Superb Birding within 200km of Sydney 21-26 Jan 2003 Part A

["Edwin Vella" <>]

During my time off last week, like many birds moving around with the drought, I too was a bit nomadic visiting a number of locations in the Central coast, Sydney and the Illawarra, all within 180 km of the Sydney CBD. Some of the places visited and interesting birds included:

 

EAST LAKES (5 km south of Sydney CBD)

 

This place at the moment is a top spot (almost next door to the Sydney airport) with the following seen with David Mitford, Rod Gardner and Trevor Quested (26/1/03) and Lorne Johnson (23/1/03) during the week:

 

Little Bittern (1 male on the edge of the reeds near the weir on 26/1/03)

Black Bittern (good views of a male feeding beside papy?rus and waterlilies also near the weir on 26/1/03)

Nankeen Night Herons (4)

Darters (8)

Freckled Ducks (2 ? rare on the coast ? 26/1/03)

Pink-eared Ducks (2 ? also rare on the coast ? 23/1/03)

Yellow Wagtail (1 on 23/1 and 26/1/03)

Common Sandpiper (1 on 23/1/03)

Sharp-tailed Sandpipers (100 plus)

Latham?s Snipe (35 plus showing very well both days)

Little Tern (3 over fresh water lakes)

Brown Goshawk (1)

Peregrine Falcon (1)

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos (2)

Tawny Grassbird (1 heard)

 

We hoped to see also Australasian Bittern to achieve 3 species of Bittern in one afternoon but we had to settle with 2.

 

CENTRAL COAST (60 -100km north of Sydney CBD)

 

SOLDIERS PT 21/1/03

 

Pacific Golden Plovers (20)

Large Sand Plover (1) (rare for Central Coast)

Red-necked Stints (72)

Ruddy Turnstones (1-2)

Grey-tailed Tattlers (7)

Common Tern (1)

 

Also driving out at Soldiers Pt, got incredibly close to a juv. Whistling Kite while I managed to park beside it only 2 metres from the bird at eye level.

 

TUGGERAH LAKE/THE ENTRANCE, CENTRAL COAST 21/1/03

 

Little Egrets (19 at Chittaway Pt and The Entrance)

Mangrove Heron (1 at Chittaway Pt)

Buff-banded Rail (1 at Chittaway Pt)

Black-tailed Godwits (2 at Chittaway Pt)

Bar-tailed Godwits (c 20)

Eastern Curlews (3)

Sharp-tailed Sandpipers (300 plus)

Greenshank (1)

Caspian Terns (26 at The Entrance)

Whiskered Terns (5 over the salt water lake)

Little Terns (9 at The Entrance)

Bar-shouldered Doves (4 at Chittaway Pt)

Striped Honeyeaters (several at Chittaway Pt and The Entrance ? a common bird for Central coast but always nice to see)

Dollarbirds (very numerous, probably up to100 birds seen perched on power lines - have never seen so many anywhere in Australia)

 

 

TUGGERAH STW, CENTRAL COAST 21/1/03

 

Hoary-headed Grebes (6)

Freckled Ducks (2)

Pink-eared Ducks (8)

Hardheads (120 plus)

Australasian Shovelers (12)

 

Edwin Vella