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Birdline NSW Weekly Update

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Subject: Birdline NSW Weekly Update
From: "Eremaea Birds" <>
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 01:30:52 +1000
Birdline NSW

Published sightings for the week ending 19 Sep 2010.

Sun 19 Sep      Spotless Crakes (14 plus), Collared Sparrowhawk Air
Service Land at Shanes Park (off Captain Cook Dr) (10km W of Blacktown)
There were no less than 14 Spotless Crakes in the northern part of the
Air Services land this morning. In one part I had 6 surrounding me.
Every where you walk around you can here at least one pair of these
Crakes. I have never had so many in one place! I also had one Collared
Sparrowhawk flying over the lagoon and had the usual other birds
including the Owlet-nightjar (just saw its face peering out very briefly
from its hollow), a pair of Speckled Warblers, Varied Sitellas in low
trees, a Brown Goshawk, several Shining Bronze-cuckoos, lots of Rufous
Whistlers and a number of White-throated Gerygones as well as
White-naped and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters migrating through.
Edwin Vella

        
        Dollarbird Lyndale Ave, Port Macquarie
After being woken early by some romantic Koala's, I saw my first
Dollarbird in the nearby gully, although it hasn'tstayed.
Tim Morris

        
        Pacific Baza Shanes Park off Captain Cook Drive
2 bazas in low foliage to west of park
M Barton & D Bertram

        
Sat 18 Sep      Wood Sandpiper, Rainbow Bee-eaters, Sacred Kingfishers,
Rufous Songlark Hawkesbury area, NSW (approx. 55km NW of Sydney CBD)
Mark Fuller and I paid a visit to the Hawkesbury area. We spent an hour
or two at Pitt Town Lagoon. Very few waders about and the only migratory
one seen was alone Wood Sandpiper (see pic). There was a pair of Brown
Goshawks displaying together over the lagoon and the only other raptor
here was a Swamp Harrier. Fewer ducks and other water birds compared to
other visits about this time in previous years. We had a Pallid Cuckoo
beside the Wisemans Ferry Rd on our way to Cattai. At Cattai NP we had 2
Sacred Kingfishers, lots of obliging Eastern Whipbirds, several
White-throated Gerygones and a number of Rainbow Bee-eaters were around.
Around the turf farms could not locate the Spotted Harrier but had a
flock of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins (amongst 3 other Finch species) and
heard one Rufous Songlark on the Windsor end.
Edwin Vella and Mark Fuller

        
        Dollarbird, Common Koel and Sacred Kingfisher Bonnievale Camping
Ground, Bundeena, Royal National Park
I heard all these bird this morning. Looks like all of the migratory
birds have now returned back to this part of Sydney.
Deryk Engel

        
        Dusky Woodswallow mating Penrith Swamp
Yesterday morning I found two Dusky Woodswallow pairs building nests in
the area. This morning, I took one of my friends along to see and we
found the male (worked out later from who was on top) displaying with
wings spread, tail wagging from side-to-side while the female hopped
onto the nest - perhaps to see if it is ready. Then she flew up about 3m
from the male and mimicked the wingspread/tail wagging display. Suddenly
the male flew up, mounted and mated with her. The display lasted maybe
one minute, the business part about five seconds.
Ákos Lumnitzer and Sue Thomson

        
Fri 17 Sep      Powerful Owl Bonnievale Camping Ground, Bundeena, Royal
National Park
One bird heard calling.
Deryk Engel

        
        Dollarbird Coffs Harbour
Single bird sitting on power lines in the foreshore reserve of the Coffs
Harbour harbour.
Peter Higgins

        
Thu 16 Sep      Tawny Grassbird Penrith Swamp
Saw one near football field grandstand, which is directly backing onto
swamp. It's the first record at the site for me as well as for my list
overall. Also had Zebra Finches, lots of Fairy Martins collecting mud
for nests, Dusky Woodswallows (6+) and one of the adult Swamp Harriers
(presumably male) was still performing its magical aerial displays that
I reported on the 11th (also observed both again on the 12th around
11:00).
Ákos Lumnitzer

        
Wed 15 Sep      Glossy Black Cockatoo King Creek, Wauchope
Two Glossy Black Cockatoos flew over our street late in the afternoon.
Clive Meadows & Louise Earnshaw

        
        Cockatiel Quakers hill
Seen at Quakers hill near the train station perched on overhead line,
probably an escapee but not sure.
Mark Clayton

        
        Brown Goshawk Menangle Park
One bird seen flying over the M5 mid-afternoon.
Lorne Johnson

        
        Rainbow Bee-eaters Hastings River, Wauchope
The first I've seen returning to nest in the riverbank this season.
Ian Kerr

        
        Sacred Kingifisher Cranebrook, private property
Finally, after much anticipation, I heard my first Sacred Kingfisher
calling non-stop this spring morning while I was feeding our horse at a
private property near Castlereagh Nature Reserve.
Ákos Lumnitzer

        
        Mangrove Gerygone Waterbird Refuge, Bicentennial Park, Homebush
Bay, Sydney
Single bird heard in mangroves near tidal inflow to refuge pond. Also
Rufous Whistler heard and 40 Bar-tailed Godwits present.
Dion Hobcroft

        
Tue 14 Sep      Australian Brush Turkey Frenches Forest
Today walking home I scored myself another semi-rarity! I saw a male as
I was walking home today, then I grabbed the Camera and the Tripod and
found a female! I got some good shots, and then it moved on. But great
birds, according to the person near where I found them, they are like
her little pets, Resident and semi-tame, Trying to get better pics
tomorrow!
Nathan Ruser

        
Mon 13 Sep      Glossy Black Cockatoo; Chestnut-rumped Heathwren
Ku-ring-gai Chase
A pair of Glossies were chomping on their favourite food on the Topham
Track c. 200-300 m. in from the West Head Rd. A Chestnut-rumped
Heathwren was kind enough to linger on the track near the beginning of
the Mackerel Beach Service Track.
Ted Nixon

        
        GreyGoshawk Nepean River Yarramundi
I had two separate sightings of Grey Goshawks within about 600m of each
other today along the Nepean River at Yarramundi. The first was a grey
phase bird at the junction of the Grose River and the second was a white
phase bird (pictured) along the river south of the bridge.
Mark Ley

        
        Australian Koel, White-headed Pigeons Wauchope area
This morning, on our daily walk along King Creek Rd, we twice flushed a
male Koel from roadside vegetation. Whilst they may be about now, we
haven't yet heard any calling. This afternoon whilst in Wauchope town,
we saw 20-30 White-headed Pigeons fly low across the main street (Oxley
Hwy).
Clive Meadows & Louise Earnshaw

        
        Eastern Koel Frenches Forest
My first Koel of the season... also my best view! Another species of
Note was that the Powerful Owl at the Botanic Gardens wasn't there on
Saturday. Despite many attemps and help from the Staff I could not find
the Owl, there was also no-one who saw it (that I know of) on Saturday.
Lets hope it hasn't moved on
Nathan Ruser

        
        Eastern Curlew Bensville, North Street
8 roosting on old oyster leases at high tide.
Warren Brown

        
        Channel-billed Cuckoo Bonnie Vale Camping Ground, Bundeena,
Royal National Park
One bird heard calling around 5.30pm. This was the first time this
season I have heard this bird in the Bundeena area.
Deryk Engel

        
        Channel-billed Cuckoo & Koel Cuckoo Central Coast & Hunter
Regions
Joshua Bergmark, was slightly off the mark when he said that the
Channel-bill at Mosman was the 4th Report this spring. There have been
many records for the Hunter Region since 2/9/10 and on the Central Coast
at Springfield 3/9, Pickettes Valley and Kincumber 9/9 & Bateau Bay 10/9
as well as the Sydney records So we can saftely assume that they have
now arrived in force and we don't need to publish any more reports!
Koels are in a similar situation, being seen/heard at Springfield (Paul
Shelley) and Bateau Bay (Anne Morris) 9/9. although as yet not as common
at Channel-bills so we will leave the lines open on Koels for a few more
days!
Alan Morris, Moderator

        
Sun 12 Sep      Painted Honeyeater, White-backed Swallow Martindale
Valley (south of Denman)
Single male Painted HE at Medhurst Bridge along Martindale Ck yesterday.
The mistletoe is flowering and fruiting so conditions looking good for
more to follow. Also 5 White-backed Swallows at the site described at
sighting #13593. Photo by Allan Richardson.
Mick and Steve Roderick, Allan Richardson, Dan Williams

        
        Regent Bowerbird Krambach NSW
A male Regent Bowerbird had a drink at our birdbath. We have seen him a
few times over the past 2 months.
Kim Gillen

        
Sat 11 Sep      Eastern Koel Acacia Gardens, NSW (approx. 5km Nth of
Blacktown CBD)
Saw and hear my first Koel for the season early Saturday afternoon. The
male was seen calling in its favourite tree and also briefly heard a
female.
Edwin Vella

        
        Gull-billed Tern Nericon Swamp, Griffith
10 birds observed at swamp with 35 Whiskered Tern.
David Parker

        
        Spotted Harrier Bakers Lagoon
A single bird seen flying low over the vegetation, occasionally landing
before flying off again.
Mark Young

        
        Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) Pitt Town Lagoon
A single bird seen along the eastern fenceline. Easily discernable white
speckled feathers and grey breast, yellow legs.
Mark Young

        
Wed 1 Sep       Black Bittern Manly Lagoon
I was informed today (17/9) that two Warringah Council surveyers found a
Black Bittern two weeks ago in the large open area of Manly Lagoon (off
Lakeside Crescent). I have only seen a Black Bittern here once (which
was a few months ago), but maybe it was not just a one-off visitor. On
another note, I have not recently seen the juv. Striated Heron (which
has been hanging around here for a year or so), so I guess it has
probably moved on.
Warringah Council per Joshua Bergmark

        

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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