Birdline New South Wales Weekly Update

Birdline New South Wales

Published sightings for the week ending 18 Aug 2013.

Sun 18 Aug	Australian Pratincole, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Hexham Swamp (private property) Single Australian Pratincole north of the old railway line on private property, viewed from an area that requires as induction prior to access. The bird was first noticed in the muddy paddock and was soon chased by the Masked Lapwing in the image (which was taken at a great distance in very low light!). A flock of 14 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were seen previously further south in the nature reserve. Also present, 2 Black Falcons (amongst a host of other raptors), 50+ Chestnut-breasted Mannikins, Spotless Crakes (several calling in the few reeds not burnt during Thursday's fire), a Yellow-billed Spoonbill and a flock of 1000+ Eurasian Coot. Mick Roderick
Sat 17 Aug	White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Little Eagle Windsor A dark-morph White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike was seen at the first bridge beside Cornwallis Rd (where I have seen them on another occasion). Also here a light morph Little Eagle was being harassed by an Australian Raven. A pair of Banded Lapwings was also seen at the usual place along Cornwallis Rd beside the row of palm trees. Edwin Vella
	Black Falcon Richmond Lowlands At least one still hanging around the turf farms for over a month now. I have attached a record shot. Edwin Vella
	Yellow-throated Scrubwren Morton National Park (Bundanoon Sector) 2 Yellow-throated Scrubwrens and their nest found near the Glow Worm Glen Track. The second Bundanoon nesting site I've found for Yellow-throated Scrubwrens. Other birds of note: 3 Bassian Thrushes, 3 Eastern Whipbirds, Olive-backed Oriole and a Brown Gerygone. Lorne Johnson
	Freckled Duck Flat Rock Dam, West Nowra Further to Bob Rusks report of the 13th, I counted 491 Freckled Duck and the total would be over 500 as I missed some birds among the reeds and didn't walk the full length of the dam Mark Ley
	Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Lewisham 10 Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos flying over around midday. Bit unusual in the Inner West. John Avery
	Pale-vented Bush-hen General Stubbs Drive, Rosebank Individual spotted at same site where a pair attempted to breed in Carex appressa on edge of dam, 4 years ago. This is a different site from the Rosebank sighting reported earlier this year. Pictures, one from last time, drying off after rain, and grainy one this time, taken through a window. Phil Murray
	Freckled Duck, Spotted Harrier, Striated Pardalote Spring Creek Reservoir, Orange Freckled Duck (1) Spotted Harrier (1) Striated Pardalote (2) Yellow-tipped race Neville Schrader (1702)
	Buff-banded Rail, White-plumed Honeyeater, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Eastlakes Golf Course White-bellied Cuckoo-shike over path north of Wentworth Ave, my first sighting in eastern Sydney and seems to be new to site list. Same for White-plumed Honeyeaters seen and vocal near northern ponds. 2 Buff-banded Rails vocal and one seen well on either side of the path between the ponds behind the Fairy Martin nesting site. Wonderful to see a group of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos feeding on fallen pine cones on the ground near Bay St, allowing approach and pics to within a few metres. Eric Finley (2906)
	Grey Goshawk, Australian Hobby Sydney Olympic Park Fairly spontaneous morning visit in very spring-like conditions yielded a good tally with a couple of standout species; Grey Goshawk (1) circling high above Haslam's Pier, then cruising south towards Homebush. Seen well in clear conditions, Brown Goshawk also seen nearby. Australian Hobby (1) heading north-west over Haslam's Pier. Max Breckenridge
Fri 16 Aug	Freckled Duck Bungendore Sewage Ponds Freckled Duck (1) Loafing on a point with 2 Pink-eared Ducks. Richard & Margaret Alcorn
Fri 16 Aug	Yellow-faced Honeyeater Ash Island, Hexham Yellow-faced Honeyeater Thousands flying downstream (SE) low over mangroves near the island side of the bridge. A 5 minute rough count of 15 groups, averaging around 10 per group crossing the bridge = 1800/hr. A follow up count 4 hours later yielded a similar result. Roger Giller
Fri 16 Aug	Black Swan Woronora River at Bonnet Bay Reported to me by a friend who has lived on the river since 1983 and never seen a Black Swan in the area. Rolando De Michiel per Roger Giller
	Freckled Duck Lithgow Sewage Treatment Plant checked out this site at dusk. and a single Freckled Duck was observed in middle settling pond along with the usual species. No target Blue-billed Duck observed Brenton Takach
	Pink-eared Duck Bundanoon My first Pink-eared Duck for Bundanoon was at the sewage works late this afternoon. Species no. 156 for town! Lorne Johnson
	White-necked Heron Chatswood CBD 2 White-necked Herons thermal riding south at 10:30am. Harassed by a (probable) Magpie that took the trouble to climb up the >300m. Chris Charles
	Peaceful Dove Private Property. Coates Park Rd, Cobbitty. 3 Peaceful Doves were seen this morning at a dam on private property. Brendon Levot
	Yellow-faced Honeyeater Faulconbridge, Blue Mountains small groups migrating south scattered throughout day - total 100-200 birds seen/heard Andrew Taylor
Thu 15 Aug	Spotted Harrier Humewood Forest, Appin Rd, Mt Gilead A single Spotted Harrier glided overhead above the tree line several times throughout the day. A first for this site as far as I know. Many honeyeater species also present including White-naped, Brown-headed, White-eared and large numbers of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. Brendon Levot
	Wandering Albatross north head manly Highlight from a sea watch today was 1 very white Wandering Albatross (possibly exulans), also 2 Eastern Curlew and 2 Whimbrel flying south. michael ronan
	Latham's Snipe, Lewin's Rail, Spotless Crake, Northern Mallard, White-necked Heron, Eastlakes Golf Course Another great afternoon at Eastlakes. The first Latham's Snipe of the season has returned, and was seen foraging busily. Very good views of a single Lewin's Rail not far south of the weir is my first at the course since last year. A Spotless Crake was also seen at the same location, but sadly only extremely briefly. A White-necked Heron was my first for the site, but more notable was a pair of very pure (in appearance at least) Northern Mallards, not previously recorded here. Spring is clearly close with Australian Reed-warblers, Little Grassbirds, Golden-headed Cisticolas and Fan-tailed Cuckoos all having started singing in the last week. Ashwin Rudder
	White-throated Gerygone Arranbee Rd, King Creek, Wauchope Our first of the season heard early this morning. Clive Meadows
Wed 14 Aug	Black Kite Jarrett Park, Bellingen Saw 30-40 Black Kites heading east along the Bellinger River - the first I have recorded in 9 years in the Bellinger Valley. Brian Hawkins
	Masked Owl Near Majors CReek, NE of Ebor One Masked Owl took off from roadside post at night @ 22.00hrs. Greg Clancy, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Eastern Barn Owl Separate sites just W of Tamworth Five separate Barn Owls observed along back roads near Tamworth at night. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Spotted Harrier Between Gunnedah and Coonabarabran Adult foraging over grassy paddock for some minutes. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Black Kite Peak Hill - Newell Hwy 7 Black Kites above park in town. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Wandering Tattler Little Wategoes Beach/ Cape Byron, North Coast Tattlers are back/ still here. Albatross out off the cape on mixing waters at least 1/2 a mile out in poor light, hard to ID . Duncan Fowler
	Common Tern Newcastle Ocean Baths Rock Shelf Unseasonal Common Tern roosting on the rocks amongst resident Crested Terns and wintering White-fronted Terns this afternoon. A single Ruddy Turnstone also present. (Moderator's note: Dion Hobcroft suggests that the bird is in fact a worn first year plumage White-fronted Tern, note the pale upper edges to the folded primaries - worn but present. AKM) Allan Richardson
	Pacific Baza St Ives Saw two Pacific Bazas flying from the trees and calling. They're the two that pop up irregularly around Dalrymple Reserve. Arnie Hollyman
	Square-tailed Kite North Brother Mountain, Laurieton Pair of kites flying low over houses at the base of the Mountain, have been most visual over the past two days, also other STK have been sighted near Port Macquarie on ocean drive Stephen Gallivan
	Dusky Woodswallow, Crested Shrike-tit, Spangled Drongo Riverside Park, Riverside Rd, Chipping Norton A single Spangled Drongo, a pair of Dusky Woodswallow and a pair of Crested Shrike-tits were some of the highlights. Bluegums and acacias are flowering so numerous meliphagous species (10 honeyeaters, 4 lorikeets). Also four raptor spp, four yellow-rumped Thornbills and a Hoary-headed Grebe made for a good morning. David James
	Scarlet Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Brown-headed Honeyeater Mount Kaputar National Park, Upper Bullawa Creek At least two Scarlet Honeyeaters, together with an Eastern Spinebill and two Brown-headed Honeyeaters, were observed in flowering box gums. About 200 m away, in another flowering box gum, a mob of about 30 Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters chased away other nectar-eating species. Michael Dahlem
Tue 13 Aug	Hooded Plover Twofold Bay Eden One untagged Hooded Plover seen feeding on beach at low tide just near Big 4 caravan Park. Stephen and Sue King
	Black Kite Euston and Balranald 30+ Black Kites at Euston and 2 at Balranald. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Beach Thick-knee Hastings Point Pair at their usual day-time roost west of the bridge. One bird wears a yellow flag and leg ring that were placed on it at Evans Head. Rob Morrow
	Square-tailed Kite Bargo area 2 birds soaring high above the Hume Highway about 500 metres north of the Avon Dam Rd turn-off. It's been about 18 months since I've seen a STK in this area. Great to see a pair this time around! Lorne Johnson
	Australasian Shovelers Wilford Lane Wetlands. Milton/Ulladulla After the seeing the huge influx of Freckled Ducks at Nowra, the wetlands at the end of Wilford Lane in Milton/Ulladulla was also checked out. There were 30 + Australasian Shovelers spotted, which again is an unusual amount of these ducks to be seen in this area other than the ones and twos that turn up intermittently. Bob Rusk
	Olive-backed Oriole Eulah Creek, 20 km east of Narrabri 2390 While usually observed in small numbers in our area (North-west Slopes), currently at least 15 Olive-backed Orioles are staying on our property. They are seen hunting for insects, taking nectar and drinking water around the garden and nearby dam. Michael Dahlem
	Freckled Ducks Flat Rock Dam, West Nowra Checking out the 100 Freckled Ducks that had been reported being there last month . They have now increased to app 300 and sheltering among the reeds, still on the north side. Some are showing breeding colour on the bills. Bob Rusk
Mon 12 Aug	Rainbow Bee-eater Boggy Creek, 7 km west of Bellingen Hot westerly winds on Monday 12th August blew 4 Rainbow Bee-eaters to Boggy Creek - the first for this season and the earliest (by nearly 3 weeks) I have recorded them here in the last four springs. Pete Higgins reported Bee-eaters at nearby Coffs Harbour on the same day. They were still around on Tuesday morning, but had gone by Tuesday afternoon. Brian Hawkins
	Swift Parrot Private property, Elizabeth Dr, Cecil Hills. Two Swift Parrots sighted late this afternoon passing through private property. The birds briefly stopped in Eucalyptus amplifolia before being chased away by Bell Miners. Brendon Levot, Alex Saleeby and Ravi Wasan
	Long-billed Corella Macquarie University, North Ryde Campus There was a flock of at least 36 long-billed corellas feeding on the lawn and in one small tree beside the walkway between the Campus Hub and the Gym. There was one Little Corella with them. Daniel Hoops
	Pacific Baza Nandi Ave, Frenchs Forest Up to four birds have been observed almost daily around the neighbourhood. I possibly observed what I believe to be a display flight on Saturday. Bazas have been observed semi regularly around my area (I seen one every few months, but don't spend that much time outside) but there has certainly been an increase in sightings recently. Possibly indicative of breeding in the area. I will look for a nest when school work lets up a bit. Nathan Ruser and residents of Nandi Ave
Sun 11 Aug	Magpie Geese, Plumed Whistling-Ducks Braunstone, South Grafton 8 Magpie Geese still on dams as reported 7th August. Also 100+ Plumed Whistling-Ducks with them. Michael Cheers
	Pacific Baza Sun Valley, NSW Pair of PB have returned. Not sighted since April. Calling while moving from tree to tree yesterday and again today, 12th. Matt Stephens
	Sacred Kingfisher Sydney Olympic Park (Waterbird Refuge) 2 Sacred Kingfishers behind the bird hide. Also 3 White-plumed Honeyeaters behind, 1 Red-kneed Dotterel just in front and a Fantail Cuckoo calling near the road. Simon Gorta, Jillian and Nichelle Nolan
	Pacific Gull Boat Harbour, Kurnell Also 3 Kelp Gulls Lorand Szucs
	Australasian Pipit, Flame Robin (female) Bundanoon 9 Australasian Pipits in a stony paddock by Shangri la Road were an unexpected highlight of a brief outing mid-afternoon. Species no. 155 for my Bundanoon list! Australasian Pipits are rarely seen in the Southern Highlands. Other noteworthy species: Flame Robin (female), Buff-rumped Thornbills (my third spot in Bundanoon for them), European Goldfinches (11 birds), Hoary-headed Grebes, Hardheads, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Wedge-tailed Eagle and possibly a Beautiful Firetail (heard faintly). Lorne Johnson
	Rainbow Bee-eater Sawtell Single bird heard 16:30, heading south; first for me this season and pretty early record. Peter Higgins
	Eastern Bristlebird Booderee National Park 4:30pm Two Eastern Bristlebirds in the Cape St George Historic Lighthouse car park Jervis Bay Julie and Werner Neumann
Fri 9 Aug	White-winged Triller West Wyalong Adult male non-breeding plumage. An early returning migrant or a bird that has over-wintered. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
Thu 8 Aug	House Sparrow E of Yanga National Park, E of Balranald 50+ flew from ground to roadside shrubs. Greg CLancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Black Kite, Whistling Kite, Australian Pelican Hay 200+ Black Kites circling high on thermal with 6+ Australian Pelicans. Three Whistling Kites low down a little later. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Superb Parrot, Little Eagle Erigolia, between West Wyalong and Hay 100+ Superb Parrots in trees and flying below canopy over road. 1 Little Eagle (pale morph) high over. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
Wed 7 Aug	Freckled Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Australasian Shoveler, Peregrine Falcon, White-bellied Sea-Eagle Gum Swamp, Forbes 64+ Freckled Ducks, 250+ Pink-eared Ducks, 50+ Australasian Shovelers, adult pair of Peregrine Falcons, Pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles, one adult sitting on nest, second (?sub-adult) in flight nearby. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Little Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet Carroll, E of Gunnedah Two of each species heard calling. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Eastern Barn Owl Bective Creek (Tamworth-Gunnedah) and S of Coonabarabran Single roadkills at each site. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Spotted Harrier Somerton Two adults low near Highway. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
	Black Kite Between Carroll and Forbes As there are large numbers of this species on the coast at present I thought that it would be interesting to document numbers west of the Divide. Carroll - 2, WSW of Gunnedah -7+, NE of Gilgandra - 1, N of Forbes 3+. Greg Clancy, Stephen Debus, Russell Jago, Val Clancy, Matt Templeton
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

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