Tried my luck on Saturday to try and follow up on Dion Hobcroft’s recent
excellent record of a Little Bronze-cuckoo at Mitchell Park, Cattai
(about 55 km north-west of Sydney CBD). Despite myself, David Koffel, Brian
Everingham, Tony Palliser, Trevor Wollar and other birdo’s about, there was no
sign of the Little Bronze-cuckoo as I had expected. On many occasion’s with rare
sightings, you need to be there on the day. However, this was compromised with a
nice range of other birds - Rufous (Nankeen) Night Herons (2 adults and
an Immature), Black Bitterns (one or two seen several times perched in
willows or in flight. It was very vocal giving out is "whooo" call just about
every ten-fifteen seconds throughout the whole morning, making the Bittern very
easy to find, along Cattai Creek between the first bridge and where the creek
bends southwards in the Park. It was initially seen flying above our heads and
calling in flight and gave us great views on a number of occasions thereafter. I
presume the recent wet weather may have initiated its breeding season and it is
calling for its mate. Have heard the Black Bittern being vocal at this time of
year before at Mitchell Park), Common Bronzewings, Wonga and Brown
Pigeons, several Brush and Golden Bronze-cuckoos, Azure and
Sacred Kingfishers, Dollarbirds, Cicadabird, Leaden
and Restless Flycatchers, Scarlet Honeyeaters, Olive-backed
Orioles and Satin Bowerbirds. Had also some good observations of 2
Eastern Water Dragons here aswell.
Myself and David Koffel made a short visit to the nearby section of Cattai
National Park beside the Hawkesbury River to check out some large figs still
in fruit and was surprised to find 3 Topknot Pigeons feeding on them. One
also perched for sometime on a dead tree. This is as far west as I have seen
these pigeons from the coast in Sydney and there are many other large figs along
the Hawkesbury where they probably regularly feed aswell. I was also interested
in a display flight given by a couple of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes. They
had their wings help up in a "V" as they passed each other on a n umber of
occasions. Has anybody seen this before? I’m not sure whether this was
aggression or courtship behaviour. Also present at Cattai NP were several
Rainbow Bee-eaters flying overhead, Golden and Horsfield’s
Bronze-cuckoos, Sacred Kingfishers, Cicadabird, Crested
Shrike-tit, Black-faced Monarch, Rufous Fantail, many Scarlet
Honeyeaters and Satin Bowerbirds.
David had to head back home at around noon, but I continued on to Wisemans
Ferry (about 70 km north-west of Sydney) to add to my Sydney List the
Blue-faced Honeyeaters as reported by Keith Brandwood a week ago. I saw 2
adult birds flying here and there and feeding with Noisy Friarbirds
on the flowers of some exotic "mauve" flowering tree (I forgot the name
of this tree but it seen in many places around Sydney and Scarlet Honeyeaters
also like feeding on it) beside the pub there. Nearby I saw an adult Koel
feeding conspicuously on top of a small mulberry tree. Met a couple who is
interested and seem to know about the birds in the area and was wondering what I
was looking at. They said they live at Lower Portland and just up the river (and
still in the Sydney Region) from Wisemans Ferry, and see Blue-faced Honeyeaters
occasionally on their property and have also recently seen Grey-crowned
Babblers there aswell. Nice to hear that the Babblers are still in the
Sydney region!
After lunch , continued on across the mighty Hawkesbury River then onto the
central coast to Mandalong (near Wyong and about 110 km north of Sydney
CBD). In Mandalong, visited a nice Paperbark swamp beside Mandalong Rd (I think
this must be the same swamp Alan Morris mentioned recently, as I had followed
his directions on one of his recent emails about a swamp in this area). It was
about 3km south-west of the Morisset turn-off from the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway.
I met the property owner and asked him if I could have a look around the swamp
as it looked attractive for close inspection. He said no problem, but just watch
out for the Red-bellied Black Snakes!!.
Around this swamp, fringed with paperbark trees and partly edged with
waterlilies and some muddy margins, I flushed an adult Rufous (Nankeen) Night
Heron, observed 2 Comb-crested Jacanas (one may have a nest as it
seem a bit agitated with my presence and landed within a few meters in front of
me a few times, so I thought I’d try to get out of its way in case this was the
reason), atleast 6 Latham’s Snipe (a good number for this fairly small
swamp), Bar-shouldered Dove, Jacky Winter, several Scarlet
Honeyeaters and 3 White-breasted Woodswallows huddled up together (as
often the case) in a paperbark. In a few flowering Spotted gums just up the hill
from the swamp on the other side of the road, 6 Little Lorikeets feeding
in them. There was also a group of Satin Bowerbirds closeby.
The final stop of the day was the swamps beside Cedar Hill Drive at
Minmi, near Newcastle. Surprised that there was still some muddy margins
there with all this rain we had, and had about 15 Black-fronted Dotterels
just about all crowded together at one end. Also saw a Whistling Kite,
atleast 6 Latham’s Snipe (some very close given some great views. The
Hunter region provides some very important sites for these endangered waders in
Australia and all must be done to provide permanent protection for them in this
region. Hundreds of Latham’s Snipe have been seen at times at this Cedar hill
Swamp and at the Newcastle Wetlands Reserve), Pied Stilts, 3
Yellow-billed and a Royal Spoonbill, lots of Grey and Chestnut
Teal and several White-breasted Woodswallows about aswell. On Cedar
Hill Rd itself and beside the forest, was unfortunately a road-killed Diamond
Python.
Rain held off for the morning, but it rained on and off for the whole
afternoon, This however did not prevent me to see/hear more than 100 species for
the day at a leisurely pace. There was a good reason to be out and about despite
the unpleasant (?) weather.
Edwin
