Month: April 2011

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150227823923125.364372.638123124 This is a link to more photos of dead game species and protected species found at Lake Buloke, Victoria, over the Easter long weekend. I give warning of the graphic nature of the images. They were displayed outside Premier Baillieu’s office on Wednesday, 27 April. There seems no doubt that hunters are targeting any and every bird species. There is no budget for wildlife officers, so the wetlands are not being policed to prevent this. Many of these birds were in an advanced state of decay, indicating they had been dead for many weeks, perhaps as far back as the opening weekend (March 19). Ducklings have been found dead, indicating breeding is still underway. If Victorian birdwatchers want there to be ducks to watch, we must demand duck hunting be banned. Dead birds:

Grey Teal: 67 Pacific Black Duck: 7 Pink-eared Duck: 8 Hardhead: 2 Mountain Duck: 2 Wood Duck: 3 Unknown: 8 Magpies: 4 Eurasian Coot: 2 Little Raven: 1 Black-winged Stilt: 1 Purple Swamphen: 1 Australasian Grebe: 1 Cygnet: 1 Swan’s eggs: 13 Other egg: 1 Ducklings: 3?

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Sorry, forgot to change the subject line on that last one…

Tony

Hi all,

It looks like we’re returning to the UK at the end of August and I was really hoping to get to my 500th lifer by the time we leave. I’m currently on 491 (or 490 depending on where you stand on the Great Egret split), but limited to Sydney public transport. I’ve been to a lot of the usual sites by train, ferry and bus (Manly, Bicentennial and Centennial Park, odd bits of Kuring-gai Chase and the Royal National Park, etc), but I’m running out of ideas. I’ve made a list of the (native) species I’ve seen here: http://www.tonykeenebirds.co.uk/random/Aus_list.html so any suggestion for sites accessible by public transport are very welcome! Countrylink stations are out as they’re rather expensive to get to. Awkward, I know… Cheers,

Tony

Hi all,

An interesting photo of a White-necked Heron by Kevin Bartram was posted on Birdline Victoria today – see http://www.eremaea.com/sightingphotos%5C1%5C17578.jpg (and http://www.eremaea.com/BirdlineRecentSightings.aspx?Birdline=1).

I’ve seen this species hunched over in the classic heron hunting pose, but nothing quite like this. Kevin suggests that it was probably sunning itself, which seems likely (or perhaps it was preparing itself for the Royal Spoonbill Wedding).

Regards,

Tim Dolby

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Dear birders

Just had a very pleasant camp out in Capertee with the Hunter Bird Observers Club. Visited the new Capertee National Park which is up the far end of Port Macquarie Road, and is to be called the Capertee National park so as not to confuse with Port Macquarie on the far NSW North coast. Saw Rose Robin, Turquoise Parrots, Yellow-throated Honeyeaters and Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens, amongst the usuals.

Anyway, this new nat. park is well worth a visit. The road from the entry, still only marked as Private Property, has been upgraded and they are repairing the bridge just before the homestead (one can cross by the ford), which is going to be available to rent.

On two private properties in the valley, Spotted Quail-thrush, Striped Honeyeaters and Rock Warblers – always good to see the species that I don’t get in the Gloucester area. Also lots of Diamond Firetails and Black-chinned Honeyeaters and 2 pairs of Hooded Robins on one property.

Altogether a great camp out. ===============================

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Hi all I spent some time at Pitt Town Lagoon this morning. It’s very full and the grass is very lush and some of the trees are flowering – quite a few birds about (57 species in just under 2 hours). Nothing spectacular except a possible Australasian Bittern, as noted below.

A large, dark brown heron like bird flew over the lagoon at about 9:45 this morning and landed somewhere on the golf course. (It did not start at the lagoon itself, but came from over Pitt Town, so I have no idea where it started.) The bird was dark brown and showed no discernible white at all (I got a distant side on view as it came in to land) which for me rules out either of the grey herons (White faced and Pacific). The bird was definitely not grey (not even dark grey), which probably also rules out Black Bittern, although I’ll stand corrected on that if necessary. As it came to land, the rump appeared to be a paler shade of brown. Its flight was very slow and deliberate with deep wing beats, giving the flight an almost bouncy look, and the head was folded in.

When it landed, I think it ended up in the wetland in the middle of the golf course (ie not the one next to Pitt Town Bottoms Road but one with more extensive reed beds that is about 2 fairways over when looking from Pitt Town Bottoms Road). Anybody that has access to the golf course might check this area out?

Amongst the other species seen this morning at Pitt Town Lagoon were a pair Double Barred Finches, a Jacky Winter, a Hobby, 4 Hardhead and a flock of 22 White faced Heron flying over.

Cheers Tom Wilson

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see http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9468000/9468306.stm ===============================

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Hi birding-aussers,

Since Ruth and I completed our “VicTwitch” Big Year in Victoria last year, I am interested in the history of Big Years in Australia. I can’t find that much information – presumably because Big Years are not pursued particularly vigorously in Australia. Here is what I have:

Australian Records:

????: 535 Species: John McKean

1979: 545 Species: Roy Wheeler

2002: 703 Species: Sean Dooley

(All information from Sean Dooley’s book, “The Big Twitch”)

Victorian Records:

2006: 336 Species: John Harris

2009: 345 Species: Tim Dolby

2010: 389 Species: Paul Dodd & Ruth Woodrow

South Australian Records:

2010: ??? Species: Kay Parkin

Local Records:

2010: Hunter Valley: 343 Species: Mick Roderick

Does anyone have any other information, history or other details on birding records in Australia?

Paul Dodd

Docklands, Victoria

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Through the 1980’s I lived at nearby Narrabri and the sole Pacific Baza that I encountered was about twenty kilometres south of Bingara, well to the north of Gunnedah.

Del. Richards, Fine Feather Tours, Mossman, NQ.

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Hi everyone,

Here is a short highlights package from a trip by Alan Collins, Mark Newman, and myself to the Paynes Find & Cue areas over Easter. Our basic itinerary was as follows; Friday: Perth to Wubin Saturday: Wubin to Cue, with a deviation to Warne River Sunday: around Cue Monday: Cue to Kirkalocka Station (between Mt Magnet and Paynes Find) Tuesday: Kirkalocka Station to Perth

The country seemed to be drying out, but it was still good and we had an amazing trip. Our only major dips were Slender-billed Thornbill and Grey Honeyeater (both very tricky) and night birds, which were sparse (one Tawny Frogmouth near Wubin, one Barn Owl between Wubin and Paynes Find, and an Owlet-nightjar heard at Kirkalocka). Best sightings included;

Malleefowl – 2 in a field north of Wubin Inland Dotterel – 15+ in a stony field on Austin Downs Station Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo – A single bird along the Great Northern Hwy between Wubin and Paynes Find White-browed Treecreeper – group not far from Paynes Find along the Paynes Find-Sandstone Rd Gilbert’s Whistler – pair at Warne River, very hard to get a good look at, but fortunately were calling. Orange Chat – Small group at Lake Austin including a couple of stunning males Banded Whiteface – 2 just before the entrance to Austin Downs Station Slaty-backed Thornbill – 2 on Kirkalocka Station and 1 along Maranalgo Rd Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush – Three (1 male, 2 female/immature) on Kirkalocka Station, fantastic views! Ground Cuckoo-shrike – Group of four on Kirkalocka Station near the Quail-thrush site Masked Woodswallow – 1000+ on Austin Downs Station, smaller groups elsewhere around Cue White-browed Woodswallow – 1 with Masked Woodswallows west of Cue.

Other good sightings included Little Button-quail (quite common around Cue), Black-breasted Buzzard (one on Austin Downs), Diamond Dove (common from Paynes Find north), Cockatiel (a few flocks around Mt Magnet and Cue), Mulga Parrot (a few sites), Budgerigar (a few flocks around Cue, no close sightings), Bourke’s Parrot (2 at Jackson’s Well on Nallan Station), Red-backed Kingfisher (1 on Austin Downs), Southern Whiteface (moderately common), White-fronted Honeyeater (a few on Austin Downs, less common than expected), Pied Honeyeater (a few on Austin Downs, possibly also Black), Crimson Chat (quite common around Cue), Grey-crowned Babbler (a few sites near Cue), Chiming Wedgebill (on Austin Downs, near Lake Austin, possibly at Maranalgo Rd), Crested Bellbird (common), Little Woodswallow (Walga Rock, just W of Cue, Kirkalocka), and Western Bowerbird (Austin Downs, Walga Rock, Kirkalocka).

Thanks go to Bruce Greatwich, who gave us the good gen on Lake Austin, Andrew Sutherland, who organised a similar trip last year and let me come along and get to know the area a but, and the various other birders who’ve posted trip reports from the area over the last couple of months. Also Frank O’Connor’s website which we used for some site info.

I will do an annotated trip list at some stage, which I’m happy to send to anyone interested.

Cheers, John

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