Birdline Victoria Weekly Update

Birdline Victoria

Published sightings for the week ending 29 May 2011.

Sun 29 May	Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Richmond near Burnley Street Around 4.30 pm the far carrying calls of high-flying black-cockatoos could be heard as a flock of almost 150 birds flew in a NE direction over Burnely St. A lovely way to end the day! Martin O'Brien, K. Trainor
	White-winged Black Tern Western Treatment Plant, Werribee 3 White-winged Black Tern still present on coastal lagoon opposite Pond 24, Sth Borrie, one with traces of black plumage. Also around the traps at least 12 Blue-winged Parrot inland from The Spit and around the T-section, 3 Pink-eared Duck found near Borrow Pit, a Fairy Tern with an orange leg-flag plus four of its mates, 2 Fan-tailed Cuckoo along Pt Wilson Rd feasting on big caterpillars and a baronial pair of sea-eagle on Lake Borrie. Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
	Brown Quail, Buff-banded Rail St Leonards Brown Quail (3) observed today on their daily trek, as observed past fortnight by Julian Cornish, from Edwards Pt Reserve, Cliff Street saline wetlands, along property fence line undercover of long grass, bottle brush and coastal heath, making for vacant property across dirt road. Disturbed at one stage, they flew up in scattered directions and then down into shrubbery. Overcast day. Call heard. Also observed recently in same area by J. Cornish, a single Buff-banded Rail. Lauren Leviston
	Swift Parrot, Little Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Royal Park, Parkville Arrived at around 9:30am. Two flocks of Little Lorikeets flew in from the zoo, and later on Scaly-breasted was heard and seen along the tram line (a couple there informed me that they were there yesterday too). Swift Parrots did not appear until 11:30am. James Bailey
	Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Alexandra Gardens, Kew At least 50 flying overhead. Heading towards the city. David Fleming
	White-browed Babbler Muckleford 10' Cell White-browed Babbler Flock of 8+ Damian Kelly
Sat 28 May	Spotted Quail-thrush, Painted Button-quail, White-fronted Chat Chiltern - Mt.Pilot National Park A pair of Spotted Quail-thrush heard, then seen. Also, 5 Painted Button-quail at same site, -about 1km south of Yeddonba, along Toveys Forest Rd, Mt.Pilot. (Painted Button-quail are being seen much more regularly in the Nrth section of the park, after recovering from years of drought) 6 White fronted Chats in a roadside paddock along Norm's Rd, a first for me at Chiltern. Aaron Sandford
	Banded Lapwing and others The Meadows, Terrick Terrick NP Further to previous reports, this site is still excellent. Highlights were 4+ Australian Spotted Crakes, 20+ Black-tailed Native-hens, 10 White-winged Fairy-wrens including at least 5 in full plumage, Red-kneed and Black-fronted Dotterels, many Stubble Quail, 5+ Litttle Grassbird seen but not heard (which makes a change), flocks of Southern Whiteface, Pink-eared Ducks, and 30+ Banded Lapwings overhead and in paddock on the other side of Davis Rd. Not many raptors compared with earlier reports - just Nankeen Kestrel. Andrew Wood
	Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo(6+) Western Treatment Plant 6-7 HBC scattered throughout the plant, most calling strongly. Present in woodlot along 29 Mile Rd was a pair of Crested Shrike-tit, a Grey Shrike-thrush and an Olive-backed Oriole uttering a "sneezing" call more reminiscent of Yellow Oriole; not a call I've heard OBO make before. Heaps of crake/rail action again, but no Pink-eared Duck or Whiskered Tern found from yesterday's adventures. Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
	Swift Parrot Royal Park 7 Swift Parrots still waiting for the tram mid afternoon in trees along zoo boundary fence. Opposite Stop 24 on the 55 tram route (state netball centre). Stephen Nutt
	Intermediate Egret, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Brown Quail Winton Wetlands Quite a foggy morning at the wetlands. An Intermediate Egret was seen in rushes by the boat ramp. Nearby 2 light morph White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes were observed foraging in reeds and long grass, first time seen in this habitat. Black-chinned Honeyeaters were also noted in a stand of Red Gums at the boat ramp and covey of 6 Brown Quail were seen by the Lake Mokoan Road. Michael Ramsey
	Wedge-tailed Eagle, Buff Banded Rail Bangholme Both seen about 1pm today, Wedge-tailed Eagle circling quite low over Pillars Rd. The Buff Banded Rail was out in the open on the roadside, just outside St Leonards College. Glenn Boyd
Fri 27 May	Tawny frogmouth Page st Middle Park Thought it was the laptop on the blink, however this low reverberating sound came from what had to be a tawny frogmouth about 11pm. Went outside to determine source and saw silhouette sitting on roof's terracotta finial. Have seen powerful owl before in St Kilda West but this was smaller and fits bird's profile. C Moffatt
	Swift Parrot Royal Park, Parkville Swift Parrot (1) Single bird in Spotted gum, between golf course and tram tracks, near Royal Park Station . Will Morris
	Whiskered Tern, Pink-eared Duck. Western Treatment Plant There were 3 Whiskered Tern foraging just offshore from the mouth of the Little River late this afternoon, a slightly unusual record given the absence of this species here over spring-summer. Also increasing numbers of Pink-eared Duck with 90+ seen in 145WB Lagoons. Plenty of Lewin's Rail about with 4 heard and a spanking adult seen, plus Spotless and Australian Spotted Crake also heard. 30 Cattle Egret and 3 Wedge-tailed Eagle seen going to respective roosts right on dusk. Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
	Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Pontings Lane, Bailieston. An out of season Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo heard calling twice. Richard & Margaret Alcorn
	Redthroat Wyperfeld National Park (southern section) This morning we were treated to a rare, but excellent sighting of a Redthroat (see photo). After 3 days birding at both north and south Wyperfeld we can report that birds and variety of birds are much fewer than at the same time last year. Only 6 raptors were sighted, 3 Eagles, 2 Kestrels and one Spotted Harrier over the 3 days. The Devils Pools are completely dry, as is Lake Bambruk and other lakes surrounding the campgrounds. Parrots are in abundunce as are Spiny-cheeked and White-eared Honeyeaters as well as good pockets of Fairy-wrens and the occasional Red-capped Robin but otherwise birds are scarce. The Redthroat was sighted at 10am on the first leg of the Discovery Walk prior to the Devils Pools. hedley and Irena Earl
	Swift Parrot Royal Park 4 Swift Parrot feeding with Little and Rainbow Lorikeets in trees along zoo boundary fence near Australian Bush exhibit and Stop 24 on the 55 tram route (state netball centre). Nicole Spillane and Paul Jacobson
Thu 26 May	Curlew Sandpiper and Red-necked Stint Outlet between Cundare Pool and Lake Connewarren Hundreds or maybe thousands of overwintering birds. Also 3 Australian Spotted Crake, 4 Blue-winged Parrots and many Double-banded Plovers. No sign of earlier reports of Plumed Whistling-Ducks at nearby Eurack. Stuart Cooney and Jo Day
	Cattle Egret Western Treatment Plant, Werribee With some prey that left us with our mouths open. Didn't see any actual consumption. Debbie Lustig with Lachlan Manly and Bree-Arne Chamley
	Red-kneed Dotterel Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Red-kneed Dotterel still at the Borrow Pits on Thursday. Debbie Lustig
	Rufous Songlark Terrick Terrick National Park An over wintering bird; not calling but good views of bird showing rufous rump. Richard & Margaret Alcorn
	Swift Parrot Royal Park Group of at least 12 Swift Parrot still present in flowering gums along tram line close to station this morning. Scott Baker
	Swift Parrot Royal Park, Parkville Swift Parrot (2) Swifties still here - feeding in the flowering gums next to the tram tracks and golf course. Saw two perched amongst huge groups of Musk and Rainbow Lorikeets. Rohan Long
	Peregrine Falcon Normanby Ave/ St Georges Road, Thornbury Single indivdidual travelling north this morning at around 830am, being mobbed by a pair of Little Ravens. Dan Weller
Wed 25 May	Brolga Private Wetland on Kurweeton Property, south of Darlington There is no access to the wetland, but the bird can be seen from the road. Many other pairs in the region, reflecting the abnormally wet season and an unusual flocking season. Stuart Cooney and Jo Day
	Yellow tailed Black Cockatoo Fitzroy North I was lucky enough to hear and see a large flock of approxiamately 24 to 26 Yellow tailed Black Cockatoo flying across the sky of Carlton North at 4:45pm. From my 2nd story window I could see the flock land in the tree tops of Edinburgh Gardens. Ben Copeland
	Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Longford Gas Plant, Garretts Rd, Gippsland Plains One bird in roadside trees near the Esso gas plant, calling briefly. Records on the Gippsland Plains seem few and far between; but they are mobile in Autumn. Lawrie Conole
	Hooded Plover Black Rock Reserve, Barwon Heads 10 Hooded Plover, 8 adults and 2 Juveniles seen, one juvenile tagged (Orange with 2 black marks I think on left leg). Almost certainly the same group reported on the 13th Angus Hartshorn
	Red-kneed Dotterel, Australasian Bittern Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Single Red-kneed Dotterel still at Borrow Pits and Bittern flushed from reeds near the point marker half way between Beach Rd gate and Lake Borrie outfall. Paul Randall (wingsonwire.com)
	Black Falcon Pascoe Vale South, VIC I saw a Black Falcon in hot pursuit of a meal, amongst some Welcome Swallows and Common Starlings. I have seen it many times over the last year (about), and had been trying to determine what kind of Falcon, but finally managed a close enough look to see it markings, or lack of markings more to the point. I figured it must be a Black Falcon due to its dark slaty brown/grey and lack of any barring, bandsor head markings. Melissa Stage
Tue 24 May	Northern Great Petrel Barwon River estuary On 24th May at about 4.30 pm we saw a Northern Great Petrel in the Barwon River estuary near the boat ramp opposite Pelican Court. It was paddling very actively around a little jetty and near rocks and not the slightest bit disturbed by the group of watchers. We identified it from a photo on Wings on Wire and then from the Birds Australia web site. We have not seen it again. Julie Shaw (via Margaret Alcorn)
	Black eared Miner-- BEM/YTM Hybrid Mournpall Track Hattah Kulkyne NP After seeing and photographing hundreds of yellow throated miners we believe we saw 3 birds that filfil the description of a valid black eared miner. At Hattah Kulkyne there are plenty of parrots and we had excellent sightings of variegated and splendid wrens, chestnut rumped thornbills, black headed sitellas, several honeyeaters with yellow plumed in plague proportions. The Raak plain in Murray Sunset NP also yielded the same interesting variety of birds. Weather conditions are not conducive to exploring as most tracks are very wet and suitable for 4WD only at the moment. Moderators note: Following a review of this photo we consider this bird to be close to a typical Black-eared Miner, with some characteristics shared with BEM/YTM hybrids hedley and Irena Earl
	Little Corella Camberwell (near Burwood Village shopping centre) About 80 Little Corellas feeding in a tall poplar in a suburban back garden. Merrilyn Serong
Mon 23 May	Crested Tern Docklands Crested Tern (1) approx. 3.30pm. gliding around Footscray Road / Bolte Bridge overpass Peter Booth
	Swift Parrots, Little Lorikeets The Melbourne Zoo At least 6 Swifties around the gums ( some flowering) out the front of the zoo's main entrance and car parks, at 3 in the afternoon. A number of Little Lorikeets around also. Simon Starr
Sun 22 May	Eastern Reef Egret Seal Creek, Croajingolong National Park Dark Morph on the rocks at the western end of Seal Creek Beach, 3 km west of Shipwreck Creek, Croajingolong National Park. Vik Dunis
	Rufous Bristlebird Portland Rufous Bristlebird heard and sighted in the scrub below the Point Nelson lighthouse. Mick Brasher
	Red-kneed Dotterel, Australian Crake, Red-necked Avocet Borrow Pits, WTP, Werribee Single RKD and AC on the small islets in the Borrow Pits. 21 RNAs flew in for a while also. Mark Stanley
	Blue-winged parrots, Zebra Finches and Buff-banded Rail Western Treatment Plant, Werribee A good morning birding at the Western Treatment Plant yesterday. On the road between the spit nature reserve and the lagoons we saw at least 20 Blue-winged parrots. With the parrots was a small flock of about 12 Zebra Finches. At the bird hide Buff-banded Rails were glimpsed for a short time. Greg and Janice McKay
	Whimbrel Rhyll Inlet, Phillip Island At the high-tide roost, sixteen Eastern Curlews accompanied by a solitary over-wintering Whimbrel. No small waders present. Graeme Brown
	Painted Button Quail Bribane Ranges National Park A pair of Painted Button Quail seen crossing Steiglitz-Durdidwarrah Road at 1600hours Warren Palmer
Sat 21 May	Azure Kingfisher Nagambie Red-rumped Parrot (100+) At dusk many parrots gathering around Nagambie's water-tower (covered in ivy) to roost, in pairs, for the night. Makes a change from a tree hollow. I wonder whether they also breed in the same site. They would certainly get plenty of protection from rain and wind. Azure Kingfisher (1) late afternoon perching in deciduous trees, by the lake, near the main park in town, diving in the water occasionally. Brilliant blue back, red-brown underparts, and white neck-patches clearly visible. Long beak for such a small bird. Peter Booth
Fri 20 May	Great Crested Grebe Kororoit Creek, Williamstown North One immature Great Crested Grebe hanging out with a Hoary-headed Grebe, also Eastern Great Egret and Little Egret seen near Altona rd bridge. Anthea Stubbs
Tue 17 May	Swift Parrots Havelock Nature Reserve 20-30 Swift Parrots playing in the trees. Bailey Gabell
Wed 16 Mar	Diamond Dove Havelock Nature Reserve 1 pair of Diamond Doves down by the creek feeding. Bailey Gabell
Mon 28 Feb	Wedge-tailed Eagles x 3 Keysborough, Springvale Rd, near Frankston Fwy About ~ 5 pm noticed 3 Wedge-tails in a large paddock adjacent to Springvale Rd just a few hundred metres from the turnoff to the Frankston Fwy. I was able to turn off a side road a got a very clear look at them - two adults with dark plumage and a youngster with golden nape, the youngster in the same tree as one of the adults. I have seen Swamp Harriers, Black-Shouldered Kites and kestrels in the area as there are quite a few open fields and marshes in the area but seeing Wedge-tails in such close proximity to the suburbs is remarkable Andrew Martin #1580

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