Birdline Victoria Weekly Update

Birdline Victoria

Published sightings for the week ending 20 Oct 2013.

Sun 20 Oct	Spotless Crake Tanunda Wetlands, Mill Park 1 bird in Crake Corner - north-eastern-most pond. Seen at this spot previously. Peter Bennet
Sun 20 Oct	Sacred Kingfisher, Rufous Songlark Elster Creek, Elwood A Rufous Songlark at Moran Reserve and a pair of White-faced Herons nesting by the Elwood Canal at Broadway St. There has been a lot of bird activity along the canal over the last two days. A Sacred Kingfisher nearby at Addison St (today), 2 Nankeen Night Herons roosting near Broadway St, Tawny Frogmouths still nesting near Broadway St, A New Holland Honeyeater (locally rare) at Marine Pde - Elwood Canal intersection (yesterday), a Brown Goshawk at the mouth of the canal and 3 Fairy Martins (yesterday) in the same area. Gio Fitzpatrick
	Dollarbird Mahon Ln Osbornes Flat (Yackandandah) A pair of Dollar birds arrived today. This will be their fourth summer in a row. Also of note include a small group of woodswallows (white-browed and masked) roosting with the dusky woody's tonight and the wedgies with a strengthening youngster in the nest. Matt Weeks
	Ruff Western Treatment Plant Juvenile Ruff foraging with a small flock of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in a saltmarsh pool nest to the coast, about 150 m sw of the Bird Hide, see photo. Juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper (unphotographed) also seen in the saltmarsh pool sw of Borrie Outfall. Danny Rogers, Ken Rogers
	Gull-billed Tern, Masked Woodswallow, White-browed Woodswallow Western Treatment Plant, Werribee Windy afternoon visit but a bit of a ternanza with seven species recorded including two adult Gull-billed on the beach rocks inside the Beach Rd gate. Good numbers of White-browed Woodswallows in the west of the farm with a few Masked mixed in. Tim Bawden
	Great Crested Grebe, White-winged Triller Royal Park West (Trin Warren Tam-boore) A Great Crested Grebe still on the Storage Pond. A male White-winged Triller in the skink habitat. Nicole Spillane & Paul Jacobson
	White-browed Woodswallow Alphington 200 over the garden this morning; too high to see any Maskeds Guy Dutson & Lila Dutson
	Painted Honeyeater Tylden Quarry, Macedon Ranges Single male calling from inside the restricted area of Tylden Quarry. From a stand of Eucalyptus radiata and Acacia dealbata with abundant Drooping Mistletoe (Amyema pendulum). Lawrie Conole
	White Magpie Forest Rd near Larcombes Rd Moriac White bird feeding in paddock with two normals. Jeff Dagg with Georgi Anderson
	White-headed Pigeon Lake Tyers (township and beach) Single White-headed Pigeon made brief appearance at caravan park. Brush Cuckoo also present. G. Santos
Sat 19 Oct	Pacific Golden-Plover Black Rock Reserve, Barwon Heads 21 Pacific Golden-Plover together in a flock amongst the rocks at the eastern end of the reserve. Richard & Margaret Alcorn
Sat 19 Oct	White-throated Nightjar Bunyip State Park (Helipad) visit on dusk to see if the nightjars have arrived. Tick! White-throated Nightjar (1) Single bird arrived at 8.05pm by calling from somewhere in the vicinity of the intersection of Helmet track and Black snake creek RdIt hung around the helipad for about 15 minutes perching at times on the top of a dead tree but did not lnd on the ground to enable better photos Hedley and Irena Earl
	Square-tailed Kite Bailieston To add to the recent sightings of Square-tailed Kite, there were two birds present at Bailieston today, only a few kilometres apart. they were shown to be separate individuals by primaries damage & underwing plumage differences. Also seen were 2 White-winged Trillers at Bailieston & 1 at Mangalore. Brian Johnston & Ken Baker
	Sacred Kingfisher Woodlands Historic Park (Greenvale) Quick visit to try and find the rainbow bee-eater. No luck but did find a beautiful pair of sacred kingfishers. The first ones I have seen here this season. Richard Arnold
	Curlew Sandpiper Ricketts Point, Beaumaris One bird feeding on reef late this afternoon. A rare bird in this location. Average quality image attached. John Eichler
	Scarlet Honeyeater Ringwood North, Felix Cresent Our friends spotted an unusual bird in their garden and were able to grab the attached picture so I could ID for them. Mike Honeyman (for Peter Wheedon and Anne Wardrop)
	White-browed and Masked Woodswallow South Morang Mixed flock of about 50 birds (mainly White-browed) cruised north-east over the backyard this morning. Dean and Liam Ingwersen
Fri 18 Oct	White-throated Needletail Toolangi Black Range State Forest (The Tanglefoot Trails) One Needletail seen high over the canopy, possibly a second around. White throat seen well despite only brief views, first for the season. Elsewhere there was a female Brown Goshawk flushed from ground level on Quarry Rd, possibly nesting nearby and a Wedge-tailed Eagle taking advantage of winds, soaring high overhead Tim Nickholds & Elisha Laukart
Fri 18 Oct	White-winged Triller Kimberley Reserve, Chirnside Park At the top lake there was a male Triller darting around the canopy and calling. There was a pair that stopped off here about the same time last year on migration passage, it is likely that this bird is doing the same Tim Nickholds
Fri 18 Oct	Masked Woodswallow, Spotless Crake, Spotted Harrier, Eastern Curlew, Grey Plover Western Treatment Plant Pair of Masked Woodswallows along Ryans swamp road, also 2 adult Spotted Harriers there. Adult Spotless Crake briefly seen on north side of pond 29, one pond east of the pond at end of Beach road. 1 Eastern Curlew and 3 Grey Plover seen at the Spit at low tide on Wed 16th. Simon Starr
	Square-tailed Kite James Cook Dr, Emu Creek (Private Property) Gave great views as it cruised through and just above canopy. White-throated Nightjar calling also. Rustem Upton
	Rufous Fantail Banyule Flats Reserve One; little else in high winds but 2 Pink-eared Duck on main wetland Guy Dutson
	Chanel-billed Cuckoo Berwick Heard calling today between 7.45 & 8.00 am and again mid morning. Sounded like it as coming from the Melways ref. area, page 111 E & F 8. Graham Beal
	Freckled duck Kennington Reservoir, Bendigo Single bird, standing on a dead limb sticking out of the water midway along the west side. Head tucked in with a Little Black Cormorant. Phil Robertson
	Great Crested Grebe Royal Park West (Trin Warren Tam-boore) Great Crested Grebe (1) In breeding plumage, on western wetland. Knud Hansen
Thu 17 Oct	Cape Barren Goose The Briars (Chechingurk Hide) A single Cape Barren Goose was observed on the island in front of the Chechingurk Hide. It swam across to the right and begun feeding on the grass. and standing alert. Chris Eaton
	Cape Barren Goose Truganina Swamp (Altona) Single Cape Barren Goose on the bank of Laverton Creek on the North side of Queen Street. First time I have seen this species here. Colin Clark
	Ruddy Turnstone, Red-necked Stint Ricketts Point, Beaumaris Perhaps the same ones seen in the area over the last couple of week. Turnstone was a juvenile and had no flags. Kim Croker
	(Possible) Grey Falcon Old Rifle Range (Gum Flat) 38deg 20'40.93 S 144deg 08'58.31E One falcon observed overhead in a small clearing at S/E end of rifle range. Bird was in a shallow stoop into a very stong head wind, shoulders forward with pointed wings. I observed a similar bird, if not the same bird last spring,but it was only fleeting. Today i was able to get the Bino's on it (Yellow cere, eye ring and legs) Not a Gossy!! [Please note: due to the rarity of this species, we felt it was important to publish, so others confirm this report. In order to be a accepted, it will need confirmation.] Denis Sleep
Wed 16 Oct	White-browed Woodswallow Warrandyte State Park A large flock of at least 300 White-browed Woodswallows passed over the Rangers Office late in the afternoon. It's the 2nd time in as many weeks that I've seen White-browed Woodswallows overhead at Warrandyte, but there did not appear to be any Masked Woodswallows with them this time. Tim Nickholds
Wed 16 Oct	Scarlet Honeyeater Northcote, garden of house near Dennis railway station Two birds spent around an hour either calling or flitting fast through canopy of tall Blackwood and Lightwood wattles. Loud call, one was four notes, second note lower (call heard from inside house). Did not have binocs, but similar size to Spinebill and with lots of really bright red around head including on top of head, beak rather thin and curved. Rest of body white under and black above. Tom May
	Channel-billed Cuckoo Berwick, s.e.suburbs Saw a Cuckoo at 2.25 pm today, flying over Edrington Park Retirement Village (Private Property). This is on the Princes Highway, on the eastern side of Berwick, near Beaconsfield. Squawking Magpies are a good indicator of its presence! Graham Beal
	Black Kite, White-browed Woodswallow The 100 Acres Reserve, Park Orchards Warm northerlies brought couple of surprises this afternoon. My first ever record of Black Kite in the area and small group of White-browed Woodwallows also passed through. Scott Baker and Maria Valencia
	White-browed Woodswallow Beaumaris Flock of at least 8 birds flying west into strong winds over Coreen Ave. A couple of paler, greyer birds may have been Masked Woodswallows but could not confirm without bins. Sean Dooley
Tue 15 Oct	Ruddy Turnstone Ricketts Point, Beaumaris Already reported several times. Photo attached. Alison Nisbett
	White-necked Heron Tylden Township, Macedon Ranges Six adult White-necked Herons foraging in a horse paddock on the south edge of town. This species is seldom seen in the elevated areas of the shire (>500m ASL), and there are few atlas or Eremaea records in the area. There have been 3 birds consistently seen together around Tylden for the last year, including in this paddock on the flats of the Little Coliban River. I was surprised to see 6 adult White-necked Herons foraging together in knee-high grass throughout the day. Lawrie Conole
	Australian Hobby, Satin Flycatcher Warrandyte State Park (Mt. Lofty) Australian Hobby (1) seen from above as I stood on Mt Lofty ridge. Satin Flycatcher (1) in trees along creek margin near footbridge approx. 50m north of carpark. Roger McCart
	Scarlet Honeyeater Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary Brilliantly coloured male calling constantly and darting between flowering Eucalypts. Great views of a beautiful bird well outside its range. David Coutts, Helen O'Donnell, Murray Grant
Mon 14 Oct	Brush Cuckoo, Western Gerygone, Leaden Flycatcher Heathcote-Graytown National Park (Mt Ida) Surprised to see an adult Brush Cuckoo here this morning, singing strongly. Also a pair of Leaden Flycatcher has returned to the same gully as last year, and Western Gerygone also present. A Rufous Songlark pair was nest-building, and Speckled Warbler seen about a kilometre along the track - a very reliable location for this species. Steven Davidson - The Melbourne Birder
Mon 14 Oct	White-winged Chough Simpson Park Mitcham The lone Chough has re-appeared in Simpson Park . Obviously the same one from a few weeks ago. Pity it hasn't any friends. Robert Scholes
	Rufous Whistler Newport Lakes Park A bird was heard calling several times from an area north of the amphitheatre area. Micah Kawalek
	Banded Lapwing (Vanellus tricolor) Little Desert National Park Nine Banded Lapwings (Vanellus tricolor) have been observed near K Oldfield Road (Little Desert National Park). Alek Kwiatkowski
	Short-tailed Shearwater Safety Beach 26 counted dead birds within a 2km stretch along the beach of Marine Drive Safety Beach. I found 9 within the first minute of my walk. (Moderator's note: though not a rare species, published as there has been wreck in recent days on Victorian beaches so keep a look out if you are down by the coast for beach washed seabirds). Pete William
	Rufous Whistler Strathmore (NW suburbs of Melbourne) At least two individuals passing through my yard this afternoon. I was alerted by hearing one singing, which I never saw, but located another in an adjacent tree at the same time as the singing one was vocalising from a different direction. They were harassed by a Red Wattlebird, and not seen or heard again after a storm came through. First time I have recorded this species in suburbia in 30+ years of birding. Trevor Manley
Sun 13 Oct	Short-tailed Shearwater, Arctic Jaeger, Northern Giant Petrel etc Point Danger Masses of Short-tailed Shearwaters close offshore. I estimated that at any one time there were 10,000 birds in sight & a conservative would be 150,000 to 200,000 birds, some may have been in trouble in a big, cold westerly wind. Also 4 jaegers seen offshore, 2-3 identified were Arctic Jaeger. 4 Northern Giant-Petrels came close enough to see their reddish dark tip to bill. 5 Yellow-nosed Albatrosses also seen. Kevin Bartram, Scott Baker, Rob Farnes, Maria & Merv
	Possible Northern Gannet Point Danger An extremely interesting gannet was observed in the gannet colony, on eastern side, central part, on the left hand side of the most easterly metal pole. It was first notable in that it has mostly white secondaries, with about 7 black secondaries, mixed in, giving a striped appearance on the trailing edge of the folded wing. The tail was mostly white, with one or two black feathers in the central part of the tail (Aust gannet has several feathers black). This plumage is consistent with an immature Northern Gannet, perhaps in its fourth year. Head colour, similar to other gannets, as was dull blue eyering colour & grey iris. This more like an Aust. Gannet, but perhaps is a relic of the immature phase of it's life. We're not claiming this bird, but we think it deserves further observation, just in case it is a Northern Gannet. In the next few days we will be trying to sort this one out. Kevin Bartram, Scott Baker, Rob Farnes, Merv & Maria
	Cape Gannet Point Danger After a long days waiting & watching, finally got the Cape Gannet coming into the colony at 3.18PM. I first noticed a gannet with an all black tail fly into the middle of the colony. We have seen about 3-4 black-tailed birds over the last 2 days in the colony & they all turned out to be Aust. Gannets, probably immature. It landed & with delight noticed it have a pale & brighter blue eyering than the other gannets, as well as a whitish iris & then it turned it's head to show the extended black gular stripe. I alerted the others to the gannet & it took off, providing great flight views, for several minutes, eventually it landed at the back, which southern end of the colony in the central part, out of view. This bird could have easily been overlooked in this position, & all future observers should look in all areas of this colony, not just on the left hand edge. Kevin Bartram, Scott Baker, Rob Farnes, Maria & Merv
	Common Sandpiper Mouth of Kororoit Creek, Williamstown A single Common Sandpiper observed at 1700 hours on the south side of the mouth of Kororoit Creek. Peter Gibbons
Thu 10 Oct	Regent Parrot Hoppers Crossing Male Regent Parrot sighted in Hoppers Crossing backyard. Was first noticed at the bird bath drinking but soon flew off. Appeared to be very strong and healthy. Unfortunately I was not quick enough to get my camera. Lance Pritchard

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