Birdline New South Wales Weekly Update

Birdline New South Wales

Published sightings for the week ending 9 Feb 2014.

Sun 9 Feb	White-throated Needletail North Rocks Hundreds of White-throated Needletails flying over North Rocks shopping centre clear sky for approx. 40 minutes Tony Dawe
Sat 8 Feb	Lewin's Rail, Spotless Crake Queensland Road wetlands (man-made section), Casino 2 Lewin's Rail were heard calling from reed beds together with a single Spotless Crake. All heard late in the day. David Charley
	White-throated Needletail, Straw-necked Ibis Argyle Bailey Memorial Reserve, Ebenezer 10-15 White-throated Needletails, flying overhead, circling/back and forth in the same area. 25-30 Straw-necked Ibis flying in V formation overhead. Ida Rohne
	Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Cotton Farm near Carole Creek, Moree At least 300, possibly 400 Tree Martins have arrived, whereas Fairy Martins have vanished. Chestnut-breasted Mannikins were observed nesting as they were last summer/autumn of 2013. Tern numbers have decreased. Of the previously reported (15 Jan) - at least 500 Whiskered Terns were found, now only about 10% remain, with 50 birds present. Caspian & Gull-billed Tern numbers are even lower yet, and one Silver Gull was still present. Curtis Hayne
	Superb Lyrebird Swallow Rock Reserve,Ebenezer Not a great site to view birds at this time of the year but was most surprised to see a Superb Lyrebird in residence. Could have flown across the river either by design or accident from Cattai National Park. Graham Groves
	Square-tailed Kite, Pacific Baza, Green Catbird, Brush Turkey, Superb Lyrebird Mangrove Creek, tributary of Hawkesbury Square-tailed Kite and pair of Pacific Bazas over Wisemans Ferry Road. Up Mangrove Creek were several Superb Lyrebirds and Australian Brush-turkeys, at least 2 Green Catbirds feeding with Satin Bowerbirds, numerous Little Lorikeets and Noisy Friarbirds congregating in flowering bloodwoods. Eric Finley
	White-throated Needletail Mt White At least 8-10 White-throated Needletails hawking low over the freeway near Mt White on a warm, clear day Eric Finley
	Gang-gang Cockatoo (nesting) Colo River Bridge Gang-gang Cockatoo (Male and female, nesting high in a hollow in a gum tree), 1 Azure Kingfisher (in the shrubs near the river, diving into the river several times), 1 Rockwarbler (on sandstone rocks about 10.30am). Also seen Sacred Kingfisher, Bar-shouldered Dove. Ida Rohne
	Gould's Petrel Long Reef Aquatic Reserve Highlight from long reef this afternoon was 1 Gould's Petrel flying south in quite calm conditions also watched a marlin jumping out of the water about 7 times. Quite large numbers of Australian Gannets off Sydney at the moment. michael ronan
Fri 7 Feb	Black Falcon Castlereagh Noted an interesting-shaped falcon soaring over the Nepean River at a friend's property, which is inside the quarries. There is no public access! At first I thought it may be a Peregrine, but luckily I took a poor ID shot and realised it was a Black Falcon. Ákos Lumnitzer
	Satin Bowerbird Cambridge Gardens, near Penrith This morning either a female or dispersing juvenile was quite vocal across the street in my neighbour's silky oak. Then the bird flew over and sat, called feverishly, in a large bottlebrush in our front yard. While certainly not an uncommon bird, it is not one I've seen in my suburb in the 12 years I've lived here. The closest I've seen were at Cranebrook and the Andrews Rd Baseball Fields about 2km west of here. Ákos Lumnitzer
Thu 6 Feb	Sooty Tern Port Stephens Pelagic One adult and one immature bird together at the shelf today off Port Stephens Ben Bright
	Eastern Osprey Emu Plains My friend and I saw one of the Eastern Ospreys that have been hanging around our local stretch of the river this afternoon. It spent some time sitting in the middle of the river on some pebbles, then sat quietly a good 400 meters upstream from us. We also had three Australian Hobbies, two of which continued to hunt cicadas and dragonflies in front of us for over two hours. Also observed an immature Brown Goshawk, several Whistling Kites, Black-shouldered Kite and a female Swamp Harrier. Ákos Lumnitzer and Mickey Mackwan
	Ruff Hexham swamp Saw 1 male Ruff,1 Eastern Yellow Wagtail 1 Black Falcon Tony Dawe
	Long-billed Corella, Peregrine Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel Bicentennial Park, Glebe A single Long-billed Corella (cut-throat, long upper mandible, extensive red on face and large blue skin patch) was observed amongst a flock of 40 odd Little Corella as well. Sadly my camera is out of action otherwise I would have photographed it. This is the first time I have observed one in Glebe. 3 Peregrine Falcons were observed as well. Two adults, male and female seen together, and later a juvenile female (going on size) was observed circling over the 431 bus terminus. This is the first time I have seen three falcons here. A Nankeen Kestrel was also observed. [Moderator's note (NH): I used to live in Glebe for a couple of months in spring 2007. During this time I had several observations of Long-billed Corella there, also in Ultimo and - I believe - also in Victoria Park] Simon Gorta
Wed 5 Feb	White-necked Petrel Mistral Point, Maroubra Surprisingly a very close and slow moving White-necked Petrel seen today in superb light and of course I did not have my camera !! Very little else. David Mitford and Ray Gobbe
	Magpie Goose, Pheasant Coucal, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Little Grassbird Mehi River, Moree A small flock of Magpie Geese (probably about 5 birds) have arrived on the Mehi River, opposite the motel & services club on the east side of town. However, the birds were heard calling only. This is the first time since early 2013 that the geese have been present. A Pheasant Coucal is STILL present (in growth on the riverbank) and again, heard only. It's been a good season for this species with several present around the area during November-February so far. Not a single bird has been seen yet though; very shy. A small flock of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins were also spotted. And a Little Grassbird was heard calling. Curtis Hayne
	Eastern Osprey (x2) Penrith Just around the corner from the Regatta Center. Pair of Eastern Ospreys this afternoon. My friends Mickey and Peter have also seen the pair (presume it's the same pair) on Sunday afternoon. Perhaps a different pair have taken up residence after a previous pair abandoned the area in autumn 2011 after their favourite roost tree blew over in heavy winds. When you get the image on the further information link below, you should be able to scroll through to the right and see a number of different shots from the same area. Ákos Lumnitzer
	Blue-billed Duck, Freckled Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Australasian Shoveler Tallawarra Original Ash Ponds Yallah 1 male Blue-billed Duck, 3 Freckled Ducks, approx. 30 Pink-eared Ducks, and 1 Australasian Shoveler. Large numbers of Black Swans. Michael Crosland
	Sacred Kingfisher Rockdale Bicentennial Park, Rockdale An uncommon sighting in this park Oliver Williams
Tue 4 Feb	Painted Honeyeater, Black-necked Stork, Striped Honeyeater Cattai Wetlands, near Coopernook An excellent morning at Cattai Wetlands with 73 species recorded. The undoubted highlight was hearing, then tracking down and photographing a single Painted Honeyeater feeding on flowing melaleuca. Other nice birds included a pair of Black-necked Stork (present the evening of the 3rd but not the following morning), quite a few Striped Honeyeaters. Also a Latham's Snipe, a male Common Cicadabird seen well, numerous returned Spangled Drongos, 30 White-throated Needletails, and 10+ Regent Bowerbirds (only one male). I'll upload an ebird list when I get a chance. Ashwin Rudder
	Black Kite (probable), White-bellied Sea-Eagle Coramba Road, Coffs Creek, Coffs Harbour Four birds observed circling high on a thermal were considered to be Black Kites but due to the distance from the observers and the lack of binoculars at the time I am cautious about claiming them with 100% certainty, although I am confident that they were BKs. I have not seen Black Kites on the NSW north coast since the end of October and Peter Higgins advises that he is not aware of any local Coffs records since the irruption a few months back. He will alert other local birders to keep an eye out for them. As they were rising very high on a thermal they may well have been on the move. Adult pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles lower down on same thermal. Greg Clancy, Suzie Lindsell, Koby Lindsell
	White-necked Heron Smeaton Grange (near Narellan) One bird within the grounds of Magdalene Catholic High School. First time I've seen one here in 4 years. Lorne Johnson
	Gould's Petrel, Long-tailed Jaeger and Black-browed Albatross Mistral Point, Maroubra After a slow start, plenty of birds by late afternoon, a Gould's Petrel was the highlight, but also 5 Long-tailed Jaegers, 1 Arctic Jaeger, 6 Pomarine Jaeger (including a bird in striking breeding plumage), 20 Flesh-footed Shearwaters, 3 Fluttering Shearwaters, 1 Sooty Shearwater, several Short-tailed Shearwaters, 3 Black-browed Albatross and an Australasian Gannet. David Mitford
	Sacred Kingfisher Fort Street High School, Petersham 1 immature Sacred Kingfisher found dead near the school office. The bill was out of alignment and there was no visible external damage apart from that so it presumably hit a window. Simon Gorta
	Brown Falcon Pinecliffe Road, Molong About 3 km south of the Manildra Road turnoff, an adult (pale) pair of Brown Falcons. Unmistakeable thin grey legs, (like fencing wire!), the pair sit about 500 m apart, and often walk around the grass. The first sighting of this species for over a decade, that I have made in this valley (and I live here), so they are certainly not a common species locally (I refer to an area with interconnecting lanes totalling 10-12 km, so many thousands of hectares). Bruce Tinsey
Mon 3 Feb	White-necked Heron Scarborough Park, Monterey Previous sightings have been after heavy rains Oliver Williams
	Common Cicadabird Nurragingy Reserve Late afternoon walk in the reserve. Very quiet. A single male Common Cicadabird on the dead tree (It is my second record of this species from this site). Numerous Mistletoebirds. Ted Wnorowski
	Wandering Whistling Duck & Freckled Ducks Emerald Downs Golf Course, Port Macquarie A brief visit around midday found 32 Wandering Whistling Ducks and 34 Freckled Ducks, along with Coots, Wood Duck and Black Duck, roosting around the edges of the northern most pond. Alan Morris
	Square-tailed Kite Western Sydney Regional Park, Abbotsbury 1 adult Square-tailed Kite flying just above tree height over suburbia. Second sighting in 2 days. Dejan Stojanovic
Sun 2 Feb	White-breasted Woodswallow Narrawallee Inlet I'm not sure if this is an unusual record or not but I have never seen this species in the Ulladulla region in many years of visiting. There were seven individuals about 150m up Narrawallee Creek from the inlet in mangroves. (A few days later there were at least three individuals at the inlet headland). Mark Ley
	Grey-crowned Babbler Pokolbin A group of 8-10 birds were seen foraging and drinking from a sprinkler at Villa Provence accommodation. Thomas Hickman
	Square-tailed Kite Bobbin Head Rd, North Turramurra A very scruffy (in heavy moult?) Square-tailed Kite seen several times over the weekend, cruising low down at tree to height (and winding up the cockies). The bird is missing several primaries, secondaries and tail feathers and shows pale head, rusty body and inner wings. Tom Wilson
Sat 1 Feb	Pink-eared Duck, Glossy Ibis, Swamp Harrier Dairy Swamp, Central Coast Wetlands, Tuggerah Highlights seen during a "Breakfast with the Birds " event celebrating World Wetlands Day, included 4 Pink-ears, White-breasted Woodswallows, still 12+ Fairy Martins, Intermediate Egret, Nankeen Night-heron, Glossy Ibis, 5 returning Cattle Egrets still in breeding plumage, Little Egret, and in the adjoining woodlands, 4 Rufous Fantail, A+J Brush Cuckoo, J Fan-tailed Cuckoo and an immature Shining Bronze-cuckoo. Alan Morris & 38 members of CCGBNSW
Fri 31 Jan	Magpie Goose, Plumed Whistling-Duck (breeding) Dam NE of Coutts Crossing, former poultry farm 120+ Magpie Geese at edge of dam and pair of Plumed Whistling-Ducks with 8+ small ducklings on other dam. New breeding site for Whistling-Ducks. Greg Clancy
	Ground Cuckoo-shrike Oolambeyan National Park Four Ground Cuckoo-shrikes observed in Boree woodland to the west of the old airstrip. David Parker
	Powerful Owl St Ives One heard at 9:57, probably a female Arnie Hollyman
Tue 28 Jan	Superb Fruit-Dove Rural Residence, 15 km east of Dubbo Immature male flew into window of a rural residence. Dead bird handed in to NSW OEH Dubbo office. No known local fruit-dove breeders. Considered more likely to be a (lost!) wild bird than aviary escapee. [Moderator's note (NH): This is the furthest inland record of this rain forest species reported to Eremaea; moderator's note (AKM): The only semi western records that I could find were 2 records for the ACT, the last Aranda 19/3/1999, one old record for Dalgety on the Southern Highlands, and some recent far south coast records Moruya 16/5/1989, and Pambula 25/7/2004 and 31/7/2005!] Johnson Family via Tim Hosking and David Geering
	Freckled Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Musk Duck, Cattle Egret Egret colony swamp, Lawrence 20+ Freckled Ducks, 36+ Pink-eared Ducks and one female Musk Duck still present. Numbers down on earlier counts. 500+ Cattle Egret nests with advanced nestlings. Greg Clancy & Warren Thompson
Tue 21 Jan	House Sparrow Toogon Road, Cranbury This single male House Sparrow appeared every morning over a period of five days at the same perch (a power pole). This is the first time I have seen a House Sparrow at this location. However, I have seen House Sparrows previously in the general area. David Simpson
Mon 20 Jan	Black Falcon Toogon Road, Cranbury This Black Falcon was seen on two dates along the Toogon Road, Cranbury, both on the 20th and the 24th Jan. Although this is a fairly common place for the Brown Falcon, this Black Falcon is the first time I have actually seen one in this vicinity. [Moderator's note (NH): Thanks to Steve Debus & Ákos Lumnitzer for their comments on this bird] David Simpson
Tue 14 Jan	Little Friarbird, Painted Honeyeater, Striated Pardalote ssp substriatus, White-browed Woodswallow North-west of Scone, Upper Hunter Valley Little Friarbird and Painted Honeyeater seen on private property north of Scone. There is mistletoe flowering (Amyema miquellii I think) which may have attracted these birds. Many Noisy Friars also feeding on the mistletoe flowers, as were 4 White-browed Woodswallows, which included a juvenile bird. There was a group of race substriatus Striated Pardalotes in the same place as well. Common Bronzewing nest-building and a pair of unidentified button-quail flushed from grassy woodland on a rocky slope (numerous Brown Quail in the area). Adult Spotted Harrier also seen in the area. Mick Roderick and Tom Clarke

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