Birdline Victoria Weekly Update

Birdline Victoria

Published sightings for the week ending 16 Sep 2012.

Sun 16 Sep	Painted Honeyeater Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park (Chiltern) Great views of two birds at Bartley's Block, one male was seen clearly on dead branches singing on and off, another was in mistletoe eating berries. Another bird was possibly around. Quite an early return this year. Michael Ramsey
	Song Thrush Newtown (Geelong) In suburban garden - first for the season. Glen White
Sat 15 Sep	Brown Booby Western Treatment Plant, Werribee An immature bird seen flying past The Spit in the direction of Pt Wilson, no more than 300m out from shore, presumably the same bird as recently reported from the area. Clearly viewed in the 'scope it looked like a small dark gannet with an all dark brown head chest, pale bill, pale belly cut off from dark hood, paler axillaries, median & greater underwing coverts, and with a strong dark leading edge along the lesser underwing coverts. The upperparts were solid chocolate brown. Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
Sat 15 Sep	White-bellied Sea-eagle Newstead township 3 birds floating westward towards Muckleford at ~ 4pm. At least one immature individual. Resident at Cairn Curran Reservoir but very unusual to see them over the Muckleford Forest. Geoff Park
	Olive-backed Oriole Yarran Dheran Found one bird yesterday while I was out running, calling again this morning. Mike Honeyman
	Buff Banded Rail Brighton Golf Course A pair was sighted between the two interconnected lakes on the course on Saturday and Sunday morning at about 7am Anne Dennis
	Olive-backed Oriole Banyule Flat 2 calling near Yarra River, also a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo. Orioles often arrive earlier than this but these are my first this spring. Richard Loyn
	Plumed Whistling-Duck Peechelba Over 200 Plumed Whistling-Ducks observed roosting on the banks of a large dam behind the feedlot. Numbers fluctuate at this site but this is the most I have ever seen here. Michael Ramsey
	Baillon's, Australian Spotted and Spotless Crake, Red-kneed Dotterel Lake Road, Hospital Swamp Managed to see Baillons, Spotted and Spotless Crakes along with Black-fronted Dotterel, lots of Red-kneed Dotterels, Little Grassbird and Black-tailed Native-hen. All seen from sitting in car on roadside. Rodney Long
Fri 14 Sep	Barn Owl Unnamed lane between Jackson St and Rd, St Kilda A Barn Owl landed in a deciduous tree while being harassed by Common Mynahs and Grey Butcherbids. Gio Fitzpatrick
	Oriental Pratincole WTP, Western Lagoons My patience today was rewarded when the Praincole flew at about 2 PM and then settled on a bar to present good views in the first long lagoon on the right after passing through the Western Lagoons gate. Gil Langfield
Thu 13 Sep	Satin Bowerbird Kalorama A female Satin Bowerbird flew from trees, across the tourist road and disappeared into the ferns on the embankment. David Spicer
	Long-billed Corella Brimbank Park, Keilor Long-billed Corella (Grey morph) Brimbank Park, Keilor After the report by Philip Peel on 7/9/12 of a grey morph Long-Billed Corella, I set out to locate it. Found 2 with a group of three normal colored LB Corellas. At first, I thought I was photographing a female Gang Gang but the picture clearly shows its true identity. Main car park near the café. Photos taken at 4.30 pm Bernie OKeefe
Wed 12 Sep	Rose Robin (Female) The Grange Reserve, Clayton South As you enter in the gate I went around to my left for about 100 meters and then made another left turn. Stood quietly looking into the trees and a beautiful female Rose Robin perched itself very closely to me. Was able to see its amazing pale pinkish breast. It flew away and then came back a few minutes later to sit quietly just above me!! Brett Harman
	Rufous Whistler Wilsons Rd, Portland Returning breeding migrant. Male bird back to base for the season. Singing up a storm this morning. AM Burgoine
Tue 11 Sep	Grey Plover Western Treatment Plant, Werribee At the bird hide around dusk a single bird with breeding plumage showing. Gwen and Michael Bird
Mon 10 Sep	Sooty Owl, Lewin's Rail Bunyip State Park A Sooty Owl was seen and heard briefly at Mortimer's Picnic Ground around 23.40, whilst quite unexpectedly we heard a Lewin's Rail calling 'kek-kek-kek-kek' from grassy edges of Dyers Picnic Ground around 22.15. I've observed this species in the heathy/sedgy drainage lines under the transmission lines along Bunyip River Rd, but never in closed sclerophyll forest. The forest was full of singing Southern Boobook too with at least a dozen heard, and 6 Aus. Owlet-nightjar were also heard throughout. Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
Mon 10 Sep	Swift Parrot Spring Hill Track, Muckleford State Forest A pair then a separate flock of 7 birds flying fast just below the canopy at ~ 5pm. First birds seen since the autumn and with no flowering happening don't expect them to hang around. Geoff Park
	Latham's Snipe (7) Heathdale Glen Orden Wetland, Werribee. At 1725 hours, observed or flushed 7 Latham's Snipe at various locations in the wetland. Other birds present, single Buff-banded Rail, Australian Reed Warbler, Great Egret, Pacific Black Duck, Dusky Moorhen, Black Swans nesting. The wetland is in very good condition at the moment. Peter Gibbons
Sun 9 Sep	Brown Booby Port Philip Bay west coast A single immature Brown Booby was recorded by the Orange-bellied Parrot Mainland Recovery Team. Keep your eyes open, as the bird may move around Port Phillip Bay. Orange-bellied Parrot Mainland Recovery team per Tim Dolby
	Hooded Plover, Red-necked Stints 13th Beach, Bellarine Peninsula 5 Hooded Plovers, 4 adults, 1 immature, some with orange flags on right leg, one with initials NK clearly on it. Also 250 Red-Necked Stints, some in very worn breeding plumage & banded. One had a yellow flag with an orange band above on the right leg. Is this from Broome? [Moderator: Yes. Yellow leg flags are from NW Australia from Port Headland Saltworks, 80 Mile Beach or Roebuck Bay.] Also good numbers of Red-capped Plovers. 1 Little Penguin dead on the beach. Kevin Bartram
	Common Diving-petrel Black Rocks, Bellarine Peninsula 1 Common Diving-petrel found dead on the eastern end of the rocks. 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles flew past. About 50 Red-necked Stints. And a flock of 350, mostly Little Corellas with a few Long-billed mixed in, just north of Breamlea. Kevin Bartram
	Yellow-tipped Pardalote Belmont Common A few Striated Pardalotes heard, near the hide at Belmont Common, Then checked them out, first was the Eastern Striated, the second was a Yellow-tipped (see photo). 3 Latham's Snipes flushed from the south eastern end of Belmont Common. Kevin Bartram
	Regent Parrot Lake Hindmarsh At Lake Hindmarsh and were excited to find and photograph Regent Parrots. Greg McKay
Sat 8 Sep	Pink-eared Duck Banyule Flat 4 feeding together in afternoon, accompanied by a Hoary-headed Grebe. Pink-eared Sucks are uncommon on this suburban wetland. Richard Loyn
	Grey Plover Lake Tyers Single Grey Plover where Lake Tyers flows into ocean. Most of the black breeding plumage still present. Also 2 Caspian Terns, 4 Red-necked Stints, 2 Hooded Plovers and 2 Red-capped Plovers and a dead Common Diving Petrel. Dave Dickson
Fri 7 Sep	White-headed Pigeon Lake Tyers 2 White-headed Pigeons seen alongside road between L Tyers and Princes Hwy. Initially seen sitting on wires. Dave Dickson

Birdline Victoria is sponsored by BirdLife Victoria and co-ordinated and hosted by Eremaea Birds.

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