Month: December 2011

Just following on from earlier discussions about the role of Channel-billed Cuckoo calling, we were woken up around 4 am two mornings ago by the incessant loud calling of a pair of Channel-billed Cuckoos that were in our neighbour’s garden in Ryde (c. 10 km NW of Sydney CBD). The calling has continued throughout the day, on and off, for the last two days. This morning a Channel-billed Cuckoo fledged from a Pied Currawong nest in the neighbour’s Sydney Blue Gum (Eucalyptus saligna). Although the fledgling is really noisy, constantly begging for food, what I presume are the biological parents are now silent. I’ve observed both the foster parents (currawongs) and the probable biological parents (cuckoos) feeding the fledgling this morning (It is amazing to see how small the Pied Currawong is in relation to the fledgling that it is feeding).

Therefore, it would appear that the calling by the adult Channel-billed Cuckoos over the last couple of days may, in part, have been to coax the nestling to fledge and to join them. It will be interesting to see if the adults will continue calling or be silent now that that the juvenile has fledged. If the adult has laid eggs in other host nests within their breeding territory, it’s possible that we may be hearing the same adults calling in and around our garden in the near future.

Stephen

Dr Stephen Ambrose

Ryde, NSW

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Dear All I’m current planning a 2 week trip to Fiji in May / June 2012. The trip will primarily be to look for endemic species of land birds but I am also trying to arrange a 3-4 day block of time on Gau to look for Fiji Petrel (offshore) see: http://www.boc-online.org/bulletins/downloads/Pseudobulweria%20macgillivrayi%20Shirihai%20et%20al.pdf

I have a few people who have expressed interest – if you’re interested in joining me (on a cost sharing basis) please let me know and i’ll keep you informed as I start to firm up details. cheers

Rob Morris

Brisbane, Australia

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Dear All I’m planning a week long trip (Broome – Broome) into the Kimberley from the 12th to the 19th August 2012 to look for Black Grasswren, Kimberely Honeyeater etc. etc. If you are interested in joining me and sharing costs (4WD hire / fuel etc.) please let me know. I’m looking for 2-3 people. cheers Rob Morris

Brisbane, Australia

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Hi All, I wish everyone on this list a Happy and Prosperous New Year for 2012. The skipper of MV Grinner has made a useful up grade. He has purchased a 22″ TV monitor with built in DVD player and the usual up to date connectivity which he will install as a foldaway in the cabin. What this means is that as a further service to punters, instead of looking at small restrictive plates/photos in field guides, in future you will be able to view large images from our extensive library of various plumage stages. Also, I’ll set it up so that when that mystery bird shoots by, instead of ‘chimping’ around 3” camera monitors we will have full 22″ views of the RAW image files right there and then.

Cheers – Paul.

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For the first time, the 2012 duck shooting season will be regulated by the Department of Primary Industries instead of the Department of Sustainability and Environment. What this means will only become clear when the season starts but already, the pro-hunting spin about the season has conveyed the idea that ducks are pests. This should be hugely concerning for birdwatchers. ===============================

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Hi all,

This afternoon 16 plumed whistling ducks were sharing a small lake with 6 White faced herons, numerous pacific black ducks and 4 Australasian grebes. The lake is along Factory Lane, between Kiama and Jamberoo NSW

Cheers

Jim O’Shea ===============================

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I spent a couple of hours at lunchtime at the Maroochy Wetlands Sanctuary at Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast. I chose this time as the tides and heat were right for seeing the crabs which were really the objects of the excursion. However, it was one of those days when cicadas were calling and visible, and the birds seemed quite cooperative and were singing loudly all around me at a time they’d usually be avoiding the heat.

As well as the Collared, Sacred and Azure Kingfishers, there were Grey and Little Shrike-thrushes, several Mangrove Gerygones right beside me, Grey and Rufous Fantails, etc. etc., but the absolute highlight was a juvenile Shining Flycatcher going into male adult plumage. It was the splotchiest creature I have ever seen, blobs of chestnut, white and black in no particular pattern, and the shoulders were not just glossed with blue, but appeared the blue of the Superb Fairy-wren! It flitted around for so long, and quite close, that I was even able to show it to some folks who came without binoculars!

Great way to be finishing this year’s birding for me!

Robyn Howard ===============================

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6 – 8 Needletails over Westerfolds Park, Templestowe, Vic. for about 5 minutes early this afternoon.  They then vanished eastwards.

Sorry Mike, I’ve lost your email address.

Sonja ===============================

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HI All,

I’m organising a pelagic from Eaglehawk Neck on February 4th 2012. The charter is the Paulette. Irrespective of how many people we get, your price will be $100. Please send all expressions of interest to my personal email.

All the best for new year to all!

Cheers

Tim Faulkner

Operations Manager

Australian Reptile Park & Devil Ark

P. O. Box 737

Gosford, NSW 2250

Phone: (02) 4340 8614

Mobile: 0415 904 710

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Chris Sanderson & I had a Common Tern perched on telegraph wires at North Arm, on the Sunshine Coast. I’ve not seen terns of any species doing this before. See here for more:

http://sunshinecoastbirds.blogspot.com/

We also saw Square-tailed Kite and a pair of Bush-hens in the North Arm area.

Greg Roberts

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