Month: November 2012

Three members of BirdLife Sunshine Coast had an exceptional WTN experience during the Challenge Count today at Beerwah, Sunshine Coast. Ten low-flying (50 m) WTN quickly became 20, then 40. As we followed their upward path, they joined a mass of at least 400 birds, all rapidly ascending, until lost to view. Time was 0950, weather was fine and sunny, no wind, no cloud. A lifer for Ian, biggest WTN flock for both John and myself, and first sighting this season.

Russ Lamb, Maleny,SEQ ===============================

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I was at the Port of Brisbane wader roost pond today and we found an Asian Dowitcher in front of bird hide anong the good numbers of waders present. They included Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit, Great Knot, and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Hopefully the following link will take you to a photo taken by Finnish friend, Jukka Jantunen.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151265996606460&set=a.403013516459.179647.555856459&type=1&theater

Cheers

Roy ===============================

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Here is a further comment from Steve Debus

Regards Shirley

Looks like as George Kastanza best put it “I’m BACK baby!”. It now appears that I’m possibly going to be on a flight tomorrow that will allow me to scrape into Albany in time for the ‘Birding the Australian Bight’ pelagic. Sorry to those who contacted me re trying to take up my offer to try to transfer my booking.

Does anyone have a phone number for Glen Facey from Brisbane? Glen is on the Birding the Bight trip and I need to talk to him re gear he is bringing for me!

Strong southerly winds here on Cocos over last few days are more likely blowing Asian vagrants home than into view here – but will continue to give it my best shot.

Best wishes John

Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:13:11 +1100 From: John Weigel To: birding-aus@lists.vicnet.net.au Subject: [Birding-Aus] Stranded on Cocos Island. Does someone want to use my Albany to Hobart pelagic seat? Message-ID: <7743C6BA-09DA-4E05-B029-1AF6AE342707@reptilepark.com.au> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Due to the Federal Government’s control of Virgin flights between Perth, Christmas Is and Cocos Keeling, and apparent preference to refugee transportation above tourism, my flight (and the subsequent day’s fligh) from Cocos to Perth has been cancelled, and it is now physically impossible for me to make connection for 2 Dec departure of pelagic from Albany to Hobart. If anyone wants to try to use my berth, and its a big maybe that this will work, and preferably you can throw a proportion of cost my way, please contact me off-line. Very very disappointed.

Good birds on Cocos have included Hodgson’s Hawk-cuckoo, Asian Koel, Tiger Shrike (different individual than the West Island bird, and mine was on Home Island).

Still, very disappointing day today! Due to the large increase of boat-people from Sri Lanka, I’d suggest anyone considering a trip to Cocos/Christmas to consider their plans very cautiously. The problem is fuel – planes are zipping back and forth to Colombo daily, with a measly 30 passengers per flight, as the Sri Lankan Gov will only accept 30 per day! Where and how we got into this quagmire…

John Weigel ===============================

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Carl,   The film is produced by Seadog Films, who did “On a Wing and a Prayer” and “Steps to Recovery” (about the Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos).   Up until just over a week before the start of the NSW Twitchathon, William was supposed to have been joining the Hunter Home Brewers for the duration of the event (and for the “pre-twitch preps” as I understood it). But at the last minute the ABC decided that the Twitchathon wasn’t interesting – fools! I think William enjoys a beer and was disappointed at missing the opportunity to be an honorary brewer for a weekend 😉   I’m looking forward to seeing the film which I think includes a piece on the SOSSA work / pelagic trips off W’gong.   Mick

________________________________ From: Carl Clifford To: Birding-Aus Aus Sent: Thursday, 29 November 2012 10:19 PM Subject: [Birding-Aus] William’s Big Twitch

Dear B-A,

Amongst the ABC’s offerings for the 2013 season is a program entitled William’s Big Twitch. The only details that I have been able to ascertain, is that it is about “Bird watching with William McInnes”.

Could be interesting. Does anyone know any other details?

Cheers,

Carl Clifford ===============================

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Hi List, At 10:45 [my reward for braving the heat] while hanging out washing I observed at least 50 White-throated Needletails circling around high above my Willoughby St, Epping, NSW backyard at GPS co-ords -33.776383,151.067247. The occasional bird was flying down quite low, but binoculars revealed far more than the 20 birds I first estimated. I have a blurry photo taken into the middle of the high flock on full zoom & hoping for the best that shows 36 birds. After about 10 minutes the birds suddenly all came together in a low tight flock and shot off due south. This is my first sighting for this season. From Jenny Stiles

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Dear Birders

Looks like another environmental disgrace is about to hit the Penrith Region. To think that Judas Springs or whatever it’s called (the old ADI site) was the last stop in the destruction machine’s steps was a mere illusion. This idea of rezoning more remaining bushland in the region that is home to endangered plant and animal species is just the icing on the cake. I’ve received communication from Geoff Brown, the head of Western Sydney Conservation Alliance recently and wish to share the concerns with like-minded, environmentally conscious folks!

Please help ratchet up the pressure on Penrith Council to reverse its support for turning some of the best bush left in Western Sydney into farmland. Penrith Council is finalising its Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and Council has given the Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council a massive windfall through their LEP process. The DLALC own thousands of hectares of Priority Conservation Lands in the Penrith LGA and these lands are targeted by the NSW Government as potential offset lands. The success of the Cumberland Plain Recovery Plan depends on the protection of the Priority Conservation Lands

Penrith Council however don’t give a toss about ensuring the recovery of the threatened species of Western Sydney and in total they plan to give allow an RU4 2 hectare farm zoning to over 620 hectares of the Priority Conservation Lands owned by the DLALC. The NSW Environment Office advice to Council was to zone these lands E2 Environmental Conservation. In anyone’s books such a massive zoning windfall for a single landowner would have to be considered seriously dodgy.

There is a story in the local Penrith Press about this matter. Please hit the link below and also leave a comment. You could urge the Penrith Councillors to reconsider their support for turning these conservation jewels into farmland and that they use the upcoming LEP process to rezone all the Priority Conservation Lands to E2 Environmental Conservation.

There is already one dumb-ass comment arguing people need to live somewhere and Australia has one large national park.

http://penrith-press.whereilive.com.au/news/story/cranebrook-and-castlereagh -land-to-be-subdivided-into-farms/

Also, if you haven’t already, sign and share the petition started by local Greens MP Suzie Wright below.

http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/stop-penrith-council-s-destruction-of- our-environment

Thank you and

Kind regards

Akos

PS. To give you an idea of what species I have personally seen out here, check out my Eremaea lists over the years. I’ve been walking in these Crown Land areas for over six years now and they just astonish me with the biodiversity contained within them.

Nimmitta – private property backing onto these lands, if you count the bushbirds and migratory species you get some idea

http://www.eremaea.com/SiteSpeciesList.aspx?Site=22941

Castlereagh Cell – Most bush birds are from these very areas they want to chop into farmland. Just mostly exclude birds that associate with waterways and swamps

http://www.eremaea.com/SiteSpeciesList.aspx?Site=2051

Akos Lumnitzer

www.amatteroflight.com

+61423144332

akos@amatteroflight.com

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Hello from wintery Finland,

Another work trip brings our company back to Oz this weekend for a week and a half. It will be a welcome change to travel from the cold Finland (-12 Centigrade) to the Summer of Australia (+40 Centigrade?).

Unfortunately I am unable to participate on this trip, but my colleaque Markku will be there and is yet again eager to do some birding in the area (although Markku prefers to do bird photography rather than just birding). Sydney is out of the question on his way there (connecting flight leaves too soon), and the returning flights are still a mystery. But it is certain that he will have some spare time in Parkes. Unfortunately, due to some mistake, he does not have a car for travelling at the moment (this might change – I’ll keep you posted), so his birding is limited in and around Parkes. If you have any tips for him, I would be thrilled to pass the information along. His English isn’t as fluent as mine, so I’ll be his interpreter.

Markku will have at least the following days free: Saturday 1st (afternoon), Sunday 2nd (whole day) and probably from Saturday 8th to Sunday 9th (whole day) of December.

Just to let you know that I have already tried to find some information from Eremaea, but the information for just Parkes is very limited. If he managed to get a rental car, he’d be able to travel more freely in a ~200 km radius, which would improve his possibilities greatly. But as I said, I’ll keep you posted if that plays out well.

Cheers, -Harry ===============================

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Dear B-A,

Amongst the ABC’s offerings for the 2013 season is a program entitled William’s Big Twitch. The only details that I have been able to ascertain, is that it is about “Bird watching with William McInnes”.

Could be interesting. Does anyone know any other details?

Cheers,

Carl Clifford ===============================

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 Why don’t you start an online petition thro Get-Up.

Col H

Message: 2 Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 23:21:49 +1100 From: Russ To: Birding Aus Subject: [Birding-Aus] Major developments planned at Avalon and Moolap Saltworks – ACT NOW Message-ID:

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Hi everyone

I?ve just found out about a couple of proposed developments around Geelong. One is at the former Moolap Saltworks, the other is for Avalon Saltworks. Anyone who has been to these sites will know of their importance and biological diversity. Moolap is one of the few places in Geelong itself to see birds like Spotted Crake, Marsh Sandpiper, Great Egret and Baillon?s Crake. More importantly, it is one of the important feeding grounds for all three of Red-necked Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and Banded Stilt. There is a development planned to make this area into a new residential estate. The developers are using all the old tricks, such as claiming the area is low-quality, degraded industrial wasteland, and that they will enhance the ecological and environmental aspects of it by turning it into parkland amidst the homes and shops. Here’s an extract from one of their documents:

“restore the ecological values and conserve biodiversity, both of which are presently at risk at both sites. In particular it will put the combined carrying capacity of the sites for listed migratory shorebirds on to a sustainable basis. This carrying capacity was increased by the advent of salt works operations and has declined since the cessation of these operations”.

The plan is to redevelop most of the 465 ha site at Moolap, and create 75 ha reserve through “environmental rehabilitation” by “the concurrent conduct of earthworks, hydraulic engineering works and landscaping works for the creation of 75 ha of conservation reserve.”

This is from the proposal document dated 16 November 2012. Public submissions close THIS FRIDAY 30 November 2012. You can read more of the documents here:

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=6630

Let’s hope this development is not allowed to go ahead unchecked. Please submit a brief letter of opposition to the proposal around the issues raised above to the Federal Environment Minister, or as follows:

Email address for Public Comment

*Email*: epbc.referrals@environment.gov.au

*Fax*: 02 6274 1789 Or post to:

*Referral Business Entry Point, EIA Policy Section (EPBC Act)* Approvals and Wildlife Division Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601

I will try to get some more info to the list asap.

Russell Woodford

Birding-Aus List Owner