Azure KF, Black Falcon, W Goshawk, Pilotbird

The long weekend got off to a great
start with a Black Falcon flying along the highway near Bungendore
on Saturday morning on our way down to Narooma. Other birds that day included
2 Collared Sparrowhawks at Tomakin and a Whistling Kite at
Coila Creek.
In the torrential rain we watched several
Fur Seals playing off rocks at Potato Point. A local said they had 'moved
in' after a big storm recently. He also mentioned many whales passing by
in the past weeks including a pod of Pilot Whales just a few days ago.

Luckily both Sunday and Monday turned
out warm and dry. Our crack-o-dawn walk around Wagonga Inlet and Mill Bay
Boardwalk always brings out some highlights: 3 White-headed Pigeons,
Lewin's Honeyeater and Eastern Whipbirds on Monday and Crescent
Honeyeaters and a white phase Grey Goshawk on Sunday (it sat
right above my head giving great views as the resident bellbirds pestered
it. My highlight of the trip).

A spotlighting walk at Mill Bay on Sunday
night did not produce any nocturnal mammals but we did enjoy watching the
long eels making a splash in the shallow water. The next day we visited
a beautiful rainforest gully with 3 enormous old fig trees. I had never
seen trees this size on the south coast before. There seemed to be evidence
of clearing nearby which wasnt a good sign. I have attached a low resolution
photo of the largest Ficus.

Other highlights over Sunday and Monday
were:

- 8 Little Corellas in Narooma.
- Azure Kingfisher along Potato
Creek (Always close to being THE highlight of any trip).
- Brown Goshawk at Tilba.
- 7 Little and Great
Egrets, 10 Royal Spoonbills, Sooty and 5 Pied Oystercatchers,
Caspian Terns, 20 Bar-tailed Godwits at Narooma.
- Intermediate Egret at Wallaga
Lake. Also here - Little and Great Egrets, 8 Pied Oystercatchers, 16 Royal
Spoonbills, 50 Bar-tailed Godwits and many Red-capped Plovers.
- Pilotbird heard at (dry) Pedro
Swamp. This might be an unusual record????? The swamp is only 150 metres
from the sea! I dont believe Pilotbirds are recorded very often on the
Eurobodalla coast. Also Variegated Fairy-wrens and Yellow Thornbills.
- Still 100s of Little Lorikeets
at Narooma (some eucalypts flowering).
- Vocal Large-billed Scrubwren
pair, Brown Gerygones, Lewin's Honeyeaters, Superb Lyrebirds
in full song and large numbers of other honeyeaters and silvereyes in remnant
warm temperate rainforest at Ringlands.
- 3 Hooded Plovers at Wallaga
Lake.
- 2 Whistling Kites at (dry)
Long Swamp.
- 5 Jacky Winters and 2 Restless
Flycatchers in grassy fields by Goalen Head (Mimosa Rocks NP).
- Also single Jacky Winters along Potato
Point Rd and at Meringo.
- Wonga Pigeon along Hergenhans
Rd.
- Dark morph Eastern Reef Egret
at Kianga Point.
- 4 Sooty Oystercatchers, 8 Red-capped
and 3 Double-banded Plovers at Congo.
- 2 Pied Oystercatchers at Grey Rocks.
- Brown Gerygones, 30 Red-browed
Finches and vocal Noisy Friarbirds at Eurobodalla Regional Botanic
Gardens.
- White-bellied Sea-Eagles are
becoming common place wherever you go along the coast.

Cheers

Marnix


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