Hi all
Nothing like some visiting birders to get me out and about in my local area.
We have just spent two and a half days looking for some special birds around
our area , so our total list was only around 140 species but we mainly spent
time hunting for rarities and difficult to find birds. When we visited the
Netherlands two years ago , birding-aus was the medium that provided us with
excellent birding contacts that showed Lynn and I around their country. We
were very happy to return the favour . Having been to Northern Australia and
Sydney birding on their last trip and having already birded for about 4
weeks in Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and Western New South Wales, my
list of birds to find was getting harder. Though sympathies go out to Tom
Tarrant who will have an even shorter list than mine as Brisbane is the next
major stop after travelling to Barraba to camp tonight on route to
Queensland.
We started Saturday with our first birding stop at Seaham Swamp where our
first easy target bird was Scarlet Honeyeater which promptly obliged by
calling as soon as we parked the car and several showed well whilst there.
Good start ! A Nankeen Night Heron was perched in the dead tree in the
middle of the swamp, and there were plenty of noisy breeding Cattle Egrets.
With little time to spare we moved on to Stockton Sandspit where
surprisingly there were no waders we needed to find ,but Mangrove Gerygone
which obliged by showing well and in good song. A quick look at the waders
and then off to find some more difficult birds, Lewins Rail and Powerful
Owl, both of which we missed seeing. It was good to get new bird number
three under our belt though , Bell Miner ! One I was confident of not
missing !
We then went and had lunch at the Shortland Wetland Centre which is a
fantastic venue , both for food and for the views of birds in a more relaxed
environment.
Our only target here was White-cheeked Honeyeater which was very obligingly
sitting in the tree beside the front entrance. Four birds before lunch and
we were well satisfied but I knew that the rest would not be so easy. It
was nice to see the Wandering Whistling Ducks back at the Wetland Centre and
as always the Magpie Geese.
As is always the way with large areas to cover and the very nature of
birding taking more time than you think we only left ourselves with limited
time ( after Lenaghans Drive and Pambalong Nature Reserve ) to look for
Turquoise Parrot which we didn't find . We ran out of time to go onto to
Wollombi to look for Spotted Quailthrush. Instead we cruised back via
Maitland Tip and Morpeth Sewerage Treatment Plant in search of Black Falcon
and Square-tailed Kite, neither of which materialised.
To be continued
Dick Jenkin
DUNGOG NSW
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