Apologies for the last blank message - I guess messages in Excel format do not
appear. I will try again
Dear Birders,
The north east corner of New South Wales is a wonderful place to bird by virtue
of the diverse range of habitats found within a relatively short distance.
Staying for 5 days at our avocado farm just outside Ballina I was able to spend
each morning out in a different environment.
The first morning it was the rainforest around Terania Creek north of Lismore
seeing both of the local bowerbirds, green catbird, and other forest dwellers.
The next morning was the mangroves, sandbars and beaches at the mouth of the
Richmond river looking for mangrove gerygone and mangrove honeyeater. I didn't
see either there but did see a variety of waders, rainbow bee-eaters and
raptors. The third was spent in the littoral rainforest adjacent Iluka where I
was fortunate to have wonderful views of a rose crowned fruit dove perched in
the upper branches of an old dead tree. I had been hearing them for a time
before this wonderfully colourful bird flew into sight. In the nearby mangroves
I found a mangrove gerygone and a striped honeyeater tending chicks in its
elegant basket like nest suspended from three thin branchlets of a mangrove.
Then a morning at flat rock beach viewing the terns and rock platform waders.
Another morning was spent visiting a number of freshwater lakes inland near
Lismore. The lake at McMahon's road, Tatham was a knock out with a host of
herons, ibis, sandpipers, ducks, grebes and the like. For a change of pace I
went out one evening to the Uralba Nature Reserve just west of Ballina with a
spotlight and a sooty owl tape. The tape had been playing not more than 20
seconds before the ghost like shape of a sooty owl swept into a nearby tree
observed mainly from the eyeshine reflected from my head torch. Judicious use
of the spotlight (and no tape) gave prolonged views. Time prevented me from
exploring any of the heathland or swamp habitats that are also closely
accessible or to take a dingy to explore the mudflats around the Richmond river
more fully.
The farm itself has a substantial number of large tallowwood trees planted as
windbreaks. I had an uplifting new year experience when walking through the
farm on New Years Day. 10 whistling kites launched themselves out of the
tallowwoods, soaring and wheeling over the farm.
Peter Marsh
Birds seen in the 5 days were:-
Bee-eater, Rainbow
Black-Cockatoo, Yellow-tailed
Bowerbird, Regent
Bowerbird, Satin
Brush-turkey, Australian
Butcherbird, Grey
Butcherbird, Pied
Catbird, Green
Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested
Coot, Eurasian
Cormorant, Great
Cormorant, Little Black
Cormorant, Little Pied
Cormorant, Pied
Coucal, Pheasant
Crow, Torresian
Cuckoo-Dove, Brown
Cuckoo-shrike, Black-faced
Currawong, Pied
Darter
Dollarbird
Dotterel, Black-fronted
Drongo, Spangled
Duck, Australian Wood
Duck, Pacific Black
Duck, Pink-eared
Egret, Cattle
Egret, Great
Egret, Intermediate
Egret, Little
Emu
Fairy-wren, Superb
Fantail, Grey
Fantail, Rufous
Figbird
Finch, Red-browed
Flycatcher, Satin
Frogmouth, Tawny
Fruit-Dove, Rose-crowned
Fruit-Dove, Wompoo
Galah
Gerygone, Large-billed
Gerygone, Mangrove
Gibberbird
Godwit, Bar-tailed
Grassbird, Tawny
Greenshank, Common
Gull, Silver
Hardhead
Heron, White-faced
Hobby, Australian
Honeyeater, Blue-faced
Honeyeater, Lewin's
Honeyeater, Striped
Honeyeater, White-cheeked
Ibis, Australian White
Ibis, Straw-necked
Jacana, Comb-crested
Kestrel, Nankeen
King-Parrot, Australian
Kingfisher, Sacred
Kite, Black-shouldered
Kite, Brahminy
Kite, Whistling
Koel, Common
Kookaburra, Laughing
Lapwing, Masked
Logrunner
Lorikeet, Rainbow
Magpie, Australian
Magpie-lark
Martin, Fairy
Miner, Noisy
Monarch, Spectacled
Moorhen, Dusky
Myna, Common
Oriole, Olive-backed
Osprey
Owl, Sooty
Oystercatcher, Pied
Oystercatcher, Sooty
Pelican, Australian
Pigeon, Crested
Pigeon, White-headed
Pigeon, Wonga
Plover, Double-banded
Plover, Pacific Golden
Quail, Brown
Raven, Australian
Robin, Eastern Yellow
Robin, Pale-yellow
Rosella, Crimson
Rosella, Eastern
Sanderling
Sandpiper, Common
Sandpiper, Curlew
Sandpiper, Marsh
Sandpiper, Pectoral
Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed
Sandpiper, Terek
Scrubwren, Large-billed
Scrubwren, White-browed
Sea-Eagle, White-bellied
Shrike-thrush, Little
Silvereye
Snipe, Latham's
Spoonbill, Royal
Starling, Common
Stilt, Black-winged
Swallow, Welcome
Swallow, White-backed
Swamphen, Purple
Swan, Black
Tattler, Grey-tailed
Teal, Chestnut
Teal, Grey
Tern, Common
Tern, Crested
Tern, Little
Thornbill, Brown
Thrush, Russet-tailed
Turnstone, Ruddy
Turtle-Dove, Spotted
Wagtail, Willie
Wattlebird, Little
Whipbird, Eastern
Whistler, Golden
Whistler, Rufous
Whistling-Duck, Plumed
Woodswallow, White-breasted
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