Hi All.
Yesterday [Sat.10th.] I entertained Luc Lens, a Belgian birder passing
through Sydney to
New Zealand. Luc wanted to see waders yesterday so I took him to Botany Bay
on the south side of Sydney CBD. We started and finished at Penrhyn Rd.
Where there were 6 to 8 Little Terns, a Common Tern, 3 Kelp Gulls, 80 +
Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Red Knot , 1 Red-necked Stint and
52 Pacific Golden Plovers which flew in the mid afternoon from somewhere
[there were none there at the morning visit] to feed on the mud exposed by
the low tide.
We then travelled around to the south side of the bay to Metromix Reserve
where there were no waders except 3 Eastern Curlews, there was however a
Brown Goshawk, 1 Musk Duck and a single Brown Honeyeater. One of the groynes
at Bonna Point produced 22 Wandering Tatler and nice views of all the
cormorant species. Shell Point gave us 7 Pied Oystercatchers on the jetty
but little else as the tide was too high at this stage.
In the afternoon the wind was fairly high and rain was threatening when we
visited the coast near Cape Banks where Luc saw the bird of the day [at
least for my money, Luc appeared to value some of the waders more] a Lewin's
Rail which quickly crossed the track overgrown on both sides by Bitou Bush
[probably incorrect spelling!]
Some of the Godwits were starting to get some colour, the PGP were all
without any trace of breeding colour. Several of the Little Terns were in
sub adult plumage, When Colin Scouler and I were doing a bit of a "reccy' on
the previous Monday there were 21 Little Terns, about 2/3 of which were sub
adult. Keith Eagan was there and told us that Little Tern breeding at Towra
Point had been quite successful this season.
Not a bad day, it seems to be hard to get a good day's birding around sydney
in recent times
Bruce.
.
Bruce Cox.
48 Rangers Retreat Rd. Frenchs Forest.
Sydney. 2086. Australia.
Phone:--02 9451 5394.
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