Hi all
I've just been away from a week on a family holiday staying at Hawks Nest, on
the lower north coast of NSW. Hawks Nest is at the mouth of the Myall River,
on the north shore of Port Stephens. Myall Lakes NP is about 6kms from the
town, plus there is easy access to some other good sites that I discovered last
year. First up, thanks to all who responded to my very specific "owly" RFI the
other week - more on that results of that later. I also asked about the
whereabouts of the Radjah Shelduck that had been seen in previous years - there
was a pair but I gather there is only one now. I was told, in a response to my
RFI, that it has been seen in the area recently, specifically at Bombah Point.
I made 4 brief visits to Bombah Point Ferry during the week at varying times of
day to see if the Shelduck was about, but no luck. I suspect that rather than
hanging around the ferry area, it is probably round the corner at the resort,
where it is easier to get a free handout from the visitors. (I never crossed
over to the resort side, so that is a guess.)
Around our rented accommodation in Hawks Nest were heaps of lorikeets -
Rainbow, Scaly-Breasted, Musk and possibly Littles - with the latter, I saw
some very small birds hurtling about, but never got a good look of any at rest.
The birds were busy feeding on both nectar in flowering gums and lerps off the
leaves. Also, there were plenty of Blue Faced Honeyeaters, Figbirds, two
Magpie families (some interesting territorial activity going on), Koels,
Channel Billed Cuckoos (early morning bird calls were very untuneful with
Lorikeets, Koels and CBCs all contributing).
Over the course of the week, I saw plenty of birds by just watching activity on
the Myall River as we were fishing, eating fish & chips or ice creams, and this
provided plenty of good birds. These included Osprey, White Breasted Sea
Eagle, Whistling Kite, a small party of Greenshank, Eastern Curlew, Bar Tailed
Godwit, White Breasted Woodswallows, Darter and all 4 cormorants expected,
Mangrove Heron, Little and Large Egrets and Royal Spoonbills, lots of Black
Swan and a few duck. Dollarbirds, Brown and Blue Faced Honeyeaters, Pied
Butcherbird and Figbirds were easily seen in the trees around the river.
Other casual observations (ie I wasn't specifically out birding) were made at
Bennett's Beach (Hawks Nest's ocean side beach that faces Cabbage Tree Island -
home of Goulds Petrel). These included lots of terns fishing very close into
the beach. Amongst the many Crested Terns were a pair of Little Terns (seen on
2 separate days) and on 23 Jan, 5 or 6 Common Terns. Of course, at this time
of year fish catching means fish stealing and there was a Pomarine Jaeger in
close seeing what it could snatch. There were more terns, some gannets and
shearwaters further offshore but they were mostly a long way out and I didn't
get any positive IDs. No black & white ones though that I saw.
As well as fishing and beach activity, I had a few mornings and one evening out
birding as well. On 20 Jan I visited North Pindimar, which has some good
mudflats opposite Corrie Island at the mouth of the Myall River. There were
plenty of waders on the mud, including Eastern Curlew, lots of Bar Tailed
Godwits, 2 Black Tailed Godwits, Pied Oystercatchers, Grey Tailed Tattlers,
more Greenshanks and a Mangrove Gerygone (in the mangroves). In the nearby
bushland I saw Bar Shouldered Dove and heard a Wonga Pigeon, saw a party of
Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo attacking pine trees, and a flowering gum tree
just outside the settlement held Little Wattlebird, Eastern Spinebill,
Yellow-Faced, Lewins, White Cheeked, Brown-Headed and Brown Honeyeaters - 7
honeyeater species in one tree - not bad.
The same day we went up into the National Park, first visiting the rainforest
at Mungo Brush. On the walking track I saw a male Regent Bowerbird, and a bit
further along saw a female feeding two youngsters. The track had lots of
Rufous Fantails and Large Billed Scrubwrens, several Black faced Monarchs, an
Olive Oriole and there was a thrush that managed to keep just ahead out of my
view on the path - lots of glimpses of the rusty brown back bouncing around the
corner! I saw some long white flashes on the outside of the tail, so I think
it was a Russet Tailed, but no positive ID was obtained. I didn't see any
Green Catbirds or Forest Raven, both of which are supposed to be in the area as
well. We did see a sizeable Land Mullet and a large grey coloured snake. (I
didn't see the head and didn't feel game to lift the fallen palm fronds it had
slid under for a closer look!) We moved on from Mungo to one of the picnic
areas on the northern Broadwater, where we had lunch and an afternoon swimming
and reading and the birds flitted about above us. These included Leaden
Flycatcher, Yellow Thornbill, White Throated Treecreeper, Lewins, Yellow Faced
and Brown Headed Honeyeaters, Grey Fantails and a family of Rufous Whistlers.
On the way in and out of the park was a long stretched out flock of White
Throated Needletails, hawking over the heathland. It extended over 4 or 5kms,
and I reckon I must have seen 250 birds, so I reckon the flock was much bigger
than that.
In the evening of 21 Jan, I went up to the Boomeri campground, which provides
access to the Old Gibber Track, which runs through some open forest and into a
heath area. The intent was to see if I could get lucky and see a Grass owl in
the heath. The track runs up past where the turn off for Johnsons Hill is and
then there is a right turn into a heathy area - the trail has a name beginning
with "D" but I didn't have my pen with me (stolen by the kids for drawing in
the car). In this heath area I did see a pair of Tawny Crowned, a small party
of Southern Emu Wren, and White Cheeked Honeyeaters by the 100, but no Grass
owl. I didn't have any facility for playback of calls to potentially lure them
out, but further to my original RFI, I think the habitat looked quite good. On
the walk out to the heath, I saw some Fork Tailed Swifts, Buff Rumped
Thornbills, Variegated Wrens and Grey Shrike Thrush, and was soundly scolded by
a Sacred Kingfisher. It was a longish walk in to the heath, but the track is
pretty good (wide and mostly flat) and I was able to navigate back by the light
of the moon without using my torch. Back at the parking area, I was watching
some possums in the trees when an Owlet Nightjar called several times, but I
couldn't locate it.
Driving away, I saw a Barn Owl sitting about 10m up in an angophora, just
outside the entrance to the Boomeri camping area. We had a good look at one
another for a couple of minutes before the bird lifted off and drifted into the
woods. It was mostly looking at me over its shoulder, so I saw plenty of pale
sandy coloured back, but also the very white front and feathered legs when it
changed position. Not the tyto I was hoping for, but a good sighting
nonetheless and a bird I haven't seen for a number of years. On way home I saw
a Diamond Python crossing the road (so I stopped the car and herded him across
the rest of the way before he got squashed).
On Saturday morning I walked along the Bramble Green Fire Trail where I did see
a Forest Raven, lots of Scarlet and more White Cheeked and Yellow Faced
Honeyeaters, and a White Throated Treecreeper with a very brown but independent
youngster that had me flummoxed for a while until the parent showed up and fed
it. I was aiming for the Tamboy boardwalks, but time got the better of my
plans and I realised that I wouldn't be able to get there and back in the time
I had available, so I walked back out and then drove up to the Old Mining Rd
and walked along there a little way. This produced a lots more honeyeaters,
another pair of Leaden Flycatcher (Mrs came up very close a inspected me - or
probably my collection of flies and mosquitoes), a Crested Shrike Tit, Brown,
Yellow, and Striated Thornbills, a Cicadabird, Variegated Wren, a calling Fan
tailed Cuckoo and a small mammal that looked like a small kangaroo (bigger feet
that the bandicoots I get in my garden and a blunter looking face - wondered if
it was a Potoroo).
At about 115 species, I didn't see as many as last year, but I visited fewer
areas so that was not unexpected. Apart from female Regent feeding the kids
and the Barn Owl, which was for me a great bird to see as I hadn't seen one for
ages, the birding was good without being spectacular, but a very enjoyable trip
nonetheless.
Cheers
Tom Wilson
==============================www.birding-aus.org
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