Penny,
Back in November, around the 27th, I was up at Taree with work and took the
opportunity to do some birding in the area, including Old Bar. At this time
the pair of Beach Stone-curlews were, like your observation, at the Tern
exclosure, one bird sitting on a single egg, the other taking watch. Never
found out whether they were successful or not.
A great part of the world indeed.
Cheers
David
David Parker
Fauna Project Officer
State Forests of NSW
Riverina Region
ph. 03 5881 2266 fax. 03 5881 4200
Email:
PO Box 610 Deniliquin NSW 2710
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Penny Drake-Brockman [SMTP:
> Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 10:55 PM
> To:
> Subject: [BIRDING-AUS] Beach-stone Curlews at Old Bar, south of
> Taree, NSW
>
> Dear Birders
>
> Paid a quick visit to Old Bar beach this afternoon from 4.25 to 6.15 pm.
> Rain kept off, a gentle wind blew from the west and the surf was mild. Few
> migratory birds around and far too many fishermen and 4WDs on the beach -
> tyre marks on all parts of the beach from the top along the Little Tern
> fence right down to the shoreline. The only thing they miss driving on is
> the larger piles of stones.
>
> Despite this a small group of waders was roosting on one pile of stones -
> Red-neck Stints, Little Sand--plovers, Red-capped Dotterels and Golden
> Plovers. Out at sea were a few Crested and small numbers of Common and
> Little Terns, and one juvenile Gannet. However at the far end beyond the
> tern enclosure, where there is a vast expanse of muddy sandbar between the
> sea and the lagoon (which gets covered with water at very high tides) were
> the following
>
> 14 Curlew
> 10 plus Golden Plovers
> 130 plus Bar-tailed Godwits
> 3 Red-capped Plovers
> 2 Great Cormorants
> 14 Pied Cormorants
> 8 Torresian Crows
> several Pelicans and 2 Black Swans
> One very dead Pelican on the mud - perfect condition externally but a bit
> whiffy
> and quite a few other small waders too far to identify on the central sand
> bar in the lagoon, could have included Red-necked Stints
>
> However the treat of the day was still to come. On the walk back I heard
> small "peeps" from the Tern enclosure - thought maybe a late tern hatching
> but no, 2 beautiful Beach Stone-curlews taking advantage of the safety of
> the fence and quietly peeping to each other as they walked through the
> dune plants. Then they stopped and preened while I watched for about 10
> minutes.
>
> Back at the car park were lots of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Little
> Wattlebirds, Silvereyes, Bar-shouldered Doves, New Holland Honeyeaters and
> Red-browed Finches.
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