Hello Carol and everyone
I agree, when I was last in the valley 9/10 October, we heard two Rufous
Songlarks at the Genolan Bridge area but I can't recall any near the
cottage on Brymair, Dunville Loop, or elsewhere. They are usually so
insistent and loud everywhere! and one hears them as driving along the
roads.
Rufous Fantails, we had 3 at Saltwater Creek, Old Bar, just south of
Taree on 29 September. I guess as other people have suggested, the birds
are out west taking advantage of the drought breaking and abundant
choice of food and breeding sites.
In the Capertee Valley last week I saw a few Singing Bushlarks and
heard one Stubble Quail, but many of the other migrants do seem to
have been drawn further inland. We're seeing very few White-winged
Trillers, I haven't found a Painted Honeyeater yet this season (they
usually arrive in mid-Sept), and not a single White-browed or Masked
Woodswallow. Rufous Songlarks are present but not in anywhere near the
numbers they are in some years, and no Brown seen.
As for ducks, the Lithgow sewage ponds have been completely devoid of
Pink-eared for some months now, and more recently the Blue-billed
Ducks have disappeared.
Mick's comment regarding the Banded Lapwings is interesting.
Consistent with this we had an unexpected sighting of 4 Banded
Lapwings on Aarons Pass Road just south of Pyramul on 17th October
with a Follow That Bird group. This is in the tablelands in the region
south of Mudgee.
Up here in the wet forests of the Blue Mountains, strangely I have not
recorded a single Rufous Fantail this season. Have others been seeing
them? They must be around somewhere.
Cheers,
Carol
At 10:48 PM +1100 27/10/10, Mick Roderick wrote:
Hi Keith,
As far as I can tell thus far there have been no reports of
WwTrillers in the Hunter either. In the lead-up to the Twitchathon I
have been searching for both Songlarks / Bushlark in their usual
haunts and have come up empty-handed. There was one report of Rufous
Songlark from near Sandy Hollow about a month ago but this has been
the only one to date. I have spent a lot of time in their usual spots
recently without anything.
We might have more success in the extreme west of the valley, around
Goulburn River NP, this weekend. (fingers crossed)
I did think that I heard Stubble Quail around Morpeth recently, but
it was windy and possibly a trick of wishful thinking. One thing that
is noteworthy is that I counted 17 Banded Lapwings near Morpeth on
Sunday. Why would these guys be here in numbers yet so many others
that prefer to be "west" absent?
To add to your absentee list (migrant-wise), there has been no sign
of Whiskered Terns either. White-browed / Masked Woodswallows have
barely been reported in NSW, let alone in sub-coastal areas.
There have been no Red-kneed Dotterel or Pink-eared Duck (aside from
one rogue bird on an inaccessible dam) either, since pretty much Dec
27 2009. Native-hens same (and there were numerous here pre-NYE).
At least you guys have had a Wood Sands or two!
A few people have commented to me about raptors and when I think
about it, it's been a long time since I've even seen a Brown Falcon
in the Hunter (though I'm sure they're here, but surely in lesser
numbers).
It will make for an interesting Twitchathon.
Mick
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Keith Brandwood <>
To: birdingaus <>
Sent: Wed, 27 October, 2010 3:27:47 PM
Subject: [Birding-Aus] some migrants missing
Hello everyone, This year in the Hawkesbury looks as though we are
going to miss out on the White winged Trillers, Brown,and Rufous
Songlarks, Singing Bushlark and Stubble Quail I have looked long and
hard but have not as yet recorded any of them. They are usually early
arrivals here. Any one else seen any of them. Then again why would
you fly to the Hawkesbury when conditions inland are probably as good
if not better. Although I dot ever remember a year when they did not
come?
the beautiful Hawkesbury 60km N/W of Sydney
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