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Birdline Victoria Weekly Update

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Subject: Birdline Victoria Weekly Update
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Date: 18 Apr 2011 01:30:57 +1000

Birdline Victoria

Published sightings for the week ending 17 Apr 2011.

Sun 17 Apr Great Shearwater Port Fairy Pelagic
Seen very close around the boat at the shelf (1).
Alan Crawford

Blue-billed Duck, Australasian Darter Troups Creek Wetland
A female Blue-billed Duck with 4 ducklings and 3 Australasian Darter (1m, 2f) were the highlights of a quick visit to this spot.
Jackson Airey

Australian Spotted Crake Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, behind the Spit
A single bird feeding in the company of a Buff-banded Rail. Lewin's Rail seen briefly in the usual spot and Apotless crakes heard in several places
Hedley and Irena Earl

Sanderling, Eastern Curlew & Flame Robin Mud Islands, Port Phillip Bay
The Sanderling is still present on Mud Islands. Other highlights one Eastern Curlew, 8 Common Greenshank, a single Red Knot (Werribee orange leg flag) in full breeding plumage, 150 Red-necked Stint, approx 40 Double-banded Plover, 2 Flame Robins and 2 Buff-banded Rails. Also a Whistling Kite, 2 Swamp Harriers and a Little Penguin offshore.
John Barkla & Annette Hatten

Great Knot & Red Knot Pope's Eye, Port Phillip Bay
One Great Knot and approx 30 Red Knot roosting on the breakwater of Pope's Eye
John Barkla & Annette Hatten + Friends of Mud Islands

Swift Parrot, White-backed Swallow, Scarlet Robin, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Great Crested Grebe Winton Wetlands
A superb morning at the wetlands. Highlights were 2 Swift Parrots shooting past over the woodland along Lake Mokoan Rd. Two firsts for this site were a Scarlet Robin in a small woodland patch and 2 White-backed Swallows near the duck pond. At the boat ramp and light morph White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and 3 Great Crested Grebes rounded off a fantastic morning of birding.
Michael Ramsey

New Holland Honeyeater Warby-Ovens National Park (Salisbury Falls)
Eight observed in a private garden on the edge of the park near Salisbury Falls. My first and only record observing around the Warbies in 15 years. They were quite noisy and conspicuous feeding in planted banksias and grevilleas. Not a rare bird elsewhere in Victoria, but they are generally absent from the lower North-East part of the state.
Michael Ramsey

Swift Parrots Muckleford & Sandy Creek Road Maldon
Still approx 15 birds hanging around at Muckleford, and one swifty this afternoon in Maldon feeding on Grey Box
Debbie Worland

Brown Quail Karkarook Park
Flushed from rank vegetation and later heard calling. My first record from this site after a few years of regular surveys.
Tim Bawden

Flame Robin Banyule Flats Reserve
Good numbers in large mixed-species flock including at least four adult males (15).
John Gray

Sat 16 Apr Gould's Petrel, enormous numbers of Fairy Prion Port Fairy Pelagic
A Gould's Petrel was seen on a Port Fairy pelagic (run by Birdswing Birding & Wildlife Tours). Also seen was an unidentified Shearwater (possibly Great 12 km from shore), as well as enormous numbers of Fairy Prion (1000+ mainly offshore between 10 km to the shelf), Buller's (1), Wandering (1), Shy (50+), Black-browed (20+), Yellow-nosed (2) Albatross, Northern Giant-Petrel (1), Sooty Shearwater, Wilson's (10), Grey-backed (30) , White-faced (20) Storm-Petrel, Brown Skua (1), White-fronted Tern (1), several flocks of Australian Shelduck, and two dead Albatross on the water. [Note above: Great Shearwater was seen the today (17 April 2011) on Port Fairy pelagic (run by Birdswing Birding & Wildlife Tours].
Port Fairy Pelagic (Neil Macumber et al) per Tim Dolby

Pilotbird, Rose Robin, Superb Lyrebird, Red-browed Treecreeper, Lewin's & Crescent Honeyeaters Kinglake NP & Toolangi
Mountain Creek Track in Kinglake NP and Myrtle Track and Mt Leonard Tracks at Toolangi showed a pleasing recovery in bird numbers post the fires.
John Barkla & Fred Smith

Pink Robin Blackburn Lake
One female seen on Bursaria Track.
Richard & Margaret Alcorn

Fri 15 Apr White-necked Heron Westgate Park
Bird allowed approach to within 10m in fresh water lake about 5pm
Andrew Wood

Black-winged Stilt Coburg
Two Black-winged Stilt heard flying above, west to east at 22:00, between O'heas and Gaffney Street, Coburg.
Inka Veltheim

Spotless Crake, Lewin's Rail & Arctic Jaeger Western Treatment Plant, Werribee
Spotless Crakes seem to be very numerous and widespread on WTP with todays in yet a different area to those I have reported previously. The Spotless Crakes, Lewin's Rail and an Arctic Jaeger (very close to Borrie Outlet) being best birds for a half day at the WTP. Also 4 separate Buff-banded Rails.
John Barkla

Inland Dotterel Rupanyup area
2 Inland Dotterels on fallow paddock being prepared for sowing. Allowed very close approach with tractor and seeder and later with ute.
Ian Morgan

Grey Fantail, Pied Currawong Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne
Grey Fantail: Many. Saw two separate groups of 3-4 individuals each. Haven't seen this species here before.. Pied Currawong: Heard. Saw a group of three Currawongs earlier today nearby at the cnr. George St and Punt Rd. .
Rohan Long

Rose Robin Wilby
First sighting for Wilby. A young male with a patchy rose breast seen high up in a Grey Box with thornbills and Grey Fantails. Perhaps on migration, or has wandered a little further north and west from its usual wintering areas. Has been seen along the Ovens River and Killawarra Forest to the east and south before.
Michael Ramsey

Swift Parrot Tarneit Rd, Hoppers Crossing
10 flew overhead around 8am, heading north
Dave Torr

Thu 14 Apr Little Button-quail, Banded Lapwing, Plumed Whistling-Duck Terrick Terrick NP Grasslands
Eight or more Little Button-quail flushed along with many Stubble Quail from native grasslands north of Leahys Lane along Kow Swamp Rd. No Red-chested BQ reported despite four hours of trudging through tall and dense grass. Also there on dam a pair of Plumed Whistling-Duck with 6 young and a Banded Lapwing fly-over.
Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder

Cape Barren Goose Lake Tyers
Single bird feeding on lake edge opposite pub
Josh Revell

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Greater Bendigo National Park
Large flock of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes (~60 and mostly juveniles) massing on edge of forested area together with Dusky Woodswallows. Lots of Yellow-faced and Fuscous Honeyeaters together with Red Wattlebirds constantly harrassed and chased these much larger birds, not allowing them to settle on the ground and feed. After an hour, they all moved on and the forest was completely silent again.
Murray Chambers

Flame Robin Point Ormond, Elwood
Three male Flame Robins were at the point late in the afternoon. Checked to see if they were still there the following morning (Friday 15/4), but they were gone.
Andrew McCutcheon

Little Corella Blackburn
A flock of 400+ Little Corella descended into the trees in my suburban street. Some were seen to be eating Liquid Amber seeds. In a nearby street the ground underneath the Liquid Ambers was strewn with dislodged conkers.
Margaret Alcorn

Yellow-billed Spoonbill Corner Westernport Fwy and Hall Road Carrum Downs
One bird seen in flooded paddock.
SUE KING

Blue-winged Parrot Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, northern side of the river
This bird is a juvenile Blue-winged Parrot and not an Orange-bellied Parrot. Note: olive green overall colour, yellow above eye, lots of blue in wing. [Moderator: OBPs have recently been spotted in SA, so please report any sightings of Neophema.]
Hedley Earl

Lewin's Rail WTP near sign to bird hide opposite Lake Borrie
At approximately 4pm this afternoon I obtained an excellent sighting of a Lewins Rail to add to the day's excitement after first seeing the OBP earlier
Hedley Earl

Southern Boobook, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Swift Parrot Boweya Forest
Southern Boobook: being mobbed by a group of thornbills and Brown-headed Honeyeaters along the Wangaratta Rd (1). Chestnut-rumped Thornbill: first record in 15 years of observing here, with a mixed thornbill group along the ridge at the north end of the forest (2). Swift Parrot: two on the north west side of the forest, maybe some more here, could not confirm, another two along Keenan Rd, all in flowering Mugga Ironbarks (4).
Michael Ramsey

Wed 13 Apr Laughing Kookaburra Queens Road (east of Albert Park Lake)
Seen on the footpath on Queens Road, immediately to the east of Albert Park Golf Course (and Lake). Between Leopold and Louise Streets. Around 8:00am. It seemed unconcerned by pedestrians on the footpath at that time. The first time I've seen this species in this area.
Paul Dodd

Painted Button-quail Serendip Sanctuary, Lara
Observed around 4:00pm between the grassland enclosure and the start of the 'walk' (the gate to the kangaroo and emu enclosure). The bird was walking slowly along the path. I had time to go back to the office, grab my camera and binoculars and come back to find it in the same location. As far as I can tell, this is the first record of this species at Serendip Sanctuary.
Ruth Woodrow

Little Button-quail Boweya North
One bird seen flying low over the Tungamah-Peechelba Rd, before landing in a patch of long paspalum grass by the roadside.
Michael Ramsey

Peregrine Falcon Byaduk Caves Western Victoria
1 Peregrine Falcon circling quite low. Numerous Red-browed Finch.
Raoul Symons

'black headed' Gull Western Treatment Plant
Whilst at the Western treatment Plant today with two friends we had a brief glimpse of what appeared to be a gull with a black head fly over our car as we were going north from the Beach Rd entrance towards the bird hide - the gull was heading south towards Kirk Pt. By the time we managed to turn the car around (the track was wet and slippery and we did not have a 4WD) the bird had disappeared. As I say - a very brief glimpse from a car but we are pretty certain it was a gull of some sort with a dark head, so hopefully visitors in the next few days might be able to track it down
Dave Torr per Tim Dolby

Diamond Firetail Kooyoora State Park (Glenalbyn block)
8 seen in paddock at southern edge of block. Also Musk, Purple-crowned and Little Lorikeets but no Swift Parrots.
Malcolm Cousland

Blue-winged Parrot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Greenshank, Sooty Oystercatcher,etc. Western Treatment Plant,(WTP) Werribee and surrounding area.
At WTP, seven(7) Blue-winged Parrot in T-Section Grasslands, east of 29 Mile Rd, just before Department of Defence gate. Three(3) Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage, two(2) Sooty Oystercatcher and forty nine(49) Pied Oystercatcher on sand spit in the Spit Nature Conservation Reserve. Thirteen(13) Common Greenshank in T-Section Lagoon area, also observed reasonable numbers of Zebra Finch, White-winged Black Tern and Red-necked Stint at the Plant. One Cattle Egret(1) south of Paradise Road with livestock. Three to four thousand(3,000 to 4,000) Australian Shelduck in paddock south-east corner of Beach and Pousties Rds, Point Wilson, in same area Little Eagle with young rabbit prey and two adult Wedge-tailed Eagles. Immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle, south off Avalon Beach.
Peter Gibbons, Christine Shelley and Dave Torr.

Wedge-tailed Eagle Eastlink
Pair of birds cruising low over Eastlink close to Ferntree Gully exit this morning.
Scott Baker

Tue 12 Apr Black Falcon Miller's Rd, 10km north of Yanac
Single bird hunting at edge between lucerne paddocks and mallee scrub
Geoff Park

Wonga Pigeon, Large-billed Scrubwren, Pilotbird, Southern Emu-wren, Rose Robin Glen Nayook NR, Tarago SP & Bunyip SP.
Lone Wonga Pigeon feeding in paddock adjacent to Glen Nayook NR. All grubby and stuff from grazing activities. Large-billed Scrubwren: several, Glen Nayook NR. A groovy Pilotbird along Link Track, Bunyip SP. Very inquisitive. Sorry Wendy. 3 Southern Emu-wren seen along Buttongrass Walk, Bunyip SP. Rose Robin were quite common with a male seen at Glen Nayook NR, and another male plus several others heard in Tarago SP. Also heard at Bunyip SP in two locations. Very calm and quiet in all forest areas today, with no rain and lots of sunny patches.
Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder

Cockatiel Reservoir, Melbourne
1 flying above High Street, calling, circling once and then disappearing eastwards. Escaped or wild ? After the storm of the morning, everything is possible...
Maxime Zucca

European Greenfinch Mt Pleasant, Ballarat.
Last seen this species 30 years ago at this site.
Warren Palmer.

Mon 11 Apr White-throated Treecreeper Lake Mournpall Campground, Hattah-Kulkyne NP
One lone White-throated Treecreeper was seen foraging in a Black Box beside the lake on a cold damp morning. This is well north of the normal range of distribution for this species in habitat more suitable for Brown TC, none of which were seen.
Andrew McCutcheon

Buff-banded Rail Newport, Melbourne
Dead adult bird found in our (suburban) garden, possibly killed by a cat.
Kelly Drinkwater

Hooded Plovers (pair), Double-banded Plovers, Red-necked Stints, Ruddy Turnstones (14) Black/Blue Rocks, Barwon Heads
No sign of the Pacific Golden Plovers previously reported by others(must have moved on), however were along this section of coast other birds as listed above, plus White-fronted Chat, Singing Honeyeater, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater and Australasian Gannet.
Claire & Ziigy Wolinski

Brown Quail Spandoni Reserve Yering
2 Brown Quail seen foraging on lower side of the walking track at park entrance. Very flighty, got about 30 meters away and they took off into thick grass on side of track. Also large flock of Red-browed Finch 50+ at park entrance
Alf Forbes

Swift Parrot, Wedge-tailed Eagle. Eastern Park, Geelong
At least 12 Swift Parrots burst out of canopy of Sugar Gum, in tight flock except for one bird that flew slightly higher than the rest. Birds lost from sight behind vegetation as they flew off in W direction (over Corio Bay?). One very pale Wedge-tailed Eagle circling high over western section of park, then drifted further to W. A few moments later a second bird, in slow glide passed to W. First record of this species in over 30 years of regular observation in this urban parkland on the eastern edge of city of Geelong.
Craig Morley

Black-shouldered Kite Corhanwarrabul Wetlands
Late afternoon (1).
Peter Booth

Southern Emu-wren, Scarlet Robin Canni Creek Racecourse
A brief visit to this flora reserve ( south of Buchan ) was highlighted by the sighting of a Southern Emu-wren in the heathland immediately to the north of the "finish post " and 3 pairs of Scarlet Robins in the surrounding woodlands.
EGBOC members per Len Axen

Speckled Warbler, Restless Flycatcher Buchan Caves Reserve
45 species were observed by EGBOC members during this morning's visit to the reserve. Of particular interest were sightings of a Speckled Warbler ( at the southern limit of its range in Far East Gippsland ), a Restless Flycatcher, 3 Eurasian Skylarks and two pairs of Scarlet Robins.
EGBOC members per Len Axen

Restless Flycatcher Geelong City, Corner Maud & Yarra Streets
A migrating Restless Flycatcher stopped briefly in my front yard at 9am this morning. Soon afterwards it continued it's journey north. This is my first record for this species in the City of Geelong.
Maarten Hulzebosch

Brown Quail Melbourne Airport
A single bird was observed about 8.30am in sparse vegetation in front of the Hilton Hotel at the Airport. It appeared unconcerned about the human traffic and came within 60cm of a colleagues feet giving us good veiws before flying a short distance to another clump of grasses.
Stephen Gallivan

Southern Boobook Valley reserve Mt Waverley
Heard a loud commotion of Noisy Miners, Currowongs, Butcher birds and Magpies and walked in their direction to see them all harassing a Southern Boobook which flew down into a dense stand of Melaleuca ericifolia near the start of the creek at Valley reserve.
Chris Gittins

Swift Parrot Newport Lakes Park
At least 8 birds seen and heard, including 2 juveniles, amongst the throng of over 100 Musk Lorikeet. Also a Pied Cormorant flying high overhead and a late-staying Aus. Reed Warbler.
Steve Davidson

Buff-banded Rail Victoria Pde., East Melbourne
Dead adult bird found (in perfect condition) on footpath not far from the Carlton Gardens. Possibly has hit our office building after leaving wetlands/ponds in the nearby gardens (?).
Martin O'Brien

Sun 10 Apr Plumed Whistling-Duck, Red-chested Buttonquail, Little Buttonquail Terrick Terrick NP grasslands
Plumed Whistling-Duck: (2). Red-chested Buttonquail: 2 males seen on the ground at close range, bright female seen in flight (6). Little Buttonquail: (8).
Firetail Birding Tours

Spotted Harrier Kerang
A pair working fields beside the Lalbert-Kerang Rd, several kilometres west of Wandella FFR
Gregg Müller, Alistair Stewart

Buff-banded Rail Point Lonsdale/Lake Victoria
Two separate birds south eastern corner of Lake Victoria
Angus Hartshorn

Intermediate Egret Barmah Forest
10 Intermediate Egrets observed feeding with Great Egrets near the Barmah Forest Day visit area
Doug Robinson

Sat 9 Apr Brown Goshawk (Immature) Watsonia
Looked out the kitchen window as usual this morning and found this little guy roosting on our bird feeder, lucky it stayed around long enough for me to take a few snaps. I think it has found a home in the large tree in our our as I often find scattered feathers beneath it. Nice to see these in our neighbourhood. A big thankyou to Margaret for identifying this sighting for me.
Mark Pipolo

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Red Hill Vinery Mornington Peninsula
We saw a big group of est 20-30 birds passing the property from east to west about 2:30 pm
Frank Arnold

Sacred Kingfisher Hastings Victoria Marine Parade
We have seen one bird about 10.30 am between the sail boats sitting on ropes
Frank Arnold

Speckled Warbler, Brown and White-throated Treecreeper, Buff-rumped Thornbill Greta - Lurg area se of Benalla
While undertaking nest box monitoring of Squirrel Gliders and Brush-tailed Phascogales I managed to keep an ear open for a few good woodland bird species. Great to detect the warbler in a revegetated are between two remnant woodland blocks. A new location record for the species in this area. NE Victoria is very good at the moment for woodland birds with lots to see and hear for the keen observer.
Martin O'Brien

Birdline Victoria is sponsored by Birds Australia - Victoria and co-ordinated and hosted by Eremaea Birds.

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The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU