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The Australian Special Interest Tour'
s (ASIT) outing to the Central Coast on Saturday was a very sucessful outing
with the 24 people present seeing 105 species of birds. The day was generally
sunny and warm and followed two days on the Central Coast when rain fell
overnight, two nights in succession, making ideal bird watching conditions for
the Saturday. The day started with a visit to the Pioneer Dairy Reserve at
Tuggerah, including the Dairy Swamp & Tuggerah Lagoon. Channel-billed and
Koel Cuckoos were both present at the site, probably because of the presence of
the six large fruiting Moreton Bay Figs! Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were feeding
around the edge of the Dairy Swamp and a Whiskered Tern was dipping over the
water. A Sea-eagle, Whistling Kite and an adult male Swamp Harrier patrolled the
two wetlands. Cisticolas, White-breasted Woodswallows, Reed-warblers &
Superb Fairy-wrens were active in the margins of the wetlands. 23 Glossy Ibis
were found at Tuggerah Lagoon,. being only the 3rd record for the Central Coast.
On Tuggerah Lagoon there were plenty of Black Ducks, Grey Teal, Hardhead
& single female Musk Duck and Shoveler.
Picnic Pt The Entrance was our
morning tea stop where we had great views of the wader flats. Large numbers of
Sharpies & Red-necked Stints were present but also Pacific Golden Plovers,
Red-capped Plovers, Curlew Sandpipers & Bar-tailed Godwits. A lone
Gull-billed Tern was roosting with the 12+ Caspian, Little, Crested and 30+
Whiskered Terns. Yellow-rumped Thornbills, Little Wattlebirds & Willy
Wagtails were feeding dependent young in the shade trees of the picnic area, and
many hundreds of Swans and Grey Teal were roosting on the mud flats. We made a
quick diversion to the nearby Karagi Point where about 15 pairs of Little Terns
were brooding their eggs in the sand dunes and Common Terns were roosting on the
spit.
At the Norah Head lunch spot, in the
shade of the rainforest trees, Lewin's Honeyaters, Silvereye and a Rufous
Fantail were our companions while at nearby Soldiers Point, there was an
opportunity to see a few waders and seabirds. Short-tailed Shearwaters were
streaming past southwards, along with a few Fluttering Shearwaters. An
occasional Wedge-tailed Shearwater fed off the point, while on the rocks a lone
Sooty Oystercatcher was feeding with Grey-tailed Tattler, Turnstones, Pacific
Golden Plovers and other waders.
Our final stop for the day was the
Lilli Pilli Track in Wyrrabalong National Park. Here in the littoral rainforest,
where Cabbage Tree Palms and Hard Corkwood was fruiting, there were a number of
Topknot Pigeons helping themselves to the feast. In the cool of the
rainforest, Black-faced Monarch, Rufous & Grey
Fantail, Yellow Robin, Rufous & Golden Whistler & Brown Gerygone
were found. Where the track opened out onto the edge of Tuggerah Lake, both
Black Duck and Chestnut Teal were seen with ducklings. Our last bird for the day
was a Black-shouldered Kite flyinmg over Wyong rd. A great birding day, great
weather andd great companions.
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