Bermagui (NSW South Coast) - 18-19 Feb

We spent this weekend in Bermagui which
gave me the opportunity to explore the area. Long Swamp is drying up again
with little water left and hardly any birdlife, while Bermagui Lagoon is
full of water. On Saturday along the Bermagui River Conservation Area I
found a Striated Heron, an Osprey, a pair of White-bellied
Sea-Eagles and a Whistling Kite. The Sea-Eagles were perched
100 metres from the Osprey providing an opportunity to compare the 2 species
closely. In Bermgui Harbour there were 2 Eastern Curlew and some
70 Bar-tailed Godwits. With the cooler weather the massive Smooth
Stingrays seemed to have vacated the harbour and estuary leaving the much
smaller, but still dangerous, Brown Stingarees (5 counted in one area).
My dad stepped on one while wading Bithry Inlet in Mimosa Rocks NP this
week leaving a bleeding wound, although the pain had subsided after an
hour or so.

Barragoot Lake contained well over 500
Black Swans, surely the largest congregation along this section
of coastline, while Wallaga Lake came close with over 300. There was also
a single egret with nuptial plumes present (most likely Little, possibly
Intermediate) among the Pied Oystercatchers and Royal Spoonbills
in the distance.

On Sunday we walked a beautiful stretch
of beach from Goalen Head to Bunga Head (newly declared section of Mimosa
Rocks NP) under an overcast sky. No less than 6 Sea-Eagles present, 2 mature
birds perched high up the cliffs at Bunga. Nearby were 6 Sooty Oystercatchers
and a dark morph Eastern Reef Egret (There was also a single bird
present at Cuttagee Lake). A pair of Jacky Winters kept us company
in the car park.

Late on Sunday at Bingie we had great
views of an adult Spotted Harrier in the low vegetation behind Bingie
Beach (Eurobodalla NP). The Eurobodalla NHS annual report states this species
is a rare vagrant. On the drive home we stopped at Cabbage Tree Creek,
this spot is literally metres from the the noise and traffic of the Kings
Highway and yet we saw Black-faced Monarchs, a pair of Large-billed
Scrubwrens up super close in a clearing and nearby Brown Gerygones
and Pilotbirds were calling.

All up we saw 9 species of raptor over
the weekend. Surely Bermagui is as far south as Ospreys are seen these
days?

Cheers

Marnix Zwankhuizen
NGUNNAWAL  ACT

 

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