Yesterday, myself and David Koffel made a vist
to Lake Wollumboola at Culburra (about 150 km south of Sydney). It is situated
south-east of Nowra and just north of Jervis Bay.
This lake has proved yesterday to be a good birding spot with
atleast 10,000 Black Swans, over 5000 plus Grey and Chestnut Teal,
hundreds of Pelicans and Cormorants. Some migratory waders were also
present with over 100 Red-necked Stints (some
were assuming breeding plumage and were frantically feeding for their migration
up to the Artcic), 50 plus Bar-tailed Godwits,
a Far-Eastern Curlew, Greenshank, Sharp-tailed and a very
obliging Pectoral Sandpiper aswell as 5 Double-banded
Plovers (all in non-breeding plumage and a juv. also seen). There were
also good numbers of Terns including atleast 55 Caspian, 10 Little
(some in breeding and others in non-breeding) and a
White-winged Black-Tern (in full non-breeding plumage).
Over 100 White-fronted Chats were feeding with Richards Pipits
in the samphire about the north-eastern side of the lake. Where was that
Buff-breasted Sandpiper ?. Atleast 3 White-bellied
Sea-eagles were seen (including a pair honking loudly from a dead
Eucalypt in forest beside the lake) aswell as several Whistling Kites
and a Peregrine Falcon. Many Musk Lorikeets
were about the forest surrounding the lake.
We spent the remaining 3 hours of daylight, birding in the
moors and heath surrounding Porters Creek Dam with Southern Emuwrens
and Beautiful Firetails seen, and heard distant
calling of Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters. The narrow road to the
dam goes pass some great Tall Wet Forest and stands of Sub-tropical Rainforest.
On our way back down from the dam a large Echidna was seen
crossing the road.
Edwin
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