Birdline NSW Weekly Update

Birdline NSW

Published sightings for the week ending 10 Oct 2010.

Sat 9 Oct	Buller's Shearwater Mistral Point, Maroubra A Buller's Shearwater the highlight of a brief seawatch at Maroubra early this afternoon, the stand-out amongst the usual Wedgetails. Also a few large flocks of Short-tailed and many small flocks of Flutterings (with possibly a couple of Hutton's amongst them). Robert Griffin
	Little Shearwater Sydney Pelagic Trip The highlight of today's pelagic trip out of Sydney was not one but, amazingly, two Little Shearwaters, the first seen off the Halicat since January 1997. Also notable were large numbers (>10,000) of migrating Short-tailed Shearwaters, 140 Wilson's Storm-Petrels and 30 White-faced Storm-Petrels. Twenty one species recorded in all. Roger McGovern
Fri 8 Oct	Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Bobbin Head Track 30+ Y-t Black cockies feeding in the recent hazard burnt bush beside the Track - mostly in parties of three, M, F and noisy imm - although the mob moved about as a big flock. A large mob for this area. Opened Hakea and Banksia being eaten. One noisy Rufous Whistler - but the burnt and unburnt margins almost devoid of smaller birds. Harry Roberts
	Pacific Baza Mona Vale Why don't I just sit in the garden with a pair of binoculars all day?? A pair of Bazas circled over at 4pm today- a first for me on the Northern Beaches. Very exciting! I wonder if they are resident? Henry Coleman
Thu 7 Oct	White-bellied Sea-eagle, Musk Duck, Rock Warbler Thyrlmere Lakes National Parks There is nearly no water (only few very shallow pools) in the Thirlmere Lakes but there was a lot of fish. I observed five Sea-eagles (at least 3 juvenilles) in feeding frenzy on fish. They were running/jumping/"dancing" on the muddy sand at the edge of the water, stealling fish from one another, chasing herons and ravens, taking fish straight from the water and leaving it and comming back to previous one. Wonderful view. I enjoyed it for nearly an hour. In the water there was small flock (20 birds) of Little Black Cormorants and 3 Great Cormorants, contantly feeding on fish. There was also one lonely male Musk Duck (also constantly diving). What was it doing there? There was no vegetation to hide and rest. On the edges were 4 Great Egrets, 2 White-faced Herons and few very cheeky Australian Ravens. In the picnic site a lot of very tame Rock Warblers. Ted Wnorowski
Wed 6 Oct	Painted Button-Quail, Little Eagle, Pheasant Coucal, Indian Peafowl Chiltern Trail, Ingleside I sat patiently for an hour while listening to the Button-Quail call. It eventually came into veiw on the side of the trail, but flushed when a cyclist came past! Coucal heard throughout the morning, giving its breeding call. The loud trumpeting call of a Peacock was heard, and a very tame bird seen just at the entrance to the trail. Really weird to see here! Little Eagle flew over as I was about to leave. My first record here. White-throated Gerygones and Sacred Kingfishers are back around Ingleside. Henry Coleman
	Magpie Geese Wintergreen, Come By Chance NSW 2832 I have 9 Magpie Geese on my dam this morning, went down to get a photo but they flew off & have now come back, wont disturb them again, we saw them in the NT in 2006 so was very surprised to see them here. We live 1 Km from the Namoi river & 40kms east of Walgett, 97 kms north of Coonamble (Moderator's Note: Due to good seasonal and wet conditions inland, Magpie Geese have recently been sighted inland in the Macquarie Marshes, at Dubbo STW & Fivebough Swamp, Leeton) Jane Keir
Tue 5 Oct	Topknot Pigeon Mona Vale My second stunning pigeon of the day!!!! Just after my first post here, a Topknot Pigeon flew over! Really amazing to see. Both pigeons looked like they were heading to Irrawong Reserve. Henry Coleman
	White-headed Pigeon, Little Lorikeet Mona Vale, Sydney One White-headed Pigeon flew over this afternoon very unexpectedly! The closest to Mona Vale I have seen this species is Avalon, and only once there. Also, 2 Little Lorikeets (also a first for me in Mona Vale) have been flying around occassionally today, along with Scaly-breasteds, Musks and Rainbows. Henry Coleman
	Ground Parrot & Ospreys Ulladulla It was reliably reported by Bob Black that on the morning of 4/10/10 a single Ground Parrot was seen by him and others on the Little Forest Plateau, this is accessed from Porters Creek Rd, app 8 klms north of Milton. There have been sightings of Ospreys in and around Ulladulla over the last couple of days. The first sightings since a wind storm destroyed the nest on the Telecom tower 4 weeks ago. Bob Rusk
Mon 4 Oct	Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Curlew Sandpiper, Latham's Snipe Penrith Sewage Treatment Plant Very good selection of waders, crakes, and other water birds in the Penrith STP. There is 6 shallow muddy ponds and large artificial wetland area. Many birds are breeding there - small breeding colony of black-winged stilts, 2 black-fronted dotterel nests on the banks of the ponds, Australian Shoveller with 6 ducklings. There was also small flock of waders (~30 birds), mostly sharp-taled sandpipers (~20 birds), wood sandpiper (1), marsh (2), curlew sandpiper (2), red-necked stint (2). I also flushed off 2 Latham's snipes. Plenty of red-bellied black snakes. Crakes (Spotless and Baillon's) are very tame there and often seen on the mud at the edges of pond vegetation. For last 6 weeks I regularly observed a family of Western Corella (4 birds) feeding on the lawn or roosting on the she-oaks trees near the STP office. (Moderator Note: Ted advises that WCs fed by STP operators & thought to be escapees. Is there access to the STP for birders Ted?) Ted Wnorowski
	Wedge-tailed Eagles Cattai Ridge Road Glenorie, North Western Sydney 2 eagles, giving good views, pursued by a Raven & soaring low over farmland just to the north of Cattai Ridge Rd a couple of klms west along the road from Hillside. Ian Francis
	Dollarbird Warriewood Wetlands Janine de La Begassiere
	White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes nesting Knudsen Reserve at Riverstone, NSW Mark Fuller and I watched the WBCS's at Knudsen Reserve in Riverstone this morning and saw plenty of feeding activity of at least one single chick (see pic). Also in the area was an Immature White-bellied Sea-eagle flying low beside the creek, 2 Little Lorikeets and Musk Lorikeets, Azure and Sacred Kingfishers and many other birds. A lovely spot in my lovely local area. Edwin Vella and Mark Fuller
Sat 2 Oct	Wedge-tailed Eagle, Swamp Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Hobby Pambalong & Lenaghan Swamps, Minmi 22 members of Central Coast Group Birding NSW, visited these two swamps over a 2 hour period on Saturday morning and saw 1 Wedge-tailed Eagle, 3 Whistling Kites, 2 Swamp Harriers and an immature Sea-eagle at Pambalong, and 2 Whistling Kites, 2 Swamp Harriers, a Collared Sparrowhawk, an Australian Hobby & adult Sea-eagle at Lenaghans Swamp. Also at Pambalong Swamp were three sets of Black Swans with 3,5 & 6 cygnets, and at Lenaghans, 3 pairs of Chestnut Teal with 3,5 & 7 ducklings. Rufous Whistlers, Sacred Kingfishers, Koels and Channel-billed Cuckoos were calling well! Alan Morris & 21 members CCGBNSW
Fri 1 Oct	Wood Sandpiper Pitt Town Lagoon. Late Monday 4th, afternoon. The Wood Sand is still there, "bobbing" away, close to a couple of Black-fronted Dotterel. On the paddock side of the fence, near 2 white canoes. Peter and Penny Madvig
Mon 27 Sep	Major Mitchell's Cockatoo Coolabah, Near the Macquarie Marshes A single bird, next to the servo Nathan Ruser

Birdline NSW is sponsored by Birding NSW, Birds Australia - Southern NSW & ACT and Cumberland Bird Observers Club and co-ordinated and hosted by Eremaea Birds.

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