Birdline NSW
Published sightings for the week ending 7 Mar 2010.
Sun 7 Mar Gang Gang Cockatoo Faulconbridge, Blue Mountains
A flock of 20 Gang Gang Cockatoos briefly settled in trees along our
street. Thick vegation precluded good views and gender identification.
Was able to count them when they flew off, against the skyline. Nice to
have them around in such numbers.
Clive Meadows
Sat 6 Mar Plumed Whistling Duck West Byron Wetlands, Byron Bay
(access by council permit)
9 ducks seen sitting on edge of Wetlands, later took off, circled for 5
or so minutes and returned, calling, to sit in water.
David, Michael, Ross Krippner and Jackson Hagley
Double-banded Plover Shoalhaven Heads
We observed 5 Double-banded Plovers, our first of the season, amongst
many waders at Shoalhaven Heads today. Also present were 5 White-fronted
Chats.
Martin & Penny Potter
Fri 5 Mar Beautiful Firetail Budderoo National Park (Budderoo
Plateau)
Three Beautiful Firetails seen in much mist, cold conditions and light
rain, in mid-afternoon, between Jamerbroo Mountain Road and the
fire-trail gate where burn-out car had been previously. Three Eastern
Bristlebirds and three Southern Emu-wrens were heard too.
Lorne Johnson
Topknot Pigeon Monash/Thompson Rd, Gladesville nr Field of Mars
While walking to the bus stop at 8:07 this morning a flock of 29
Topknots flew slowly over Monash/Thompson Rd then over the Field of
Mars.
Max Breckenridge
Thu 4 Mar Double-banded Plover, Pacific Golden Plover Pelican
Point, Norah Head
There were 3 Double-banded Plovers (first for the seaon)amongst a group
of 12 Red-capped Plovers, 20 Pacific Golden Plovers, 11 Ruddy Turnstones
and 18 Red-necked Stints at Pelican Point at high tide. At the nearby
Soldiers Point there were 2 Grey-tailed Tattlers, 4 Pacifc Golden
Plovers. 8 Turnstones, 4 Curlew Sandpipers and 8 Red-necked Stints,
while at Toowoon Bay reefs there were 10 Sooty Oystercatchers, 53
Red-necked Stints, 7 Golden Plover, 6 Turnstones and 2 Grey-tailed
Tattlers. Average numbers for this time of the year.
Alan Morris
Barking Owl Elanora Rd Elanora Heights
Calling repeatedly around 10pm -12pm for several evenings
Jacqui Marlow
Latham's Snipe, Black Bittern Bareena Lagoon, North Avoca
Two Latham's Snipe flushed from within reed beds and rank grass and a
single Black Bittern observed perched high in a Swamp Oak Casuarina
glauca
Warren Brown & Phil Wood
Wed 3 Mar Square-tailed Kite, Peregrine Falcon Hassall Grove
Watched a Peregrine Falcon circling from my back yard. 10 mins later I
spotted a Square-tailed Kite flying low between houses in the
neighbouring housing estate of Hassall Grove. Many raptors seem to
actively hunt the suburban species found in our parks and gardens.
Mark Fuller
Satin Flycatcher Portal Waterhole Blue Mountains NP Glenbrook
I was watching a female flycatcher which I was going to record as a
Leaden (my default flycatcher) until two males appeared. They were
obviously 'Satins' - both brilliant dark satin black and for the first
time was I able to positively spot the concave breast line of the male.
Satin Flycatchers are not common in the lower Blue Mountains so may be
on the move.
Mark Ley
Grey Goshawk Ourimbah F3 interchange
Saw the bird perching on a lamp post at about 7.30pm
Mike Kuhl
Striated Heron Manly Lagoon
Saw the resident Striated Heron today & later realised they used to be
an unusual occurance around Sydney. [Moderators' note: interesting
sighting at this location - this species is becoming more common around
Sydney Harbour/inlets and surounding suburbs due to reduced pollution.
This species can be seen more commonly to the north & south of the
city's waterways].
Joshua Bergmark
Tue 2 Mar Little Bittern South West Rocks
During a heavy rainstorm on Tuesday evening, Ken Shingleton heard a bang
on his window and went outside to investigate with a torch and found an
immature Little Bittern had flown into his window. In the rain and with
the torch he checked out the bird thinking it might have been a rail
until the bird jumped up, shook itself, jumped off the verandah, and ran
off across his lawn and into the nearby golf course. Once it stood up he
could clearly seen the characteristics of an immature Little Bittern.
Little Bitterns are rarely seen in the Macleay Valley.
Ken Shingleton per Alan Morris
European Goldfinch Bay St, Botany Airport end
1 Goldfinch seen near the Mill ponds. There was a population in the area
seven years ago but this is the first sighting since then.
Peter Mackey
Mon 1 Mar green catbird wattle flat Royal National Park
Two seen feeding on orange berries of the sandpaper fig. Also seen 2
lyrebirds, both male. Kept us entertained for quite some time as they
went through a whole repetoire of calls. 2 azure kingfishers and one
sacred from the picnic area on the other side of the river.
lorna bloom
Buller's Shearwater, Long-tailed Jaeger Mistral Point, Maroubra
Moderate S.E. winds produced a close in Buller's Shearwater, 3
Long-tailed Jaegers, 5 Pomarine and 1 Arctic Jaeger, plus also about 15
Flesh-footed shearwaters.
David Mitford
Sun 28 Feb Double-barred Finch Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney
Following a pair seen in December 09, a family party of five seen today
in the same area would suggest that they have successfully bred at this
site.
David Mitford
Australian Brush-turkey Batten Reserve, end of Cullen Street,
Lane Cove West
Surprised to see two Brush-turkeys crossing the road at the end of
Cullen street into the reserve. This area is basically under Epping Road
and on top of the Lane Cove tunnel, 12km from the centre of the Sydney
CBD.
Stephen Mannix
Rainbow Bee-eaters(20 plus), Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Collared
Sparrowhawk Riverstone-Schofields area (approx. 10km NW of Blacktown
CBD)
There were still at least 20 Rainbow Bee-eaters feeding on dragon flies,
moths etc amongst the abundance of Grey box blossoms. Also very good
numbers of honeyeaters, Lorikeets (Musk, Rainbow and Little),
Thornbills, Pardalotes and even flocks of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes
(including 1 group of 20 birds together). Along Kensington Park Rd were
a pair of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets (they have become more frequent
around Blacktown recently), a family of 4 Crested Shrike-tits, several
Dusky Woodswallows and a Restless Flycatcher. Also nearby along Gordon
Rd was a Collared Sparrowhawk and at the same time a pair of Australian
Hobbies on a dead tree.
Edwin Vella
Rufous Fantail Faulconbridge, Blue Mountains
Autumn's on it's way. I've had a pair of Rufous Fantails hanging around
my garden for the last few days. Whilst not an uncommon species in the
lower gullies, up here on the side of a ridge the only time I see them
is during the autumn migration north. (Moderator's Note: Note that we
will not be publishing every wayward Rufous Fantail, while Spangled
Drongos having now spread throughout the Sydney suburbs, have had their
day!)
Clive Meadows
Sat 27 Feb Probable White-bellied Storm-Petrel Off Port Stephens
Fregetta-type Stormy seen in bad light in the slick on a pelagic trip
off Port Stephens on Saturday. Experienced observers who saw the bird
reasonably well believe it was most likely a White-bellied and given the
time of year, this is almost certainly the case (Black-bellieds would be
proximate to breeding grounds in Subantarctic waters). We are awaiting
more images that were taken of this bird to come forward. Other birds
seen were a single Wilson's Stormy, a few Great-winged (Grey-faced)
Petrels and a single Hutton's Shearwaters (amongst plenty of
Wedge-tailed and Fleshy-foots).
Mick Roderick, Martin Cachard, Nikolas Haass et al
Peregrine Falcon Chowder Bay, aka Clifton Gardens
On Saturday afternoon I saw a Peregrine in hot pursuit of a
panic-stricken flock of Feral Pigeons. Really, our predators were doing
their level [or vertical] best last week to rid the neighbourhood of
exotics and other pests [cf. Boobook posting, Feb. 23].
Ted Nixon
Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Grey Goshawk, White-throated Gerygone
Chiltern Trail, Ingleside
The Heathwren was at the beginning of track, near to the gate, foraging
with White-browed Scrubwrens. White-throated Gerygones were present in 2
locations along the track, calling. Grey Goshawk was seen mid-morning,
surveying the woodland. Also seen were Grey Shrike-thrush, lots of
Yellow-tufted, New-holland & White-cheeked Honeyeaters and a
Wedge-tailed Eagle circling overhead.
Henry Coleman
Powerful Owl Gladesville NSW - Gerard Street
At 9 pm a Powerful Owl was in my backyard on the clothes lines carousel,
maybe just 3 metres from me. It just stared at me, then flew away to the
nearby tree, sat there for a minute or two and disappeared. It's a huge
bird - never seen such a big owl in the wild.
Natalia Glowinska
Tue 23 Feb Southern Boobook Gore Creek, Greenwich
At 7:30am, as I investigated a typical Noisy Miner hubbub in the bush
near the mouth of Gore Creek, I saw out of the corner of my eye an
apparently shapeless lump drop into the understorey. When it re-emerged,
however, it was a very shapely hero - a Boobook with a full grown, but
juvenile, Noisy Miner in its grasp. It watched me narrowly until I
retreated to let it eat its prey amidst the rather subdued clamour of
the survivors. May it enjoy many more such meals!
Ted Nixon
Birdline NSW is sponsored by Birding NSW <http://www.birdingnsw.org.au/>
, Birds Australia - Southern NSW & ACT
<http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/basna> and Cumberland Bird Observers
Club <http://www.cboc.org.au/> and co-ordinated and hosted by Eremaea
Birds <http://www.eremaea.com> .
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