Birdline Victoria Weekly Update

Birdline Victoria

Published sightings for the week ending 11 Nov 2012.

Sun 11 Nov	Australian Koel Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Still high in fig tree on Eastern Lawn. Glimpsed only but unmistakeable call. Debbie Lustig
	Grey Goshawk (white morph) Wheatsheaf (midway between Daylesford and Glenlyon) One bird seen flying over open paddocks, then dropping with lowered talons out of sight behind treetops. Plenty of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Long-billed Corellas in the neighbourhood but no sign of interaction between them and the goshawk. Jack Krohn
	Freckled Duck Lake Modewarre, west of Geelong 70+ freckled ducks along eastern edge of Lake Modewarre, amid perhaps 10,000+ waterfowl. Pink-ears and Coots make up the majority of these. 50 Banded Stlts worked the centre of the shallow lake whilst Bushlarks and Brown Songlarks dotted the grassland margins. Blue-winged Parrots and Peregrine Falcon overhead. John Newman
	Blue-winged Parrot Selby Conservation Area, 2 km from Belgrave Pair observed from the main track from Belgrave-Hallam Road. Jill Wilson
Sat 10 Nov	Australian Koel Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Pleased to report the male Koel that was reported a couple of days ago by Viv Stajsic is still present at the botanic gardens and very vocal, seen in the canopies of the eastern area of the park, not far from the Arid Garden and the Ornamental Lake Tim Nickholds
Sat 10 Nov	Scarlet Honeyeater, Spotted Harrier Chiltern Mt Pilot National Park. 8 hours in the field with Scott Baker. Scarlet Honeyeater seen in Bartleys Block along with a Spotted Harrier and Brown Goshawk. Other notables Painted Honeyeater, Speckled Warbler, Turquoise Parrot and White-throated Nightjar. Over 100 species viewed. Sanderson Topham, Scott baker
	Great Crested Grebe Lake Linlithgow Three Great Crested Grebes seen among tens of thousands of Coots, ducks, swans, stilts etc. An amazing sight (and site) at the moment and should only get better as we head towards summer. Steve Clark
	Pink Robin Anglesea Heath Pink Robin (1) O'Donohue Road. A brown bird observed whilst looking (unsuccessfully) for Chestnut-rumped Heathwren. Paul Dodd & Ruth Woodrow
	Leaden Flycatcher Uralla Reserve Trafalgar A single Leaden Flycatcher heard inside the Entrance gate at Uralla Reserve. A good mornings birding with over a dozen Brown Gerygones, female Rose Robin, Rufous, Golden and Olive Whistlers, Large-billed Scrubwren (heard), Scared Kingfisher and a single Scarlet Robin outside the Reserve gate. Good to see at least one gerygone nest highlighting the importance of this location for the species. Kaye Trainor & Martin O'Brien
	Red-necked Stint Lagoon Beach, Port Melbourne Red-necked Stint (1) on waterline just near Port Melbourne Life Saving Club building at end of Johnston St. Remained in that location the whole time I was there, when disturbed by people flew off a short distance but always returned. In the many years I've been walking along this urban beach I've never seen any sort of wader - this was a very pleasant surprise! Janine Duffy
	Black-eared Cuckoo, Painted Honeyeater, Red-backed Kingfisher Wangaratta 1° Block (Half Day Tour) Highlights during a half day tour this morning were a Black-eared Cuckoo in the Warby Ranges, a prolonged sighting of a pair of Painted Honeyeaters in the Killawarra Forest and sensational views of a Red-backed Kingfisher at Rutherglen. Great spring birding around North-East Victoria at present with Spotted Harrier, Intermediate Egret, Grey-crowned Babbler and Brolga at Boorhaman North, Dollarbird and Latham's Snipe at Rutherglen, Turquoise Parrot and Hooded Robin in the Warby Ranges and hundreds of White-browed Woodswallows everywhere being other interesting sightings. A great morning birding with over 130 species recorded. Michael Ramsey - Bronzewing Birding Services
Fri 9 Nov	Franklin's Gull Paynesville Gull in usual spot opposite hardware, Fri about 2:00 pm. Quite confiding. Philip Jackson
	Spotted Harrier Millawa Quartering paddocks adjacent to the township. Bill Morecraft
	Pacific Golden Plover, Marsh Sandpiper. western Treatment Plant. Great veiws and photographs of 1 Adult and 2 Juvenile Pacific Golden Plovers on track adjacent to145WA Lagoon this afternoon. Also a single Marsh Sandpiper in the second lagoon East of Western Lagoons gate. Warren Palmer and Warwick Remmington
	Australian Koel Mayer Park, Thornbury An adult male seen and heard around 7 am - heading vaguely south. First record in ten years living here. Paul Peake
	Channel-billed cuckoo Wilson Park, Berwick First heard its call, which was new to me, then spotted it with binoculars in Wilson Park from my home on the park border. Clem Sedgman
Thu 8 Nov	Buff-banded Rail Elster Creek, Elwood A pair of Buff-banded Rail are still present at Elster Creek despite the fact that the entire natural section of the creek has been bull dosed for creek widening works. The rails are now hanging around a few metres downstream of St Kilda Street in a 1m wide bluestone channel which is choked up with weeds. They are very vulnerable to dogs, cats and foxes here. Gio Fitzpatrick
	Sanderling Western Treatment Plant A single Sanderling with Red-necked Stint and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper on beach rocks easterly of the Little River mouth. 86 species for the day including 10 species of raptor. A pair of Black Falcon in courtship flight over Beach Rd. Tom Fletcher & Geoff Barfoot.
	Square-tailed Kite Reef Hills, Benalla Hunting over woodland, then climbed in a thermal and headed south west. Bill Morecraft
	Australian Koel Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, South Yarra, Eastern Lawn Single bird heard calling between 1-2 pm, from one of the large Ficus macrophylla on Eastern Lawn. Despite best efforts, I could not see the bird. It was very high up, and among dense foliage. Val Stajsic
	White-breasted Woodswallow Sharp's Track, Otway NP Small flock of birds seen over forest. Mike Honeyman
Wed 7 Nov	Satin Flycatcher, Nankeen Night-Heron (10) Newport Lakes Park A male and female Satin Flycatcher were present this morning in trees above the Amphitheatre in the same spot as previously seen here, the last date of which was 27/11/09. Also the rather odd sight of a flock of 10 adult-plumaged Nankeen Night-Heron continually circling over lakes for over an hour before eventually settling, as well as 3-4 Little Lorikeet, 2 Rufous Whistler and a Shining Bronze-cuckoo. Steve Davidson
Wed 7 Nov	Topknot Pigeon Croajingolong National Park (Point Hicks) Topknot Pigeon (6) Observed in the littoral rainforest adjacent to 'Honeymoon Bay' and the access road to the lighthouse Jacquie and Len Axen, David McKenzie
Wed 7 Nov	Franklin's Gull Paynesville As per previous reports, the bird was still there in the AM Stuart Cooney
	19 Gull-billed Tern Lake Tutchewop A nice sized flock of 19 Gull-bills resting on the southern shore of Lake Tutchewop. Best numbers I've seen in northern Vic since 1994 ! Simon Starr
	Banded Stilt Edwards Point, St. Leonards. Lagoon at N-W end. Approx. 400 Banded Stlt. Gordon McCarthy per Tom Fletcher
Tue 6 Nov	Wood Sandpiper Lignum (Hospital) Swamp, Lake Road, Connewarre A single Wood Sandpiper resting beside the pond close to the road. Other birds of interest included 10 Black-tailed Native-hen and 1 Latham's Snipe (7/11) Tom & Glenn Fletcher
	Pied Honeyeater, Red-backed Kingfisher & Black Honeyeater Goschen Reserve Found about 4 adult male & 2 uncoloured birds at the reserve. Numerous Black Honeyeaters, I would say 20 or so. 1 Red-backed Kingfisher, very vocal in area & seen several times. Also Cockatiels about, as well as numerous Masked/White-browed Woodswallows, about 50/50. Kevin Bartram
	White-winged Triller, Rufous Songlark Knob Reserve (Stratford) Several White-winged Triller and Rufous Songlark at the Knob Reserve, a dry grassy woodland adjacent to Stratford, Gippsland (-37.980333, 147.101004). Also large numbers vocal Pallid Cuckoo. Tim Dolby
	Franklin's Gull Paynesville Thanks to Mel Mitchell's sighting and directions on the 5th, it was exactly where he said it was at 10.30 am,unconcerned and photogenic. Derek & Sally Whitehead
	Sacred Kingfisher Darebin Parklands, Alphington Susan Pepper
	Painted Honeyeater Boweya Forest Two Painted Honeyeaters calling on the northern side of the forest and by Keenan Rd. Some other interesting birds here this afternoon were hundreds of White-browed Woodswallows with a few Masked among them, Grey-crowned Babbler, a pair of Painted Button-quail and a Gilbert's Whistler. Michael Ramsey
	Brolga, White-bellied Sea-eagle Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Highlight of the annual Werribee group bus trip around the plant were 4 Brolgas (2 adult and 2 large young) by the explosives depot gate, and Sea-eagle on a post by 85WC9. 83 species in all - not bad from a bus which can't get to too many places. Dave Torr and 19 others
	Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Yarralea St, Alphington Two in my garden with Rainbow Lorikeets. Guy Dutson
Mon 5 Nov	Freckled Duck Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands (Seaford) Freckled Duck Just off the raised lookout at the southern end. Linda Hayes
Mon 5 Nov	Australasian Bittern Sale Common Wetlands A single Bittern flying low over the rushes near the bird hide at the end of the boardwalk at about 3 pm. Stuart Dashper and Fiona Parkin
	Eastern Yellow Wagtail Seaspray 'The Honeysuckles' After an extensive search through the saltmarsh Eastern Yellow Wagtail was finally located in the muddy area directly west of the causeway where it was originally reported on Saturday. Was furtive and difficult to approach. Also saw Common Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler and hundreds of waders including Great Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit and Eastern Curlew- great place -worth a visit. Scott Baker
	Australian Painted Snipe Burramine South Swamp In the evening I flushed two birds from a shallow area at the southern end of the swamp, presumably a pair as one bird (the female) was much brighter and more clearly marked than the male. The female quickly dropped into thick rushes and could not be relocated but the male settled into a more open area near a fence and was viewed for a while. Conditions here at the swamp have been perfect for snipe for a few weeks now and I finally found them after a number of visits. Freckled Duck, Glossy Ibis, over 60 Red-kneed Dotterels and Australian Spotted Crakes were some other good birds here along with hundreds of other waterbirds such as spoonbills, herons, egrets and other ducks. Michael Ramsey
	Franklin's Gull and Australian Koel Paynesville Seen opposite hardware store around 5.30pm (-37.914705, 147.728508). Also Koel calling along Newlands Drive (-37.919714,147.716127). Tim Dolby
	Franklins Gull Slip Rd, Burrabogie Island, Paynesville Bird was found easily once the hardware store was located on the island - access to Burrabogie Island is via a small bridge on King St; at the end of this street turn left into Slip Rd. The gravel parking area opposite the hardware and marine centre is a sheltered location that seems to be used as a roost for several bird species. Mel Mitchell
	Franklin's Gull Paynesville Just seen out front of hardware store. Fiona Parkin and Stuart Dashper
Sun 4 Nov	Gull-billed Tern Stockyard Point, Westernport Bay Gull-billed Tern (55) started with 2 at about 1pm and built to 55 by high tide (38.3395S 145.516E) Roger Standen
Sun 4 Nov	Malleefowl, Black-eared Miner, Red-lored Whistler Murray-Sunset National Park Malleefowl (1) Crossed Sth Bambill Black-eared Miner (1) Single bird at Pheeneys/ Sth Bore Corner. Solid grey rump and black face mask extended above and below gape. Bird watched for approx 15 minutes as it fed in low scrub and rested. The bird was silent but also rather hot at 41 deg. Red-lored Whistler (2) Sth Bambill. Male bird singing. Gavin and Mal
	Bush Stone-curlew, Tawny Frogmouth, Spotted Nightjar Hattah-Kulkyne National Park Bush Stone-curlew (2),Tawny Frogmouth, Spotted Nightjar Possibly 2 birds. Birds seen on Mournpall Track at 10.30pm between Lake Mournpall Camp and Bittering Track. All birds seen well by all four observers Steve & Judi Duke
	Budgerigar, White-fronted Honeyeater, Shy Heathwren Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve Budgerigar 4 flushed from directly on Woolshed Track White-fronted Honeyeater 2 seen around a dam on Wattle Track Shy Heathwren 1 seen on Wattle Track Jackson Airey
	Franklin's Gull Paynesville Seen about 4-6 in the afternoon in usual spot across from the hardware store. Thought I'd put in this lovely picture of this beautiful American bird dubbed Buddy by Geoff Price! Kevin Bartram
	Franklin's Gull Paynesville At midday the gull returned to the carpark and stood cooperatively on the shore for ~15 minutes before heading off over the water. We'd seen it several times during the morning (along with many other observers) but it may be worth reporting that it does return to the large carpark near the hardware store at other times of day. This seems to be its favourite resting spot between bouts of looking for food over the water. Richard Loyn, Barb & Peter Menkhorst
	Lewin's Rail Moe Golf Course Foraging for worms and retreating into paperbark scrub. Last sighting there in October 2006. Alix Williams
	Cicadabird, Brown Gerygone, Brush Cuckoo Bunyip State Park Some unusual birds for the park this evening with a male Cicadabird singing along Gembrook-Tonimbuk Rd, a Brown Gerygone along Link Track and the first Brush Cuckoo for the spring here (as far as I'm aware) at the Helipad on dusk. After dark a Sooty Owl squealed for an extended period high in a Mountain Ash along Link Tk, and 2 White-throated Nightjar put in a brief appearance at the Helipad. Steve Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
	Black-tailed Godwit, Eastern Rosella Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Single Black-tailed Godwit in exact same spot and almost to the same day (6/11/11) as reported last year on Conservation Pond 85WC-9. A pair of Eastern Rosella along Pt Wilson Rd is only my second record on the plant in 27 years. Freckled Duck down from 25 to 3. Steve Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
	Pectoral Sandpiper,Marsh Sandpiper,Glossy Ibis,Freckled Duck Western Treatment Plant Sandpipers seen in Western Lagoon. Corrie & Ian Macartney
	Olive-backed Oriole Melton Gilgai Woodland One Olive-backed Oriole seen in Melton Gilgai Woodland this morning, about 9.00 am. Streaked breast, red eyes & large bill. Unfortunately it did not call. It was fossicking around the upper trunks. Odd to see one in this dry Grey Box / Yellow Gum woodland, The closest one I have seen to this site was in Lerderderg Gorge a few years ago. Not a good photo looking into the sun Daryl Akers
	Diamond Firetail 5k's north Axedale 2 Diamond Firetails seen a couple of times this morning in our garden. The second visit was just shortly after cleaning the birdbaths and one of the firetails thought the cleaned birdbath looked good. Marlene Lyell
Sat 3 Nov	Scarlet Honeyeater You Yangs Regional Park Several Scarlet Honeyeater in the eastern areas of the park. Also lots of cuckoos (Shining & Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, Pallid and Fan-tailed), Diamond Firetail, White-winged Triller, Speckled Warbler etc). Greg Oakley
	Osprey, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Singing Honeyeater Point Nepean Osprey observed clearly from junction of Coles Track and Defence Road, flying east at eye-level just seaward of the road along the ocean cliff-line towards Cheviot Beach. Probably not adult as there were markings around chest, and the crown was not completely white. Still unusual for this part of Victoria. Both Spiny-cheeked and Singing Honeyeaters abundant and vocal, with Spiny-cheekeds performing some impressive mimicry riffs. These coastal populations seem well separated from the more extensive inland ones and probably deserve some more attention. Neil Murray
	Gull-billed Tern Spit Point, French Island 4 fishing along sea edge, 1.5 Km west of Spit Point. Few records of this species from French Island Chris Chandler
	Franklin's Gull Paynesville Franklin's Gull (1) Seen Sunday (4/11) from 9:20am-10:30am on waterfront in front of gravel carpark in front of hardware store. Flew up and down the channel and over the town before finally alighting on a concrete block on the foreshore near the boatramp. Excellent views for about an hour before it flew off to the north. Paul Dodd & Ruth Woodrow
Fri 2 Nov	Grey Falcon Murray-Sunset National Park (Mulcra Island) Grey Falcon (1) Strong dashing falcon flew over campsite twice one morning. First pass feinting honeyeaters in tree canopy. Clean pale underparts. Second time flew across creek, banking flight showed pale upperparts as well as pale underwings shading to dark wingtips. Gavin and Mal
	Black Honeyeater Boort Cemetery Sighted at least 15 individuals (only one female) in the eremophilia bushes near the back of the cemetery. Claire and Ziggy Wolinski
	Malleefowl, Black Honeyeater, Redthroat, Southern Scrub-robin Wyperfeld National Park Malleefowl seen on Dattuck track, at about 7:30pm, about 2k down the track. Black Honeyeater 2 - 1 Discovery Walk and 1 Malleefowl Walk Redthroat (1) Near the lookout on the Discovery Walk Southern Scrub-robin Several seen and heard on the Discovery Walk Jackson Airey
Thu 1 Nov	Buff-banded Rail Kackeroite Creek, Mt Eliza Two adults with 3 chicks seen along the creek at the back of a private property off Gillard's Rd Mt Eliza. S & S King
	Grey-crowned Babbler Kerang district Groups of 3-4 Grey-crowned Babblers seen in 3 locations - in roadside vegetation driving from Leaghur SP to Kerang, at Reedy Lake and at Middle Lake. Jackson Airey
	Brown quail Hastings One brown quail flushed out of long grass growing beside train line between Grayden's Rd and Tyabb. First time we have seen this species in this area. S & S KIng
Wed 31 Oct	Australian Painted Snipe Wangaratta Sighted female and male Painted Snipes in a small wetland near the road. Observed for about 10 minutes before they moved on. Claire and Ziggy Wolinski
Mon 22 Oct	Brown Songlark Mt Wellington Rd, French Island Seen and heard... first record on French Island for many years. Another bird heard later in the day on Centreway Rd Chris Chandler

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