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birding-aus Port Macquarie Trip

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Subject: birding-aus Port Macquarie Trip
From: "Mark Sanders" <>
Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 20:10:01 PDT
Port Macquarie

30th September - 3rd October



Observers: Mark and Alison Sanders

Day 1

Before heading up to Port Macquarie, I decided to take a quick look at Magic point before I left to boost the total number of birds seen for the trip. I arrived at the point at 7:20am and looked around until 9:00am. During this period I saw Fluttering, Huttons and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Brown Quails, Lewin's Rails, Skylarks, Southern Emu-wrens and Blackbirds. I also found several Reptiles including Jacky Lizards (Amphibolurus muricatus), Eastern Water Skinks (Eulamprus quoyii), Copper-tailed Skinks (Ctenotus teaniolatus), White's Skink (Egernia whitii), and Spotted Black Snake (Pseudechis guttatus) which is closely related but more poisonous than the Red-bellied Black Snake.

We set of on our journey at about 10:00am and stopped in at the national bridge near New Castle to have a look for any early waders. We were however out of luck, not even seeing Pied Stilts, but the lack of waders was compensated by the presence of three Gull-billed Terns one in Breeding plumage. We arrived at Laurieton around mid-late afternoon were we found a flock of Little Egrets feeding along the mangroves with several Little Black Cormorants. Two Pied Oystercatchers were also spotted nearby along with Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrels and Eastern Curlews.



Day 2

A successful early morning walk around the Lake Cathie area produced of interest; Wonga Pigeons, Pallid, Fantailed and Horsfields Bronze Cuckoos, both Goldern and Rufous Whistlers, Black-faced Monarchs, White-throated and Brown Walbers, Scarlet Honeyeaters and Olive Backed Orioles along with many other common species.

Later that morning we headed into Port Macquaire were I visited Sea Acreas National Park while Alison went shopping. Sea Acreas had less birds than I remembered from last time but I still managed to find some interesting birds including, Brown Pigeons, Pale-yellow Robins, Spectagled Monarchs, Large-billed Scrubwrens, Regent Bowerbirds and nesting Yellow-throated Scrubwrens giving a wonderful display of there mimicing ability imitating grey fantails, whipbirds, whistlers, white-browed scrubwrens and grey thrushes.

That night I decided to have a look and see what frogs could be found around the area. Plenty of Eastern Dwarf Tree Frogs (Litoria fallax) were calling and I also found several Tyler's Tree Frogs (Litoria tyleri). This however seemed to be the only frogs around until I finaly heared a loud Toc. On investigation it turned out to be a Brown Striped Frog (Limnodynastes peronii), but that was the only three species that I could find.



Day 3

Having seen most of the birds in the area, I didnt expect to see many new birds for the trip, but thought it might be worth to try Katang National Park near Dunbogon, and indeed it was. Birdwise I spotted a Peregrine Falcon and Rainbow Bee-eaters, however the highlight of the day and the hole trip was a Grey Goshawk. At the time that I saw it I was standing in heathland with the shrubs enclosing the track. I was standing still to try and see a skink that had just ducked into the grass when I notice a large bird flying down the track towards me. Remaining still it landed on a branch in in the sun and out in the open only about 1.5-2 metres away from me. It was a Grey Goshawk and was so close that I could see the iris colour and fine barring on the front. It was on of those birding moments that make birding so special and exciting.

Katang was also a good spot for reptiles and in one spot I fould both a Land Mullet (Egernia major) and a medium sized Lace Monitor (Varanus varius). I also found Copper-tailed Skinks (Ctenotus teaniolatus) and plenty of Robust Skinks (Ctenotus robustus) while walking. All in all, Katang was very successful!

Decided not to head back to Lake Cathie for lunch but had a nice "picnic" at Henery Kendall Reserve on the outlet of Queen's lake. While eating I spotted two White-breasted Sea-eagles, a Mangrove Herons and a single Brown Honeyeater. Once finished lunch I took a trip out to see some freinds at Kendall. They regularly feed the birds and while I was there King Parrots, Rainbow Lorrikeets, Bar-shouldered Doves, White-headed Pigeons and Grey Buthcerbirds came down to have a feed. The White-headed Pigeons were fun to watch as they literally stood on each other to try and get at the seed.

I left Kendall at about 3:00pm and went for a drive to a nearby creek were Azure Kingfishers are often seen, but missed them, the only new thing for the trip was Eastern Water Dragons (Physignathus lesueurii) along the bank.

At 9:20pm I headed out with my newly modified spotlight to see what I could find spottlighting. It turned out to be avery frustrating few hours due to the dense cover. I could hear heaps of Sugar Gliders but only managed to see one high up in the trees. I also saw what was probably a Bandicoot take of into the bush, but the breif glimes was not enough to make a good indentification. the only other mammal spotlighted was a Common Ringtail Possum who after spending about 30 seconds in the light desiced he had had enough and jumped from about 5 metres above the ground into the bushes and headed of. I didnt see any birds, but head a Owlet Nightjar, a Fantailed Cuckoo and several Noisy Pittas. A Common Eastern Froglet (Crinia Signifera) was the only Frog seen.



Day 4

Time to head home! We left in the morning and called into the wetlands around Newcastle where we added Wandering and Plummed Whistling Ducks along with Black-fronted Dotterals. No other new birds were seen on the trip home.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bird Species List

Little Grebe Brush Turkey Rainbow Bee-eater White-throated Warlber
Wedge-tailed Shearwater Brown Quail Dollarbird Mangrove Warlber
Fluttering Shearwater Lewin's Rail Pipit White-throated Treecreeper
Hutton's Shearwater Dusky Moorhen Skylark Red Wattlebird
Pelican Swamphen Welcome Swallow Little Wattlebird
Gannet Coot Fairy Martin Noisy Friarbird
Darter Pied Oystercatcher Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Noisy Miner
Pied Cormorant Masked Lapwing Red-whiskered Bulbul Lewin's Honeyeater
LittlePied Cormorant Black-fronted Dotteral Noisy Pitta White-cheecked Honeyeater
Black Cormorant Eastern Curlew Blackbird New Holland Honeyeater
Little Black Cormorant Whimbrel Eastern Yellow Robin Eastern Spinebill
Whte-necked Heron Bar-tailed Godwit Pale-yellow Robin Brown Honeyeater
White-faced Heron Silver Gull Crested Shriketit Scarlet Honeyeater
Cattle Egret Crested Tern Goldern Whistler Mistletoebird
large Egret Domestic Pigeon Rufous Whistler Spotted Pardalote
Little Egret Spotted Turtledove Grey Thrush Striated Pardalote
Eastern Reef Egret Bar-shouldered Dove Black-faced Monarch Red-browed Finch
Mangrove Heron Crested Pigeon Spectacled Monarch House Sparrow
Sacred Ibis Wonga Pigeon Grey Fantail Starling
Royal Spoonbill Brown Pigeon Willie Wagtail Indian Myna
Wandering Whistling Duck White-headed Pigeon Eastern Whipbird Figbird
Plummed Whistling Duck Galah Reed Walber Olive-backed Oriole
Black Swan Sulphur-creasted Cockatoo Little Grassbird Spangled Drongo
Black Duck Rainbow Lorrikeet Goldern-headed Cisticola Satin Bowerbird
Chestnut Teal Scaly-breasted Lorrikeet Superb Blue Wren Regent Bowerbird
Wood Duck King Parrot Variegated Wren Magpie Lark
Black-shouldered Kite Eastern Rosella Southern Emu-wren Grey Butcherbird
Whistling Kite Red-rumped Parrot Large-billed Scrubwren Pied Butcherbird
Brahminy Kite Pallid Cuckoo Yellow-throated Scrubwren Magpie
Grey Goshawk Fan-tailed Cuckoo White-browed Scrubwren Pied Currawong
White-breasted Sea-eagle Horsefeilds Bronze Cuckoo Brown Thornbill Australian Raven
Swamp Harrier Owlet Nightjar Yellow Thornbill Forest Raven
Peregrine Falcon Kookaburra Striated Thornbill
Nankeen Kestrel Sacred Kingfisher Brown Warlber


   Total = 134



Reptile Species List

Jacky Lizard
(Amphibolurus muricatus) Eastern Water Dragon
(Physignathus lesueurii) Lace Monitor
(Varanus varius)
Land Mullet
(Egernia major) Eastern Water Skink
(Eulamprus quoyii) Copper-tailed Skink
(Ctenotus teaniolatus)
Robust Skink
(Ctenotus robustus) White's Skink
(Egernia whitii) Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard
(Tiliqua scincoides)
Spotted Black Snake
(Pseudechis guttatus)

 Total = 10



Frog Species List

Common Eastern Froglet
(Crinia Signifera) Brown Striped Frog
(Limnodynastes peronii) Eastern Dawf Tree Frog
(Litoria Fallax) Tyler's Tree Frog
(Litoria Tyleri)



Mammal Species List

Eastern Grey Kangaroo Red-necked Wallaby Common Ringtail Possum Sugar Glider



Butterfly Species List

Dispite not having my butterfly net with me, I was still able to identify several of the larger butterflys, many small skippers and blue's however were to fast and small to possitively identify.

Blue triangle
(Graphium sarpedon) Orchid Butterfly
(Papilio aegeus) Common Jazebel
(Delias nigrina) Wanderer
(Danaus plexippus)
Sword Grass Brown
(Tisiphone abeona) Evening Brown
(Melanitis leda) Dingy Ringlet
(Hypocysta pseudirius) Medeow Argus
(Junonia villida)

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