Birdline Victoria Weekly Update

Birdline Victoria

Published sightings for the week ending 23 Jun 2013.

Sun 23 Jun	Strange Finch, Northern Shoveller Western Treatment Plant, Werribee An odd-looking finch seen on the western side of the Borrow Pits. I have seen this bird once before on the 20/12/2011 in the same place. It looks like some sort of hybrid with an European Goldfinch. Northern Shoveller seen on the western side of Lake Borrie again. Kevin Bartram
	Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Corner of Plenty Rd & Sylvester Grove, Preston 2 seen feeding in an eucalypt at a service station. These are the first I've seen in Preston. Kevin Bartram
	White-bellied Sea-eagle Devilbend Reservoir The Sea Eagles were active this morning soaring above the reserve worrying the other active birds. The cold morning kept the small birds quiet but the Eagles seemed keen to find their breakfast Tim Van Leeuwen
Sat 22 Jun	Fan-tailed Cuckoo Werribee Open Range Zoo Fan-tailed Cuckoo (1) Calling incessantly Paul Rose
Sat 22 Jun	Speckled Warbler, Scarlet Robin, Red-capped Robin, Flame Robin, Rose Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin Woodlands Historic Park (Greenvale) One of the only places I know off around Melbourne where you can see 5 species of Robin in the one area, pink robin sighted this time and was a male, other robins prolific as usual and after some searching came across the speckled warbler again to the delight of all that ventured out! Hopefully a new tick for most! Philip Peel
Sat 22 Jun	Swift Parrot, White-naped Honeyeater, Striated Thornbill Serendip Sanctuary, Lara Swift Parrot (2): In tall eucalypt outside dryland aviary in late afternoon. White-naped Honeyeater: Small flock on loop road. Our first record at Serendip in more than two years. Striated Thornbill: On loop road near windmill, with Weebills. Our first record of this species at Serendip. Paul Dodd & Ruth Woodrow
	Broad-billed sandpiper Lake Connewarre Wildlife Reserve (Lake Connewarre) Winter wader count this morning revealed a beautifully plumaged broad-billed sandpiper,1 overwintering golden plover, 1 red knot , 200+ double banded plovers among the 13 species of waders seen. 4 gull-billed terns are unusual here.(photo BBS strictly record shot only) John Newman & Trevor Lumb
Fri 21 Jun	Black-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Avocet (600+) Cheetham Wetlands (Altona Meadows) Birdlife Australia Survey for Melbourne Water. Two Black-tailed Godwit in basic plumage were found roosting amongst teal on a sandbar at Laverton Creek mouth. Also here was a flock of 550+ Red-necked Avocet, with a further 50+ inside the wetlands, over 50 Pink-eared Duck and around 40 Aus. Pied Oystercatchers amongst the 100s of Grey & Chestnut Teal. Inside the wetlands we counted 95 Double-banded Plover; numbers have dropped from 145 on 19th May. Steve Davidson & David Richardson
Fri 21 Jun	Bassian Thrush Eastern Park and Botanical Gardens, Geelong Bassian Thrush (1) 1 foraging under leafy cover in botanical gardens. Also Golden Whistler, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Eastern Spinebill. No sightings of Pink Robin today but I heard the soft contact call a couple of times. Russell Woodford
	Black Falcon Balliang Continuing this weeks recent observations of Black Falcons in the Bacchus Marsh/Rowsley area, today I observed 2 including one in the attached photo at a fire in a farmer's paddock on the corner of Davis Road and Bacchus Marsh-Balliang Rd, Balliang. A Wedge-Tailed Eagle also patrolled above the fire. David Whelan
	Blue-faced Honeyeater Melbourne Zoo, Royal Park When this bird was first sighted at Melbourne Zoo and reported some time ago by myself, it was checked to see if it was a collection bird. It was not. I was asked this at the time and said that it was definitely not a MZ bird. I have kept the Wild Bird list at MZ for many years along with the Curator of Birds, the list goes back at least 50 years and is taken very seriously. We do not report birds unless we are 100% sure that they are not from our collection. The Curator of Birds and myself are sure that the bird that is being sighted again in Royal Park and MZ, is a wild bird. If you have any information about our collection to the contrary, we would be delighted to hear about it. Deb Crosby
Thu 20 Jun	Brown Quail The Briars Single bird spotted scatching about on mound by track intersection near Chechingurk Hide. Red eye and dark feather markings clear once it got in the light. James Peake.
	African Collared (Barbary) Dove Hampton Park One Barbary Dove was sighted today while doing a Melbourne Water survey at the sight called "Kilberry ". It was amongst Spotted Doves on the back fence of a house east of the transmission lines and north of the Kirkwood Cres walking track. We also sighted this bird on the survey of 20th May. Geoff Russell & Robert Wright
	Black Falcon Rowsley Valley Refer to my previous report. Photo of Black Falcon attached. David Whelan
	Black Falcon, Spiny-Cheeked Honeyeater Rowsley Valley Lone Black Falcon seen at 12:40Hrs today, circling, soaring and gliding above the Rowsley Valley. Unsuccessful stoop at prey and continued circling and soaring covering large area. Observed for 40mins. Spiny-Cheeked Honeyeater (2). Very close to the proposed site of The Yaloak South Windfarm. David Whelan.
Wed 19 Jun	Spotted Harrier Elwood A Spotted Harrier flew over Elwood at about 80m above ground and then out over the water off Point Ormond and over me as I was kayaking. It then circled a couple of times and flew off toward Brighton. Also of interest is a Subantarcic Fur Seal nearby resting on the St Kilda Breakwater. It has been feeding in the area and returning to the breakwater to rest. Seems like will be hanging around for a while. Gio Fitzpatrick
	Black Falcon Rowsley Valley Spent an hour and a half driving up and down the Rowsley Valley today. At 14:30 hrs observed a Black Falcon soaring and gliding approx. 300-400 metres from the site of the proposed turbines at Yaloak South Wind Farm on a segment of land known as The Bluff. David Whelan
	Scarlet Honeyeater Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park Single bird at Magenta Mine this afternoon, just east of the dam. Tim Dolby
	Blue-winged Parrot Cape Woolamai State Faunal Reserve On the northern side of the cape, 100 metres west of the quarry turn-off, a flock of thirteen Blue winged parrots feeding with Little Wattlebirds in the banksia grove.Our first sighting of these birds in over 17 years birding on the island, normally we see them around the flats of Bass landing. Derek & Sally Whitehead
	White-fronted Honeyeater Sandon, south of Newstead One, possibly two individuals in home garden along Green Gully Creek. My first record for the Newstead area in ~ 30 years. Geoff Park
	Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary A Shining Bronze calling early on a very cold but sunny morning. David Coutts
Tue 18 Jun	Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Red-capped Robin, Flame Robin Deep Lead, McCanns Dam Picnic Area Tawny-crowned Honeyeater (6) (Personal first for area) Red-capped Robin (4) Flame Robin (2) 11 Species of honeyeater in total: White-plumed (many), White-naped (several flocks), Brown-headed (ditto), Black-chinned (2), Tawny-crowned (6), Yellow-faced (a few), Fuscous (a few), Yellow-tufted (1), Eastern Spinebill (3), Red Wattlebird (many), Noisy Miner (a few) Tristan Kennedy (1733)
Tue 18 Jun	Pink eared Duck, Freckled duck Lake Lorne, Drysdale There is a very large number of Pink-eared Ducks, probably in excess of 400 and also 200 plus Freckled Ducks currently on Lake Lorne. Rod Corinaldi
	Southern Boobook (or Morepork) Hamilton One roosting in my back garden for over two weeks now. Confirmed as Tasmanian species - Morepork, now split from Southern Boobook.(Moderator's note: not all taxonomic lists follow this split, for example Clements (the taxonomy Eremaea uses) does not, but the IOC list does recognise the split, MR) Steve Clark
Mon 17 Jun	Swift Parrots Muckleford Swifties still here at Muckleford approx 12 this afternoon feeding in yellow gum. Debbie Worland
Sun 16 Jun	Ground Cuckoo-Shrike Waradgery road, Wyuna Photo attached Murray Chambers reportd by Simon Starr
	Gilbert's Whistler Crusoe Reservoir, Bendigo This evening I had good views of a male Gilbert's Whistler on the southern shore of the lake. Gerry Duane
	Whistling Kite Woodlands Historic Park (Back Paddock) Whistling Kite (9) At least 9 gathered near SE boundary around 1515, soaring and perched, before dispersing. Michael Noble
	Blue-faced Honeyeater Royal Parade/Princes Park, Parkville Single bird being harassed by Magpie Larks and a Noisy Miner (Moderator's note: this bird likely refers to an escaped bird from the nearby zoo that has been seen for some time now, MR). Andrew Bendall
	Northern Shoveller, Lewin's Rail Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Northern Shoveller was on the western side of Lake Borrie today. When we found it in the afternoon it was perched with other shovellers next to the shore, as we approached the shovellers flew off, which enabled some flight shots of the species. Also 2 Lewin's Rails seen in different places along the Little River. 1 first immature Golden Whistler seen in amongst the trees South Rd. Kevin Bartram, Scott Baker
	Freckled Duck, Pink-eared Duck. Truganina Swamp (Altona) 3018. At 1445 hours, I observed 5 Freckled Ducks in the main pond, west of Bell Avenue, Altona. Also present were approximately 70 Pink-eared Ducks, numerous pairs of Australasian Shovelers, many Grey and Chestnut Teal and a few Banded Stilts and Red-necked Avocets. Peter Gibbons.

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