Birdline NSW Weekly Update

Birdline NSW

Published sightings for the week ending 1 May 2011.

Sun 1 May	Glossy Ibis, Yellow-faced Honeyeaters Bicentennial Park About a dozen Yellow-faced Honeyeaters flew over Mason Park, heading north and a few more were seen on the way back, plus several more heard, all around midday. Also a single Glossy Ibis on the Eastern Control Pond on Wentworth Common. About 15 Black-fronted Dotterels at the Waterbird Refuge and a lot of Black-winged Stilts plus a Little Grassbird at the Triangle Pond. A single Sacred Kingfisher was seen on the old pontoons at Shipwreck Point. Tony Keene
	Yellow-faced Honeyeater The Gap, Waysons Bay 10 birds heading north. (The question is though, did they cross the Heads or did they back track?) Paul Bruty
	Grey Goshawk Fountaindale We have 20 acres of uncleared eucalypt forest. Near the edge we have establiched a small orchard and within the fence we have our chooks. The Goshawk was trying to get the chooks. We lost one to a Goshawk last month but did not see what it was. This one came back while I was there Ruth Hopkins
Sat 30 Apr	Swift Parrot Catherine Hill Bay 17 Swift Parrots were recorded early Saturday morning just down the road from my house in Catherine Hill Bay. Garry Deering
	Flame Robin Bundanoon A mid-afternoon walk down Shangri-la Rd in Bundanoon pretty much brought utopia with the sighting of a gorgeous male Flame Robin, one of my favourite Australian birds, hunting in a paddock. Also present in this rural area: one male Musk Duck, thirteen Hoary-headed Grebes, one Little Grebe, circa fifteen European Goldfinches, five White-faced Herons, Yellow-rumped and Buff-rumped Thornbills and many Welcome Swallows. Lorne Johnson
	Wandering Tattler Long Reef Aquatic Reserve One bird observed feeding on northern rock shelf. Deryk Engel
	Spotted Bowerbird Rothbury 1 Spotted Bowerbird seen at Rothbury, across street from where Allan Richardson reported it a few weeks back. The bird flew into a Mulberry Tree. Steve Roderick
Fri 29 Apr	Baillon's Crake Wanganella area, Deniliquin district Juvenile Baillon's Crake seen at Wanganella wetlands. Only my third confirmed breeding record in 30 years. Independent of adult, which was about 40 metres away. This is also the latest in the season that I have recorded this species. Philip Maher
	Painted Button Quail, Lots of Honeyeaters Castlereagh Nature Reserve, nr Windsor A pair of Painted Button Quail seen in thick cover about 3:30pm. Trees in the reserve are in flower, so plenty of honeyeaters, including Fuscous, Scarlet, Yellow Faced, Brown Headed and many vocal friarbirds. Also a Common Bronzewing, Peaceful Doves, several Speckled Warblers. Tom Wilson
	Possible Australasian Bittern, Double Barred Finch Pitt Town Lagoon A large, dark brown heron like bird flew over the lagoon at about 9:45 this morning and landed somewhere on the golf course. (It did not start at the lagoon itself, but came from over Pitt Town.) The bird was brown, not grey and showed no white at all (I got a distant side on view as it came in to land.) Flight was very slow and deliberate with deep wing beats and the head folded in. I think it ended up in the wetland in the middle of the golf course (ie not the one next to Pitt Town Bottoms Road). Plenty of other species in a morning visit, including a pair Double Barred Finches, a Jacky Winter and a Hobby and a flock of 22 White faced Heron flying over. Tom Wilson
	Topknot pigeon Balmoral Beach Topknot pigeon chased from a large fig tree near the rotunda by Noisy Miners. The Topknot circled around, giving good views, then tried to settle in another fig tree nearby but was soon chased off to the south towards Mosman Robert Griffin
	Black-necked Stork Jerseyville NSW One bird in a paddock beside the South West Rocks Road about 2 km SW of Jerseyville. Roger Giller
	Blue-faced Honeyeater Gladstone near Kempsey NSW One mature bird seen today in the beer-garden of the Heritage Hotel at Gladstone NSW. Roger Giller
	Swift Parrot Murray St Bateau Bay On Tuesday afternoon 26/4 I heard a call of a Swift Parrot at my house in Murray St Bateau Bay where the Blackbutts have just commenced flowering and there are many Musk Lorikeets and Rainbow Lorikeets feeding in the blossoms. I have been listening and looking intently since them and this morning saw and heard a pair of Swift Parrots in the trees. There were Swift Parrots in our street trees when we moved into this house on 1/5/2002, and they have since turned up in April-May, 6 years out of the 9 years that we have lived here. Alan Morris
Thu 28 Apr	Swift Parrot, Australian Hobby & Little Eagle Chain Valley Bay Forshore Reserve either side of Joshua Porter Park Max 7 Swift Parrots seen and another two heard calling in flowering Sydney Blue Gums in the Foreshore Reserve. The Swifties should be around for some time because both the Blue Gums and some Swamp Mahoganys have only just commenced to flower. All birds seen were feeding on nectar in flowering Sydney Blue Gums. Noisy Miners alerted us to a Hobby flying up high, and not long after, an Australian Raven was hassling a beautifully marked Little Eagle. Alan Morris & Deryk Engel
Wed 27 Apr	Little Penguin Mort Bay, Balmain Surprised to hear, and then delighted to see, three Little Penguin at the head of Mort Bay this morning, just off the old container wharf. Have seen them off Ballast Point and Yurulbin (Long Nose Point) but never in the bay before. Robert Griffin
	Double-banded Plover, Wandering Tattler Long Reef Wandering Tattler still present at Long Reef. Also 5 Double-banded Plovers, 2 adults and the others appeared to be juveniles. An Osprey was also seen feeding along the southern side of the reef. Max de Beer
Tue 26 Apr	Regent Parrot Euston Three small groups of Regent Parrot seen late afternoon near Euston in the southwest of the State; all flying north. Uncommon in N.S.W. Philip Maher
	Grey Goshawk, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Warwick Farm (sewerage works) Also observed were 120+ Chestnut Teal, 1 Black-winged Stilt, 10 Little Lorikeets, 20 Dusky Woodswallows, 2 Restless Flycatchers, Crested Shrike-tit and 300+ Welcome Swallows. Michael Paul
	grey goshawk Cliff Rd Freemans Reach 2756 Grey Goshawk grey morph Richard Clark
	Grey Goshawk Schofields Rd, Schofields I saw a Grey Goshawk chase a dozen or so Cockatoos and then I followed it to Schofileds Rd where it was perched for some time in a eucalypt before taking off again. Also at the same spot, a Brown Goshawk took a Spotted Dove only a few metres from me then flying to another tree with it's prey. A Restless Flycatcher was also present. Edwin Vella
	Little Eagle (dark morph) Fulton Rd, Marsden Park Early this afternoon, I accidentally disturbed a dark morph Little Eagle from a eucalypt and was then seen circling low over a few minutes beside Fulton Rd. Also nearby beside South street, I watched a Peregrine chase a flock of Starlings and then later perch on a dead eucalypt for some time. Around the area, I also had a Brown Goshawk, Double-barred Finches, Crested Shrike-tit, White-winged Choughs, a group of Dusky Woodswallows perched on the power lines and 12 Grey Kangaroos resting in the paddock. Edwin Vella
	Bell Miner Lady Carrington Drive, RNP Was surprised to see this Bell Miner along Lady C Drive at 16:00 this afternoon. It was about 1km along from the north end (not as far as Jersey Spring) off to the left of the track. I was on the bird for only one minute before losing it. Despite sticking around for 30 minutes I could not relocate the bird. It did not call and so was presumably a single bird. Not sure if this species has been bred for captivity in the past but didn't feel like an escape - was holding its own against associated New Holland and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. Can't find mention of this species in RNP before. (record shot attached) Other birds included Wonga Pigeon and Yellow-throated Scrubwren (yesterday). Paul Bruty
	Rose Robin Field Of Mars Reserve, East Ryde Highlight of a wet morning in the reserve, single male seen & heard. Stephen Mannix
Mon 25 Apr	Whistling Kite, Pacific Baza, Collared Sparrowhawk Cliff Road,Freemans Reach 2756 On 25th April at about 2pm a most unusual sight.One whistling kite low over our trees circling together with five crested hawks all circling.A thermal (wrong time of year?) took the six birds to a great height & when half way up they were joined by a sparrowhawk who accompanied them, occasionally annoying the kite. (moderator: true thermals as indicated by circular spiralling flight need sunlight but only need differential temperatures not an absolute one, although usually stronger in summer.) Richard Clark
	Australian Painted Snipe (Update #2), Double-banded Plover, Baillon's Crake Balldale Painted Snipe are still at the wetlands along Mahonga Lane in Balldale. Nine birds were found today, including a young female, an adult female, the rest being male and immature birds. The birds were a lot more active than in the past and were feeding in the open. Two Double-banded Plover were also big surprise, they were seen roosting on a small island in the northern section of the wetland, one bird still had the remains of a chestnut breast band. Must be very uncommon in inland NSW, this is my only inland record of this species. Other interesting birds at this superb site included a Baillon's Crake, Black Falcon, Buff-banded Rail, many Plumed Whistling-Ducks and some Intermediate Egrets. Michael Ramsey
	Australian Painted Snipe (Update #1) Coreen Four birds observed at the wetland just south of the town, in the late afternoon. A female, probable male and two immatures. Other interesting birds around included many Plumed Whistling-Ducks, a flushed Buff-banded Rail , a late Brown Songlark and 3 Red-kneed Dotterels. Michael Ramsey
	Gull-billed Tern Daysdale Four birds were seen roosting with other waterbirds on a large wetland on Narrow Plains Road. There are so many wetlands in good condition around this area at the moment, they may have attracted this species to the area. My first record for the southern Riverina. Michael Ramsey
	Australian Logrunner Lady Carrington Drive Royal NP I scored bird number 367 for my Sydney list late yesterday afternoon, a female Logrunner (photo attached) which was heard very late in the afternoon and managed a few shots in "very" poor light but enough for my flash to illuminate. A few approachable Lyrebirds were on the track as well. We heard a Yellow-throated Scrubwren do amazing mimicry which included the calls of Grey Goshawk, Golden Whistler, White-throated Tree-creeper etc (just as good as Lyrebird I reckon. I have heard them do amazing mimicry before. Edwin Vella and Tony Dawe
Sun 24 Apr	Swift Parrot Chain Valley Bay, Lake Macquarie Approx 15 Swift Parrots were observed feeding low in Grey Gums on the shores of Lake Macquarie in Chain Valley Bay. There were at least four juveniles in with the flock, and they returned regularly to feed in three trees betwee the 24th and 26th of April. They were feeding on lerp low in the foliage and provided excellent views for about half an hour. Mark Branson
	Australian Koel Lyndale Avenue, Port Macquarie A very late, juvenile Koel Cuckoo dropped in for Easter. Tim Morris
	Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Richmond (Hawkesbury) NSW Sighted in residential backyard. Same branch from before 8am until nightfall. Call matched recordings found on net. Other photos available upon request. (Moderator: Probably an escapee, The last reports of a small resident population in the Tweed-Richmond Region was 40 years ago (AKM) Tourmaline Bailey
	Little Eagle Windsor Downs NR, Hawkesburry Little Eagle flushed Eastern Rosella form the conopy and caught one bird in the air. It landed on the gum tree and was plucking the birds for the next 20 minutes completely oblivious to my presence. Plenty of honeyeaters, cuckoos and whistlers in the reserve. Ted Wnorowski
Sat 23 Apr	Plumed Whistling Ducks Carmel Lagoon, Baradine The total of Plumed Whistling Ducks at Carmel Lagoon keeps increasing ! BANN (BA Northern NSW) group counted 135 at this site during the recent campout over Easter. There was a Barking Owl calling at Camp Cypress each night at around 11 pm. Positively identified from all the local canines by Dr. Steve Debus. Steve also ID'd a Rose Robin by call on Bird Route 8 BANN per June Harris
	Inland Dotterel, Barn Owl, Black Falcon and Spotted Harrier Willandra National Park Canberra Ornithologist Group spent Easter at Willandra and saw 11 raptors in total. Most notable were numerous Black Falcons and Spotted Harriers. The mouse plague is probablly keeping them well fed. We also spot lighted an Inland Dotterel and a number of Barn Owls. Kathy Walter and John Goldie
Wed 20 Apr	Black Kite Gorokan Shopping Centre, Central Coast Single bird flew low over the main road putting all the Galahs and Eastern Rosellas to flight, Seen flying from Tuggerah Lake to Budgewoi Lake. Previously seen at the edge of Budgewoi Lake two years ago. Rare on the Central Coast Alan Morris
Tue 19 Apr	Turquoise Parrots Nangar National Park A group of 24 plus turquoise parrots feeding in shade of large gum close to the old homestead site observed over 3 days in much the same location each time in Nangar National Park between Canowindra and Forbes .Also another group of 15 plus turquoise parrots observed across creek from the woolshed at the warrumbungles n.p. on the afternoon of the21 april. Small groups also observed on fire trail behind main camping ground at Blackman's Flat Trudy Robinson
Tue 12 Apr	Pied Heron South Arm Narran Lake NR, Narran Lake An adult Pied Herton in breeding plumage was photographed at the South Arm colony, in Narran Lake Nature reserve south of Clear lake on 12/4/11 by Terry Korn. The breeding plumage could indicate that there is a breeding colony in the area or that it has come from the small colony in the Macquarie Marshes. Information has come from the Narran Lake NR Update of 20/04/11 prepared by Peter Terrill, Senior Wetlands & Rivers Conseravtion Officer, Environemnt & Heritage Office Dept of Premier and Cbinet. Alan Morris

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