Yesterday (24th April 2005) I had a very long day’s
birding and some spotlighting that evening in western Sydney and the Blue
Mountains area, seeing a good variety of birds and places. I visited Shanes
Park and the Hawkesbury that morning with David
Koffel and then hitching a ride with Lorne
Johnson up the Blue Mountains for the
afternoon and evening.
At Shanes Park (approx. 50km north-west of Sydney CBD), Speckled
Warblers were again easy to track down with 2 seen and 3 others heard. This is
probably the easiest place to see Speckled Warblers in Sydney
as I have always seen them in the same small area. Also seen at Shanes Park
were 2 Brown Goshawks, Rose Robins, Rufous and Golden Whistlers, a pair of Crested
Shrike-tits, Grey Fantails, Weebills, Yellow and many
Buff-rumped Thornbills, both
Spotted and Striated Pardalotes, Double-barred Finches, Olive-backed Oriole and
a White-winged Chough close to a dead one. Both Brown-headed and a single
Scarlet Honeyeater were also heard. There were also 3 Eastern Grey Kangaroos in
the woodland here and very close to the buildings.
What was quite disturbing at Shanes Park was seeing 3 dead birds on the
ground in very close proximity to each other - a Noisy Miner, Magpie and a
White-winged Chough. There appeared to be no bullet holes to show that the
birds have been shot and they appeared to have been recently killed.
At Pitt Town Lagoon (55km NW of Sydney CBD) there were 17 FRECKLED
DUCKS in amongst many other water birds including a Hoary-headed Grebe, 2
Glossy Ibis, 20 plus Hardhead, 100 plus
Australasian Shoveler, 150 plus Pink-eared Duck etc. There
were also 15 Red-kneed Dotterel and at least 7 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers (two in
beautiful full breeding plumage) and some Pied Stilts. A White-bellied
Sea-eagle and 2 Whistling Kites were patrolling overhead. Along the northern
edge of the lagoon there was a Sacred Kingfisher and a variety of finches
including Red-browed and Zebra Finches, Chestnut-breasted and Nutmeg Mannikins.
A Peregrine Falcon was also seen soaring high above Pitt
Town.
After lunch, Lorne Johnson
and I then headed up along the Bells Line of the Road over Blue
Mountains (60 km west of the Sydney CBD).
Very soon after arriving at Pierces
Pass in the upper Blue
Mountains, we enjoyed fantastic eye level views of 4 Red-browed
Tree-creepers and 4 Crested Shrike-tits (the later stripping away the bark of
some Eucalypts) and a Rock Warbler was heard. We then walked towards the
lookout watching a superb sunset over the Grose
Valley. While heading back towards
the car and after a discussion that we should get a Beautiful Firetail
somewhere along this trail, one Beautiful Firetail then revealed itself
allowing good views. What a coincidence!
We then spent a brief time up at Mt Wilson before it got dark adding a
few more birds including a Satin Bowerbird, a Lewin’s Honeyeater and a
Pilotbird heard down the valley. As we drove down the Mt
Wilson Rd on dusk, Lorne asked “Is it too
early to see any nocturnal mammals”. I said “No” and just
around the corner after saying this, there was an unexpected Wombat right
beside the road.
Later that evening, we then spent an hour or so spotlighting at Megalong
Valley. Despite a full moon and
some very noisy campers, we still ended up scoring a good variety of nocturnal
birds and mammals including one Powerful Owl (seen perched high above us in a
tall eucalypt), a few Boobook Owls, 2 Owlet Nightjars, Great Glider (one dark
morph), Yellow-bellied Gliders and a few small bats heard. One camper amongst a
noisy group, saw my spotlight and shouted “I wish I had a torch like
that!”
Overall it was a good long day and evening.
Edwin Vella
