birding-aus

Birding in NE NSW

To: "birding-aus" <>
Subject: Birding in NE NSW
From: "Crispin Marsh" <>
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 11:45:25 +1100
Apologies for the last blank message - I guess messages in Excel format do not 
appear. I will try again



Dear Birders,

The north east corner of New South Wales is a wonderful place to bird by virtue 
of the diverse range of habitats found within a relatively short distance. 
Staying for 5 days at our avocado farm just outside Ballina I was able to spend 
each morning out in a different environment.



The first morning it was the rainforest around Terania Creek north of Lismore 
seeing both of the local bowerbirds, green catbird, and other forest dwellers. 
The next morning was the mangroves, sandbars and beaches at the mouth of the 
Richmond river looking for mangrove gerygone and mangrove honeyeater. I didn't 
see either there but did see a variety of waders, rainbow bee-eaters and 
raptors. The third was spent in the littoral rainforest adjacent Iluka where I 
was fortunate to have wonderful views of a rose crowned fruit dove perched in 
the upper branches of an old dead tree. I had been hearing them for a time 
before this wonderfully colourful bird flew into sight. In the nearby mangroves 
I found a mangrove gerygone and a striped honeyeater tending chicks in its 
elegant basket like nest suspended from three thin branchlets of a mangrove. 
Then a morning at flat rock beach viewing the terns and rock platform waders. 
Another morning was spent visiting a number of freshwater lakes inland near 
Lismore. The lake at McMahon's road, Tatham was a knock out with a host of 
herons, ibis, sandpipers, ducks, grebes and the like. For a change of pace I 
went out one evening to the Uralba Nature Reserve just west of Ballina with a 
spotlight and a sooty owl tape. The tape had been playing not more than 20 
seconds before the ghost like shape of a sooty owl swept into a nearby tree 
observed mainly from the eyeshine reflected from my head torch. Judicious use 
of the spotlight (and no tape) gave prolonged views. Time prevented me from 
exploring any of the heathland or swamp habitats that are also closely 
accessible or to take a dingy to explore the mudflats around the Richmond river 
more fully.



The farm itself has a substantial number of large tallowwood trees planted as 
windbreaks. I had an uplifting new year experience when walking through the 
farm on New Years Day. 10 whistling kites launched themselves out of the 
tallowwoods, soaring and wheeling over the farm.



Peter Marsh



Birds seen in the 5 days were:-



Bee-eater, Rainbow

Black-Cockatoo, Yellow-tailed

Bowerbird, Regent

Bowerbird, Satin

Brush-turkey, Australian

Butcherbird, Grey

Butcherbird, Pied

Catbird, Green

Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested

Coot, Eurasian

Cormorant, Great

Cormorant, Little Black

Cormorant, Little Pied

Cormorant, Pied

Coucal, Pheasant

Crow, Torresian

Cuckoo-Dove, Brown

Cuckoo-shrike, Black-faced

Currawong, Pied

Darter

Dollarbird

Dotterel, Black-fronted

Drongo, Spangled

Duck, Australian Wood

Duck, Pacific Black

Duck, Pink-eared

Egret, Cattle

Egret, Great

Egret, Intermediate

Egret, Little

Emu

Fairy-wren, Superb

Fantail, Grey

Fantail, Rufous

Figbird

Finch, Red-browed

Flycatcher, Satin

Frogmouth, Tawny

Fruit-Dove, Rose-crowned

Fruit-Dove, Wompoo

Galah

Gerygone, Large-billed

Gerygone, Mangrove

Gibberbird

Godwit, Bar-tailed

Grassbird, Tawny

Greenshank, Common

Gull, Silver

Hardhead

Heron, White-faced

Hobby, Australian

Honeyeater, Blue-faced

Honeyeater, Lewin's

Honeyeater, Striped

Honeyeater, White-cheeked

Ibis, Australian White

Ibis, Straw-necked

Jacana, Comb-crested

Kestrel, Nankeen

King-Parrot, Australian

Kingfisher, Sacred

Kite, Black-shouldered

Kite, Brahminy

Kite, Whistling

Koel, Common

Kookaburra, Laughing

Lapwing, Masked

Logrunner

Lorikeet, Rainbow

Magpie, Australian

Magpie-lark

Martin, Fairy

Miner, Noisy

Monarch, Spectacled

Moorhen, Dusky

Myna, Common

Oriole, Olive-backed

Osprey

Owl, Sooty

Oystercatcher, Pied

Oystercatcher, Sooty

Pelican, Australian

Pigeon, Crested

Pigeon, White-headed

Pigeon, Wonga

Plover, Double-banded

Plover, Pacific Golden

Quail, Brown

Raven, Australian

Robin, Eastern Yellow

Robin, Pale-yellow

Rosella, Crimson

Rosella, Eastern

Sanderling

Sandpiper, Common

Sandpiper, Curlew

Sandpiper, Marsh

Sandpiper, Pectoral

Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed

Sandpiper, Terek

Scrubwren, Large-billed

Scrubwren, White-browed

Sea-Eagle, White-bellied

Shrike-thrush, Little

Silvereye

Snipe, Latham's

Spoonbill, Royal

Starling, Common

Stilt, Black-winged

Swallow, Welcome

Swallow, White-backed

Swamphen, Purple

Swan, Black

Tattler, Grey-tailed

Teal, Chestnut

Teal, Grey

Tern, Common

Tern, Crested

Tern, Little

Thornbill, Brown

Thrush, Russet-tailed

Turnstone, Ruddy

Turtle-Dove, Spotted

Wagtail, Willie

Wattlebird, Little

Whipbird, Eastern

Whistler, Golden

Whistler, Rufous

Whistling-Duck, Plumed

Woodswallow, White-breasted
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