Birdline Victoria Weekly Update

Birdline Victoria

Published sightings for the week ending 3 Nov 2013.

Sun 3 Nov	Australian Koel Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Male briefly seen in flight as it flew into a Morton Bay Fig near Rose Pavillion and taunted me for the next 15 minutes, remaining out of view and calling loudly. This is likely the same bird that hung around here last year Tim Nickholds
Sun 3 Nov	Australian Koel, Bassian Thrush Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Australian Koel heard several times and then located in a tree near the large fig tree south of the Gardens House, near the National Herbarium. Poor quality ID photo only (attached). Bassian Thrush observed in the bamboo plantation. Mel Mitchell & Joy Sanderson
	Square-tailed Kite Skinners Flat Reservoir With group at Birdlife Wedderburn camp. Square-tailed Kite (1) First seen harassing WTEagle. Later many extended close views low over the trees along the creekline. Identified and photographed by group - long paddle-shaped wings with white windows, barred fingertips, square tail. Malcolm Cousland
	Painted Honeyeater and Rainbow Bee-eater Reef Hills State Park Painted Honeyeater, Rufous Songlark and White-winged Triller visited the same grey box tree behind the dam on the road going left just through the main entrance. Rainbow Bee-eater in the middle section left of main road through park. Fiona Parkin
Sat 2 Nov	Dollarbird, Scarlet Honeyeater, Western and White-throated Gerygone Jaycee Island, Benalla At 7:15pm. Male Scarlet HE calling constantly in treetop few hundred past barbeque area. Two Dollarbird calling aggressively and patrolling the area attacking any large bird. Both Gerygone sp. on other side of island. Sacred Kingfisher returned. Fiona Parkin & Jon Thornton
	Masked Woodswallow, White-browed Woodswallow, Cicadabird Bunyip State Park Mixed flock of woodswallows over Tonimbuk Road. Male Cicadabird back at the southern end of Link Road. Tim Bawden, Scott Baker and Maria
	Plumed Whistling-Duck Wilby A flock of just under a hundred birds observed by a farm dam on Boomahnoomoonah Road. Thanks to Ros King for the tip off on these birds. Michael Ramsey
	White-winged triller Dromana Wetlands Found male in breeding plumage. Have not seen one on the Mornington Peninsula before Mark Lethlean
	Australian Koel Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Heard calling from canopy of fig tree lakeside, below Rose Pavillion. Anthony William (Tony) Cowdell
	White-browed Woodswallow Indented Head Between 0810 and 0850 this morning there was a non-stop wave of W-b W/swallows travelling in a westerly direction over Warner street. Well over 1000 individuals. I was working at the time so didn't put bins on them to see if there were any others amongst them Peter Bright
	White-browed Woodswallow, Sacred Kingfisher Newtown, Geelong Woodswallows heard very high overhead; many barely visible to naked eye, but calls clearly heard. ~50 looked at through binoculars were all White-browed Woodswallows, no Masked confirmed. Judging by calls, which could be heard on and off from at least 08:15 to 10:20, a conservative est of at least 200 birds. Seemed to be coming from E and moving W to NW. Also a silent Sacred Kingfisher briefly perched on neighbour's TV antenna. Craig Morley
Fri 1 Nov	Eastern Curlew Barwon River Estuary . Standing on sand bar, with Little Black , Little Pied, Black Faced (2), Great Cormorants. 5th one Large Pied found at Swan Bay to complete a good day Birding. Bob & Jan hughes.
	Powerful Owl Ivanhoe, near Yarra River Adult and fluffy young bird. Both adults have been seen with the young bird recently. Anthea Fleming
	Ruff, Wood Sandpiper and Glossy Ibis Western Treatment plant, Werribee I located the Ruff feeding amongst Sharp-tailed Sandpipers at 4pm in small wetland within the saltmarsh between the mouth of Little River and the 145W outlet. I'm not sure if this is the same bird Danny Rogers found nearby a number of weeks ago, as this bird appears to be an adult. A Wood Sandpiper was present in the 85WB lagoons at pond 5W 10 (pond north from pond 10) at the eastern end. The Glossy Ibis are still to be found as reported yesterday at the T Section Lagoons pond 4, with 15 birds present. Other birds of interest seen were two Caspian Terns in summer pond two and one along the foreshore and a Rufous Songlark at 29 Mile Rd. Maarten Hulzebosch
	White-browed and Masked Woodswallows Eastern side of You Yangs Approx 100 Woodswallows over head near Eastern reserve this afternoon. More W/B than Masked. When observed closely a greater majority were holding a bill full of insects. Soon after this sighting all birds decended into trees some kilometers away. ( Obviously feeding young)! Denis Sleep
	Swift Parrot Teatree Close Ocean Grove. Swiftie heard first and then observed in flight at my home around 8am this morning. Then at around 9-15am I again heard the call of a Swiftie. Once outside I observed a Swiftie in a Yellow Gum 2 doors from my address. ( Most likely the same bird)! Left his or her run a little late!! Denis Sleep
	Dollarbird Lake Moodemere, Rutherglen Several Dollarbirds feeding and searching nest hollows along the river bank this morning, 3 pairs of Rainbow Bee-eaters, 1 Leaden Flycatcher (male) and Sacred Kingfishers also seen. Clyde O'Donnell
	Superb Parrot Glen Iris One flying in circles over my backyard this morning. Landed briefly and scared off by rainbow lorikeets darting through. Tried to catch it. Plumage was immaculate. Obviously an escapee. Headed south towards Malvern. Fiona Parkin
Thu 31 Oct	Square-tailed Kite Rushworth State Forest Bird seen in the north east section of the forest in the early morning. It circled low over the canopy a few times before moving out of sight Mark Hall
	Freckled Duck Jells Park Lake At least 5 birds seen in SW area of lake past two afternoons. One swimming to 15m of observer. John Daniels
	Great Crested Grebe Seaford Swamp A single bird seen on the deeper lake in the southern end of the wetland. Only the third or fourth record for this site. Sean Dooley
	Glossy Ibis Werribee Treatment Plant Came across 22 Glossy Ibis feeding on the edge of Pond 4 toward the South end in T Section Lagoons. Raymond Fox
	Australian Koel Hawthorn They're following me! After hearing one near my place in Reservoir last week, while staying at my parents' house in Hawthorn last night I heard another Koel calling at 5am somewhere to the west near the Power St/Riversdale Rd/Wallen Rd intersection. John Gray
Wed 30 Oct	Southern Emuwren Barwon River Estuary Southern emu wren seen beside Ocean Grove golf course where it backs on to the Barwon River estuary. Richard Arnold
	Scarlet Honeyeater Hoddles Creek The occupier of 59 Lewis Road brought a dead male bird in to the Hoddles Creek Primary School for us to hand on to a representative of the Friends of Hoddles Creek. John McKelvie
	Black-eared Cuckoo West end of Pickfords Road, west-north-west of Clunes Attention drawn to bird by much scolding of thornbills and finches, then immediately escorteds from the area by a pair of very agitated Grey Shrike-thrush. Site currently supports Shining Bronze-Cuckoo and previously Fan-tailed and Pallid Cuckoo. Dale Tonkinson
	Ruddy Turnstones Flinders Beach (beside pier) 50+ Ruddy Turnstones seen bathing and feeding here today. Various stages of maturity. Three birds with orange tags on left legs! On the beach with 40+ ????? Sanderlings! Would appreciate a more experienced observer of shore birds to confirm the sighting of the ?? Sanderlings! One Sanderling also had an orange tag on right leg. Both species stayed together on the beach for over an hour! Unable to photograph. S and S King
	Australian Koel Bulleen Hear a Koel heard calling while I was at Bulleen Art and Garden Nursery. Seemed to be in adjacent trees bordering Yarra. Neil Murray
	Scarlet Honeyeater Boronia I have lived here for 27 years and kept bird records from day 1. Today I noticed a rustle in a red flowering callistemon (Kings Park Special) and although extremely well camouflaged, they were two brilliant Scarlet Honeyeaters, accompanied by 2 Brown Thornbills. This my first record of them being here, only ever seen them before in the tropics. Alas they were driven off by an aggressive Red Wattlebird. Alf Forbes
Tue 29 Oct	Scarlet Honeyeater Cardinia Reservoir An incredible BirdLife survey of Cardinia Reservoir. 30 Scarlet Honeyeater observed in groups of 3-5 during the day. (Moderators: pls note that the general area only is given as the survey is done in restricted catchment with permission from MW) Arthur Carew, Chris Purnell, Jil & Ian Wilson, Robert Wright
	Channel-billed Cuckoo Berwick My work collegues heard it call at 12.15pm today, when it was being harassed by Little Ravens, near Edrington Park Retirement Village on the Princes Highway. This is first time we have heard it since Monday 21st. There is Moreton Bay Fig here with fruit ! Michael Collins & Graham Dean per Graham Beal
	Scarlet Honeyeater Eurabbie Estate Winery Avoca Pair of Scarlet Honeyeaters photographed feeding on Willow-leaved Bottlebrush at Eurabbie Estate winery, Avoca. John Higgins (Sec Maryborough Field Nats)
	Brolga East of Torrumberry 6 Brolga's feeding in a stubble paddock Wayne Wignall
Mon 28 Oct	M&F White Browed Woodswallows +2 Native Hens. Pt.Henry. 2 Woodswallows were being chased by Willie Wag Tail. Bob& Jan Hughes
	Great Crested Grebes 50+Stingaray Bay Pt Henry Geelong Bob& Jan Hughes
	Ruddy Turnstone Flinders Foreshore 50+ Ruddy Turnstone feeding in the seaweed down from car park .a few banded . around half immature . so impressed by number I thought I would report them. Ruth Gallon
	Scarlet Honeyeater Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve Went to hunt for orchids and during my circuit was drawn to an interesting plus vaguely familiar call. Eventually spotted the bird it was a male Scarlet Honeyeater. Seen calling from high in a gum and being responded by at least one other bird. First spotted along Robinson Break halfway between McClelland Break and Paperbark Track, then two birds(male) seen along Military Track. Of course I had left the long lens at home! Still managed some ID shots. James Peake
	Satin Flycatcher Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve While on an orchid walk/hunt and nearly back to McClelland carpark heard the unmistakeable grinding call of a Satin Flycatcher. Single male bird observed. Of course I had left the long lens at home! Still managed some ID shots(attached). I had observed a male and female pair in that area in November 2011(link). James Peake
	Flame Robin Truganina Swamp (Altona) Female seen perching and foraging along western fenceline of swamp this morning.Also saw this or similar bird in same location on 7/10/2013. Unusualy late stayer in this area this season. David A Richardson
	Red-backed Kingfisher (possible) Hallam whilst preparing dinner this evening, I looked out the window & saw a kingfisher fly from the trees at the back of the house towards me, then upwards to the roof. I thought, great, Sacred Kingfisher, that's a nice bird for Hallam. A few moments later it flew back in the direction it came from. As it reached the trees, it dipped down then up again. That's when I clearly saw it had an orangey-red rump! Seems impossible, but I can find no other explanation than Red-backed Kingfisher. The breast & belly appeared clean white, not buffish. The upper wings appeared bright bluish, rather than greenish. Of course, the bird was only in sight for seconds. I didn't notice any collar, & never got a good look at it's head. Would be good if anybody's in the Frog's Hollow/ Gunns reserve area tomorrow to try to confirm this bird. It was last seen along path on Sth side of freeway. Brian Johnston
Sun 27 Oct	Dollarbird Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park (Chiltern Valley Number 2 Dam) Single bird perched in a dead tree near car park. May be the same bird that was mentioned as having been heard flying overhead at Greenhill Dam on 21/10/13 .Very poor photo attached as he was a good distance away but ok for ID purposes.. Alison Nisbett
	Rainbow Bee-eater Rowsley Valley Drove the length of the Rowsley valley. Rainbow Bee-eater (2) Pair along the road. First arrivals for the season that I have noticed. Bernie McRitchie
	Mallee Emu-wren Hattah-Kulkyne National Park Northern side of old Calder Highway 150 meters short of Nowingi Track Errol Burley
	Royal Albatross, White-chinned Petrel, Wandering Albatross Port Fairy Pelagic A quiet day considering the windy conditions from the south & west leading up to this day. 1 juvenile Southern Royal, 1 adult male Wandering Albatross & 1 immature Campbell Albatross were the only 3 albatrosses seen, apart from about 100 Shy Albatrosses (no nominate Black-browed or Yellow-nosed!). About 5-6 White-chinned Petrels seen over the shelf. Plenty of Wilson's Storm-petrels, about 50 or so & 1 White-faced Storm-petrel. Thousand of Short-tailed Shearwaters, hundreds following the boat at one time. 2 Northern Giant-petrels (& perhaps 1 Southern?), seen drowning & murdering a Short-tailed Shearwater, the corpse later found floating on the sea. About a dozen Grey-faced Petrels & 1 nominate Great-winged Petrel & a few Fairy Prions completed the day. Kevin Bartram. Scott Baker. Neil McCumber, et al
	Cicadabird McConnells Lane, Porepunkah A few Cicadabirds arrived here on my property a week ago and will likely remain for some months. A pair are regular visitors, perching and calling from tree tops and tall dead limbs remaining close to my home all day. Clyde O'Donnell
	Spotted Quail-thrush, Sacred Kingfisher Brisbane Ranges National Park, Durdidwarrah Rd at Friday's picnic area Male Spotted Quail-thrush seen moving through the sparse undergrowth close to the road just south of Friday's picnic area. Also a pair of Sacred Kingfishers 1km to the north next to the river at Old Mill Camp. Martin Norvick
Sat 26 Oct	Pectoral Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone Western Treatment Plant, Werribee 2 juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers found just before midday on a pond just south of outfall between Little River mouth & Beach Rd, where 1 was previously reported by Danny Rogers. Later same 2 birds seen on Beach Rd Lagoon. One bird flew from pond onto the road that goes on the western side of the coastal pond, where is fed it the grass along the track. 5 Ruddy Turnstones on road east of Walsh's Lagoon, some juveniles amongst them. Also seen on the day was heaps of juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpipers & Marsh Sandpiper (3 Western Conservation ponds). Kevin Bartram, Scott Baker & Maria
	Ruff (Reeve) Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Located Danny Roger's Ruff, just SW of bird hide at Little River on a marsh next to the beach, just after 12. Nice juvenile. Easy to see from car, comparison to near by Sharpies seems to point a Reeve, larger, but not massively larger than Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Observed on and off for 40 minutes, before it flew across the river. Later located on the other side of the river, just SW of the 83W outfall on a pond north of the coastal road & watched for a few minutes there. Also easy to see from the road. Kevin Bartram, Scott Baker & Maria
	Australian Koel Bendigo This seemingly annual visitor is still here sitting and calling in the large fig tree on the corner of Peel and Graham St. Quarry Hill. Rohan Long
Fri 25 Oct	Sanderling Black Rock Reserve, Barwon Heads To add to the Sanderling sightings on Birdline. I thought this was worth recording Sanderling (23) 2 juveniles. All in a tight bunch on the rocks near the beach sheltering. near Hooded Plover (similar size makes sighting 100%) Angus Hartshorn
Mon 21 Oct	Speckled Warbler Mount Beckworth Scenic Reserve Present at 2 sites in the northern part of the reserve, almost certainly 2 pairs quite near each other on the northern boundary and at least 1 bird present in the north-east corner (and again on 27 Oct). Dale Tonkinson
	Ruff Western Treatment Plant, Werribee After reading about the Ruff report last Sunday(Oct 20) at WTP, I ventured down very early Monday morning before work. On dawn, I checked out a number of ponds close to the bird hide. The light was poor but I took a number of photographs of waders. It was not until Friday night, with the help of Nickolas Haas, that the Ruff was identified exactly where it was reported the previous day. Thanks Nickolas. Bernie OKeefe
Sat 12 Oct	Olive Whistler Mc Connells Lane Porepunkah A single male was first heard calling loudly among Rufus and Golden Whistlers apparently not happy of an intruder in their territory. Eventually it came close enough for numerous photos and was seen and heard among gum and wattle sapplings over 2 days. I have never seen it on the property or in this area previously. Clyde O'Donnell

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