Birdline New South Wales Weekly Update

Birdline New South Wales Published sightings for the week ending 13 Oct 2014. Tue 14 Oct White-throated Needletail Lower Pappinbarra 80 WTNT, 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles, and 2 White-bellied Sea-Eagles seen flying over. Ian Kerr Common Cicadabird Caniaba, Lismore NSW Common Cicadabird (female). First sighting for season. paul griffin Grey Plover Lake Tabourie entrance, 12km south Ulladulla A single Grey Plover was seen morning at 10-30am, just before a huge storm passed through, and has been hanging around for 4-5 days now. In attendance were Black-tailed Godwits, Red-necked Stints, 2 Hooded Plovers and Red-capped Plovers. All very approachable this morning before moving off. Bob Rusk Mon 13 Oct Pacific Baza, Eastern (Australian) Koel, Dollarbird Anchorage Holiday Park, Iluka Adult pair of Pacific Bazas constructing nest in Flooded Gum Eucalyptus grandis (photo of nest attached), Eastern Koel heard calling and 2 Dollarbirds were seen and heard (also record on previous 2 days). Greg Clancy & Birdlife Northern NSW campers Horsfield’s Bushlark Turners Road, Woodberry A male displaying. Great views, within 3 metres. Nice to see them so close to the coast. Grant Brosie White-throated Needletail East Maitland Single bird flying south Grant Brosie Common Cicadabird Lower Pappinbarra First Common Cicadabird for the season here today. Wompoo Fruit-doves, Regent Bowerbirds and Scarlet Honeyeaters are getting into the flowering Silky Oaks. Ian Kerr White-throated Needletail Caniaba, Lismore NSW First sighting for season. About 15 WTNT gliding from north to south over a range just above tree level, riding a light 15 km/h northerley. As they passed onto the coastal plain they grouped and circled for a few minutes, taking advantage of a thermal, then peeled off and continued south. paul griffin Double-barred Finch Denneys Lane north of Goulburn One lone individual occasionally mixing with Red-browed Finches. Flocks of Double-barred Finches are fewer and sparser here than previously. It is becoming more common to see pairs or small groups. Unfortunate perhaps to see lone individuals of this gregarious species. Sparsely sighted in wild here. Rodney Falconer Sun 12 Oct Australian Brush-Turkey Leura Cascades Male Australian Brush-Turkey seen for several minutes foraging along the stream near the upper cascade. Chris Chafer Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater Red Cliff, Yuraygir National Park One Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove flushed from tree and landed in Coast Banksia, attacked and chased off by Little Wattlebird before photos could be taken. Had probably been feeding in Tuckeroo nearby which was fruiting profusely. 3+ Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters feeding in Coast Banksia. Usually found in low heath in local area. Greg Clancy & Birdlife Northern NSW campers Australian Hobby, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle Brooms Head Road, Taloumbi Pair of Australian Hobbies nesting in tall Large-leaved Spotted Gum Corymbia henryi, one bird (? female) perched on rim of nest uttering begging call, second bird (? male) flew in and landed on dead branch of nest tree. Immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle perched in dead tree and adult Wedge-tailed Eagle in flight over site. Greg Clancy & Birdlife Northern NSW campers Black-bellied Storm-petrel, Wandering Albatross Pelagic off Port Stephens A Black-bellied Storm-petrel was the highlight for yesterday’s pelagic off Port Stephens, which unfortunately was only seen by a few on board. Seeing 5 Wandering Albatross was another highlight on a rather unusual (and very windy) day where barely a single bird came in to our berley at the shelf, including Wedge-tailed Shearwaters which appeared to also be migrating (with flocks of Short-taileds). Another highlight was having a Providence Petrel appear in the wake of the boat with inshore-feeding shearwaters about 7 miles from the heads from where it followed us to about 500m off the rocks before peeling off! Mick Roderick and all on board the M.V.Argonaut Albert’s Lyrebird, Paradise Riflebird, Wompoo Fruit-dove Protesters Falls, Nightcap NP Good but brief views of female Albert’s Lyrebird as it walked across road at protesters and scratched around. Paradise Riflebird adult male displayed well for over ten minutes jumping from branch to branch and probing palms and bark upside down at times, within 6-8 meters of us. Uncoloured bird sighted later near same spot as coloured male. Wompoo Fruit-doves calling and seen well, Pale Yellow Robin and Spectacled Monarch also sighted. Tom Petty Sat 11 Oct Brush Cuckoo, Black-fronted Dotterel, Forest Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher James Creek Road, Harwood Brush Cuckoo heard calling (observer’s first for season), Black-fronted Dotterel at wetland and two Forest Kingfishers in trees, one chasing Sacred Kingfisher. Greg Clancy & Birdlife Northern NSW campers Eastern Grass-Owl Harwood Bridge, Clarence River Road killed Eastern Grass-Owl on road edge on bridge. ID confirmed by Stephen Debus. Stephen Debus, Greg Clancy & Birdlife Northern NSW campers Beach Stone-curlew, Mangrove Honeyeater Iluka Bay, Iluka Two adult Beach Stone-curlews on beach. One Mangrove Honeyeater heard calling. Greg Clancy & Birdlife Northern NSW campers Mangrove Honeyeater, Beach Stone-Curlew, Pied Oystercatcher Dart Island, Clarence Estuary 2+ Mangrove Honeyeaters heard calling, adult Beach Stone-curlew on sand, adult pair of Pied Oystercatchers mating on sand near shoreline. Greg Clancy & Birdlife Northern NSW campers Powerful Owl N of Johnsons Lane, Iluka Powerful Owl heard calling at night. Greg & Val Clancy Red-necked Avocet, Eastern Osprey, Caspian Tern Wooloweyah Lagoon, Clarence Estuary c.100 Red-necked Avocets roosting on sand bar in Lagoon, 5+ Eastern Osprey hunting and interacting over lagoon. 1 Caspian Tern in flight. Greg Clancy & Birdlife Northern NSW campers Fri 10 Oct Common Cicadabird Anchorage Holiday Park, Iluka Common Cicadabird heard calling. Observers first record for the season. Greg Clancy & Birdlife Northern NSW campers White-eared Monach Iluka Pair of birds sighted well within the first ten minutes of arrival. Spectacled Monarch seen, but was only there for 30 minutes. Tom Petty Sun 5 Oct Rawnsley’s Bowerbird Kalang NSW I spotted this bird perched on my outdoor furniture at the front of my house in Kalang NSW 5th October 2014. By the time I got my camera it had gone to a nearby tree where I took the photo. It then flew away. Although I could not get a decent photograph of the undersides of its wings, I did notice that they were a brighter yellow than what can be seen on the outer wings in the photograph, I would say that it is a little more like the colour of the Regent Bowerbird. I frequently see the Satin Bowerbird, and sometimes see the Regent Bowerbird on my property, but I have never come across one of these before. From what I have learned this is a very rare bird, and I consider it to be a very exciting find. [Moderator’s note on ‘Rawnsley’s Bowerbird’ (NH; ‘stolen’ from Lloyd Nielsen’s comment on this bird to Birding-Aus): “The original bird was collected near Brisbane on 14 July, 1867 by Henry Rawnsley. A second bird was seen and photographed at Beachmont (near Binna Burra) south of Brisbane during 2003 & 2004. Cliff Frith and Daniel Blunt have a good article in Australian Field Ornithology – 22:2:53 on Rawnsley’s Bowerbird. It is presumed that Rawnsleys Bowerbird is a hybrid between Satin and Regent which has to be the case. However, it is interesting that all three birds seem to be similarly marked with yellow generally confined to the primaries.”] Carol Seidl