Birdline New South Wales Weekly Update

Birdline New South Wales

Published sightings for the week ending 10 Nov 2013.

Sun 10 Nov	'Western Slopes Rosella' Camp Kurrajong, Wagga Wagga, NSW A single bird seen at close range briefly on ground then in the trees. [Moderator's note (NH): This bird was originally posted as an Adelaide Rosella, which should not occur in the Wagga Wagga area. However, there is the Western Slopes population of this rosella group, which is also a phenotypic intermediate between Crimson Rosella and Yellow Rosella (similar to Adelaide Rosella). For details on the complicated genetics see Joseph et al. 2008 Proc. R. Soc. B 275: 2431–2440: 'Ring-species hypothesis in rosellas.'] Sue Young
	Glossy Black Cockatoo, Grey Goshawk Ourimbah Ck Rd residence Threesome of Glossies feeding atop a loan she-oak tree on wet sclerophyll hillside this afternoon - a 'property' tick. This follows first sighting here of Grey Goshawk, a low flyover with Magpie fan-club in tow. During the last week or so a noticeable influx of Cicadabirds, Olive-backed Orioles and Brush Cuckoos - a couple of weeks after arrival of pair of Dollarbirds. Rose Robins and Black-faced Monarchs appear to be here for the duration, and Crested Shrike-tits are intermittent. Ponds have mostly dried, but at least one Latham's Snipe appears to still be residing near the next-door neighbour's pond. John Weigel
	White-fronted Tern Newcastle Ocean Baths 2 late-staying White-fronted Terns at the baths today. They completely dwarfed the 20-odd Commons around them. Also 2 Little Terns in breeding colour along with usual Cresteds. Mick Roderick
	Bar-tailed Godwit Fivebough Wetlands Leeton A single Bar-tailed Godwit found this morning feeding with 100s of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and 10s of Marsh Sandpipers despite the fact that the water is rapidly disappearing. According to Keith Hutton this is only the second record at Fivebough for the past 32 years of records. This makes a total of 20 shorebirds seen at the wetlands this Spring. Max O'Sullivan, Keith Hutton
Sat 9 Nov	Bar-tailed Godwit Jamieson Park, Narrabeen Lakes Was unable to find the Barking Owl, but saw 6 Bar-tailed Godwits when looking for the recently seen Caspian Terns. Bar-tailed Godwit (6) On sandspit near the golf course Mark.Young
Sat 9 Nov	Black Petrel Sydney Pelagic Highlight of the November Sydney pelagic trip was the sighting of three Black Petrels - not unexpected in November but nice to see. It was a much more 'normal' late spring pelagic than those recently with lower numbers of less voracious Short-tailed Shearwaters, good numbers of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and also a good showing of Flesh-footed Shearwaters. Roger McGovern and all on the MV Lorimar
	Albert's Lyrebird Mount Warning (half way up the hill) 1 scratching around near a tree hollow on the ground. First I thought it was a Brush Turkey. Then I looked again and saw that it was an Albert's Lyrebird. Jed Knight
	Black Honeyeater, Nankeen Night Heron, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Silver Gull, Red-necked Avocet Farm Properties, South Ashley An unpleasant, very dusty and windy day. Overcast morning until about 10:30am, when it cleared off, warm and 36 degrees. Most dams are empty; the region is very dry and has had seldom rainfall. The site is usually large in numbers of waterbirds, but today was more for woodland birds that were found along the river. A flock of about 10 Black Honeyeaters, were observed and heard calling while feeding in flowering River Coobas on the Gwydir River (male bird in photo; poor weather conditions), on the other side of the river are large gardens which could have attracted these birds across the river. Also on the Gwydir River was a Nankeen Night Heron, which is the first sighting for about 8 months. They have all disappeared in the area, including the breeding hundreds out at the watercourse wetlands. 2 Chestnut-rumped Thornbills were also observed in the village of Ashley, first for site. 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles and a Brown Goshawk were also in the village. In terms of waterbirds, 5 Silver Gulls and 2 Whiskered Terns were observed along with Australasian Shoveler in a farm irrigation dam. 3 Red-necked Avocets, 2 Black-winged Stilts and 2 Red-kneed Dotterels were observed at the sewage ponds. At least 350 Australian Pelicans were also observed. Curtis Hayne and Ainslee Lines
	Albert's Lyrebird, Regent Bowerbird, Eastern Bristlebird, Paradise Riflebird Border Ranges National Park Spent the morning birding in Border Ranges National Park. Started at Border Loop and then went to Brindle Creek (note: the road to Brindle Creek is still closed). Highlights included Eastern Bristlebird (3 birds seen clearly), Albert's Lyrebird (2 birds on road), Regent Bowerbird (male) and Paradise Riflebird. No sign of Rufous Scrub-bird at Brindle Creek. Jon & Alison Elliott
	Pacific Golden Plover Cornwells lane richmond Seen 26 Pacific Golden Plovers on a turf farm as they were collecting the turf. There was one group of 12 and a bit further down was the group of 14. Also seen were White-winged Trillers, Australasian Pipit and a Brown Goshawk eating an Indian (Common) Myna. Jake Webb
Fri 8 Nov	Turquoise Parrot Windang Foreshore Park and Pine Tree Park Single Turquoise Parrot feeding in grasses near a burnt out section of vegetation by the water's edge. Aaron Payne
Fri 8 Nov	Black-faced Monarch Spencer Road, Mosman, NSW A Black-faced Monarch flew into my sunroom. I've never seen one in this area before. [Moderator's note (NH): Black-faced Monarch is unusual in the city but not unexpected as they breed in remaining rainforest nearby. We once picked up a window-struck 'Silvereye' for WIRES in urban Sydney that turned out to be a Black-faced Monarch! Unfortunately, it did not survive the accident] Margaret Crane
	White-throated Needletail Tuggerah, Central Coast Wetlands 8 White-throated Needletails flew low (approximately 20 metres high) over the wetlands at 9am. The birds were heading north towards Wyong River and were not seen again. This is the first Central Coast record this spring. Nick Carson
	Freckled Duck; Curlew Sandpiper; Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Barnetts Lagoon, Gladstone 7 Freckled Ducks; 4 Black Swans; 2 Yellow-billed Spoonbills; 6+ Curlew Sandpipers; 30+ Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Also present Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Pacific Black Ducks, Royal Spoonbills, Red-kneed Dotterels. Allen Hamilton
	Barking Owl, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Eastern Osprey, Caspian Tern Lakeside track, Narrabeen Lakes. About 10.30am this morning we heard a Barking Owl calling and located the bird in a low shiny leafed scrubwood-type tree. Also seen were a pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles and an Eastern Osprey in the casuarinas beside the lake. There were 2 Caspian Terns on a mudflat on the golf course end of the lake. Adrian Dick and Peter Kelly
	Channel-billed Cuckoo River Road, Bathurst I know it doesn't sound that special to you folks on the coast, but this is the first time in 17 years of living in Bathurst that I've heard a Channel-billed Cuckoo calling here! Tiffany Mason
	Australasian Figbird Smeaton Grange (near Narellan) One Figbird calling at 9am this morning. The first time I've heard one in the area after working here for almost 4 years. Lorne Johnson
Thu 7 Nov	White-eared Monarch, Barred Cuckooshrike, Noisy Pitta Mebbin National Park near Murwillumbah Highlights from a mornings birding in Mebbin National Park were 3 White-eared Monarchs, 10+ Barred Cuckooshrikes and several Noisy Pittas. michael ronan
	Brown Quail Gwynneville I was quite surprised to see a lone Brown Quail foraging on defence force land next to the Illawarra Basketball Stadium late this afternoon. There's not much cover there. Lorne Johnson
	Australasian Grass Owl South East Bellata Alerted by a phone call by the local farmer, I went out and confirmed that one Eastern Grass Owl (Australasian Grass Owl) is still there; as far as I can tell it is a female. No sign of the male seen recently. Michael Dahlem
	Bar-tailed Godwit Dee Why Single Bar-tailed Godwit seen on the beach directly in front of the storm water drain. It was wasn't fussed with all the people nearby and let me walk to about 3m from it. Mark.Young
Wed 6 Nov	Freckled Duck (4) Colongra Swamp, Central Coast Rewarding views from the southern banks of the swamp, with the dense coverage of dead trees and paperbarks providing a good hide. There was a group of approx 300 ducks on this side of the swamp, mostly Hardheads and Chestnut Teals with the 4 Freckled Ducks seen reasonably close to the waters edge. Access to this side of the swamp requires a bit of persistence through the sword grass and mud surrounding the bank, and it's easy to get disoriented. Andrew Walker
	Oriental Plover Sydney Airport Another weekly update. 5 Oriental Plovers were still on site this morning, but by mid-afternoon I couldn't find any with a quick inspection. Their plumage and willingness to stand very still can make them difficult to spot in the habitat they currently occupy, so there could well have been all 6 still around! I'll check again tomorrow both morning and afternoon. [Moderator's note (NH): Based on an update of all 6 on the 8th November, it is indeed likely that all 6 were around on the 6th of November.] Nigel Coghlan
	Glossy Black-Cockatoo Fernleigh Track, Dudley At edge of track between Oakdale and Dudley roads. One adult male and one adult female. Third bird heard calling from distance. Feeding on unburnt A. torulosa (apparently they've also been seen feeding on burnt open cones). Not very approachable. Flew deep into bushland after less than five minutes. Rebecca Citroni
	Varied Triller, Barred Cuckooshrike, Noisy Pitta Nightcap National Park (Rocky Creek Dam section) My flock of Barred Cuckooshrikes has grown to 10-15 birds this morning with at least 2 immature birds. Also 8-10 Varied Trillers feeding on the figs and 5 Noisy Pittas hopping around. What I thought was quite interesting was 6 or so Mistletoebirds feeding on the small orange figs. michael ronan
	Black-necked Stork Maryland, Newcastle Imm. male Black-necked Stork. Also seen was a Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Southern Emuwrens, Tawny and Little Grassbirds. The Stork was found in the wetlands a short way north of the playground off Whistler Parade, but later took off. Emuwrens and both species of Grassbird were seen throughout the surrounding Wetlands. Andrew Walker
Tue 5 Nov	Marbled Frogmouth, Painted Button-quail, Grey Goshawk Main Creek Road Cougal -28.354244, 153.019295 Marbled Frogmouth has been calling [gobble call] lately in palm dominated rain forest by the creek. Male Painted Button-quail seen on a dry eucalyptus forest ridge track. Both white and grey morphs of Grey Goshawk seen today [white is not common here]. Rob Elvish
	Little Lorikeet Currans Hill (near Narellan) 7 Little Lorikeets seen at Jack Nash Reserve mid-afternoon. Lorne Johnson
	Plum-headed Finch Narrabri Lake Plum-headed Finch (c.500) Multiple flocks of 40-50 birds observed flying into dense reeds on main lake to roost around sunset. Kurtis Lindsay
	Barred Cuckooshrike, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Wompoo Fruit-Dove Nightcap National Park (Rocky Creek Dam section) Had some good birds this morning in the Rocky Creek Dam section of Nightcap National Park with 4-5 Barred Cuckooshrikes feeding in a large fig tree also about 20 Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves and 15 Wompoo Fruit-Doves. michael ronan.
Mon 4 Nov	Wood Sandpiper, Ruff & Pectoral Sandpiper Pitt Town Lagoon Pectoral Sandpiper was found on the large island (now becoming a peninsula), to the left of the concrete slab when facing the lagoon. Wood Sandpiper took some more work to find, but was also found near the same island, along with the Ruff. There were several Red-kneed Dotterels in and around this area too. Andrew Walker
	Giant-Petrel sp., Flesh-footed Shearwater Lennox Head A 2 hour seawatch of Lennox Head this afternoon produced 1 unidentified Giant-Petrel, still large numbers of Short-tailed Shearwaters, about 500 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and 5 Flesh-footed Shearwaters. michael ronan.
Sat 2 Nov	Mangrove Gerygone, Southern Emuwren, Brown Honeyeaters Forster, Lani's Holiday park (bush section to Tony's point) Mangrove Gerygone seen and heard well just 200 m outside the regular park section. Surprised to see 2 Southern Emuwren in a non heath habitat, i.e. in rushes close to mangroves, female with juv. Also Brown Honeyeaters and a group of 3 male Variegated Fairywren. 20+ Scaly-breasted Lorikeets roosting in the outer bush area of the park. Gilbert Dos Santos
	White-browed and Masked Woodswallow Bellawongarah/Bundewallah A flock of about 150+ Woodswallows flew high over my yard heading north. Quite high to see detail but heard calls. [Moderator's note (NH): Unfortunately, no species ID provided. Mixed flocks of predominantly White-browed Woodswallow have reached coastal regions of NSW as reported elsewhere on Birdline NSW] Carla Jackett
Fri 1 Nov	Pectoral Sandpiper Cockle Bay Nature Reserve, Empire Bay Single Pectoral Sandpiper seen at the NW end of the largest lagoon in the reserve, just after sunset. Great views for a few minutes before it flew to the small island in the middle of the lagoon. Interestingly, it was the only wader observed after a reasonably persistent search through the salt marsh. A Whimbrel also was seen nearby on Rileys Island, from Beachfront Parade. [Moderator's note (NH): Due to the lack of a photograph an excellent detailed description provided] Andrew Walker
Wed 30 Oct	White-chinned Petrel Wollongong pelagic 1 White-chinned Petrel that followed the boat for several hours was the highlight of todays pelagic. Also seen were 100's of very hungry Short-tailed Shearwaters, several landed on the boat and some followed the boat into the harbour well after we had finished chumming. 1 Flesh-footed Shearwater, several Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Common Terns, Wilson's Storm-petrels, Black-browed, Shy and Campbell Albatross, Arctic and Pomarine Jaegers and a late Fairy Prion. Rob Hynson & Brook Whylie on behalf of SOSSA and all on the Sandra K
	Common Diving-Petrel Mystery Bay, Narooma At least 5 Common Diving-Petrels beach washed at Mystery Bay. I have taken pictures but can't get them onto the ipad. They were fresh and looking at the pictures the following diagnostics indicate Common Diving-Petrel: 1) dark face; 2) bill short and thick; 3) short square tail; 4) only 20cm long; 5) dark underwings with white stripe. Gilbert Dos Santos

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