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Hi Birders,
On my regular survey of the Ash Island Ponds today,
(Ash Island, part of Kooragang Island, lower Hunter Esturary, Lat 32 52 05, Long
151 43 07) I saw two waders close to each other , each wearing an orange flag on
the right leg. One bird was a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and the other was a
Red-necked Stint. The birds were within 40 metres of each other. Waders present
included 78 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, 4 Red-necked Stint, 4 Pacific Golden Plover,
4 Curlew Sandpiper, 6 Red-capped Plover, 4 Black-fronted Dotterel, 4 Eastern
Curlew, 2 Whimbrel, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 16 Greenshank, 10 Marsh Sandpiper,
403 Avocet & 38 Black-winged Stilts, no ducks but sundry other waterbirds
were present including Swamp Harriers, Whistling Kites, Tawny Grassbirds and
White-breasted Woodswallows.
There was a Spotted Crake in the north-western
corner of the Swan Pond, and despite exentive looking, I could not find the
Australian Bittern in the north-east corner of the Swan Pond where I had finally
located the bird on 29 August 2001.
Down here on the Central Coast, Striped Honeyeater
nesting is underway, Yellow-rumped Thornbills are nesting at Picnic Pt, The
Entrance, while Red-capped Plovers are nesting in the fenced Little Tern nesting
site at Karagi Pt The Entrance. A single Pink-eared Duck & 7 Shovellers were
reported from the Tuggerah STW on 2 September.
Alan Morris
Central Coast FOC
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