Hi Greg Happy to say that numbers of Gouldian Finches (and Hooded Parrots) have been very healthy for the last couple of years!! Timing is important as to where and when the numbers show up, often in numbers i.e. 150+ early in the dry, flocks are actively moving around the area perching and feeding on seeing grasses in the morning, after some burning has happened (like now), smaller flocks are often seen grazing in the burnt areas on fallen seeds. Last time I went out there was a nice flock of mixed Hooded and Gouldians doing this. Later in the year, numbers can be large and drinking early AM at the numerous small waterholes in the area, the most accessible being at a crossing 5km from the Stuart Highway. Good Birding Mick Jerram On 21/06/2014, at 1:30 AM, birding-aus-request@birding-aus.org wrote: > Send Birding-Aus mailing list submissions to > birding-aus@birding-aus.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org > or, via email, send a message with subject or body ‘help’ to > birding-aus-request@birding-aus.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > birding-aus-owner@birding-aus.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than “Re: Contents of Birding-Aus digest…” > > > Today’s Topics: > > 1. Scythebill bird list software (Steve Clark) > 2. Possibly a good time to sea watch of SWWA (Adrian Boyle) > 3. gouldian finch & hooded parrot (Greg Roberts) > 4. Quick RFI Cairns Targets (Ed Williams) > > > ———————————————————————- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:52:48 +1000 > From: Steve Clark <bukoba.steve@gmail.com> > To: Birding-Aus <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Scythebill bird list software > Message-ID: <594D3D48-2231-469D-AFE4-B2ACDE44C3EE@gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > G?day all > > I?ve been using Wings on my Mac for several years and found it excellent. Unfortunately it is not being updated often (last was April 2013) so the taxonomy is falling behind. I recently switched to Scythebill as described below. It is not as polished as Wings but is up to the minute with IOC and Clements taxonomy and has all the recognised subspecies. The author responds quickly to questions and suggestions. I store my record file in Dropbox and can access it seamlessly from my Mac or a Windows computer. Like Wings it is free. > > Give it a try! > > For the record IOC gives me more ticks than does Clements. > > Cheers > Steve Clark > Hamilton, Vic > > ___________________________________ > > Carl Clifford wrote on 3 Oct 2013 > > Yet another bird list program has appeared, Scythebill. It is a cross-platform > program, running on Mac, Linux, and Windows. Some of the features are:- > > Full Clements checklist, including all subspecies and groups (courtesy of the > Cornell Lab of Ornithology) > And IOC World Bird List support, including (almost) all subspecies. Flip > between the taxonomies instantly – no need to choose just one. > Fast species entry (“make up your own banding code”), including over 7000 > alternate names. > Fast reports – instant processing of hundreds of thousands of records. > Simple, clean UI. > Export to EBird, and import from Avisys or eBird. > Arbitrary location hierarchies (e.g., if you want to keep track of “Lower > Willows” at the “New Willows” on “Point Reyes” in “Marin County” in > “California”, go for it.) > Enter hybrids and “sp.”s (Willow/Alder Flycatcher, for example). > Further details can be found at http://code.google.com/p/scythebill-birdlist/ > > I have not tried Scythebill yet, but will certainly investigate it further, > when I get the time. > > Cheers, > > Carl Clifford > > > > —————————— > > Message: 2 > Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 18:30:15 +0800 > From: Adrian Boyle <adrianboyle@westnet.com.au > > To: Adrian Boyle <adrianboyle@westnet.com.au > > Cc: Birding-Aus <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Possibly a good time to sea watch of SWWA > Message-ID: <DF201851-0734-4D39-822B-980D7BF01913@westnet.com.au> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > Hi all. > > Just letting Perth area people know that it might be a good time for a sea watch. > > Ive just heard about 3 Kerguelen Petrels washed up at Freo in the past few days. > > Looks like a bit of a blow going to be in the area Saturday afternoon Sunday morning. > > A good bird that a lot of birders still need and who knows what else might be out there. > > Happy scanning. > > Adrian Boyle > > > —————————— > > Message: 3 > Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 21:02:18 +1000 > From: “Greg Roberts” <ninderry@westnet.com.au> > To: “birding-aus” <birding-aus@birding-aus.org> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] gouldian finch & hooded parrot > Message-ID: > <5963813577397d2bdb36d3c72978967917ac5f9a@webmail.westnet.com.au> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > I was pleasantly surprised over the past couple of days to find good > numbers of Gouldian Finch and Hooded Parrot near Edith Falls in the > Northern Territory. It appears that the Gouldians in particular might > be making something of a comeback.?Pics and more info > here:HTTP://TINYURL.COM/LSWOVSEGreg Roberts > > > > > —————————— > > Message: 4 > Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 21:22:31 +1000 > From: Ed Williams <edwilliams1977@hotmail.co.uk> > To: birding-aus@birding-aus.org > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Quick RFI Cairns Targets > Message-ID: <BAY405-EAS275AA9E15531020785E793793120@phx.gbl> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”us-ascii” > > Hi all, > > I’m doing a last minute trip up to Cairns and Port Douglas next week. Just wondered if anyone had some specific up to date info on the following 7 targets: > > Red-necked Crake – is there still one in Cairns under the Mental Health building? > > White-eared Monarch > > Large-tailed Nightjar > > Sarus Cranes – have any been seen closer to the coast than Hasties or Mareeba? > > Bush-hen > > Red-backed Buttonquail > > Rufous Owl – any roosts around at the moment? > > > This is a family trip so would need to be within am hour of Cairns or Port Douglas as will only have limited time. > > Thanks for any help – it’s always appreciated, > > All the best, > > Ed > > > Ed Williams, > Kingsville, VIC > > > > > —————————— > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > Birding-Aus mailing list > Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org > To change settings or unsubscribe visit: > http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org > > > —————————— > > End of Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 7, Issue 20 > ****************************************** _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
Hi Mick i’d have to fully agree with you… that 5km crossing can be absolutely amazing at dawn – I have spent many mornings there at sun-up & never been disappointed late in the Dry season. flocks of 200+ Gouldians visiting to drink was the norm, along with about 50 Hooded Parrots as well. just fantastic birding for sure… One particular dawn was probably the very best bird-watching experience I’ve ever had… some 32 spp came in to drink in the pools in front of me in 2.5 hours!!! these included Masked, Gouldian, Long-tailed, Crimson, & Double-barred Finch, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Little & Helmeted Friarbird, Yellow-throated Miner, Blue-faced, White-gaped, Yellow-tinted, White-throated, Bar-breasted, Rufous-throated, Rufous-banded, Banded, Dusky & Brown Honeyeaters, Red-tailed Black-, & Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Little Corella, Galah, Red-winged, & Hooded Parrot, Northern Rosella, Diamond, Peaceful, & Bar-shouldered Dove, Common Bronzewing, Crested Pigeon, Brown Quail… & that’s not counting the Black Bittern that worked it’s way along the opposite riverbank right in front of me, or the Spotted Nightjar hawking 1 metre above the ground right above me in my swag there an half hour before getting up – it was a gob-smacking couple of hours to say the very least!!! cheers, martin cachard cairns _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org