Hi All,
Sorry this report is rather late - I needed to run it past my
team-mates before posting it and it seems everyone has had too many
commitments and/or has been uncontactable for a time. Anyway better
late than never. I don't remember seeing reports from too many other
teams either, yet!
Carol
WHACKED-OUT WOODSWALLOWS TWITCHATHON REPORT 2006
28-29/10/06
Parched paddocks threw up clouds of dust with each footstep of the
hungry cattle. The Central West of NSW has been stripped bare to its
bones, in the grip of a drought which never seems to end. Any hopes
of finding as many birds as we did in last year's Twitchathon seemed
distant.
The Whacked-Out Woodswallows (David Geering, Clive Meadows and Carol
Probets) were feeling apprehensive, but a reconnoitre of the
Macquarie Marshes by David a week earlier had revealed all the usual
bush birds to be present - albeit in smaller numbers - though no
apparent water or waterbirds. We had since been given permission to
enter a site which reportedly contained the last remaining water in
the Marshes, so on Saturday we drove out there a few hours before the
start time to have a look.
Unfortunately this spot didn't live up to expectations but as we were
leaving, a small bird with a yellowish rump caught our eye. It
perched on top of a low saltbush and our eyes came to rest on the
most beautiful male Orange Chat I've ever seen, carrying food no
less! For me this was probably the best bird of the entire weekend
but of course we couldn't count it, as no matter how beautiful, a
single species could not justify the time spent in what would be a
46-km detour. We consoled ourselves with the thought that there might
be more around and we might see them after the start time (we didn't).
We arrived at our usual starting point to be greeted by a deafening
silence, and hardly a bird in sight. We ate sandwiches, our last
sit-down meal for 27 hours, in the shelter of a tin shed littered
with the remains of crumbling, dried swallows' nests. The 3pm start
was fast approaching. We moved down the road until at 2.48pm, someone
noticed a Little Eagle soaring above. For 12 long minutes we kept it
in binocular view as it soared higher and higher, almost
disappearing, then gradually coming closer again until Clive's clock
alarm sounded to mark the starting time. Got it!
Moving along, a succession of roadside stops gradually yielded many
of the western birds we were hoping for: White-winged Fairy-wren,
Mulga Parrot, Apostlebird, Crimson Chat, Chestnut-crowned Babbler,
Western Gerygone, Black-faced Woodswallow, Spotted Bowerbird, Little
Friarbird, Spiny-cheeked and Striped Honeyeaters. Every stop had a
Singing Honeyeater or two, and flocks of White-browed and Masked
Woodswallows were about.
We detoured to visit a spot we'd noticed on the way where bright
green growth indicated there was some moisture in a distant paddock.
Out with the scopes and we found a large number of Glossy Ibis, 2
Brolgas, Pelicans, a Swamp Harrier and some Emus.
Along our route, Red-capped Robins, difficult to find in previous
years, were reasonably common. Red-winged Parrots flew by a number of
times. Blue Bonnets, Australian Ringnecks, Cockatiels and a Ground
Cuckoo-shrike were seen from the car.
But where were the Crested Bellbirds? Where was the Painted
Honeyeater we usually find? There was no sign of any Budgerigars, and
we didn't see a single Common Bronzewing. We finally managed to find
a silent Chestnut-rumped Thornbill in a mixed flock after almost
giving up on finding it. Nearby was a young Black-eared Cuckoo being
fed by Weebills. We got Grey-crowned Babblers in fading light along
the roadside, but no sign of any White-browed. At dusk we pulled up
alongside a dam where Pink-eared Ducks, Black-tailed Native-hens and
Red-kneed Dotterels were a welcome sight.
By nightfall we only had about 85 species under our belt - far fewer
than usual. With so many of our expected birds missing from the list,
we certainly had our work cut out for us the next day. On the plus
side, we knew that those 85 species were nearly all birds we wouldn't
be seeing closer to the coast.
The long night leg of our journey began well when we stopped the car
to look for Barking Owl. David did his best "wook-wook" imitation and
immediately we heard a rustle as one landed in the branch above and
started calling. While we were looking at it, an Owlet-nightjar flew
across the torch beam!
We went with our new strategy (first trialled last year) of catching
some sleep in a shelter shed, an hour short of our dawn rainforest
site. This gave us just over an hour for sleeping, punctuated by the
raucous calls of a Channel-billed Cuckoo. The alarm woke us all too
soon, and we were on the road again in no time. Enroute we trialled a
new technique for increasing our diurnal raptor score by spotlighting
(or rather torching) a roosting Peregrine Falcon. We arrived in the
rainforest five minutes before the first Yellow Robin began calling.
The rainforest dawn chorus is always a highlight. Among the species
heard were Bassian and Russet-tailed Thrush, Rose Robin, Black-faced
Monarch, Superb Lyrebird, Green Catbird, Brown Cuckoo-Dove and a Grey
Goshawk. After a quick breakfast, a short walk gave us lovely views
of a Spectacled Monarch and all three scrubwrens. The forest floor
was dry and almost crackly underfoot - not surprisingly this was
reflected in fewer birds than usual with no sign of the Noisy Pitta
or Logrunner. The Regent Bowerbird and Wompoo Pigeon also eluded us.
Up in the eucalypt forest it took a while before the Paradise
Riflebird called but we got a number of other species here. We knew
things were getting better when a Red-browed Treecreeper called the
instant we stopped in likely habitat to look for it.
Barrington House is closed off after being destroyed by fire, so we
had to stand on tip-toe to see the Brush Turkey. Down at the NPWS
carpark we found Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, but again, we were
missing birds we usually find such as Wonga Pigeon, Cicadabird and
Sittella.
Onward down the valley, we picked up Pheasant Coucal, Torresian Crow,
White-throated Gerygone, Bar-shouldered Dove and a single Topknot
Pigeon along the way. Our next few woodland and forest sites gave us
Speckled Warbler, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Double-barred Finch, Brush
Cuckoo, Little Lorikeet, Fuscous and White-eared Honeyeater, Crested
Shrike-tit, and a Pallid Cuckoo on a fence caused a quick turn-around
in the car. The wetlands scattered through the lower Hunter delivered
a good number of species and soon we had most of the ducks and other
waterbirds we were aiming for.
Next it was on to Newcastle for the waders. The forecast high tide
had promised almost perfect conditions for a big wader tally, however
we were nonplussed to find the tide much higher than expected and
this made this task particularly challenging as the waders weren't
using their usual high-tide roosts. We got onto Whimbrel, Eastern
Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler and Avocets, but where
were the rest? Not a single identifiable godwit anywhere! Striated
Heron was a nice bonus, as was Zebra Finch at Stockton Bridge, and we
were pleased to get both Pied and Sooty Oystercatcher together. At
Newcastle Beach the rock shelf was almost completely underwater, the
result of the big seas that had pushed the tide much higher than
expected, but turning the scopes out to sea we found Short-tailed and
Fluttering Shearwaters and a Gannet or two.
The finishing time was getting closer and we still needed lots more
waders. A quick visit to Ash Island only added Marsh Sandpiper,
White-fronted Chat and Buff-banded Rail. We finally arrived at the
Shortland Wetland Centre half an hour before finishing time where we
picked up Magpie-Goose, Tawny Grassbird, Wandering Whistling-Duck,
etc.
Our final tally of birds was 227 - two short of our total last year
and three short of our too-hopeful target. I think I can speak for my
team-mates in saying we were all surprised to get that many,
considering the appalling drought conditions out west and our low
count on Saturday afternoon, the fact that we got fewer rainforest
species than usual and that we fell down badly on the waders. General
bird diversity in the lower Hunter Valley is obviously good at the
moment with drought-driven coastward movements of birds. I also think
our ongoing refinement of tactics from one year to the next is
helping to boost the score and maximise our efficiency.
But as pleased as we were with our 227, we were beaten to first place
by the Hunter Home Brewers coming in with an outstanding 233, another
new record for NSW. Our hearty congratulations to them, and I'll read
their report with interest.
Big thanks to our many sponsors. The very best thing about the
Twitchathon is the amount of interest it generates and the funds
which are raised for worthy bird conservation causes.
cheers
Carol Probets
(Now recovered) Whacked-Out Woodswallow
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