On November 14 and again on November 21 Warren Thompson and I travelled ‘down
river’ to check out the local wetlands and bushland and to catch up with any
Black-necked Storks that were around. We recorded 119 bird species on the
first trip and 121 on the second trip making a combined total of 139 species
for the two days. Highlights on the first trip were the number of White-winged
Trillers with 8+ seen or heard at six locations and a Rufous Songlark at
Southgate Creek. Interestingly neither species was recorded on the second
trip. Also on the first trip I saw an Australian Shelduck. This species is
only seen occasionally on the NSW North Coast and mostly single birds are seen.
I had only a distant view in rainy weather but the large size, extensive white
in the wings and slow heavy wingbeats identified it as a Shelduck. Freckled
Ducks and Pink-eared Ducks were seen on both trips with 22+ and 26 of the
former and 500+ and 700+ of the latter respectively at Lawrence. Magpie Geese
were at the dam north of Coutts Crossing with 10+ on the 14th and 24 on the
21st. An immature Spotted Harrier was seen on both trips with the one on the
21st floating low over the road and landing in a riverside bush, allowing us to
take some good photos. A very dark brown coloured falcon on the same day had
me getting excited about the prospect that it may have been a Black Falcon.
That species is very rare locally. After taking many photos the bird took off
and flew some distance before attacking an adult female Brown Goshawk. As it
flew I could see that it was, in fact, a very dark Brown Falcon. It was a
little disappointing but still a beautiful bird. A total of 13 bird species
listed as threatened in NSW were recorded with one threatened mammal species,
the Rufous Bettong also noted. Unfortunately it was a roadkill. Our main
target species, the Black-necked Stork, was scarce with a number of nests being
temporarily abandoned and a couple falling from the nest trees. The extremely
dry weather in recent months, which has now turned into regular afternoon
storms with large deluges, may have signalled to the storks that it wasn’t a
good time to breed. An adult pair was seen, on Woodford Island, on November 14
and six were seen on November 21. Three immature birds were ascending on a
thermal, with two Australian Pelicans, over Crowsnest Swamp near Glenugie.
Later in the day an adult female with her two juvenile offspring we at a
wetland close to their nest at Gilletts Ridge, near Ulmarra. I had hoped to
colour band these youngsters but the cherry picker broke down and by the time
it was repaired they had fledged.
Three mammals, four reptile and six amphibian species were also recorded.
The total list is included below with the following key: ‘T’ = threatened; ‘B’
= recorded on both days; ‘14’ recorded on November 14 only; ‘21’ = recorded on
November 21 only.
Birds: Magpie Goose (T)(B), Plumed Whistling-Duck (B), Musk Duck (B), Freckled
Duck (T)(B), Black Swan (B), Australian Shelduck (14), Australian Wood Duck
(B), Pink-eared Duck (B), Grey Teal (B), Chestnut Teal (B), Pacific Black Duck
(B), Hardhead (B), Australasian Grebe (B), Hoary-headed Grebe (B), Rock Dove
(B), Spotted Dove (14), Crested Pigeon (B), Peaceful Dove (21), Bar-shouldered
Dove (B), Tawny Frogmouth (14), White-throated Needletail (B), Australasian
Darter (B), Little Pied Cormorant (B), Great Cormorant (B), Little Black
Cormorant (B), Pied Cormorant (B), Australian Pelican (B), Black-necked Stork
(T)(B), White-necked Heron (B), Eastern Great Egret (B), Intermediate Egret
(B), Cattle Egret (B), White-faced Heron (B), Little Egret (21), Glossy Ibis
(B), Australian White Ibis (B), Straw-necked Ibis (B), Royal Spoonbill (B),
Yellow-billed Spoonbill (B), Eastern Osprey (T) (B), Black-shouldered Kite (B),
White-bellied Sea-Eagle (B), Whistling Kite (B), Brown Goshawk (21), Spotted
Harrier (T) (B), Wedge-tailed Eagle (B), Nankeen Kestrel (B), Brown Falcon (B),
Brolga (T)(B), Purple Swamphen (B), Buff-banded Rail (14), Dusky Moorhen (B),
Eurasian Coot (B), Australian Pied Oystercatcher (T)(14), Black-winged Stilt
(B), Black-fronted Dotterel (B), Red-kneed Dotterel (B), Masked Lapwing (B),
Comb-crested Jacana (T) (B), Latham’s Snipe (14), Caspian Tern (21), Whiskered
Tern (14), Crested Tern (21), Silver Gull (21), Galah (B), Little Corella (B),
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (B), Rainbow Lorikeet (B), Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
(21), Musk Lorikeet (14), Little Lorikeet (T)(21), Australian King-Parrot (B),
Eastern Rosella (B), Pheasant Coucal (14), Eastern Koel (B), Little
Bronze-Cuckoo (21), Brush Cuckoo (B), Azure Kingfisher (21), Laughing
Kookaburra (B), Forest Kingfisher (21), Sacred Kingfisher (B), Rainbow
Bee-eater (21), Dollarbird (B), Brown Treecreeper (T)(14), Superb Fairy-wren
(B), Red-backed Fairy-wren (B),Variegated fairy-wren (21), White-throated
Gerygone (21), Yellow Thornbill (14), Yellow-rumped Thornbill (B), Brown
Thornbill (B), Striated Pardalote (21), Lewin’s Honeyeater (B), Yellow-faced
Honeyeater (B), Fuscous Honeyeater (B), Noisy Miner (B), Scarlet Honeyeater
(B), Brown Honeyeater (B), Black-chinned Honeyeater (T)(14),White-throated
Honeyeater (B), Blue-faced Honeyeater (B), Noisy Friarbird (B), Little
Friarbird (14), Striped Honeyeater (B),Grey-crowned Babbler (T)(B), Varied
Sittella (T)(21), Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (B), White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
(B), Cicadabird (21), White-winged Triller (14), Rufous Whistler (B), Grey
Shrike-thrush (B), Australasian Figbird (B), White-breasted Woodswallow (B),
Dusky Woodswallow (14), Grey Butcherbird (B), Pied Butcherbird (B), Australian
Magpie (B), Grey Fantail (B), Willie Wagtail (B), Torresian Crow (B), Leaden
Flycatcher (21), Restless Flycatcher (14), Magpie-lark (B), Jacky Winter (14),
Eastern Yellow Robin (21), Golden-headed Cisticola (B), Australian Reed-Warbler
(B), Tawny Grassbird (B), Rufous Songlark (14), Silvereye (21), Welcome Swallow
(B), Fairy Martin (B), Tree Martin (B), Common Starling (14), Common Myna (B),
Mistletoebird (B), Red-browed Finch (B), House Sparrow (B), Australasian Pipit
(21).
Mammals: Rufous Bettong (T)(21), Eastern Grey Kangaroo (B), Red-necked Wallaby
(B).
Reptiles: Eastern Water Dragon (B), Eastern Brown Snake (21), Eastern Longneck
Turtle (B), Short-necked Turtle (B).
Amphibians: Plain’s Toadlet (14), Brown-striped Frog (21), Spotted Grass Frog
(14), Green Tree Frog (21), Bleating Tree Frog (B ), Peron’s Tree Frog (21).
Photographs can be viewed on my blog:
http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au/
Dr Greg. P. Clancy
Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide
| PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460
| 02 6649 3153 | 0429 601 960
http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com
http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au/
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