Hi all,
It was a beautiful day in Melbourne today so I took myself down to the WTP.
Normally this place is bank to bank water and shorebirds but so far this
spring it has been empty. Black Swans abound with strings of downy young
following them across the ponds but that is about all.
Today I saw one hardhead, one musk duck, two hoary-headed grebe, 2 black
duck, one grey teal, a few chestnut teal and a hundred or so pelicans. There
are a couple of thousand red-necked stint, a few hundred curlew sandpiper,
half a dozen greenshank and a note at the hide said said there were five
great knot at the spit. Werribee is EMPTY.
I know all the waterbirds are in the inland but what about the waders? Has
anyone seen LARGE numbers of waders anywhere?
cheers
Jenny
On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 5:22 PM, Peter Ewin <> wrote:
>
> There are more Rufous Songlarks in the far south west of NSW than have been
> present for the last four springs. I haven't been out much (have been
> working in Queanbeyan) but there is the odd White-winged Triller and I heard
> a Stubble Quail at Yanga NP near Balranald last weekend (and there are
> plenty of large wheat crops for them to hang out in). Also heard Budgerigar
> there but didn't see them. I have yet to record a White-browed or Masked
> Woodswallow yet this season, but I may not have travelled in the right
> country yet (usually get them by early-mid September).
> The Eremophila longifolia is just starting to flower and it will be
> interesting to see if any Black/Pied Honeyeaters turn up. The locusts are
> hatching and this may also attract a few insectivores as well, but hopefully
> not too much carnage from the spraying results.
> Cheers,
> Peter
>
> > Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:57:30 +1100
> > To:
> > From:
> > Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Missing migrants
> >
> > In the Capertee Valley last week I saw a few Singing Bushlarks and
> > heard one Stubble Quail, but many of the other migrants do seem to
> > have been drawn further inland. We're seeing very few White-winged
> > Trillers, I haven't found a Painted Honeyeater yet this season (they
> > usually arrive in mid-Sept), and not a single White-browed or Masked
> > Woodswallow. Rufous Songlarks are present but not in anywhere near
> > the numbers they are in some years, and no Brown seen.
> >
> > As for ducks, the Lithgow sewage ponds have been completely devoid of
> > Pink-eared for some months now, and more recently the Blue-billed
> > Ducks have disappeared.
> >
> > Mick's comment regarding the Banded Lapwings is interesting.
> > Consistent with this we had an unexpected sighting of 4 Banded
> > Lapwings on Aarons Pass Road just south of Pyramul on 17th October
> > with a Follow That Bird group. This is in the tablelands in the
> > region south of Mudgee.
> >
> > Up here in the wet forests of the Blue Mountains, strangely I have
> > not recorded a single Rufous Fantail this season. Have others been
> > seeing them? They must be around somewhere.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Carol
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > At 10:48 PM +1100 27/10/10, Mick Roderick wrote:
> > >Hi Keith,
> > >
> > >As far as I can tell thus far there have been no reports of
> > >WwTrillers in the Hunter either. In the lead-up to the Twitchathon I
> > >have been searching for both Songlarks / Bushlark in their usual
> > >haunts and have come up empty-handed. There was one report of Rufous
> > >Songlark from near Sandy Hollow about a month ago but this has been
> > >the only one to date. I have spent a lot of time in their usual
> > >spots recently without anything.
> > >
> > >We might have more success in the extreme west of the valley, around
> > >Goulburn River NP, this weekend. (fingers crossed)
> > >
> > >I did think that I heard Stubble Quail around Morpeth recently, but
> > >it was windy and possibly a trick of wishful thinking. One thing
> > >that is noteworthy is that I counted 17 Banded Lapwings near Morpeth
> > >on Sunday. Why would these guys be here in numbers yet so many
> > >others that prefer to be "west" absent?
> > >
> > >To add to your absentee list (migrant-wise), there has been no sign
> > >of Whiskered Terns either. White-browed / Masked Woodswallows have
> > >barely been reported in NSW, let alone in sub-coastal areas.
> > >
> > >There have been no Red-kneed Dotterel or Pink-eared Duck (aside from
> > >one rogue bird on an inaccessible dam) either, since pretty much Dec
> > >27 2009. Native-hens same (and there were numerous here pre-NYE).
> > >
> > >At least you guys have had a Wood Sands or two!
> > >
> > >A few people have commented to me about raptors and when I think
> > >about it, it's been a long time since I've even seen a Brown Falcon
> > >in the Hunter (though I'm sure they're here, but surely in lesser
> > >numbers).
> > >
> > >It will make for an interesting Twitchathon.
> > >
> > >Mick
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >From: Keith Brandwood <>
> > >To: birdingaus <>
> > >Sent: Wed, 27 October, 2010 3:27:47 PM
> > >Subject: [Birding-Aus] some migrants missing
> > >
> > >Hello everyone, This year in the Hawkesbury looks as though we are
> > >going to miss out on the White winged Trillers, Brown,and Rufous
> > >Songlarks, Singing Bushlark and Stubble Quail I have looked long and
> > >hard but have not as yet recorded any of them. They are usually
> > >early arrivals here. Any one else seen any of them. Then again why
> > >would you fly to the Hawkesbury when conditions inland are probably
> > >as good if not better. Although I dot ever remember a year when they
> > >did not come?
> > >the beautiful Hawkesbury 60km N/W of Sydney
> >
> >
> >
> >
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