Birdline Victoria Weekly Update

Birdline Victoria

Published sightings for the week ending 10 Apr 2011.

Sun 10 Apr	Buff-banded Rail Esplanade East and Beaconsfield Pde, Port Melbourne time: 5.04pm In thick native garden at junction of Esplanade East and Beaconsfield Parade. The Council Garden was only planted about 2 years ago, and is a 50m long triangular strip planted with White (Coastal) Correa, Cushion bush, Ficinia nodosa, Hop Goodenia, Coast Banksias and native tussock grasses. Rail popped out as we were walking through the tussocks, and foraged for a while in the strip of lawn beside the road but disappeared back into the tussocks soon after. Hopefully he/she will avoid busy Beach Road and move on to a safer site. It certainly does demonstrate the value of local native plantings, even if small! (1). Janine Duffy, Roger Smith
	Red-capped Plover, Swamp Harrier, Flame Robin Serendip Sanctuary, Lara Red-capped Plover: The first time we've seen a Red-capped Plover at Serendip - it was with about 20 Black-fronted Dotterels near the Emu feeding station on North Arm. Swamp Harrier: This was the first Swampie we've seen at Serendip for almost 18 months. Flame Robin: Woodland behind dam wall - a very uncommon visitor to Serendip - this being our second recording. Paul Dodd & Ruth Woodrow
	Speckled Warbler, Southern Boobook Long Forest Nature Conservation Reserve Accidently flushed a Southern Boobook on Happy Valley track this morning. Also saw up to 4 pairs of Speckled Warbler in heath along Old House track. Nicole Spillane & Paul Jacobson
Sat 9 Apr	Little Button-quail Little Desert Nat Park, Koonik Track Female flushed from in front of vehicle and then observed briefly at close range. Richard & Margaret Alcorn
	Rose Robin Bartley's Block, Chiltern One male Rose Robin seen. Also Peaceful Dove (2), Speckled Warbler (6) and two stunning male Red-capped Robins.. And plenty of Garden and Golden Orb-Weaving Spiders, so watch out for their webs! Martin Dwelly
	Spotted Harrier Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Met Maxime Zucca at Beach Rd and he spotted the Spotted Harried on the eastern side of Lake Borrie. Jackson Airey
	Plumed Whistling-Duck Serendip Sanctuary, Lara One bird seen on Farm dam, hiding on bank in lignum. Unsure whether this is one of the pair that was present earlier in the year, or a new bird. Paul Dodd & Ruth Woodrow
	Diamond Dove Nagambie 10' Cell Section of Forest adjacent to private property along Rushworth/ Nagambie Rd. Heard then saw 3 Peaceful Doves , first time I've seen or heard here , then got a great surprise to see 3 Diamond Doves, 1 Male and 2 Females , didn't look like young birds. The Diamond Doves were staying close to 2 Peaceful Doves. Colin Mulvogue
	Fork tailed Swift, Powerful Owl Werribee Group of 20+ swifts seen hawking insects over my house in suburban Werribee. Freshly killed and half eaten Ring tailed Possom underneath a large pine (as well as piles of plucked fur) indicate there is a Powerful Owl active at the Werribee Park gardens. Paul Randall (wingsonwire.com)
Fri 8 Apr	Australian Shelduck Kamarooka North Swamp 50. Also Black Swans with young, Masked Lapwing, Yellow-billed and Royal Spoonbill. Malcolm Cousland
	White-necked Heron St Kilda (Fitzroy Street) Soaring above the street, at 9 am Maxime Zucca
	Flame Robin, Gilbert's Whistler, Shy Heathwren(many) Kamarooka section of Greater Bendigo NP, Bendigo Block. A single female Flame Robin was seen in a loose mixed feeding flock along Camp Rd. A young male Gilbert's Whistler was seen along Millwood Rd, and Shy Heathwren were commonly heard and seen in all mallee areas. A handful of White-fronted Honeyeater were along Campbell Rd between Tennyson Rd & Millwood Rd. No Black-chinned Honeyeater seen or heard. Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
	Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Mt Ida section of Heathcote-Greytown NP, Bendigo Block A single bird that was very furtive and only offering extremely brief views, halfway along Mt Ida Rd. Big mixed feeding flock in area including Speckled Warbler also. Several Diamond Firetail down by entance area. Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
	Brown Goshawk Watsonia Found this eyeing my Canary this morning roosting on our birdfeeder lucky it stayed around long enough for me to take a couple of photo's. I have a feeling it lives in the large tree in our yard as I occasionally find masses of bird feathers under it. Good to see this thriving in our area. Mark Pipolo
	White-necked Heron Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne A single bird on the edge of one of the islands in the ornamental lake seen at around 1pm today. Glenn Boyd
Thu 7 Apr	Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Southern Emu-wren Shipwreck Creek, Mallacoota Large numbers of Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters and Southern Emu-wrens were noted on the heathlands this morning. A White- eared Honeyeater near the day picnic ground and sightings of Brown-headed Honeyeaters and a Crested Shrike-tit near the commencement of the walk to Seal Creek added to the interesting observations made by our EGBOC members today. EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Plumed Whistling-Duck Tungamah Swamp A pair seen by a dam, to the west of the southern side of the swamp. Michael Ramsey
	Sacred Kingfisher Avalon; cnr. Pousties & Beach Roads 1 present all day, perched on & feeding from power lines. Gordon McCarthy, Hugo Phillipps, Tom Fletcher
	Painted Button-Quail Balwyn East.Vic. Located in Post Office Box Alcove at Balwyn East. Flew strongly over shops to houses behind. Corrie & Ian Macartney.
Wed 6 Apr	Beautiful Firetail, Wedge-tailed Eagle, 'Heathland Walk", Mallacoota 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles ( including a juvenile ) were observed flying low over the coastal dunes this afternoon. A Beautiful Firetail near Davies Creek was also seen by a number of our club members. EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Hooded Plover Betka River ocean beach A pair of Hooded Plovers were observed on the ocean beach to the east of the entrance which has just recently opened after heavy rains in the area. EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Ground Parrot, Striated Fieldwren, Southern Emu-wren Mallacoota Airfield Highlights from this morning's visit included 18+ Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters, extended sightings of 4 Southern Emu-wrens, 2 Ground Parrots and a Striated Fieldwren. Large numbers of Australasian Pipits were also observed in the short grass adjacent to the runway along with a Stubble Quail nest. NOTE: Permission is definitely required for any access to restricted areas within the airfield EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Nankeen Kestrel Docklands 3.30pm swooping below Bolte Bridge at Footscray Road (1). Peter Booth
	White-fronted Honeyeater Kamarooka State Forest Lots of bush birds near Campbells Dam on Campbell Road, mostly in regenerated bush burnt 3 years ago. Lots of Yellow-tufted and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. Also saw Eastern Spinebill, Purple-crowned Lorikeets, White-browed Babblers and Golden Whistler (among others). Murray Chambers
	Gang-gang Cockatoo Buninyong 5 birds, including 2 adult males, feeding in Messmate and Scentbark in Heathy Dry Forest south of Buninyong, near Ballarat. Unusual record for district. Grant Palmer
Tue 5 Apr	Eastern Reef Egret, Hooded Plover, Sooty Oystercatcher Quarry Beach, Mallacoota A pair of Eastern Reef Egrets ( grey morph ), 2 Sooty Oystercatchers and a Hooded Plover were observed at Quarry Beach during our EGBOC camp this week. EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Australasian Pipit Point Ormond, Elwood Four Australasian Pipits seen late in the afternoon on the recently mown grass around the navigation marker on the low headland. My last sighting of this species here was a single bird in April 2005. Also at least 6 Grey Fantails in some she-oaks nearby. Andrew McCutcheon
	Collared Sparrowhawk, Yellow-faced Honeyeater Royal Park, Parkville A couple of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters in the old nursery site near the hockey stadium. Two Collared Sparrowhawk harassing a flock of Pied Currawong near corner of Elliot Ave and the tram line. Nicole Spillane & Paul Jacobson
	Black-shouldered Kite YouYangs/Lara 3 Black-shouldered Kites roosting in a pine tree on Plains Road Lara near the foot of the YouYangs. They were keeping out of the midday sun having some rest. 2 flew off when I stopped, however one stayed for a photo. Raoul Symons
Mon 4 Apr	Grey Goshawk, Rufous Fantail Mallacoota Waste Water Treatment Plant During this afternoon's visit a Grey Goshawk ( white morph ) provided our EGBOC members with uninterrupted and prolonged views from a prominent perch in the forest surrouding this site. 3 Restless Flycatchers, 3 Australasian Shovelers and a Rufous Fantail were also noted among the 52 observations made by our members during our extended visit to this site. NOTE: Site is not open to the general public. EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Leaden Flycatcher, Black-faced Monarch, Rose Robin "Casuarina Walk" Mallacoota During this morning's ramble, the following interesting observations were made; 2 Leaden Flycatchers, 1 Black-faced Monarch ( f ) and a Rose Robin. EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Sooty Oystercatcher, Little Egret, Double-banded Plover Bastion Point and Develin's Lagoon, Mallacoota A pair of Sooty Oystercatchers were seen on a number of occasions on the rock platforms adjacent to the boatramp and pairs of Little Egrets and Double-banded Plovers were observed on the sand flats inside the entrance. Reports of Bar-tailed Godwits in breeding plumage were also noted by our group. EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Blue-winged Parrot East St Kilda One heard flying over at night. This is the third Autumn in a row, I have had records of this species in the same manner. Sean Dooley
	Nankeen Kestrel, Rock Dove, Crested Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Brown Goshawk Caribbean Lake Nankeen Kestrel: (1). Rock Dove: (1). Crested Pigeon: (2). Spotted Dove: (1). Brown Goshawk: (1). 3 Columbidae spp. feeding as a group. Brown Goshawk swooping and causing massive panic among Purple Swamp Hen who had young. pm. overcast. Peter Booth
	Great Shearwater Portland Pelagic A number of Great Shearwaters were seen off Portland on Sunday 3rd April on the monthly BOCA pelagic. A full report will be coming out soon but I thought it worth alerting the birding community. Possibly 8 individuals were seen and up to 6 at one time. They approached and settled when burlying. The first bird was seen a few km south of Lawrence Rocks and the main group out at the continental shelf edge. Anecdotal evidence from the skipper is that similar birds have been seen recently just off Lawrence Rocks. (Also seen Gould's Petrel and 5 species of Albatross including Buller's and Wandering. TDolby) BA Vic Pelagic per Mark Stanley
	Nankeen Night-Heron Loddon Weir Kerang 12 along the river - adults and immature. Also 7 Great Egret and 2 Intermediate Egret. Malcolm Cousland
Sun 3 Apr	Scarlet Robin, Southern Bobook Shady Gully, Mallacoota A female Scarlet Robin was observed within the burnt area of the Shady Gully Bushland reserve during our recent EGBOC camp at Mallacoota. A Southern Boobook was also heard calling from the gully below the neaby caravan park. EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Red-capped Robin Mia Mia rd Newstead Vic Seen sitting on the fence at about 5 in the evening. John Alexander
	Great Shearwater At sea SW of Portland photo attached P S Lansley et al.
	Great Shearwater (8), Gould's Petrel (2), Southern Skua (1). At sea SW of Portland On BA VicGroup pelagic, up to 8 Great Shearwaters (six together at shelf break and two about 9 NMi SW of Lawrence Rocks), two Gould's Petrels (one in primary moult) at shelf break. A Southern (Brown) Skua inshore - probably first for year in the district. P S Lansley et al.
	Black Swan Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Total of four swans on nests. Two collared females seen: X22 and H36. Debbie Lustig
	Speckled Warbler, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Diamond Firetail Long Forest Nature Conservation Reserve, Melton A quiet Sunday outing to Long Forest with cool winds and overcast conditions making the birding a bit slow. Highlights were a Speckled Warbler associating with a mixed flock of thornbills and fairy-wrens at the Happy Valley Track carpark and a distant Diamond Firetail at the end of Djerriwarrh Track in the SE of the reserve. The Parks Victoria visitors information sheet (see link) was useful for navigation in and out of these locations. Kaye Trainor and Martin O'Brien
	Cattle Egret, Common Tern, Little Tern, Bar-tailed Godwit etc Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Nice few hours at the end of the day. 11 Cattle Egrets at the southern end of T-Section. 3 Common Terns at Kirk Point, along with hundreds of Red-necked Stints, some in breeding plumage (see photo). 3 Little Terns at rocks north of Beach Rd gate, another 10 or so small terns unidentified. Later Bar-tailed Godwit seen at same rocks, some in breeding plumage. 20 or so Australian Gannets diving and feeding off Kirk Point in feeding frenzy with Pied Cormorants, Crested Terns and Silver Gulls. Kevin Bartram
Fri 1 Apr	Azure Kingfisher, Wonga Pigeon and Superb Lyrebird. Genoa River fire trail Numerous sightings of the Wonga Pigeon and Superb Lyrebird were made along the whole length of this fire trail. The short walk down the the jetty at the end of this track also provided "close encounters" with a pair of very obliging Azure Kingfishers EGBOC members per Len Axen
	Spotted Quail-thrush Heathcote-Graytown NP single bird sighted on eastern edge of NP on Mt Black Quarry Road Ian & Annie Mayo
Thu 31 Mar	Great Shearwater Portland and Bass Strait Additional sightings of Great Shearwaters SSE of Portland and in Bass Strait. On 31 March, 01 April and 02 April passengers and crew aboard the Topsail Schooner Enterprize on a voyage from Portland to Williamstown observed small numbers of Great Shearwaters alongside the ship. The birds were first observed as the ship headed SSE from Portland and passed abeam of Lawrence Rocks. Thereafter the shearwaters were observed approximately hourly during daylight on 31 March and 01 April as the ship neared the continental shelf and then headed eastwards into Bass Strait. The maximum number of birds at any one time was 10 (near the shelf); 1-3 was the usual number. The birds circled the ship, flew alongside and occasionally settled on the water. Birds were sighted less frequently in the waters to the north of King Island on 02 April. The attached photograph by Colin Brookes, Master of the Enterprize, was taken SSE of Portland on 31 March. Tracey-Ann Hooley
Sun 27 Mar	Family of Whistling Kites Seaford area Five Whistling Kites in the one nesting area, parents teaching young ones from what we saw. Awesome sight and so graceful. Tracey Wood and Pete Mitchell

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