Birdline NSW Weekly Update

Birdline NSW

Published sightings for the week ending 6 Mar 2011.

Sun 6 Mar	black bittern longneck lagoon, Scheyville national park excellent sighting of a black bittern from the bridge on the south side of longneck lagoon. lorna bloom and ted blackman
	Powerful Owl Royal National Park Seen on the Mount Bass fire Trail with possum in its talons, could be the same bird that was sighted at Wattle flat the previous week. Anthony Katon
	Australian Painted Snipe, Freckled Duck North of Wanganella area, Deniliquin district One of the Australian Painted Snipe seen on 26 February seen again today as well as a pair of Freckled Duck, a Blue-billed Duck and a Little Eagle north of Wanganella. Philip Maher
Sat 5 Mar	Masked Owl, White-throated Nightjar Dharug NP, (near Wisemans Ferry) - approx. 70-80 km NW of Sydney CBD Within half hour after getting dark, we had 5 nocturnal bird species including a Masked Owl calling then seen flying overhead in our spotlight beam. The Masked Owl was also heard several times later in the evening as it made its way through the valley. We also had in that first half hour at least one White-throated Nightjar (heard only and calling a number of times), a Boobook, 1 or 2 Tawny Frogmouths and a few Owlet-nightjars. We also had a number of mammals including at least 3 Sugar Gliders, Yellow-bellied Gliders (a few heard calling), Brushtail Possums (heard), Swamp Wallaby (heard), various bats (seen), Long-nosed Bandicoots (heard) and a Common Wombat was seen on our way out some time after 10 pm. The Masked Owl was the second one I have seen in the Hawkesbury area this year. Edwin Vella and Tony Dawe
	Grey Goshawk Mangrove Mountain - NSW Central Coast We saw one late in the afternoon flying over an open paddock and then land in radiata pines than pounce on and catch a mouse (I managed to photograpgh all this action). Edwin Vella and Tony Dawe
	Bush Stone-curlews Saratoga - NSW Central Coast We looked for Bush Stone-curlews at a few sites that I know but only heard one calling from mangroves at Saratoga and saw the remains of one a few metres away from the calling bird, which was most likely was taken by a fox! I last saw a pair at Saratoga about 10 years ago and on 2 occasions. It does not appear to be good for the Central coast Bush Stone-curlews. Edwin Vella and Tony Dawe
	Wandering Tattler Soldier's Pt - Norah Head, NSW The Wandering Tattler was still present and in non-breeding plumage along with a Grey-tailed Tattler (in breeding plumage), a Double-banded Plover, 2 Pacific Golden Plovers, 15 plus Ruddy Turnstones, 10 Curlew Sandpipers, 20 plusRed-necked Stints and 2 Sooty Oystercatchers. Edwin Vella and Tony Dawe
	Spangled Drongo and Rock Warblers Pearl Beach - NSW Central Coast 1 or 2 Spangled Drongos seen from the back off Crystal Ave. Also 6 Rock Warblers, and in the Bay, 5 juv. White-bellied Sea-eagles were seen flying together. Edwin Vella and Tony Dawe
	Grey (White) Goshawk, Yellow-billed Spoonbill Kurrajong Hills, Marsden Park A white phase Grey Goshawk with grey bird hawking over the garden at Kurrajong Hills. Grey birds are resident here but this is only my 2nd local sighting of a white phase in 12 years. Also Wedge-tailed Eagle pair. At Marsden Park a single Yellow-billed Spoonbill alongside Richmond Rd. Eric Finley
	Streaked Shearwater and Black-browed Albatross Mistral Point, Maroubra Seen today were : 1 Streaked, 1 Flesh-footed, 3 Fluttering, 1 Sooty, 150 Wedge-tailed and 250 Short-tailed Shearwaters. A Black-browed Albatross went North, then South, 4 Caspian Terns, 3 Kelp Gulls and plenty of Australasian Gannets were also observed. David Mitford and Ray Gobbe
	Great Shearwater Pelagic off Eden A Great Shearwater was seen on the COG pelagic today off Eden. Apparently the bird came right in and was sitting on the water right next to the boat. Quite a few Albatross were seen as well, including 2 Buller's. Dan Mantle per Mick Roderick
Fri 4 Mar	Buff-banded Rail Homebush, Wentworth Common Seen at 09.20 hrs at the Eastern Water Quality Control Pond near the car park. Showing well out in the open on the small mud flat nearest the viewing area before disappearing into the reed beds at the far side. John Emmett
	Streaked Shearwaters Mistral Point, Maroubra At last some birds ! 3 Streaked Shearwaters, 1 Flesh-footed Shearwater, 3 Fluttering Shearwaters, 70 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, 3 Short-tailed Shearwaters, 1 Arctic Jaeger, 3 Pomarine Jaegers and 95 Australasian Gannets. Saturday looks good at this stage. David Mitford
	Yellow-billed Spoonbill Pitt Town Lagoon 1 Yellow-billed Spoonbill at a very full Pitt Town Lagoon. First one I've seen in Sydney since January 2009 - a sign that it's drying up inland perhaps? (Dont tell residents of Corowra, Barham, Wakool, Wentworth - all have current flood warnings! - Moderator) No shorebirds of any description to be seen. Troy Mutton
Thu 3 Mar	Square-tailed Kite Oakhurst Square(ish) tailed Kite seen at 10.45 while hanging out washing. I was able to grab a camera and comparing condition it looks like the same individual photographed by Edwin (and reported by me) last month. mark fuller
Wed 2 Mar	Lewin's Rail Tuggerah Creek, Pioneer Dairy Wetlands, Tuggerah While surveying the banks of Tuggerah Creek for birds and about to cross a little bridge, a Lewin's Rail ran across the track the other side of the bridge and by the time i had realised what I had seen, another Lewin's Rail crossed the track and then flew some distance along the waterway. There are no previous records for Lewin's Rail for the Reserve in 13 years, and the species is only rarely reported on the Central Coast. Alan Morris
Tue 1 Mar	Plumed Whistling Duck Milton (Sth coast) A single P.W. Duck is hanging around various small ponds in the company of some Wood Ducks at Garrard Lane at Milton. Last seen at noon today at a small pond in the corner at the intersection of the south section of Garrard lane and Matron Porter's Drive, east of the Milton traffic lights. It has been sighted in various places in the Ulladulla region over the last couple of weeks. Bob Rusk
Mon 28 Feb	Spotted Quail-thrush, Rufoue Fantail, Sprangled Drongo, Dollarbird Bents Basin SCA A very productive moning. The following birds observed: Spotted Quail-thush (2), Spangled Drongo (1), Rufous Fantail (2), Wonga Pigeon (everywhere), Restless Flycatcher, Dollarbird (2), Varied Sittella (3 seperate flocks. Everywhere fledglings. Ted Wnorowski
Sun 27 Feb	Lesser Sand Plover, Wandering Whistling Duck & Wedge-tailed Eagle Stockton Sandspit, Hunter Wetland Centre & Pambalong Swamp, Highlights of the regular outing by the Central Coast group of Birding NSW to the Hunter Region found 2 Wedge-atiled Eagles, 1 Brown Goshawk, a Swamp Harrier and 3 Whistling Kites at Pambalong Swamp, Minmi, and later 2 Wedgies, possibly the same birds at Leneghans Swamp where there was a White-bellied Sea-eagle. At Stockton Sandspit were 2 Lesser Sand Plovers, 12+ Terek Sandpipers and 8+ Grey-tailed Tattlers amongst the other waders; while at the Hunter Wetland Centre at Shortland, 5 Wandering Whistling Duck (see Laurie Smiths photo) and numerous juvenile egrets was a great sight. 92 species all up. Mike Kuhl, Alan Morris, Laurie Smith and 20 other Club members
	Streaked Shearwater and Long-tailed Jaeger 30klm out off Port Stephens 30klm out very few birds were encounted due to a very still day with wind only around 4-5 knots. once we started back in around 5.30pm we ssaw 1 Streaked Shearwater , 1 Long-tailed Jaeger feeding in a burley trail with about a dozen Wedge-tailed Sheartwaters. Brad Gabriel
	Square-tailed Kite Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park near F3 freeway, Asquith One probable Square-tailed Kite fleetingly observed quartering east of the bottom of the "big dipper." Paul Burcher
	Spangled Drongo Botanic Gardens, Sydney One Spangled Drongo seen in tall shrub near cafe Paul Burcher & Jackie Reifenstein
	Musk Duck Dunn's Swamp (Wollemi National Park) A Pair of Musk Ducks seemed to be the only waterfowl on the lake, but there were some other nice birds, Rockwarbler for example! Nathan Ruser
Sat 26 Feb	Scarlet Robin Campbell's Swamp, Griffith An adult male and a juvenile bird were observed at the edge of the swamp. This record is well west (80+ kms) of where this species is typically found along the Murrumbidgee River valley to which the species occurs during winter months. David Parker
Mon 21 Feb	Freckled Duck (nesting) Macquarie Marshes, Monkeygar Swamp Female Freckled Duck with three ducklings observed on the western side of Monkeygar Swamp near Gibson's Way. Bill Johnson & Mike Maher via Tim Hosking
Thu 17 Feb	Powerful Owl Jamieson Park A single bird was seen by a friend of mine, Could these be the Irrawong Birds? Further Information takes me to a map... Nathan Ruser, found by Robert Gibbs

Birdline NSW is sponsored by Birding NSW, Birds Australia - Southern NSW & ACT and Cumberland Bird Observers Club and co-ordinated and hosted by Eremaea Birds.

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