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Hi Birders,
The recent comments about
Wedge-tailed Eagles over Ku-ring-gai Chase NP (Appletree Bay & Bobbin Head)
just north of Sydney NSW are of interest but the birds are to be expected. Most
recent years there have been reports of Wedge-tailed Eagles in the Lower
Hawkesbury Region of Galston Gorge & Ku-ring-gai Chase NP and this is
because they are resident on the other side of the Hawkesbury River and are seen
regularly at Mangrove Mountain, Dharug NP, Brisbane Water NP and Popran NP,
being mainly in the western half of Gosford City Council area. For some years
there was a nesting pair near Strickland SF/Somersby, and they were known to
feed on the carcases of chickens dumped by the local poultry farms on the
Somersby Plateau. The current nest site(s) are not known.
I notice that Kurtis Lindsay was
snorkelling around Cabbage Tree Island off Port Stephens recently and thought
that he might have seen a Gould's Petrel go to its nest under a rock. Cabbage
Tree Island is known officially as the Gould Island Nature Reserve and is one of
only two islands where the Gould's Petrel breeds (the other island is the
adjoing Boondelbah Island NR). Gould's Petrels at this time of the year should
be feeding large young and would not come to the Island at least until one hour
after sunset when it is quiet dark. Most if not all nest sites are in the palm
forests that occur on the Island, the nests being in holes under the rocks below
a cover of fallen palm fronds (unless they are using the artifical nest box
sites which too are located in the palm forest under the palm fronds etc).and
would not be visible from the water. The reason why the Gould's Petrels come to
the Island at night is to escape predation by Peregrine Falcons that have an
eyrie on the Island, in addition to other predators such as Grey Goshawks and
Pied Currawongs. More info on the Gould's Petrel would be available from
the Hunter Office, of the NPWS.
Alan Morris
Records Officer, Birding
NSW
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