Birdline Victoria Weekly Update

Birdline Victoria Published sightings for the week ending 12 Oct 2014. Sun 12 Oct Pied Butcherbird Allan’s Flat (Yackandandah) Pied Butcherbird song this morning was quite a surprise. A first for me in this part of the world. Matt Weeks Beach Stone Curlew Screw Creek to Townsend Bluff, Inverloch Solitary Beach Stone Curlew foraging South of Townsend Bluff at 9 am this morning. Andrew Williams Speckled Warbler Dunneworthy State Forest 2 Speckled Warblers seen at Dunneworthy forest near Ararat, both singing Tristan Kennedy Cicadabird Bellbird Rd, Fairhope (12 km N of Bairnsdale) One, possibly two birds heard calling from box-ironbark-stringy ridge-top forest. First record for locality this year. Felicity & Chris Healey Sat 11 Oct Powerful Owl (3) Yarra Flats Two adult Powerful Owl and juvenile bird located in unknown exotic pinophyta this afternoon. James Mustafa Swift Parrot Monash University Clayton Campus Approx. 50 in one tree on Ring Road East opposite hockey pavilion, 8am. -37.909054,145.137070 Trevor Kerr Thu 9 Oct mallee Emu-wren Hatta Kulkyne NP Right on dusk 3 little emu-wrens gave up their position. Found them on the small nature trail just as you enter the park off the Calder hwy. Andrew O’Brien Rufous Fantail Toolangi-Black Range State Forest Single bird heard along Sylvia Ck Rd near Blowhard Tk; an early return. Also 3 Little Raven at Wirrawilla Rainforest, which is an odd occurrence in tall forest here. Steve Davidson – The Melbourne Birder Wed 8 Oct Swift Parrot, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet hybrid Monash University Clayton Campus As a follow-up to the recent report I counted 22 Swifties in the flowering eucalypts around the carpark, could well have been more. Also seen was a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet x Rainbow Lorikeet, and a Spotless Crake at the uni lake. Lewis Hiller Wood Sandpiper Dandenong Valley Wetland One Wood Sandpiper in the most northern lagoon accessible to the public. Margaret and Richard Alcorn Tue 7 Oct Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Gapsted One bird in garden, feeding in an eremophila. Not previously seen on the farm. Marjorie Paul, via Kathy Costello King Quail French Island Following up on Marc Freestoneas post of King Quail on French Island, I arrived at the site and after searching Fairhaven Campsite, moved to the wet heath grasslands of the Heifer Swamp a a site where the birds have been recorded in the past. After 45 minutes, I eventually got onto some birds calling quite strongly from the heath north west of the nearest road (coast road?). Unfortunately despite over an hour of trying I could see any birds in that area. By that time they had also well stopped calling. I followed Coast Road southwards and eventually found myself near the heath at what I believe must be the southern area Duschers Swamp and coastal heath. Almost instantly after entering area, to my complete surprise and astonishment I saw two birds. I set camera to video and about 25 minutes later saw a further two (possibly 3) birds and managed to get 1 male off in the camera. Apologies for low quality images a they are cropped from the video footage. Last confirmed record of this bird (according to online results) is from 2009, and last sighting from 2006. James Mustafa Satin Bowerbird Wilson Botanic Park, Berwick Pair of green-brown birds displaying at bower was a surprise find at this location. Unfortunately no sign of the Channel-billed Cuckoos this afternoon. Scott Baker Swift Parrot Monash University, Clayton Campus Feeding in a loose flock of between 13 and 15 individuals in flowering ironbarks along Union Loop Road Shane Baylis, Julie Groce, Ash Herrod, Rowan Mott, Lee Peacock and Nancy Van Nieuwenhove Great Crested Grebe, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Crested Bellbird, Olive-backed Oriole Crusoe Reservoir, Bendgo Great Crested Grebe back after an absence, Ken Dredge Eastern Osprey Western Treatment Plant (Werribee) Observed flying over T Section and Point Wilson Road from 11.45am to 12.30pm. Gina Hopkins, Graeme Hosken, Mike Roser Channel-billed Cuckoo (2) Wilson Botanic Park, Berwick My attention was bought to a number of ravens and magpies harassing something in a Euc. along the eastern fence line of the gardens, a closer inspection revealed a single Channel-billed Cuckoo. After meeting up with James we attempted to relocate the bird, eventually near the maintenance shed, the bird burst out of a pine tree and landed close by where we found a second bird, giving us some fantastic views before they took off together, potentially a breeding a pair which would be exciting this close to Melbourne Tim Nickholds and James Mustafa Mon 6 Oct Fork-tailed Swift Third Avenue, Altona North A single forker flying low overhead our house this evening, battling into the gusty northerly. Chris Tzaros Australian King-Parrot Epping Two King Parrots flying over works depot in Epping. Stop in a tree to rest which gave me an opportunity to see it before they were harassed by Noisy Miners. One was an immature bird. Aleks Arsoski Channel-billed Cuckoo Wilson Street, Berwick At 2:00pm as I was returning to my car, I observed a Channel-billed Cuckoo flying erratically in an easterly direction along Wilson St. It was being hotly pursued by a family of angry Magpies and two Little Ravens. Jeni Bedin Whiskered Terns Devilbend Reservoir, Hodgins Rd causeway 9 Whiskered Terns and 3 Black-winged Stilts at 3pm this afternoon are the first of the year at the site. Recent Spring arrivals have included Fan-tailed Cuckoos, Australian Reed Warblers, White-fronted Chat and Dusky Woodswallow. A pair of King Parrots have also been evident overflying the reservoir on a couple of occasions over the last two weeks whilst Black-tailed Cockatoos peaked at 38 today. Richard Hook Sun 5 Oct Hooded Plover Tulum Beach, Balnarring Leg ring yellow 06. This bird appeared to be young and seemed to be on its own. The first time I have seen one here. It was about 9.30 am on an overcast morning. Eleanor Dilley Soft-plumaged Petrel Portland pelagic One bird at the continental shelf break. Also Southern Royal Albatross (2 or 3), Northern Royal Albatross (1), c. 5 Wandering Albatross types including 1 old chionoptera type (‘Snowy’ Albatross) and the rest probably Antipodean subsp. gibsoni, Sooty Shearwater (1). Excellent day for cetaceans – several Humpback Whale (one seen breaching), dozens of Common Dolphins, and Orcas seen by some. P S Lansley & others of BirdLife Australia – Victorian group. King Quail and Olive Whistler Fairhaven, French Island One female King Quail and an Olive Whistler seen near the campground. Marc Freestone Fri 3 Oct Musk duck male & female Swan Lake, Phillip Island Female Viewed from hide No. 2. Male viewed from hide No. 1 Stephanie Wylaars