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Hi Birders,
The Central Coast Group of Birding
NSW held their monthly outing today, on the weekend of the National Regent
Honeyeater and Swift Parrot Winter Survey, in the Quorrobolong District of the
lower Hunter Valley near Cessnock. The day was fine and sunny, 26 members and
friends were assembled at Freemans Waterhole and at 845 we headed for Sandy
Creek Rd Quorrobolong. Our first stop was at the usual bushland site where we
had plenty of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Grey Fantails, Buff-rumped &
Striated Thornbills, Golden Whistlers, Red Wattlebirds and Noisy Miners to check
out!.
We then soon left the main road and
drove slowly along Whiting Lane looking for Grey-crowned Babblers, Blue-faced
Honeyeaters and Red-rumpbed Parrots, those common woodland birds that just don't
occur nearby on the Central Coast. We found all three although the BFHE took
some time to locate. We then headed for a private property at the base of the
Watagan Mountains which contains some good quality Box Ironbark woodland, and
where three years ago to the day, we had found 4 Regent Honeyeaters. Between 26
July & 19 August 2000 we then estimated 63 Regent Honeyeater and c. 20 Swift
Parrots were present on the property and 6 Regents were caught &
colour-banded. No sooner had we alighted from the vehicles and John Carpenter
and myself both announced that we could hear REGENT HONEYEATERS calling. All in
all on this occasion we located 22+ Regents.feeding mainly on nectar from a few
flowering trees, one each Spotted Gum, Red Stringybark & Grey Box. We spent
an hour on site and had good views of Little Lorikeets, Fuscous, Yellow-tufted,
White-naped, Yellow-faced & White-cheeked Honeyeaters, Crested Shrike-tits
and both Spotted & Striated Pardalotes.
We reluctantly departed and moved
onto another private property "Oakleigh", Quarrabolong. Here we had lunch
and watched Sea-eagles, Brown Goshawk, squabbling Red-rumped Parrots and Eastern
Rosellas while we ate. After lunch we spent about 2 hours checking out the bush
birds here which included Grey-crowned Babblers, Striped Honeyeater,
Double-barred and Goldfinches, Brown Falcon, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Yellow &
Yellow-rumped Thornbills. We finished the day at Ellalong Lagoon where there
were about 12 active Black Swan nests, 12 Shovelers, and the usual waterbirds
and a lone Kestrel. A great days birding with great company.
Alan
Morris
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