Birdline New South Wales Weekly Update

Birdline New South Wales Published sightings for the week ending 2 Nov 2014. Sun 2 Nov Freckled Duck, Latham’s Snipe Pitt Town Lagoon Had a good 2 hours this morning at Pitt Town Lagoon with 71 species recorded including 11 Freckled and 56 Pink-eared Ducks, a single Australasian Shoveler, 22 Hardhead, 18 Red-kneed and 2 juvenile Black-fronted Dotterels, 2 Latham’s Snipe, 8 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, 2 Whiskered Terns and heard both a Spotless Crake and a Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo. Edwin Vella Sat 1 Nov Barred Cuckoo-Shrike, Little Shrike-Thrush Pacific Bay Resort, Coffs Harbour One adult and one immature Barred Cuckoo-Shrike in the resort car park. Little Shrike-Thrush on coastal walk. Tim Morris Pacific Baza Darvall Park, West Ryde Thanks to Michael Ronan for spotting this Pacific Baza pair on Friday. They are still present in the reserve, and were observed for about an hour. Anna Schutz & James Panetta White-winged Triller, Rufous Whistler & Lewin’s Rail Eastlakes golf course In the section south of Wentworth Avenue, a male White-winged Triller was signing in the pine trees near to Begonia Street. Two Lewin’s Rails holding territories in this section. I would suspect at least another three territories elsewhere at Eastlakes. Rufous Whistler also singing here. Male Scarlet Honeyeater seen and heard midweek near Fairy Martin colony. David Mitford Red-necked Avocet & White-throated Nightjar Tuggerah Wastewater Treatment Plant At around 19:00 hours about 40 Red-necked Avocets observed feeding in the far pond at the end of Cantree Road. Also seen was a group of 12 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers with one smaller wader that could not be identified due to fading light (possibly a Red-necked Stint or a species of similar size). As I was walking back to the car a White-throated Nightjar flew past quite low (seen as a silhouette). Dean Purcell Freckled Duck, Australasian Shoveler, Red-necked Avocet Pitt Town Lagoon, Windsor 5 Freckled Duck, 2 Red-necked Avocet, 2 Whiskered Tern, 3 Australasian Shoveler, 1 Swamp Harrier – all from bird hide. Chris Gladwin Latham’s Snipe, Red-kneed Dotterel, Intermediate Egret Marsden Park At Marsden Park this morning beside South Street was an Intermediate Egret, a Latham’s Snipe, 2 Red-kneed Dotterel, 6 Black-winged Stilts and an adult White-bellied Sea-eagle. Edwin Vella Red-necked Avocet, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pallid Cuckoo Riverstone At Riverstone this morning, I saw 3 Red-necked Avocets (2 adults and a an immature bird) being a new bird for the Blacktown LGA (bird no. 235 on my Blacktown LGA list). On the same pond were 3 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and 3 Black-fronted Dotterel. Other birds present around Riverstone included a Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Eastern Great Egret, 2 Pallid Cuckoos, 3 White-winged Trillers, 7 Zebra Finches and the pair of Brown Falcons were seen near but not on their nest. Edwin Vella Little Tern and Common Tern Sydney Airport 2 pairs of Little Terns and up to 30 Common Terns observed feeding east of the third runway. Nigel Coghlan White-throated Needletail, Powerful Owl, Rufous Fantail, Black-faced Monarch Warriewood Wetlands and Irrawong Reserve 150+ White-throated Needletails seen this morning flying over the wetlands at about 8am. A Powerful Owl was seen above the main waterfall in Irrawong Reserve on Thursday and today whilst at the little waterfall a single Rufous Fantail was seen (my 1st one this season with little report of others) along with a single Black-faced Monarch but unfortunately my birding was cut short by a big hailstorm. Jayden Walsh Australian Pied Oystercatcher Batemans Bay Today At Batemans Bay Australian Pied Oystercatcher sitting on nest with 1 egg near boardwalk, other birds 4 Bar-tailed Godwits & White-bellied Sea-eagle. Tony & Stephanie Dawe Australian King-Parrot Scott Park, Sans Souci/Sandringham One male Australian King-Parrot. I,ve never seen one in this location before. 2 years ago saw a pair in Scarborough Park, Ramsgate. Oliver Williams White-throated Needletail Caniaba, Lismore NSW Up to 10 WTNT sighted most mornings this week flying east over this area, except for Tue. when there was a southerly wind (and none) and Fri. when there was a light northerly and about 25. Today overcast with emerging winged insects and flying ants attracting pair of Rufous Fantails and Black-faced Monarch. White-browed Scrubwren now feeding young in nest, in blady grass in shaded area. The insect is a type of cricket. paul griffin Fri 31 Oct White-bellied Sea-Eagle Lake Wollumboola My first visit to the lake, 5.30 pm an immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle flew in from the ocean carrying a Short-tailed Shearwater, see photo. I will submit a full bird list to ebird later. Paul Lynch California Quail McGraths Hill Adult male California Quail in back garden of our house in McGraths Hill [Moderator’s note (NH): There is a small population of this species near Wollongong; wondering if the McGraths Hill bird is just an aviary escapee or if there are more free-ranging California Quail around?] Elaine Everett-Klimas Pacific Baza Darvall Park, West Ryde Pair of Pacific Bazas feeding on large green grubs in Darvall Park late this afternoon. michael ronan Brolga, Australian Painted Snipe Gwydir Wetlands–‘Bunnor’ Whilst on the Gwydir Wetlands Tour, at least 150 Brolgas were observed in wheatfields (photo shows 47 birds). A single male Australian Painted Snipe was also observed. The property is opened to the public until 30 November 2014. Curtis Hayne Little Bronze-Cuckoo Coutts Crossing Village Little Bronze-Cuckoo heard in our backyard this morning. Greg Clancy Superb Parrot Hume Highway near Jugiong Lone male then flock of 12 Superb Parrots, followed a couple of minutes later by pair. All flying north just below crown height of planted Casuarina cunninghamiana. Rodney Falconer Red-backed Kingfisher, White-backed Swallow Eulah Creek It’s all happening at the Bullawa Creek bridge (Eulah Creek Road): The male Red-backed Kingfisher is proving his mettle, bringing the female offerings, in this case a skink (photo; male to the lower right). Now there are about 25-30 White-backed Swallows, all active to even agitated (photos taken); no sign of them entering or leaving a nest tunnel. Lots of other species are either nesting or busy feeding juveniles (it may be of interest that Mallee Ringnecks are also breeding here, on the eastern edge of their range; photo taken, begging calls recorded). Michael Dahlem Regent Parrot Euston Regional Park At dawn there were not Regent Parrots at Lock 15 where I saw them yesterday afternoon, so I suspect a pre-dawn departure. Between 7:00 and 9:30 I saw about 10 seperate pairs flying under the canopy and one pair perched in Black Box Woodland. Have not seen any signs of them in Mallee, where they supposedly forage. David James Thu 30 Oct Pacific Golden Plover, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Purry Burry Pt, Primbee 5 pm, 1 Pacific Golden Plover (photo) & 30 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers present. The Red-necked Stints were absent & the Black-winged Stilt numbers had dropped to only 4 from 40 two days ago. Paul Lynch Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo, Brown Goshawk Marion Light Rail Station, Leichhardt 1 Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo heard for about 20 seconds calling consistently and loudly whilst the tram doors were open. Must have only been 10-15 m away from the station. Sadly I was in a rush so wasn’t able to locate the bird. Not a bird often recorded in the Inner West. A female Brown Goshawk was observed at Arlington Station about 5 minutes later. Simon Gorta White-winged Triller, Musk Lorikeet Kangaroo Creek Road, S of Coutts Crossing White-winged Triller heard – a big year for the White-winged Triller in the Clarence Valley – some years totally absent others, like this, quite common. Two Musk Lorikeets feeding in trees. Greg Clancy & Russell Jago Square-tailed Kite Kangaroo River, SE of Coutts Crossing One Square-tailed Kite floating over tree canopy not far from River. Greg Clancy & Russell Jago Pacific Baza, Restless Flycatcher, White-winged Triller, Willie Wagtail, Magpie-lark Gully between Blaxlands Creek and Koukandowie Creek, W of Coutts Crossing Adult pair of Pacific Bazas in flight over Creeks, male performing undulating display briefly, pair of Restless Flycatchers, pair of Willie Wagtails and pair of Magpie-larks nesting in willows along gully. Two White-winged Trillers (adult male observed, second bird not observed) in nearby trees. Greg Clancy & Russell Jago Lower Kangaroo Creek Swamp Harrier, Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo, White-winged Triller, Brown Falcon Adult female Swamp Harrier flew low over wetland disturbing all of the wetland birds; two dark Brown Falcons perched on power poles and trees along road, Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo flew into shrub with family of Superb Fairy-wrens (apparently searching for nest) and the Cuckoo was attacked by the Superb Fairy-wrens and the pair of White-winged Trillers. Greg Clancy & Russell Jago Pacific Baza, White-winged Triller, Grey-crowned Babbler, Satin Bowerbird Coutts Crossing Village Adult pair of Pacific Bazas in sky over village dropped down swiftly and flew into or close to trees; adult female White-winged Triller and female plumaged Satin Bowerbird feeding in flowering Silky Oak. Five Grey-crowned Babblers, including 1+ juveniles, in shrubs. Greg Clancy & Russell Jago Regent Parrot Euston Regional Park In the morning I saw 2 birds flying over Black Box Woodland. In the afternoon I found about 25 pairs of Regent Parrots in River Red Gums along the Murray River at Lock 15 and the along the aDay Use Traila. Could be more, I didnat have time for a thorough search. Some pairs were squabbling over hollows and at least one pair had a begging fledged chick. There are a few reports on birdline of Regents seen near Euston (e.g. crossing the Stuart Highway), and this appears to be the source. I think there is a published estimate of 25 pairs nesting in the Park, but I wouldnat be surprised if there were quite a few more at the moment. David James Black-eared Miner and Yellow-throated Miner hybrids? Kemendok National Park, Monak near Gol Gol Many of the miners in Kemendok appear to show strong remnants of Black-eared Miner, with all-dark faces from the bill and over the eye, an obvious malar stripe, and uniform (unscaled) mantle. However, they have slightly pale rumps and slightly pale tips to the tail feathers, though these are less prominent than in pure Yellow-throated Miners. They seem consistent too. This is just across the Murry River from Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, but very different habitat and condition. David James Pallid Cuckoo, Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Kemendok National Park, Monak near Gol Gol A juvenile Pallid Cuckoo being fed by Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters in Mallee. David James Pheasant Coucal, Turquoise Parrot Tycannah Creek, Terry Hie Hie A Pheasant Coucal was observed at the Tycannah Creek crossing at Terry Hie Hie at about 8:10 am. It was constantly hassled by a pair of Willie Wagtails. 2 Turquoise Parrots were observed and heard calling in the woodland. Curtis Hayne Wed 29 Oct Red-necked Avocet, Red-necked Stint & Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Dairy Swamp, Central Coast Wetlands, Tuggerah This evening a group of 12 Red-necked Avocets were seen feeding and roosting on the Dairy Swamp, this is the first record for the Reserve and the 192nd species reported for the Reserve since 1996. Other birds present were 19 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, 3 Red-necked Stints (a very rare visitor) and 4+ Red-kneed Dotterels and a lone Latham’s Snipe, amongst the other usual waterbirds. Red-necked Avocets are also present in the Tuggerah area at the Tuggerah STW, and Chittaway Point and Tuggerah Bay saltmarsh on Tuggerah Lake. (Public Access to the Central Coast Wetlands is available 10am-4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and during the week providing that the Skydivers are operating.). Alan Morris Magpie Goose, Plumed Whistling-Duck Dam NE of Coutts Crossing 51 Magpie Geese and 150+ Plumed Whistling-Ducks at dam. The 5 Magpie Geese present at the dam before the Twitchathon were nowhere to be seen on Twitchathon Sunday but a few days later……!!! Greg Clancy Whiskered Term Pitt Town Lagoon 10 Whiskered Tern busy over lagoon today. Have been there at least since Sunday. Also present Chestnut and Nutmeg Mannikins, Double-barred and Red-browed Finches. Also Marsh Harrier. Michael Rutkowski Common Sandpiper Long Beach 1 Common Sandpiper in Storm Drain at Long Beach, Batemans Bay Tony & Stephanie Dawe Tue 28 Oct Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Black-winged Stilt Purry Burry Pt, Primbee 5.30 pm 13 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, 7 Red-necked Stints & 40 Black-winged Stilts sighted in the shallows of the eastern bay. Photo of the Red-necked Stints & 2 of the Sharp-tailed Sandpipers attached. Paul Lynch Turquoise Parrot, Painted Button-quail Back Yamma State Forest At Back Yamma SF we had a number of Turquoise Parrots with young, Inland Thornbills, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Painted Button-quail etc. Edwin Vella, Mark Fuller, David Koffel Black-eared Cuckoo, Red-capped Robin Kemendok National Park, Monak near Gol Gol 2 juvenile Black-eared Cuckoos, both being fed by pairs of Red-capped Robins in Black Box Woodland. (Moderator’s Note: These are very interesting sightings. HANZAB states that there is only one report of a Black-eared Cuckoo laying its egg in a cup shaped nest, and that was the nest of Red-capped Robin. Were these Red-caps the original hosts, or are they secondary hosts? AKM). David James Painted Button-quail Waters Street, Hornsby Likely exhausted nomad found in garage of flats in suburban part of Hornsby. Ian Scrivener (per Paul Burcher) Caspian Tern Iron Cove, Leichhardt, Inner West, Sydney A single Caspian Tern foraging over shallows of Iron Cove in front of Leichhardt Pool. Occasionally reported further west around Homebush, but first I’ve seen in many years of running around Iron Cove Andrew Taylor Mon 27 Oct Blue-billed Duck, Black-tailed Native-hen Gum Swamp (Forbes) At Gum Swamp in Forbes we had 5 Blue-billed and c25 Freckled, c 200 Pink-eared Ducks, c200 Hardhead, Whiskered Tern, 7 Black-tailed Native-hen, Cockatiel and a Nankeen Night-heron. Edwin Vella, Mark Fuller, David Koffel Painted Honeyeater Back Creek State Forest, Wyalong At Wyalong we had a few Painted Honeyeaters, Red-capped Robin with young, Speckled Warblers and nesting Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters Edwin Vella, Mark Fuller, David Koffel Grey Goshawk Scarborough Park, Monterey One white morph Grey Goshawk, Scarborough Park, Ramsgate/Monterey. Oliver Williams Sun 26 Oct Spotted Quail-thrush, White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike & Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Mogo Camp, Yengo NP Settlers Rd Bucketty. The Spotted Quail-thrush that have been present at Mogo Camp, since 3 October, were still there this day. Also seen were 6+ Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters and a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, all rare birds on the Central Coast. Alan Morris, Mike Kuhl & Nick Carson Sat 25 Oct White-fronted Chat, Brown Songlark, White-winged Fairy-wren Chat Alley, between Lake Cargelligo and Euabalong Having driven along Chat Alley 9 times in the past two weeks, I am pleased to report that finally on 25/10/14 we actually saw a male White-fronted Chat, only Chat seen in 9 visits. Brown Songlarks, a single bird only, were seen on two visits but the morning the Chat was seen, there were 9 Brown Songlarks feeding in the small area of saltbush. When we returned after 6 pm and after the Twitchathon had commenced there were none to be seen!. Other birds present included Brown Falcon, Zebra Finch, Southern Whiteface and White-winged Fairy-wrens. Alan Morris. Mike Kuhl & Nick Carson Marsh Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Common Greenshank, White-fronted Chat Lake Cargelligo Waste Water Treatment Ponds Birds seen at the start of the Twitchathon by the Central Coast Champion Choughs team included 20 White-fronted Chats, 2 Australian Shelducks, 1 Greenshank, 6 Red-necked Stints, 2 Marsh and 200 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, 1 Latham’s Snipe, several Spotted Crakes including one with two tiny chicks, 5+ Baillon’s Crakes, one Spotless Crake heard calling, 12+ Black-tailed Native-hens, 200+ Whiskered Terns, 4+ Freckled Ducks, many Shovellers and Pinkears, Variegated and White-winged Fairy-wrens etc . A White-winged Black Tern was seen by others. Alan Morris, Mike Kuhl, Nick Carson Wed 22 Oct Collared Sparrowhawk Surry Hills A Collared Sparrowhawk over the southern end of Riley Street, Surry Hills late morning today. Have been working in this area the past few days and impressed by the variety of birdlife in an inner city area – Spotted Dove, Crested Pigeons, Rainbow Lorikeets, Australian Koels (M & F), Laughing Kookaburras, Spotted Pardalote, Red Wattlebird, Noisy Miners, New Holland Honeyeater, Welcome Swallows, Fairy Martins, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Red-whiskered Bulbuls, Willie Wagtails, Olive-backed Oriole, Silvereyes. This is probably due to the adjacent parklands but also the mature street trees (especially Melaleucas) in the area. R Griffin Tue 21 Oct Noisy Pitta Bellawongarah – private property A Noisy Pitta was heard calling for some time in the morning from the rainforest. It moved several times calling at each location. A pair was also seen here in the rainforest in December 2009. Sorry for the late post. Carla Jackett