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NSW Hawkesbury area (ORANGE CHAT) - 7th October 2007

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Subject: NSW Hawkesbury area (ORANGE CHAT) - 7th October 2007
From: "Edwin Vella" <>
Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2007 18:52:36 +1000
Today (7/10/07) I had another brilliant spring morning in the Hawkesbury
Region (approx 55km NW of Sydney CBD).



Along the Richmond Lowland turf farms both Rufous Songlarks and White-winged
Trillers were numerous again along Powells Lane. Two males Trillers were
seen competing over a female.  Also around Richmond  was a couple of male
Brown Songlarks, Yellow-rumped Thornbills, a Restless Flycatcher, a pair of
Black-shouldered Kites presumably nesting (one dived bombed me), Rainbow
Bee-eaters, Zebra Finches etc.



The best action however this morning was at Bushells Lagoon in Wilberforce
which is supporting very good numbers of waterbirds and dragonflies (the
best I've seen it for years). Soon after my arrival, I heard something
calling that did not sound that familiar. I thought that it sounded high in
the air at first so I got my binoculars and looked up in the sky and as I
looked down I then saw perched on a branch in the drain running out of the
lagoon a brilliant adult male ORANGE CHAT in all it glory. I almost fainted!
I followed it closely and took a few photos of it (please see NSW Bridline
for those. Not brilliant but for the record). I was very surprised to see it
(its normal range is hundreds of km inland) and this is another sign of the
worsening drought inland. I watched the Orange Chat for about 10 minutes or
so then left it alone. I was later joined by Ted Nixon, David Mitford and
son and a couple of other birdos but with this later search we could not
relocate the Orange Chat. However, the thick growth of thistles (like the
blue bush plains of it normal inland habitat), the abundance of insects and
the presence of water should still provide an ideal temporary home while
escaping the drought. I saw an immature male Orange Chat not too long ago
also at Malabar (a coastal Sydney suburb) and only about a couple of years
ago.



Over interesting sightings at Bushells Lagoon this morning included 53
Glossy Ibis (my highest count I think for the Hawkesbury), 5 Pacific Herons,
good numbers of both Plumed and Great Egrets, 15 Australasian Shoveler, 20
Pink-eared Ducks, 6 Great Crested and about 10 Hoary-headed Grebes, a
juvenile Brown Goshawk, an Australian Hobby constantly putting on a good
show (it almost hit us during one of its pursuits for dragonflies), a
Peregrine Falcon, a female Swamp Harrier, a Baillon's Crake, a single Curlew
Sandpiper with at least 60 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, several Pied Stilts, a
Caspian Tern and 16 Whiskered Terns, Pallid and a Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo,
Signing Bushlarks and one or two Brown Songlarks. Other birdos saw also a
Spotless Crake, Black-tailed Native-hens and a Musk Duck there this morning.



It has certainly been a great Spring so far (and it is not over) in the
Hawkesbury/Sydney area with many more goodies to come. Just about every time
I have been birding this Spring around Sydney there seems to be at least one
good rarity about!



Edwin Vella





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