Hi all,
Just back from a wonderful few days on the NSW Far South Coast based in
Bermagui. Weather ranged from beautiful sunny mild weather to hail storms
or gale force winds. Our initial trip out to Montague Island was cancelled
on the Wednesday but luckily the Thursday afternoon tour went ahead.
I highly recommend the NPWS Montague Island Afternoon Tour and Whale
Watching Trip departing Narooma with Narooma Charters. It takes 4 hours and
in that time we had close up views of several groups of Humpback Whales
cavorting off Mystery Bay, we got very close up with 1000's of Australian
Fur Seals, plus many NZ Fur Seals, lounging on the rocks at Montague
Island, we stood by a large nesting colony of CRESTED TERNS and SILVER
GULLS which numbered in their thousands and topped it all off at dusk
sitting and watching some 30 LITTLE PENGUINS come ashore and head for their
nest burrows/boxes. A pod of Killer Whales had also been seen a week
previously. Other birds of interest were a lone BLACK-FACED CORMORANT plum
in the middle of the seal colony and a CASPIAN TERN not to mention the many
SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATERS and AUSTRALASIAN GANNETS on the way out.
I spent Wednesday night spotlighting in the nearby Bermagui State Forest
where I was lucky enough to get good views of a SOOTY OWL and many
Yellow-bellied Gliders.
Around Bermagui itself there are a lot of birding spots:
- Bermagui (around our place on Lamont St): 20 LITTLE CORELLAS, 4 FIGBIRDS
(1 male calling from a TV antenna ontop a neighbour's house).
- Bermagui Lagoon: LITTLE GRASSBIRD (heard), RUFOUS SONGLARK (in full
song), PURPLE SWAMPHEN (with chick), EURASIAN COOT (on nest with 4 eggs),
CHESTNUT TEALS (with chicks),4 CATTLE EGRETS and at least 2 BUFF-BANDED
RAILS in a roadside gutter along the main street by someone's garden. Also
VARIEGATED FAIRY-WRENS, a beautiful SATIN BOWERBIRD bower and an EASTERN
WHIPBIRD carrying food.
- Long Swamp: 2 BLACK-WINGED STILTS, 1 HOARY-HEADED GREBE (in breeding
plumage), 2 ROYAL SPOONBILLS (breeding plumage), VARIEGATED FAIRY-WRENS, 1
HORSFIELD'S BRONZE-CUCKOO.
- Lilly Pilly Gully Rainforest Trail: 1 AZURE KINGFISHER (along dry creek
bed), BLACK-FACED MONARCH (many), OLIVE-BACKED ORIOLE, BROWN GERYGONES, 3
WONGA PIGEONS and close up views of a female SUPERB LYREBIRD.
- Bermagui Harbour: 1 HORSFIELD'S BRONZE-CUCKOO, 5 RED KNOTS, 1 RUDDY
TURNSTONE, 60 BAR-TAILED GODWITS, 3 WHIMBRELS, 30 PELICANS, 33 GREAT
CORMORANTS. Also an enormous Eagle Ray passing under the bridge and several
Stingarees despite the water still being very cold.
- Bermagui River Conservation Area: 9 EASTERN CURLEW, 2 PIED
OYSTERCATCHERS.
- Tilba Tilba: 1 SWAMP HARRIER cruising over the highway.
Regards
Marnix Zwankhuizen
Senior Analyst/Programmer
Java Enterprise Technology
IT Branch
Australian Electoral Commission
Ph: 02 6271 4465
Fax: 02 6271 4644
Email:
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