Birdline New South Wales Weekly Update

Birdline New South Wales

Published sightings for the week ending 11 Aug 2013.

Sun 11 Aug	Flame Robin, Scarlet Robin, Black-chinned Honeyeater wolgan valley newnes. Highlights from a trip to newnes today were 10-12 Flame Robins also 7 Scarlet Robins and nice close views of 3 Black-chinned Honeyeaters. Good numbers of the more commoner honeyeaters are starting to move into the valley but unfortunately no Regent Honeyeaters. michael ronan.
	Sacred Kingfisher Nepean Weir, Penrith Heard my first Sacred Kingfisher this (almost) spring at the weir area around 11:00 this morning. Ákos Lumnitzer
	Australasian Figbird, Sacred Kingfisher, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Mehi River, Moree East 2 Australasian Figbirds (M & F) are still present in the exact same tree and have been since early July, my final report unless something else happens. An immature Olive-backed Oriole joined them. The first Sacred Kingfisher since June was present, also 2 Chestnut-breasted Mannikins, 20+ Plum-headed & 20+ Double-barred Finches. A quite possible Eastern Yellow Robin was heard calling, confident of its ID but am not 100% familiar with its call. Curtis Hayne
	Gang-gang Cockatoo Kooringal Avenue, Thornleigh We just had 4 Gang-gang Cockatoos arrive in our yard, first time we have seen this species in Thornleigh in our 18 years here. They were very vocal and attempted to settle amongst the gums and angophoras, but were continuously mobbed by many dozens of noisy miners and gave up and flew off after only a few minutes. The noisy miners were behaving as if it was the Pacific Baza that turns up occasionally, I assume a response to a bird unknown to them and therefore treated as a threat. Although I did not report it earlier, my wife and sister-in-law said the Noisy Miners responded similarly, but in even greater numbers, to a lone Black Kite that had happened by about three to four months ago. Cameron Ward
	Peregrine Falcon Bellawongarah A pair flying circles and displaying together. Peregrines are reasonably frequent visitor here, but this is my first pair. Ralph Stadus
Sat 10 Aug	White-plumed Honeyeater Sydney, Central Station 5:50 am I heard a White-plumed Honeyeater in the few trees on the car park just outside Sydney Central Station. When I came back 10 minutes later it called again and I got a glimpse of a WPHE-sized bird fly from one tree to another. Not a rare species but an unusual spot for it. Nikolas Haass
	Black Falcon Cornwallis 1 Black Falcon, 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles, 2 Brown Falcons, 1 Whistling Kite 1 Swamp Harrier on Cornwallis Rd. Tony Dawe
	Buller's Albatross, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, White-fronted Tern Sydney Pelagic There were no rarities recorded on the August Sydney pelagic but notable were a Buller's Albatross, a returning Wedge-tailed Shearwater and a group of five White-fronted Terns. [Moderator's note (NH): Three juvenile Shy-type Albatross with perfectly pristine plumage and dark(ish) heads looked too fresh to be cauta (which would leave their nests in April), hence we ID'd them as steadi. We did not ID the older Shy-type Albatross (including 2 adults) down to cauta/steadi level, albeit neither of them showed the bright yellow base of the culminicorn that adult cauta off Eaglehawk Neck would show in August] Roger McGovern, Ashwin Rudder and all on the Halicat
Fri 9 Aug	Black Kite Cundletown Single Black Kite on Pacific Highway, just before Cundletown exit. Tim Morris
	Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, Superb Parrot New South Wales Large flocks of parrots lining the roadside for about 2 km leading into Ungarie from the west side into Ungarie - including Red-rumped Parrots, Mallee Ringnecks, Bluebonnets, Eastern Rosellas, Cockatiels and a group of about 40 Superb Parrots close the the grain silo. There were 16 Major Mitchell's Cockatoos in a paddock in town mixed with Galahs. The flocks were all very large. We wondered whether grain had been spilt on the way to the silo. Bill Paul & Ross Potter
	Bell Miner Tallong Whilst standing at Badgerys Lookout in Morton National Park, I heard several Bell Miners calling in Shoalhaven Gorge, far below me. Bell Miners are very scarce in the Southern Highlands. This is my only Highlands record for them. Lorne Johnson
	Spotted Quail-thrush, Scarlet Robin, Rose Robin, Buff-rumped Thornbill Tallong 3 Spotted Quail-thrush calling loudly whilst scampering and flying short distances, over 10 minutes, on a ridge above the 'labyrinth' at the Santa Sabina Campus. Spectacular stuff. Also present: Scarlet and Rose Robins and many Buff-rumped Thornbills. Lorne Johnson
	Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Noisy Pitta, White-eared Monarch Iluka Nature Reserve During only a short spin along the rainforest walk from the Crown St entrance, had great views of a Noisy Pitta foraging just off the trail, followed by an obliging Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (overwintering or early arrival?). The White-eared Monarch was heard calling several times. Nick Leseberg
	Beach Stone-curlew, Noisy Pitta Sandon Estuary The resident pair of Beach Stone-curlews was seen from the boat ramp roosting near the mangroves on the rising tide. A surprising find was a Noisy Pitta foraging in a small thicket amongst the mangroves and only metres from the high tide line. Nick Leseberg
	Lewin's Rail Blue Mountains National Park (North Lawson Swamp) Lewin's Rail (2) Two birds heard calling within 40 metres of each other, both just in from the edge of the swamp. The first was giving the 'squeaky grunt and knock call', the second giving the krek krek call. Both calls unmistakeable and confirmed by Morecombe app. Mark Ley
	Sooty Owl Bellawongarah, Berry Mtn. Heard a Sooty Owl calling at 5:30 am from our rainforest. Carla Jackett
Thu 8 Aug	Great-winged Petrel and Wedge-tailed Shearwater Mistral Point,Maroubra At least 50 Great-winged Petrels seen today, many very close in. Also 1 Wedge-tailed Shearwater, a few Shy Albatross and dozens of Black-browed Albatross. [Moderator's note (NH): Interestingly on today's Sydney pelagic there were no Great-winged Petrels. Of note was a Wedge-tailed Shearwater out there] David Mitford and Ray Gobbe
	Rufous Scrubbird, Eastern Bristlebird, Sooty Owl, Masked Owl, Marbled Frogmouth, Albert's Lyrebird Border Ranges National Park A productive afternoon, evening and morning in the Border Ranges spent between the Border Loop Lookout, Sheep Station Creek and Forest Tops yielded a nice range of species. The Rufous Scrubbird was as low down the mountain as I have recorded them, only a few kms past Sheep Station Creek Nick Leseberg
	Great-winged Petrel, Brown Skua Fort Drive, Nobby's (Newcastle) 3 Great-winged Petrels seen close to dusk yesterday at the same time as flocks of about 100 Fluttering (type) Shearwaters were seemingly trying to alight on the water. There were many 1000's of Flutterers out wide, as there have been off Newcastle for over a month now. I thought the Great-winged sighting was interesting because any Great-winged Petrel (i.e. a gouldi or macroptera) is pretty scarce in August. (I was back there this morning and didn't see any petrels but saw several Black-browed Albatross, the usual 1000's of shearwaters and 2 Brown Skuas) Mick Roderick
	Great-winged Petrel, Wedge-tailed Shearwater north head manly. Large numbers of Great-winged Petrels off north head this afternoon no less than 150 birds with most close in. Also my first Wedge-tailed Shearwater for the spring. michael ronan
	Spotted Harrier Armidale Rd., South Grafton. 200 meters west of entrance to waste depot. One Spotted Harrier crossed road in front of vehicle. Warren Thompson
	Magpie Geese Armidale Rd. Braunston nr Grafton. 2.45pm. 1/2 km west of Gould's Rd. intersection. 3 Magpie Geese seen flying over dam. Same site as reported on 7Aug. Waarren Thompson
Wed 7 Aug	Magpie Geese Armidale Rd., Braunstone nr Grafton 8 Magpie Geese resting on dam wall half kilometre west of Goulds Rd. 8:30am, still there at 10:45am. Warren Thompson
Wed 7 Aug	Black Bittern Deep Creek Reserve, Narrabeen Black Bittern at 8 am. Got there at 7 am I was there for 1 hour when I spotted the Black Bittern, which was very hard to see as it blended in very well with the background. Was told this bird was there yesterday. There were also Eastern Spinebills present. Alex james
Wed 7 Aug	White-winged Chough Tallong 8 birds on Old Wingello Rd near entrance to Santa Sabina College Campus. Lorne Johnson
	Whimbrels Brusnwick River Estaury A few Whimbrels on the rocky high tide roost, northern arm, Nature Reserve. Also 2 Pied Oystercatchers further up standing right next the river edge/ dirt roadside with cars passing not even metres away, fairly unfazed Duncan Fowler
	Black Kite Stotts Creek, nr Tweed Heads Yet more Black Kites. 50 or so just south of Cudgen Tunnel on Pacific Highway. Spotted them driving up in the morning and still there on the way back in the afternoon. Phil Murray
	Kelp Gull Austinmer Boat Ramp 7 Kelp Gulls at the Austinmer boat ramp this afternoon between 3.20pm and 3.45pm. Low tide. 4 immature birds approaching adult plumage, 1 juvenile, 2 adult. Michael Crosland
	Brown Skua 2km off Nambucca Heads One Brown Skua and several Fluttering Shearwaters. About 6 Humpback Whales passing through. Peter Mackey
	Magpie Goose, Little Grassbird, Tawny Grassbird, Gull-billed Tern Narrabri Lake, Narrabri West 2390 At least about 30 Magpie Geese are still at Narrabri Lake, seen resting on mudflats. One Gull-billed Tern in non-breeding plumage (my first sighting at this site) seen above open water; both Little Grassbird (photo) and Tawny Grassbird (my first sighting at this site) found in remnant reed and weed growth. Michael Dahlem
Tue 6 Aug	Black Kite Clarence Regional Waste Depot, South Grafton 80+ Black Kites soaring above facility. First record at this site for a couple of weeks. Thought that they had departed. Greg Clancy
	Pacific Baza backyard of Pine St Junction Hill, Grafton 4 Pacific Bazas in backyard in trees and in neighbours paddock, have been present for 4 days now, 3 appeared to be adults and one an immature. The birds were seen to be hunting. Reece Limon
Mon 5 Aug	Freckled Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Swamp Harrier McPhersons Rd Swamp, Tuggerah A 20 minute visit to this wetland mid-morning found 34 Freckled Ducks, the highest number seen at any site on the Central Coast ever. In addition there were 3 Pink-ears and 3 Shoveler. Other birds of interest were a pair of Black-shouldered Kites, 3 Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos, 1 Little Egret, 1 Swamp Harrier, 44 Hardheads, 2 Royal Spoonbills, and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were pretty active because there is a Forest Red Gum in flower. All up 37 species in 20 minutes! Alan Morris
Mon 5 Aug	Little Eagle Coutts Crossing village Dark morph Little Eagle soaring moderately low over houses, attacked by Australian Magpie Greg Clancy
	Black Kite Lawrence Road, Southgate Village 50+ Black Kites over and on ground at cleared canefield. Martyn Squires per Greg Clancy
	Barking Owl, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Hoary-headed Grebe Jamieson Park, Narrabeen Lakes At 7:30 this morning, the Barking Owl was happily perched a couple of metres back in the trees East of the track, on the western shoreline south of Pipeclay Point. Also observed were 3 Glossy Black-Cockatoos, at least 1 Hoary-headed Grebe, and an Osprey in flight presumably heading towards the next along Wakehurst Pkwy. Thank you to recent birdline reporters for the info! Henry Coleman
Sun 4 Aug	Buller's Albatross. north head manly. The highlight of a sea watch from north head today was 1 immature Buller's Albatross. Still good numbers of albatross off north head today despite the calm conditions during the last month. michael ronan.
	Swift Parrot Dunbogan caravan park near Laurieton We saw at least 12 Swift Parrots, late morning, feeding in Forest Red Gum. There were both adults and immature birds feeding on both nectar and lerps. They were feeding with many Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets and a few Noisy Miners and Noisy Friarbirds. They dispersed around midday but when we returned late afternoon there were at least 20 birds counted. Peter West and Sue Proust
Fri 2 Aug	Australasian Bittern, Little Bittern, Magpie Goose, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo Macquarie Marshes Highlights: Australasian Bittern, Magpie Goose, Freckled Duck (Monkeygar Creek area), Crimson Chat (5 Macquarie Marshes Reserve 10 km north of Sandy Camp), Little Bittern (Carinda Rd - 15 km north of Gibson Way), 7 Major Mitchell's Cockatoos (Bells Creek), Little Button-quail (plenty - 5 km west of Carinda - on the stock route). Glossy Black Cockatoo (near Willie's Retreat) Ted Wnorowski
Thu 1 Aug	Grey Falcon, White-browed Treecreeper, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush Gundabooka National Park I observed for nearly 20 minutes a courtship flight of two Grey Falcons over Dry Tank campground. Fantastic. Other interesting birds near Dry Tank area: Mulga Parrot (2), Southern Whiteface, Hooded Robin (plenty, Splendid Fairywren, Diamond dove. We also took walk to the top of the little Mountain and had a great view of two White-browed Treecreepers and Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush Ted Wnorowski
	Blue-billed Duck, A. Shoveler, Superb Parrot, Banded Lapwing, Spotted Harrier Nyngan Sewage Treatment Works A quick visit to Nyngan STP. Among hundred of Grey Teals there were a pair of Blue-billed Duck. Four Banded Lapwings on a nearby paddock. A single Spotted Harrier hunting over pasture. Two Superb Parrot were feeding near the road (near Box Cowal). Ted Wnorowski
	Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, Spotted Bowerbird Nyngan Rotary Park and Riverside Caravan Park 11 Mijor Mitchell's Cockatoo roosting on the tree near Bogan River. Spotted Bowerbird displaying the bower at the caravan park Ted Wnorowski
Wed 31 Jul	Hooded Plover Eden 10' Cell (37 00S 149 50E) Hooded Plover One seen and photographed on beach at Big4 caravan park over 2 days Peter Woodall
	Brolga, Musk Duck, Peregrine Falcon, Black-tailed Native-hen Bourke STP Amongst the usual collection of coots and ducks there were two Musk Ducks and 12 Australasian Shovelers in the STP ponds. There also 4 Brolga and 8 Black-tailed Native-hen nearby. Ted Wnorowski
Sat 27 Jul	Albert' s Lyrebird, Rufous Scrub-bird, Paradise Riflebird, Eastern Spinebill Border Ranges NP Single Albert's Lyrebird heard calling at Bar Mountain, Paradise Riflebird heard at Blackbutts Lookout, Eastern Spinebill seen at The Pinnacle Lookout. We heard a single Rufous Scrub-bird half-way between Forest Tops and Sheep station Creek camping grounds. R.Lamb & M.Dam
Mon 22 Jul	Black-necked Stork, Straw-necked Ibis (160), Sextonville Rd swamp, nr Kyogle Single Black-necked Stork, 160 Straw-necked Ibis and many other waterbirds (31 species). R.Lamb & M.Dam
Sun 21 Jul	Rose-crowned Fruit-dove, Noisy Pitta, Russet-tailed Thrush Victoria Park Nature Reserve, Nr Alstonville, NSW Noisy Pitta and Russet-tailed Thrush easily seen at midday in this small reserve, Rose-crowned Fruit-dove calling constantly but couldn't be seen. R.Lamb & M.Dam
Thu 18 Jul	Eurasian Blackbird, European Starling, Black-fronted Dotterel McMahon's swamp, nr Casino Single Eurasian Blackbird seen in paddock opposite western end of swamp. European Starlings also present at eastern end. Would be new site for Eurasian Blackbird if could be confirmed by local birders. R.Lamb

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