Birdline New South Wales Weekly Update

Birdline New South Wales Published sightings for the week ending 4 Jan 2015. Sun 4 Jan Mangrove Gerygone Royal National Park–Bonnie Vale Mangrove Gerygone heard singing from mangroves near the Bonnie Vale/Maianbar bridge this afternoon. Marc Anderson Whistling Kite Bay Street, Greenwich, edge of Lane Cove River A whistling kite flew close to the coastline heading westward at 10.20am this morning. I have not seen this species in this part of the municipality before. Judy Clark Black-faced Monarch, Baillon’s Crake, Spotless Crake, Spotted Harrier Pitt Town Lagoon Highlights from Pitt Town Lagoon this morning were 4 Baillon’s Crake, many Spotless Crakes were heard calling but remained hidden in the reeds and a Spotted Harrier cruising over the reeds. What I thought was pretty unusual for Pitt Town was a Black-faced Monarch in the trees on the edge of the lagoon. michael ronan Topknot Pigeons Ferdinand Street, Hunters Hill 4-5 Topknot Pigeons flying and then landing in Liquid Amber tree in our garden around 9 am. Elisabeth Karplus Red-necked Avocet, Shoveler, Fecked Duck and Pink-eared Ducks Tuggerah Waste water Treatmnet Plant, Wyong Rd Tuggerah There are still 32 Red-necked Avocets on the back of the STW, along with 78 Black-winged Stilts, 9 Shovelers, 2 Pink-eared and 2 Freckled Ducks. Black-shouldered Kites and a Swamp Harriers also present as well as about 460 Grey Teal, 120 Hardheads, 80 Hoary-headed Grebes and many Little Grebes plus the usual waterbirds, great birding at present! Alan Morris Regent Bowebird, Green Catbird, Spectacled Monarch Ourimbah RTA Reserve Male Regent and 2 females feeding on kangaroo apple. This is just past the old generator site. Also attracting Lewin’s Honeyeater, Green Catbirds and Silvereye. Male Satin Bowerbird seen nearby. Seen yesterday was a Spectacled Monarch, Black-faced Monarchs, Rufous Fantails, 2 European Blackbird & Bul Buls. Allan Benson & Alan Morris Sat 3 Jan Black-necked Stork, Latham’s Snipe, Grey Gosdhawk McPhersons Rd Swamp, Tuggerah The Black-necked Stork has been present the past 3 days at this site, however this morning (4/1/15) from 600-1000 hrs it has been present along the foreshore off Tuggerah Bay, seen from Geoffrey Rd Chittaway (per Dellas Johnson). Other birds at McPhersons Swamp include 2+ Latham’s Snipe, White-necked Heron, Intermediate Egret, Grey Goshawk, Black-shouldered Kite, 2 Red-kneed Dotterel & 2 Chestnut-breasted Mannikin. A Wedge-tailed Eagle & White-throated Needletails were sighted there on 1/1/15 Alan Morris, photo Dellas Johnston Grey Goshawk, Regent Bowerbird, Topknot pigeon Strickland State Forest One Grey Goshawk flushed from the creek vegetation next to the trail. One Female/imm Regent bowerbird (poor photo attached) and two Topknot Pigeons. Rufous Fantails and Black Faced Monarchs also. David Vickers Lesser Sandplover (2), Wandering Tattler (2) Boat Harbour, Kurnell On high tide this morning there were a pair of Lesser Sandplovers and a pair of Wandering Tattlers at Boat Harbour, Kurnell. For Wandering Tattlers see the 2 images for Jan 3 taken by Gary Dunnett in the Further Information link to his Flickr photo album. Gary Dunnett, Ken Gilmour, Bruce Roubin Peregrine Falcon Coutts Crossing Village, SW of Grafton Two birds, appeared to be adults of the same sex (same size), probably males, in aerial display high to the south of the Village. Circling together then one would rise up stall briefly and fly towards second bird. Both birds presented their talons to each other but no contact was made. This was repeated a few times until the birds moved out of sight in an easterly direction and appeared to be still displaying. Greg Clancy Nankeen Night Heron Nepean Weir, Penrith In the nearly eight years of me visiting this area, not once have I seen this bird here. I am sure they are around, but it was a surprise landing of one in a small eucalyptus along the upper part of the walk, which alerted me to its presence. I got some great views, especially as a couple of walkers by flushed it and it descended down to the river from up near the sake brewery where I saw it. Akos Lumnitzer Fri 2 Jan Pheasant Coucal Royal National Park–Mt Bass One Pheasant Coucal heard calling from low trees adjacent to heath near the south end of the Mt. Bass Fire Trail. Logan Lalonde Pacific Baza Coutts Crossing Village, SW of Grafton Baza heard calling in morning. Two observed the day before (01 Jan 15) flying into eucalypts at edge of village near Cemetery. Greg Clancy Pacific Baza Armidale Street, South Grafton Adult with heavy wing moult gliding north over residential area. Greg Clancy White-fronted, Painted, Brown Honeyeaters, Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo “The winery”, Whitton Stock Route Rd, Binya SF An early morning visit to this site started with a flock of 12 Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos landing in a dead tree beside the car. In the winery block itself, a Brown Honeyeater (rare for the area) and then a White-fronted Honeyeater (even rarer) plus a Painted Honeyeater showed themselves albeit briefly. A group of 8 Turquoise Parrots also flew overhead and 12 Superb Parrots flew over the car as I was driving off. A good start to my 2015 list! Max O’Sullivan Red-necked Avocet, Pink-eared Duck Tuggerah Wastewater Treatment Plant 20+ Avocets still on back pond. Single Pink-eared amongst mass of Hardhead, Grey and Chestnut Teal and Australasian and Hoary-headed Grebe Allan Benson Latham’s Snipe, Red-rumped Parrot Tuggerah, Central Coast Wetlands 3 Latham’s Snipe flushed. 8 Red-rumped parrots including adults and immatures. Red-rumps are uncommon on the central coast so this is significant breeding record Allan Benson Black-necked Stork, Latham’s Snipe McPherson Road Swamp Swamp very full with limited bird life. Black-necked Stork the stand out bird. 2 Latham’s Snipe flushed Allan Benson Thu 1 Jan Satin Flycatcher Pope’s Glen track, Blue Mountains National Park, Blackheath Two active nests found 70 metres apart along the Pope’s Glen track. At least six adult Satin Flycatchers (and one nestling) seen along the track. Mark Hocking Spotted Harrier (I’mmature) Cornwallis While I spent time photographing two recently fledged Brown Falcon chicks (one still had down on its head), an immature Spotted Harrier flew over the treetops coming from Bakers Lagoon. Sadly, I had to take shots into the sun, so it is very contrasty, but I still managed some good images of this beautiful young bird. I believe there may be at least one nesting pair in the Nepean-Hawkesbury region, as for the last two or more years I have been seeing young birds (photos taken too) as well as many adults. However, it would be difficult to locate a nest if there were one. Akos Lumnitzer Spotted Harrier Freemans Reach Adult Spotted Harrier spotted and photographed near corner of Argyle Reach Road and Freemans Reach Road this afternoon. It was interesting to note the harrier’s behaviour from a distance, as initially I thought it may have been a Square-tailed Kite. The harrier was hovering over the treetops with feet fully down for a while. Akos Lumnitzer Black Falcon, Glossy Ibis Bushells Lagoon, Wilberforce There were at least six Glossy Ibis at the lagoon and five Whistling Kites were harassing them at various times during mid-afternoon. I suddenly noticed a larger falcon appear from the south and join the kites harassing the waterbirds. The falcon then flew on towards the town of Freemans Reach. Only a poor ID shot was taken of the falcon, but the characteristics of plumage and its flight made ID a snap. Akos Lumnitzer Wed 31 Dec Sooty Owl McKeown’s Valley near Devil’s Coachhouse, Jenolan Caves An excellent end to 2014. Two Sooty Owls calling repeatedly after dusk (one seen well). Then male Spotted-tail Quoll seen running along road close to caves, when leaving Jenolan. Mark Hocking Black Bittern,Australian Hobby,Osprey Erina Creek, Erina While cruising on Erina Creek between East Gosford and Erina, we saw one Osprey, two Australian Hobbies and a Black Bittern. Richard & Peter Street, Andrew Melville Jabiru Ulmarra Single bird in flooded paddocks next to Pacifica Hwy approx. 3 – 4 km north of Ulmarra. Ivor Jones Magpie Goose Grafton A gaggle of at least 40 birds in a paddock adjacent to the Pacific Hwy just past the BP on the north side of Grafton Ivor Jones Osprey, Spotted Crake, Little Tern Eastlakes Great to see an Osprey hawking over the ponds this morning, scaring the hell out of a flock of Masked Lapwings. Other good birds included a Spotted Crake, a Black-fronted Dotterel chick perhaps 10 days old, 3 Horsfields Bronze Cuckoos, a Little Tern plus 2 Whiskered Terns, Swamp Harrier, Brown Goshawk, a single Lathams Snipe, several Royal Spoonbills, an Intermediate Egret and two pairs of Rufous Whistlers. Eric Finley Tue 30 Dec Blue-billed Ducks Lake Wallace, Wallerawang. At least 3 Blue-billed Ducks present along with Musk Duck, Great Crested Grebes and large numbers of various other waterbirds including Eurasian Coot, Hardheads, Hoary-headed Grebes etc. Martin Filipczyk Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Dollarbird Iluka Road, Woombah Village Bronze-Cuckoo heard calling in park. Adult pair of Dollarbirds feeding nestling in hollow in Small-fruited Grey Gum on roadside. Greg Clancy & Russell Jago Common Greenshank Badgery’s Creek A single Common Greenshank was seen and photographed foraging along the edges of the dam opposite the intersection of Elizabeth Dr and Badgery’s Creek Rd. Ashwin Rudder & Simon Gorta Sun 28 Dec Beach Stone-curlew Fingal Head A bird sitting with what appeared to be one chick. (Note that in Linda Brannian’s Report for Birdlife Northern Rivers dated 25/11/14, in the review of beach nesting birds in Tweed Shire, no mention is made of Beach Stone-curlews nesting in the Fingal Head area, although single birds have been reported. AKM) Nick Talbot Buff-banded Rail Hexham Swamp Nature Reserve–Old Pipeline Track Overcast day on the Hunter River Floodplain with good numbers of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Rednecked Avocets, Black-winged Stilts and a single Marsh Sandpiper and Common Greenshank. Three Australian Spotted Crakes observed as well as a pair of Buff-banded Rails with three dependent chicks out for a forage. Allan Richardson Black Petrel Fingal Beach The bird was seen sitting on the beach on Sunday (28th December) and found dead this morning. It was taken to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital for storage and QLD Museum informed. Nick Talbot Glossy Black Cockatoo Boultwood Street, Coffs Harbour 2 birds feeding in belt of trees Colleen Lock Sat 27 Dec White-chinned Petrel Sydney Harbour National Park – North Head Highlight from a seawatch off North Head was a White-chinned Petrel: noticeably larger than a Flesh-footed Shearwater with a much larger head and neck with a deeper pale bill; heading north, low graceful flight with bowed wings only 200 meters off the headland. michael ronan