Author: Tim Morris

Birding  Auser’s Lying in bed and listening to the morning bird chorus and hoping the Kookaburra’s etc don’t wake the kids up is normally how the day starts but for the last week the morning birds have been eerily quiet here in Port Macquarie on the NSW North Coast . The large flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets that are continually harassed up and down the adjacent wet gully by the local goshawk have apparently diminished in number and the Koel Cuckoo’s that had arrived in town don’t appear to have stayed. Typically there are at least three male Koel’s calling constantly near by, but for the last three days…nothing and the Cicadabird is also quiet.    I’m not sure if the birds are quiet due to the lack of significant rain for the last 5 months, or if the intense hail storm that passed through last week has freaked them all out. Hopefully the significant rain forecast to arrive this weekend does deliver and the morning bird chorus recovers with it.   Bushfires are the other feature of the dry weather and the “Brushy Mountain Complex” fires of ~9000ha has been burning in the Port Macquarie / Kempsey hinterland for over a month now. This fire is burning in the Werrikimbee National Park which is an Important Bird Area due to the population of Rufous Scrub Birds present.  Brushy Mountain after which the fire is actually named is one of the main population sites for the Scrub Birds and again, hopefully, the forecast rain does arrive before much more of that area is torched. Unfortunately even if the rains put out the fire it could be months before access is available to the area due to a large landslide that has closed the Hastings Forest Way, which is the main access road to the site.   Tim =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au http://birding-aus.org ===============================

Hi Mick etc, With regards to the low numbers of Fleshy Footed Shearwaters off the east coast, hopefully this is just a temporary feature due to a change in feeding patterns and they will return shortly, however, there are articles online by Ian Hutton et al (2008) showing that 79% of nestlings on Lord Howe Island had plastic in their guts and Dr Jennifer Lavers states that 96% of nestlings contained plastic in 2011. Presumbly this wouldn't cause a sudden population decline but it can 't be good for the long term health of the population. Tim =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au http://birding-aus.org ===============================

Just to clarify a couple points regarding the Freckled Duck shootings at the Box Flat swamp. In the speech from Sue Pennicuik she refers to approximately 200 Freckled Duck being shot at Box Flat. Is that number based on the investigation by the DSE or the DPI? If it is correct that would be about 1% of the total population which is outrageous assault on an endangered species. Particularly when this was just one day at one location and the duck hunting season still has time to go.

Also Sue refers to Box Flat swamp being a Nature Conservation Reserve, is that correct? Where is the Box Flat swamp in relation to Boort? ===============================

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Hi all,

Just trying to get my head around this new Game and Feral Animal Control Amendment Bill 2009. 

Which state government department actually decided which of the species listed are now game birds? And how will the Game Council decide to allocate quota’s for certain species? Do they have a scientific department that can adequately assess the potential implications of hunting on each species?

I can understand a potential need for controlling some bird species which are in large numbers and can be demonstrated to be having some form of significant economic, health or environmental impact, such as White Ibis. However what is the justification of including Topknot Pigeons, which have a benefit in spreading rainforest seeds (as well as Camphor Laurels!)? While the various duck species such as Shovellor, Pink Ear Ducks and both species species of whistle ducks may be locally common any approved hunting of these species could also have a significant impact on local populations.

And why would the Straw Neck Ibis be considered a game species? Can’t imagine there would be much thrill in the stalking and hunting of an Ibis, which are also of significant benefit to the farming community by feeding on locusts. It was only a few years ago that there were major concerns about the long term status of this species due to the aging population and the lack of  significant breeding events during the prolonged drought.

Hopefully some common sense is applied.   Tim

________________________________ From: “birding-aus-request@lists.vicnet.net.au” To: birding-aus@lists.vicnet.net.au Sent: Sunday, June 17, 2012 12:00 PM Subject: birding-aus Digest, Vol 75, Issue 33

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Today’s Topics:

  1. Re: Don’t Talk To the Hunters (Elizabeth Shaw)   2. Fantailed Cuckoo (brian fleming)   3. Re: It was very dark… (John McGowan)   4. Contact details for Bob Forsyth of Mt Isa (Sandra & Neil Shelley)   5. A ‘Morepork’ question (John Tongue)   6. Re: Don’t Talk To the Hunters (Carl Clifford)   7. Re: A ‘Morepork’ question (Steve McBride)   8. Re: A ‘Morepork’ question (Mike Carter)   9. IOU List 3.1 (Frank O’Connor)   10. Re: A ‘Morepork’ question (John Tongue)   11. Re: Don’t Talk To the Hunters (Greg and Val Clancy)

After several years in Port Macquarie I have finally added an elusive tick to my garden bird list….the common Pied Currawong, or P Wong as it goes into the notebook.

Despite an abundance of wet gullies with eucalypts, native figs and exotic camphor laurels or privet, the Pied Currawong doesn’t appear to have established a beak hold in town. I’ve seen them on a regular basis in the surrounding towns including Wauchope, Crescent Head, Kempsey and Laurieton so they are common in the region and presumably they are resident or visitors to some areas of Port Macquarie as well, however I hadn’t come across them.

I’m curious to why a bird that has been so successful on the east coast in urban areas haven’t become established here. I’ve discussed the subject with a couple of local birders and opinions have varied from competition with resident Torresian Crows to the Currawongs here being more restricted to areas of native bushland and haven’t yet adapted to the opportunities of urban life.

There were some recent discussions on Birding Aus on the impact of Currawongs and small birds in urban areas, so Port Macquarie could be a good control to compare with other urban areas where Currawongs are present. However to my eyes, there is also a lack of small birds here in urban town areas here away from the bush reserves. I put that down to continuing fragmentation of habitat, cats and the Noisy Miners.

Tim ===============================

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Hi all,

I’ve had a couple spare moments and have been catching up a bit on some reading which included the “Into Oblivion – Northern Australian Mammal Decline” pamphlet which came out with Wingspan some time back. Not sure who had the idea to send it out, but I think it great to raise awareness of the problems the mammals are facing in northern Australia. If anyone hasn’t seen it they should really have a look, see link below.

http://wildaustralia.org/science/oblivion-disappearing-mammals-northern-australia

I was really shocked to see that that they are discussing extinction of many northern mammals in the next 10 to 20 years. I had sort of presumed that the big national parks and relativley undeveloped areas of the Territory, Cape York and the Kimberly would mean that the populations were relatively stable but it is sadly wrong and the somewhat scary thing about the changes is how fast they are occuring and that there is no obvious single reason that could be managed, rather it is probably a wide range of factors in combination.

However to get back to a birding connection, there are several savannah species such as Gouldian Finch and Hooded and Goulden Shouldered Parrots that have suffered major population declines but they appear to have occurred longer ago than the recent (10-20 years) population crashes being seen in the mammals(?.) I was wondering if the birds might have been an indicator that the mammals were also going to be in trouble, or could it be the other way round and the birds may be about to suffer another population crash and it is only their mobility that has prevented this being observed?

Whatever the reasons, certianly a potential tragedy and can only hope that ongoing research can help the mammals and their aassociated ecosytems, including the birds.

Tim

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Tim,

I was in Tamworth recently and was some what suprised to hear three seperate Koel Cuckoo’s calling around town. The records not that unusual as it is well within their range, however I was thinking at the time they may have not have been there in force during the last few dry years and they are probably drifting west as well with the wet weather.

Tim Morris > > Hi All, > > Just thought I’d report in to say that there appears to be > a definite ‘westerly drift’ of birds in response to the > conditions in central and western NSW.  The kind folks > over the hill in eastern NSW have sent a range of birds our > way, with reports of nesting Leaden Flycatchers (first > breeding I’ve heard from the area), a range of Cuckoos > including the first Brush Cuckoo record for this area, plus > a Rufous Fantail and bunch of Square-tailed Kites for our > viewing pleasure. Keep up the good work! > > Here’s hoping some of those species that have been pushed > from these areas during the drought start to re-establish > themselves. > > > Tim Hosking > Dubbo Field Naturalist and Conservation Society > www.dubbofieldnats.org.au  contact@dubbofieldnats.org.au >

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Greetings,

If the clouds finally part I wam planning on a trip up to Werrikimbee NP to the west of Port Macquarie this weekend. I’ve been there several times before but haven’t caught up with the Rufous Scrub Bird which I know is lurking in the bushes there somewhere.

The Scrub Bird trail at the Brushy Mountain camping area would sound the obvious place to start but hasn’t come up with the goods in the past! If anyone has any suggested spots for the scrub bird or any other birds of interest up there, they could reply offline and it would be appreciated.

Cheers

Tim

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This evening when the rains cleared the flying ants were swarming and the local birds enjoyed the opportunity with Dollarbirds, Little Wattlebirds, a Grey Butcherbird, a Black Faced Cuckooshrike, Noisy Miners and a Spangled Drongo all hawking for the flying ants.

However they were also joined by Satin Bowerbirds and Figbirds who seemed to be making the most of the change of diet. The Bowerbirds weren’t the most agile of hawkers however they seemed to know what they were doing. This is the second time I have seen them feeding on flying ants. I haven’t got access to HANZAB and was wondering if flying ants are recorded as part of the Figbirds and Bowerbird diet?

Tim

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