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Hi Birders,
Twice this week, on Thursday 16 August &
Saturday 18th August I have carried out waterbird surveys on the Ash Island
Ponds, part of Kooragang Island in the Hunter Estuary NSW, as part of the Birds
Australia Ash Island Project. Highlights have been the number of Avocets on the
Ponds, with 470 on Thursday & 333 on Saturday, and 74 & 184 Pied Stilts
and 34 & 84 Shovellers respectively. On Thursday the first 3 Pacific Golden
Plovers had returned to Ash Island together with 8 Curlew Sandpipers, and today
there were 5 Eastern Curlews, and a pair of Pink-eared Duck. A female Musk Duck
was also seen at the Wader Creek culvert. On the way back to the Central Coast
(about 80 km to the south), a Wedge-tailed Eagle flew over the
Freeway.
Meanwhile back on the Central Coast, the spring
migrants are returning. A Rufous Whistler called loudly at Colongra Swamp, where
the breeding by 150 pairs of Pied Cormorants was coming to an end on Monday 13th
August. On that same day, White-breasted Woodswallows made their first spring
appearance at both Chittaway Bay & Colongra Swamp. On Wednesday the first
Greenshank was found at Tuggerah Bay and Fairy Martins were first seen on
Friday.
Other interesting records was that of a Little
Eagle at Kooree Camp, Central Mangrove on Tuesday, 21 Musk Ducks on Colongra
Lake and a Grey Goshawk in the Colongra Forest on
Wednesday.
Alan Morris
Central Coast FOC
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