BIRDING NSW CENTRAL COAST GROUP ANNUAL VISIT TO QUORROBOLONG SATURDAY 30
JULY 2005
Saturday was a fine sunny winters day, perfect conditions for our trip to
Quorrobolong, which Arthur & Gwen Biggs, lead each year. 22 members and
friends joined them at Freemans Waterhole, west of Newcastle and our first
stop was Peter and Jill Barda's property at "Big Pond" on Sandy Creek Rd
Quorrobolong. We spent over an hour here both on the property and in the
adjacent bushland and farmland. We saw over 22 species and enjoyed the
morning tea that they unexpectedly provided for us in the outdoor summer
house!. This was birding at its best! Highlights were a Collared Sparrowhawk
pursued by Magpies, and 8+ Brown-headed and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters
feeding in a flowering Spotted Gum, Striated Pardalote and Mistletoebird.
We then moved onto the Heaton Rd Swamps at Quorrobolong where single Royal &
Yellow-billed Spoonbills were feeding, Little Grebe, 20+ Tree Martins were
hawking around the usual site of a clump of Forest Red Gums, a White-necked
Heron were seen and a group of Red-rumped Parrots were observed busy
quarrelling over nesting holes. From here we moved to Randall Miller's
property "Iomar" a known Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot site but alas
not in 2005! During the long drive across the paddocks to Iomar, we saw a
pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles, Brown Falcon, Australian Pipit, Chough and
Kestrel. In the Box Woodland our best birds were Yellow-tufted & Fuscous
Honeyeaters, Jacky Winter, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, a pair of Dusky
Woodswallows, Little Lorikeet, Fantailed Cuckoo & Brown Treecreeper.
Unfortunately no trees were in flower although some Stringybarks may flower
in the next month or two.
Onto Trevor & Norma's property "Oakleigh" Quorrobolong where we again were
made very welcome. We lunched here on their verandah and enjoyed the most
pleasant hospitality, in the mean time watching the local group of
Grey-crowned Babblers building a new nest in their garden and an adult
Sea-Eagle roosting on the edge of their large farm dam. A stroll around this
well managed cattle farm with its fenced-off creeks and natural
re-vegetation areas, after lunch found female Golden Whistler, Yellow-rumped
Thornbill, more Jacky Winters, White-eared Honeyeater & Noisy Friarbird.
Our last stop was at Ellalong Lagoon where the usual waterbirds were seen
and Pelican, Rainbow Lorikeet, Whistling Kite & Hardhead were added to our
list. By the time we had finished for the day over 84 species were recorded.
Everyone was very taken with the hospitality shown to us by our various
hosts, and our leaders, Arthur & Gwen did a great job.
Alan Morris
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