Month: May 2015

Needletail & Pacific Swift (FTS)

g’day Aussie bird watchers Several people have remembered to send me their Needletail and swift sightings for the last season, in the last week. So this is a reminder that I am still collecting sightings preferably including the date, time, location, and number of birds. If notes on their behaviour are also supplied that is all the better. A summary for both species will be sent to participants and to Birding-Aus. Many thanks & Happy birding Mike =================== Michael Tarburton tarburton.m@optusnet.com.au ===================

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Memory cards – free to a good home – ADVERTISEMENT of sorts

Hi all, After sorting through my camera gear, I have a number of memory cards – both Compact Flash and SD – that are surplus to requirements. I am happy to drop them all in an envelope and send them to anyone that can offer them a good home. Sorry, but I won’t separate them, so you get the good with the bad! 2 x SanDisk Ultra II 8GB CF 1 x RiData Pro 4GB CF 1 x Kingston Elite Pro 2GB CF 2 x Kingston Elite Pro 1GB CF 1 x RiData Pro-2 1GB CF 1 x Canon 8MB CF (Yes, really!) 1 x RiData Pro 1GB SD 1 x Canon 32MB SD (unopened, and yes, really!) 1 x Canon 8MB SD (Yes, really!) 1 x SanDisk 2GB Mini-SD (with SD adaptor) First come, first served! Paul Dodd Docklands, Victoria

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A perculiar sighting for me

Hi guys While waiting for a tram this morning in Royal Park I saw, not too far into the distance, Red Wattles chasing what looked to be rather large rounded body insects. Their wings flapped vigorously. The Red Wattles stopped the chase and I realised that they were tiny birds. They were only a silhouette to me and a couldn’t detect any chirping. They headed of in the direction of the Parkville Wetlands. Very surreal. kindly Berenice

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ADVERT- Princess Parrot Expedition Sept 17th-23rd 2015

Hi All, I have spaces on an expedition departing Alice Springs to remote Princess Parrot sites in the western deserts on Sept 17th-23rd 2015. Fellow desert birding aficionado Chris Watson will be joining me as co-leader. As there are reports coming in of flocks of birds in the region we’ll be travelling to I’d say its all shaping up to be a serious birding adventure. Have a look at the itinerary and contact me if you you are keen. http://www.birdingandwildlife.com/princess-parrots/ Regards Mark Carter Birding and Wildlife.com T ++61 (0) 447358045 mark@desertlife.com.au http://www.birdingandwildlife.com ABN 31234450010

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Atherton Tableland Woodswallows

Hi all Yesterday late morning a few of us went chasing woodswallows in the Mareeba area. No luck in the Koah and Chewko Road areas, and also out towards Mutchilba. Also no luck initially along Channel Road however on returning from Mutchilba along Channel Road we came across a flock of around 50 or so. Some were definitely White-browed Woodswallows, which was our target species. The weather in the morning was overcast and drizzly, so we suspect aerial insects would not be out and hence no woodswallows, apart from a few White-breasted Woodswallows doing the usual thing and sitting on power lines. When we eventually saw the woodswallows on Channel Road the weather had cleared and warmed up. It certainly makes a difference in identifying woodswallows when they are sitting on fence lines. Driving between Hughenden and Winton it is easy to identify Woodswallow species at 100 km an hour as they are sitting on the fence close to the road, or soaring just above the car! When they are distant in grey days we found it more difficult. Despite the un-obliging nature of the woodswallows (could have saved us 4 hours of driving around by just being on Channel Road in the morning), it was a good day birding. The other birding highlight was when we stopped at Mutchilba to wait for woodswallows to come to us we saw White-winged Triller – also a sign of dry conditions out west. Ian Sinclair

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Some Atherton Tablelands sightings

Greetings, Lots of Woodswallows north of Channel Road yesterday but to distant to ID even with a scope. Close to there was a long flock of Tree Martins about 1.5 kilometres long and working on 20 birds per 100 metres which might be conservative that makes, 300 birds. Not the biggest flock I’ve seen but still significant. A Red-backed Kingfisher and two Bustards on Chettle Road. Cranes seen arriving from the west, dropping from high altitude. A Black-shouldered Kite on a nest on Channel Road and a pair of Pacific Baza’s crossed the road east of the creek crossing. Double-eyed Fig_parrots and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes feeding outside the pub in Yungaburra and on the school corner near the main road. Cranes of both species feeding in the paddocks and also Australian Pratincoles around Atherton, Yungaburra, Kairi. Regards, Alan Alan’s Wildlife Tours 2 Mather Road Yungaburra 4884 Phone 07 4095 3784 Mobile 0408 953 786 http://www.alanswildlifetours.com.au/

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Fwd: [OB] FW: Swan Specialist Group Newsletter V 11 2015

For those with an interest in Swans, this may be of interest. Begin forwarded message: > From: “‘Mundkur, Taej’ Taej.Mundkur@wetlands.org [orientalbirding]” < orientalbirding-noreply@yahoogroups.com> > Date: 29 May 2015 7:09:38 pm AEST > To: orientalbird < orientalbirding@yahoogroups.com> > Subject: [OB] FW: Swan Specialist Group Newsletter V 11 2015 > Reply-To: “Mundkur, Taej” < Taej.Mundkur@wetlands.org> > > Dear all, > > The Wetlands International/IUCN SSC Swan Specialist Group has produced their latest Newsletter in a new format with a lot of interesting new. > It can be downloaded here http://www.wetlands.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=UT5qjXqkF6g%3d&tabid=198&portalid=0&mid=13404. Happy reading. > > Have a good weekend. > > With best regards, Taej > > Taej Mundkur, Ph.D. > Programme Manager – Flyways > Wetlands International > P.O. Box 471, 6700AL Wageningen, The Netherlands > Tel: +31318660910 > Mobile: +31614987324 > Skype: taejmundkur > www.wetlands.org > [Description: http://intranet.wetlands.org/DesktopModules/QuickImageRepository/image.ashx?thumb=1&w=440&fileid=7485] [Description: http://intranet.wetlands.org/DesktopModules/QuickImageRepository/image.ashx?thumb=1&w=440&fileid=7486] [Description: http://intranet.wetlands.org/DesktopModules/QuickImageRepository/image.ashx?thumb=1&w=440&fileid=7487] [Description: http://intranet.wetlands.org/DesktopModules/QuickImageRepository/image.ashx?thumb=1&w=440&fileid=7488] > > [Description: New logo Wetlands International small] > “We safeguard and restore wetlands for people and nature” > Do note that I am not working on Wednesdays > > > > From: Carl Mitchell [mailto:mitch@silverstar.com] > Sent: donderdag 28 mei 2015 20:39 > To: Eileen Rees > Subject: Swan Specialist Group Newsletter V 11 2015 > > Greetings all. > > I hope you enjoy this, and that it contains useful and interesting information. > > Please provide any corrections, comments and contributions. > > Also forward this to anyone not on the list that you think might be interested. > > Best wishes, > > Carl > — > Carl D. Mitchell > Wildlife Biologist (Retired) > 55 Eagle Creek Road > Wayan, ID 83285 USA > > “The penalty of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.” Aldo Leopold. > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > __._,_.___ > Posted by: “Mundkur, Taej” < Taej.Mundkur@wetlands.org> > Reply via web post • Reply to sender • Reply to group • Start a New Topic • Messages in this topic () > This group is run in association with the Oriental Bird Club. To find out more about the Club and its conservation work, and to become a member, please visit www.orientalbirdclub.org > VISIT YOUR GROUP > • Privacy • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use > . > > > __,_._,___

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Black-faced Pitta

News from a relatively close neighbour, the Solomon Islands: May 22 was one of the most amazing days I’ve had birding, being shown a Fearful Owl at nest site early on after a tough slippery walk over sharp limestone rocks, then finding a calling Black-faced Pitta in a forest patch by the track and getting great views of it. We had a field lunch of tuna and rice, and were back at the village by 1300. I tried for Santa Isabel Rail that afternoon and got to hear one or two calling from a dense thicket. That night we embarked on what proved to be an entertaining and unusual process of getting the rare Solomons Frogmouth, ultimately successful too. I got 3 mega lifers today, and 2 of them were new genera too, my thanks to Gerard, Stephen and George for their invaluable help here. Next day I managed to get Santa Isabel Rail as well, so I did really well for the rarities of Tirotonga on Santa Isabel. The full trip report will shortly be available on our website under the Solomon Islands heading Phil Gregory Website 1: Http://www.sicklebillsafaris.com Website 2: Http://www.cassowary-house.com.au

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Ultimate Rarity Twitch in Taiwan

Hi, This is a big rarity record in Taiwan. Quite hard to find any rarities in Australia or overseas that can rival this one that meets a few criteria:- 1) First ever reported in the country. 2) A highly threatened species (globally critically endangered in this case). 3) Reliably found at one site and has been around for more than 6 months. 4) Very accessible site (In this case, it takes almost an hour bus ride (direct connection) from capital city CBD to the site. 5) The bird is too easy to observe and is not shy of human. (This is probably a downside) What can be better than this? The Crane has attained almost full adult plumage after more than 5 months wintering and feeding at the site. And it is still not known if it is, or is capable of, flying back to its birth site at all. This young Siberian Crane would not have been able enjoy its peaceful stay for that long if it had not been efforts put together by bird/wetland conservation group, local government and local farmers. A good birding news to share! http://siberiantimes.com/ecology/casestudy/features/f0110-rare-siberian-crane-given-special-protection-in-taiwan-after-getting-lost/ http://siberiantimes.com/home/ Tun Pin ONG Canberra/Sydney Sent from my iPhone

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