COOPERNOOK SF (near Taree,
approx. 330 km north of Sydney)
Here the most memorable highlight
for my trip was observing (mainly through scope) a pair of Square-tailed Kites
with 2 chicks on its nest. One chick was just about all in white down whereas
the older chick was more so resembling a juv.bird but with a short stubby tail.
There were lots of both Scaley-breasted and Little Lorikeets around the
flowering Black Butts near the Kites nest and an Olive-backed Oriole was
mimicking (as they usually do) the calls of other birds including that of
Pacific Baza, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and Sacred Kingfisher.
OLD BAR (near Taree, approx. 320
km north of Sydney)
Here I saw a pair of Beach
Stone-curlews which are apparently nesting with lots of Little Terns and
possibly Pied Oystercatchers. One of the Stone-curlews was observed being
dive-bombed by a Little Tern. There were at least 400 Little Terns (half were in
non-breeding plumage and probably all these where migratory birds), about 50
Common Terns and one or two Gull-billed Terns (the later have been seen feeding
on the Little Tern eggs) about the sand spits of the estuary. I did not come
across any Little Terns at Harrington as I have in the past.
A few waders were also about
including 17 Pacific Golden Plovers, a few Red-capped Plovers, 8 Red-necked
Stints, 2 Sanderling, about 100 Bar-tailed Godwits and 35 Eastern Curlews. Saw a
poor and unfortunate Sanderling hoping along the beach with its only one leg (I
wonder what happened to the other leg!). In the bushland areas around Old Bar
saw Bar-shouldered Doves, Pheasant Coucal, Ciacadabird and White-cheeked
Honeyeaters.
COPELAND AREA (near
Gloucester, approx. 270 km NW of
Sydney CBD)
After spending a good 2 days
along the coast, I then traveled inland towards the Barrington Tops and spent
time around the Copeland area. I was hoping for some potentially good
spotlighting (refer to my previous report here 2 years ago) but unfortunately my
plans were spoilt with heavy rain over night (even too heavy to go frogging,
though I did hear a Red-eye Tree Frog call in the late afternoon). Despite this
a number of the regular and interesting birds were about including Brush
Turkeys, Wompoo Fruit-doves, 3 Emerald Doves beside the road, Brown Cuckoo-dove,
Wonga Pigeons, a Noisy Pitta, 6 Russet-tailed Thrush (many others calling), Rose
Robins, several of both Spectacled and Black-faced Monarchs, Rufous Fantails,
Logrunners, 3 species of Scrubwrens, 2 Red-browed Tree-creepers, Green Catbirds,
an adult male Regent Bowerbird (got within 3 metres of this bird as it fed very
low on the fruits of a native raspberry!) and Superb Lyrebirds. I also saw a
nice metre long Diamond Python (along the road heading up the hill through the
state forest), Eastern Water Dragons, a Land Mullet, several Red-necked
Pademelons and heard a few Koalas.
Also, on my way up to the Hunter
region I saw a Pacific Baza flying over the Freeway at Ourimbah and a Grey
Goshawk also flying over the freeway and land beside road near Wyong.
A pleasant few days in the Hunter
region.
Edwin Vella
