Birdline New South Wales Weekly Update

Birdline New South Wales Published sightings for the week ending 24 Aug 2014. Sun 24 Aug Wandering Albatross Offshore–Wollongong pelagic Highlights of the Sunday SOSSA pelagic were approx. 20 Wandering-type Albatross (13 of which were exulans). Again not a single Cape Petrel and also no Giant-petrels on either trip. A detailed trip report and pictures will be posted on the SOSSA website soon Nikolas Haass and all on the Sandra K Southern Boobook Nielsen Park, Vaucluse 8.30pm Southern Boobook calling from a thick Norfolk Island Pine near the entrance to Nielsen Park. Marie Lister Spotted Quail-thrush, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Jacky Winter McMahons Creek Rd, Yarramundi Along McMahons Creek Rd I had 2 Spotted Quail-thrush calling on the ridge at the end of the road, a Common Bronzewing, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Peaceful Doves, numerous Fuscous and Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters, Jacky Winters, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Weebills, 2 Restless Flycatchers, Crested Shrike-tit, Varied Sitellas and also heard an Azure Kingfisher at the creek. Edwin Vella Black Bittern, Grey Goshawk Yarramundi Reserve On my walk along the river at Yarramundi Reserve, I saw a Black Bittern (flushed beside the river at the end of the eastern trail. This is only the second time I have seen one here), an Intermediate Egret, a Grey Goshawk, an adult White-bellied sea-eagle, quite a number of Bar-shouldered and a few Peaceful Dove, at least 3 Azure Kingfishers, Olive-backed Orioles, Fan-tailed and Shining Bronze-cuckoos, quite a number of both Mistletoebirds and Varied Sitellas as well as a male Rose Robin Edwin Vella Swift Parrot, Little Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet Deep Water Park Milperra Huge numbers of parrots and honeyeaters feeding on flowering Blue Box (Euc. bauriana) at Deepwater Park, Blue Gum Farm entrance, this morning. Amongst 1,000+ deafening Musk Lorikeets we found 2 Swift Parrots in the picnic area past the paintball complex. They were sitting still in the top of stringybark for a few minutes before vanishing. Trying to relocate them was like looking for a needle in a hay stack with so many noisy lorikeets. 2 pairs of Little Lorikeets flew over. Several pairs of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, some with newly fledged dependant young. Heaps of Rainbow Lorikeets, plus Red-rumped Parrot, Eastern Rosella, Galah, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Little Corella rounded out a spectacle of parrots. David James & Brigitte Dawson Sat 23 Aug Grey Goshawk, Brown Falcons Riverstone Saw both Grey and Brown Goshawk at the northen end of Marsden Lane. I think this is the first Grey Goshawk in Riverstone despite having seeing them a number of times in neighbouring suburbs. I have now seen all of Sydney’s raptors (including Spotted Harrier, Black Falcon, Square-tailed Kite and Little Eagle) at Riverstone apart from Osprey! I also had the resident pair of Brown Falcons (off Park Rd). Edwin Vella Swift Parrot Acacia Gardens Saw and heard a Swift Parrot flying over (and quite fast) at 8.30 am and heading south. Lots of Musk Lorikeets at the moment in the area. Edwin Vella Wandering-type Albatross, Pacific Gull Wattamolla, Royal National Park. Highlights from a sea watch off Wattamolla today was an adult Pacific Gull and 2 Wandering-type Albatross also about 70+ Shy-type Albatross, 150 Black-browed Albatross, 20 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, 3 Fairy Prions and 2 Kelp Gulls. michael ronan. Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (BARC submission in prep), White-headed Petrel Offshore–Wollongong pelagic Highlights of the Saturday pelagic were: 1 Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (BARC submission in prep), 2 White-headed Petrels and 15-20 Pygmy Killer Whales. Attached photos by Duade Paton. A detailed trip report will be posted on the SOSSA website soon. Nikolas Haass and all on the Sandra K Peregrine Falcon Middle Head, Mosman David Potter Fri 22 Aug Powerful Owl Greenwich Roosting in a large Turpentine near the track head to Lilli Pilli Falls between River Rd and the Bob Campbell Oval [7.45 a.m.] Ted Nixon Thu 21 Aug Powerful Owl Garigal NP, Forestville, Sydney Powerful Owl heard calling repeatedly near Natural Bridge in Garigal NP at 4am (21 hours into Oxfam Trailwalker) Andrew Taylor Swift Parrot 20km SE of Tottenham I had great views of five Swift Parrots preening themselves in the early morning sun in a stock reserve (about 7 kms east of Albert along the Melrose-Trangie Road). Maps indicate this must be about the western extent of their range at this latitude. Unfortunately by the time I went back to my car for my camera they had moved into shade and I only managed poor id photos. They eventually flew off in a south-easterly direction. Mark Ley Rainbow Bee-eaters, Double-barred Finch, Peaceful Dove Sawtell-Coffs Harbour 4 Rainbow Bee-eaters seen as report of 19 Aug; also 5+ Double-barred Finches, and 2 Peaceful Doves. Peter Higgins Glossy Black-Cockatoo Fern Gully Reserve Nelson Bay Saw 5 Glossy Black-Cockatoos land in a Eucalypt near my back fence in Navala Avenue. Saw the red in the tail feathers on landing then observed with binoculars. They flew to nearby pine tree. We have many She-oaks in surrounding bushland. Have been hearing & seeing them fly over for 2 weeks. Checked the call on Morcombe iPhone app. Marea Diemar, Tomaree Birdwatcher member Channel-billed Cuckoo Middle Cove Channel-billed Cuckoo calling again this morning so he’s sticking around the area Lorna Bloom Wed 20 Aug Wandering Albatross and Southern Giant Petrel Mistral Pt, Maroubra Another Wandering (type) Albatross, 1 juvenile Southern Giant Petrel, 1 Brown Skua, 3 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, 30 Shy Albatross, 25 Black-browed Albatross and several hundred Fluttering Shearwaters feeding just beyond the surf break today. Still hundreds of Huttons Shearwaters going north and south in flocks of 15 or so. We also saw a bird which was a strong juvenile Salvin’s Albatross candidate [Moderator’s note: Juvenile White-capped Albatross (steadi) can look very similar to Salvin’s at this time of the year]. David Mitford, Ray Gobbe and Robert Griffin Tue 19 Aug Rainbow Bee-eaters, Double-barred Finch, Peaceful Dove Sawtell-Coffs Harbour 10 Rainbow Bee-eaters seen at northern end of access track that runs west of the north coast rail-line between Boambee Creek and the northern end of Coffs Airport; they do not winter here (not seen here since end of last summer, and not seen here in previous winters) but occur regularly in spring-summer. Also saw a couple of small parties of Double-barred Finches (2 and 5) with many Red-browed Finches; 3 Brown Quail; and single Peaceful Dove, which recorded along this track previously but rarely elsewehere in wider Sawtell-Coffs area. Peter Higgins Great-winged Petrel and Wandering Albatross Mistral Pt, Maroubra 8 Great-winged Petrels, 1 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross and 1 Wandering (type) Albatross were the highlights today. David Mitford and Ray Gobbe Glossy Ibis Llewellyn Rd wetlands, Casino Significantly dried-out wetlands, but 14 Glossy Ibis feeding on margins Russ Lamb Superb Parrot Barrier HWY, between Nyngan and Cobar Saw three flocks of Superb Parrots with an estimated 80 birds in each flock. The parrots were feeding on spilt grain on the roadside. When I stopped to watch one flock, I observed numerous birds being struck and killed by every passing vehicle. Based on the mortalities I observed in just a short period, vehicle collisions must exact a huge toll on this species. [Moderator’s note (NH): This is heartbreaking. Would be good if temporary speed limits could be introduced in situations like this.] James Rees Great-winged Petrel, Buller’s Albatross, Fairy Prion Sydney Harbour National Park–North Head Highlights from a sea watch this afternoon were 30+ Great-winged Petrels 1 Buller’s Albatross and 1 lone Fairy Prion. michael ronan Pacific Baza McCarthy Rd Coutts Crossing, nr Grafton 10.30 am I was at a property when a Pacific Baza flew into the under storey of a bottlebrush about 3 m away and about 1.5 m from the ground. It kept leaning forward and moving its head to see around the trunk of the tree as it watched us for over a minute. It then dropped down onto garden pots and foraged and then returned to the original perch where it again moved to a perch where it had a clear view of us. It appeared unperturbed as it moved around to watch us. It then flew about 10 m onto the fence around the vegetable garden and appeared to look intently into vegetable patch as it moved from post to post. Warren Thompson Red-rumped Parrot Narellan 28 Red-rumped Parrots feeding on back oval of Magdalene Catholic High School. The most Red-rumped Parrots I’ve seen in the Narellan area. Lorne Johnson Mon 18 Aug Regent Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Rufous Songlark Giants Creek (north west of Sandy Hollow, Hunter Valley) 4, possibly 5 Regent Honeyeaters found late yesterday afternoon feeding on Caley’s Ironbark (E. caleyi) blossom in the Giants Creek valley, about 1.8km north of the Stairs Road intersection. There are many large honeyeaters dominating these and Mugga Ironbarks that are flowering well (including a Little Friarbird calling, reasonably rare in the Hunter, but mostly Noisy Friarbird, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater and Red Wattlebird). I found a patch that also had smaller honeyeaters and it was here that I located at least 4 Regent Honeyeaters (all 4 were in the one tree). The 2 birds that I saw / photographed well enough did not have bands. Of significance there were 4 Regent Honeyeaters seen in flowering E. caleyi south of Merriwa on the 27th July. A Rufous Songlark singing nearby is an early arrival. Mick Roderick Great-winged Petrel Mistral Pt, Maroubra 15 Great-winged Petels today, a few came in close and looked like typical gouldii. Hundreds of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Hutton’s Shearwaters and Fluttering Shearwaters seen in horrible conditions. A few Shy Albatross, Black-browed Albatross, 2 Brown Skuas and a Giant Petrel (sp). Significantly no other species of Albatross or Petrel seen, no Prions, no White-fronted Terns and no Kelp Gulls. David Mitford Pied Butcherbird North Cremorne, Willoughby Bay During the past week, on 3 different mornings I heard an unusual birdcall, repeated many times on each occasion between 5-5.30am. I recorded the call on a video (iPhone) later identifying it as that of a Pied Butcherbird. I compared the call to recording of Pied Butcherbird calls in the Pizzey & Knight iPhone Application. It resembles closely to the first of 4 calls provided: Dawn calls race nigrogularis. Camilla, QLD, by Fred van Gissel. Also in part to that of the following call: Male song race nigrogularis. Widden Valley, Baerami, NSW, Fred van Gissel. This call was also identified by my partner, who listened to the actual call, and later to the recorded authentic call. The call was coming from the direction of Northbridge Golf course. Lots of Grey Butcherbirds around, but Pied is unusual. Jack Shapiro Channel-billed Cuckoo Terrigal Heard calling in flight Above Port Jackson Rd, Terrigal Jeff Drudge Sun 17 Aug Square-tailed Kite Sawtell Single Square-tailed Kite seen drifting southwards. Unusually, very few records here this year. Peter Higgins Buller’s Albatross, adult Giant-Petrel sp. Mona Vale Headland 2 hour sea watch 2:20-4:20pm. Single Buller’s Albatross seen very close in approx 2:30; adult Giant-Petrel sp. seen close in approx 4:15. (very pale – almost white – head). In between the highlights lots of Fluttering-type Shearwaters (mostly heading north); 6 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, several Shy-type Albatross and a Fairy Penguin – the latter being slowly destroyed and eaten by a Fur Seal off Bungan Head. Also 2 Humpback Whales, both heading south. [Moderator’s note (NH): The adult GP is interesting as by far the majority of GPs seen in the area are juveniles and young immature birds. Nowadays the majority of GPs off NSW are NGPs. Unfortunately, the description does not allow identification to species level. A very pale – almost white – head does not rule out NGP. Old adult NGPs get very white-headed too. No details regarding the bill tip were seen (in the distance the red tip in NGP appears dark, while the greenish tip of SGP appears concolourous with the bill body). Comment by Jeff Davies: NGP with a white head also is extensively mottled pale dorsally all over with lots of pale fringes, SGP usually show a more discrete white head against a more evenly darker rest of body with white eventually starting along the leading edge of the wing with age.] Tom Wilson Brahminy Kite Lake Macquarie (lower) A male Osprey was eating in a tree when a Brahminy Kite swooped on him, then chased him around aggressively for ten minutes. The Osprey then returned to the tree with his fish, followed by the Kite, who then retreated to the lake. Rebecca Citroni Sat 16 Aug White-winged Triller, Pallid Cuckoo, Rufous Songlark, White-cheeked Honeyeater Cumbo (near Munghorn Gap, Upper Hunter Valley) Several singing Rufous Songlarks and singles of Pallid Cuckoo and White-winged Triller are early returns for the Upper Hunter. Also a few Fairy Martins in the area. Dean Ingwersen saw a White-cheeked Honeyeater in a flowering Mugga Ironbark along Cumbo Road – an unusual sighting this far west in the Hunter. Mick Roderick and Dean Ingwersen Square-tailed Kite Fagan Park, Galston A Square-tailed Kite seen flying low above children’s play area at Fagan Park. Carl Corden