Birdline NSW Weekly Update

Birdline NSW

Published sightings for the week ending 29 Jul 2012.

Sun 29 Jul	Pacific Baza, Tree Martins Acacia Gardens This morning, while having breakfast in my backyard, I was delighted to watch a Pacific Baza (they appear to be visiting around my area every year). A Brown Goshawk was also around at the same time as well as later in the afternoon when there was again lots of Swallows about with a few Tree Martins amongst them. Edwin Vella
	Diamond Firetail, Brown Goshawk Briarbush country on edge of paddock next to park along Gwydir River, Northern Side of Pallamallawa A Very good day with 68 species in the Pally area. Saw and photographed a large flock of Red-browed Finches which are uncommon, together with Silvereyes, Double-barred & Plum-headed Finches, and at least 5 Diamond Firetails. These 5 species were bathing on floodwaters. Other highlights included: a Brown Goshawk which was attacked by Ravens, Torresians and a Magpie!, a Jacky Winter, a very noisy Spiny-Cheeked, White plumed and Brown Honeyeaters, Noisy and Little Friarbirds, White-browed Scrubwrens, Pardalotes, Western Gerygones, Martins and still more Restless Flycatcher around! Curtis Hayne
	Fairy Martin Nepean Weir One adult bird mixed in with a group of Welcome Swallows. Ákos Lumnitzer
Sat 28 Jul	Eastern Osprey & Peregrine Falcon. Avoca Lagoon Twenty minutes after seeing the Ospreys at Terrigal Lagoon, we drove to Avoca Lagoon ( 5 km to the south) and there was another Osprey perched on a post in this lagoon. This bird was not as well marked on the breast as the other two birds, later a Peregrine put up all the Galahs, Long-billed and Little Corellas feeding on the oval adjacent to the Lagoon. These 3 Eastern Ospreys are additional to the 3 Ospreys that have built a nest on the Gosford Council Communication Tower at Erina close to the shores of Brisbane Water near East Gosford. Hopefully we might have soon two breeding pairs of Ospreys in Gosford Shire. There has been no previous succesful breeding attempt on the Central Coast although nests were occupied at Kincumber Meadows 1996 (Gosford) and Lees Reserve, Chittaway (Wyong Shire) in 2006. Alan Morris & 20 members CCGBNSW
	Eastern Osprey Terrigal Lagoon A pair of Eastern Ospreys for about half an hour carried on with a courtship display, calling and whistling over Terrigal Lagoon, sometimes coming so low as to almost clip the powerlines near the Marine Discovery Centre. A single bird has been here for a while but only recently has there been two birds. A Buff-bande Rail was present at same site two days before. Alan Morris & 20 members of CCGBNSW, photo Carol Abbott
	Grey Goshawk Pitt Town Bottoms a grey-morph bird seen beside Pitt Town Bottoms Rd. Edwin Vella and Tony Dawe
	Collared Sparrowhawk, Peregrin Falcon Windsor a Peregrine Falcon dive bombed an immature Collared Sparrowhawk beside the creek crossing near the start of Cornwallis Rd. (Moderator's Note: Great photo showing slight notch in the tail! AKM) Edwin Vella and Tony Dawe
	Tree Martins, Australian Hobby Acacia Gardens I saw around 100 Welcome Swallows flying over my house. Amongst them I picked up some Tree Martins and a bit later a pair of Australian Hobbies were seen circling above (probably after the Swallows/Martins) and this being the 10th raptor species for the day. Edwin Vella
	Wedge-tailed Eagle, Fairy and Tree Martins Riverstone Yesterday we checked out the old Riverstone meat works property where we saw Tree Martins return timely and in good numbers. There were also a few Fairy Martins with them as well as well as lots of Welcome Swallows. At a base of a tree we found lots of BarnOwl? pellets (with small bone fragments). Other interesting birds present included a White-necked Heron, both a young Wedge-tailed and White-bellied Sea-eagle, a Brown Goshawk, a Kestrel, 2 Fan-tailed and a Shining Bronze-cuckoo and loads of Red-rumped Parrots (several seen having a drink beside Eastern Creek). Edwin Vella, Tony Dawe, Mark Fuller
	Singing Honeyeater, Red-necked Avocet, Grey Teal Boomanoomana 10' Cell (North-west of Mulwala) While birding around the cell during the afternoon I found 4 Singing Honeyeaters in a gum plantation by the Mulwala tip. Very southerly record for NSW. A Red-necked Avocet was also seen with Black-winged Stilts in a wetland along Clearview Rd. The Kilnyana Plain is still flooded and there were approximately 8000 Grey Teal spread over kilometres of flooded paddocks, as well as hundreds if not thousands of other waterbirds. Michael Ramsey
	Eastern Rosella, Rufous Songlark, Restless Flycatcher, Brown Honeyeater Woodlands, 25km West of Moree We saw over 15 Eastern Rosellas (western edge of range & unsual habitat) together with Mallee Ringnecks in dry scrub. Also, heard 3 Rufous Songlarks which is very uncommon in the middle of winter! Numerous Restless Flycatchers were also around too. A Brown Honeyeater was seen and heard when they are usually around towns. Also seen were: large numbers of Red winged Parrots checking out nesting holes, Large numbers of Western Gerygone, Plum-headed Finch, Rufous Whistler, Silvereye and Yellow Thornbill, Ravens nesting, Numerous Apostlebirds and Choughs which havent been around, A solitary White throated Gerygone and Bowerbird, 2 Pink eared Ducks and stacks of Scrubwrens in briarbushs in the middle of the bush!!! Curtis Hayne
	Cattle Egret Milton Park, Macquarie Fields NSW Have seen flocks of these in the park which is usually populated by Red-rumped Parrots, Rainbow Lorikeets, King Parrots, Galahs, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Eastern Rosella's. (Cattle Egrets are native birds and are totally protected - Moderator) David Camilleri
Thu 26 Jul	Blue-faced Honeyeater, Australian Hobby Doonside, Western Sydney Two Blue-faced Honeyeaters were feeding on nectar from Strelitzia ( Crane Flower) flowers near Knox St (near Nurragingy Reserve). Thisis first time I've seen any birds using this flowers in Australia. One Australian Hobby perching on the power line cable on Power St. (Moderator's Note: Blue-faced Honeyeaters are very rare in the County of Cumberland -AKM) Ted Wnorowski
	Superb Lyrebird 156 Woorarra Ave NARRABEEN Female Superb Lyrebird being repeatedly harried by Noisy Miners. Jacqui Marlow
	Grey Goshawk Between Berrima and Welby One bird cruising over Hume Highway at 7:10am - Little Ravens in pursuit. Lorne Johnson
Wed 25 Jul	Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Spotted Quail-thrush Nullo Mountain State Forest, 25Km east of Rylstone, NSW Six Glossy Back-Cockatoo were feeding on casuarina fruits near the Middle Hill Track in this beautiful state forest. I also found three Spotted Quail-thushes nearby. Ted Wnorowski
	White-fronted Tern, Wandering Tattler Flat Rock, Ballina 6 White-fronted Tern, 1 Wandering Tattler, 2 Little Tern, 3 Ruddy Turnstone, 1 Red-necked Stint, 3 Sooty Oystercatcher, 1 Eastern Reef Egret. The White-fronted Terns are my first this winter, the single Wandering Tattler has been a regular, but I have seen 2 on one occasion recently & there has been up to 4 Little Terns hanging around this winter. Steve McBride
Tue 24 Jul	Scarlet Honeyeaters Ku-ring-Gai NP Watched Scarlet Honeyeaters flying across the road just near the National Park's Duckholes Vehicle Entry Station. Tom Rambaut
	White-headed Pigeon Turramurra this morning at around 8.00am approx' 16 White-headed Pigeons on the electrical wires adjacent railway line & the rail bridge on the Pacific Highway at Turramurra. A consistent spot for them in winter in this area due to (I guess ) Camphor Laurel and other weed species along the rail line & in the area. This is is the most I have seen together. Ian Francis
Mon 23 Jul	Wedge-tailed Eagles Berowra Valley Regional Park, Jackson Crescent, Pennant Hills 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles seen close up flying north through Berowra Valley Regional Park Jacqueline Whalen
	Black-necked Stork Soverign Hills next to Regional College bridge, Port Macquarie West Phill Shelley
Sun 22 Jul	Brolga Hastings River Drive, Port Macquarie 4 Brolgas seen in a paddock near the corner of Willow Ct and Hastings River Drive. Clive Meadows & Louise Earnshaw
Sat 21 Jul	Brolga, Bourke's Parrot, Black Honeyeater, Pied Honeyeater Nocoleche NR An excellent morning's birding in Nocoleche NR, around King Charles Waterhole and along the public roadsides. Brolgas were heard on the other side of the waterhole, while a single mulga tree had a Bourke's Parrot, a male Black Honeyeater, and a male Pied Honeyeater in it, simultaneously! Other good birds included Spotted Bowerbird, White-browed Tree-creeper and Hooded Robin. Ashwin Rudder
Fri 20 Jul	Black Honeyeater, Spotted Nightjar Peery Lake, Paroo Darling NP There is lots of eremophila in flower around Peery Lake, and a couple of male Black Honeyeaters were seen in display flight (others were heard calling). A Spotted Nightjar was also flushed from a sparsely wooded (mulga) hillside by the lake. When it resettled at the base of a mulga, excellent views were had. 49 species in about 90 minutes! Thanks to Peter Ewin for information on this site. Ashwin Rudder
	Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Private property 20 km south of Narrabri 2390 A single bird was spotted in dense scrub, foraging in cypress pine rubbish left behind after the creation of a fire break. The ID is certain (chestnut rump seen in bright sunlight, tail cocked conspicuously almost vertically, tail grey and longish, unlike a thornbill's), but an attempt to obtain a photo failed. Michael Dahlem
Wed 18 Jul	Black Honeyeater, Bourke's Parrot Fort Grey, Sturt NP More Black Honeyeaters found by call just west of the campground, and a pair of Bourke's Parrots down by Lake Pinnaroo. The lake is pretty much completely full, which led to the closing of the western section of Middle Rd through Sturt NP early 2011 - it has not reopened since, and is not expected to reopen until early 2013 (assuming there is no more rain). Birds on/around the lake included Pink-eared Ducks and a lone Black-tailed Native Hen. Ashwin Rudder
Tue 17 Jul	Black Honeyeater, Cinnamon Quail-thrush, Inland Dotterel Mt Wood, Sturt NP A couple of Black Honeyeaters found calling around the homestead. A pair of Cinnamon Quail-thrush were found on the gibber west of the homestead, and a pair of Inland Dotterels were scared up by fleeing kangaroos about 5km north of the homestead, along the Gorge Loop Rd. The gibber plains are barely visible under the Mitchell Grass that has exploded due to the good conditions; this made ground birds quite hard to find. Ashwin Rudder
Mon 16 Jul	Black Honeyeater, Pied Honeyeater, Spotted Nightjar, Bourke's Parrot Olive Downs, Sturt NP Eremophilas are just coming into flower on the walking track from Olive Downs campground, and Black Honeyeaters were seen nest-building and in display flights. At least 25 Pied Honeyeaters also seen. The previous night, two Spotted Nightjars were spotlighted (spotlit?) a short way along this walking track. 4 Bourke's Parrots were seen by nearby Olive Downs Homestead on the 17th. Ashwin Rudder
	Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Mount White (F3) Flock of 100+ birds flying over the F3 today at 1pm close to Mount White village. Charles Hunter
Sat 14 Jul	Freckled Duck, Blue-billed Duck, Red-browed Pardalote Lake Cobham (c.100km south of Tibooburra) A brief stop at the south end of Lake Cobham for lunch proved successful, with a Red-browed Pardalote calling from the tree above our car (eventually giving excellent views). 16 Freckled Ducks and 14 Blue-billed Ducks were seen on the lake, along with hundreds of Eurasian Coots and a smaller number of Hardheads. Thousands more waterbirds were floating further north in the centre of the lake. Ashwin Rudder
Tue 3 Jul	Chestnut-crowned Babbler, Grey Fantail Mungo National Park and Mungo Lodge Three Chestnut-crowned Babblers near the Walls of China boardwalk and a single Grey Fantail in the grounds of Mungo Lodge, where also Brown Treecreeper, Brown Gerygone, Brown Falcon & Black-shouldered kite, a flock of Striated Pardalotes & Spotted Bowerbird Penny Evans
	White-fronted Honeyeater Round Tank, Mungo National Park A single White-fronted Honeyeater. As well at this site a pair of Red-Capped Robins, Southern Whiteface, Yellow-rumped Thornbills and a Singing Honeyeater. The tank is about 70% full, and the surrounding area in fantastic condition. Penny Evans

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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