I forgot to mention that we also saw 2
White-throated Needletails fly over Mitchell Park in Cattai this afternoon. The sky was fairly clear with a
moderate westerly breeze and no storm build up in sight.
Edwin
-----Original Message-----
From: Edwin Vella
[
Sent: Saturday, 17 December 2005 7:08 AM
To: Birding-aus
Subject: NSW CBOC Outing to the
Sydney Hawkesbury Area - 18th
December 2005
Today, (19th
December 2005), I lead 21 members of the Cumberland Bird Observers
Club to the Hawkesbury area (approx. 55 km north-west of Sydney CBD).
We spent most of the morning at Pitt Town Lagoon, where we saw a good
variety of ducks – 30 plus Hardhead, 50 plus Pink-eared and 10 or so
Australasian Shoveler amongst the other more common Ducks. Other birds of
interest included 3 Hoary-headed amongst 20 or so Australasian Grebe, a Darter,
3 Great Egrets seen foraging together, a female Swamp Harrier, a Wedge-tailed
Eagle soaring very high above, an Australian Hobby, only a few Sharp-tailed
Sandpipers (350 plus were present there over a month ago), 2 Latham’s
Snipe, a few Pied Stilts, Red-rumped Parrots and some finches including Red-browed,
Zebra, Double-barred, Gold and Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. Inside a melaleuca
on the observation mound a recently fledged Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo was
being attended to by a pair of Superb Blue Wrens and also seen in the same
shrub, an adult Silvereye was seen on a nest.
For the rest of the morning right through to the middle of the
afternoon we stayed at nearby Mitchell Park in Cattai where we observed briefly
a Grey Goshawk, a couple of Common Bronzewings, Sacred Kingfishers,
Dollarbirds, Leaden and Satin Flycatchers, Black-faced Monarch, Variegated
Wrens (possibly nesting), a recently fledged White-throated Gerygone (with
yellow eye-ring and throat) being fed by a rather scruffy-looking parent and
Satin Bowerbirds.
It was a pleasant time in Hawkesbury with several of our members adding
new birds to their lists!
Edwin Vella
