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Hunter Estuary and Leneghan - 21st February 2004

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Subject: Hunter Estuary and Leneghan - 21st February 2004
From: "Edwin Vella" <>
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 22:06:30 +1100

Today, David Mitford and I visited again the Hunter Estuary in Newcastle area (approx 170km north of Sydney CBD) with the hope to repeat the successes of our previous visits. However it ended up a day where we were asking ourselves, ?where are all the waders?? as there were far few waders than should be expected at the Stockton mudflats and high tide roost for this time of year. Though we counted at least 220 Eastern Curlews in the Stockton roosting area, upon the falling tide all we could see in addition to the Eastern Curlews, were a hundred or so Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Whimbrel, 16 Terek and a lone Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and 10 Pied Oystercatchers. Also with these waders were a few Terns including 2 Caspian and a Gull-billed Tern. The tides were supposed to be very high in the morning reaching to at least 1.8 metres.

 

At Ash Island early in the morning, we were unable to relocate the Buff-breasted Sandpiper but were able to find again the Yellow Wagtail feeding inside the mangrove fringed creek as the previous weekend. We had some good views of an adult bird in almost full breeding plumage of the race simillima (the usual race we see at Ash Island). It was spending some time with several White-fronted Chats catching insects while walking on the fallen logs and from the saltmarsh growing inside the creek. Other birds seen on Ash Island included a small covey of 3 Brown Quail, 5 Whistling Kites, 8 Double-banded Plovers, 25 plus Red-capped Plovers (the female is still sitting on its eggs close to where the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was hanging about last week. A few are also nesting close to Wagtail Way, therefore be careful where you tread), 20 or so Red-necked Stint, a few Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, 2 Eastern Curlew and 4 Greenshank.

 

On our way back home driving down the Sydney-Newcastle (F3) Expressway, we spotted a pair of Black-necked Stork beside Lenaghan Drive at Lenaghan. We drove to where they were and found both adult male and female Storks very close to the road, initially resting on the ground and then in hunting mode, with the male showing how easy it was to catch a nice sized eel from a waterhole. A nice way to end the day.

 

Edwin Vella

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