* Alan McBride, MBO.

Photojournalist | Writer | Traveller | + Member: Australian Photographic Society International Travel Writers & Photographers Alliance National Association of Independent Writers & Editors American Writers & Artists Inc. Travelwriters . com Regional Representative Australia: Neotropical Bird Club

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