Birdline New South Wales Weekly Update

Birdline New South Wales

Published sightings for the week ending 20 Apr 2014.

Sun 20 Apr	Sanderling, Grey-tailed Tattler, Double-banded Plover Soldiers Point, Norah Head Returning from Pelican Point to Soldiers Point at 1600 hrs, the Sanderling was now to be found feeding on Soldiers Pt., along with 3 Red-necked Stints, 2 Double-banded Plovers, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, 1 Grey-tailed Tattler and 2 Sooty Oystercatchers, a Caspian Tern, and sundry Gulls and Crested Terns, Cormorants, c.12 Australasian Gannets passed by along with an adult and an immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle. A;lan Morris & Allan Benson
	Grey Currawong Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens Seen between the main entry gate and the overflow car park. Iain Blake
	Sanderling, Double-banded Plover Pelican Point, near Norah Head A visit to Pelican Point, part of Wyrrabalong NP (Nth), found 3 Sooty Oystercatchers, 6 Red-capped Plovers and 2 Double-banded Plovers, plus sundry Cormorants, Silver Gulls, an adult Sea-Eagle, Crested Terns, and 2 Australasian Gannets were seen offshore. A Sanderling was reported from here by Tim Faulkner on 19/4/14. As we approached Pelican Point along Soldiers Beach, a Sanderling flew close to us along the beach, coming from Pelican Pt. Alan Morris & Allan Benson
	Common Noddy, Caspian Tern, Eastern Osprey Long Reef Aquatic Reserve Common Noddy still present near the reef today, fishing just behind the reef and Dee Why Beach on a falling tide. Also Caspian Tern, Eastern Osprey, 7 Double-banded Plover, 1 Pacific Golden Plover and an assortment of Red-necked Stints, Ruddy Turnstones, Sooty Oystercatchers and Grey-tailed Tattlers. Jenny and Rod Stiles
	Square-tailed Kite Glendenning While driving along Richmond Road - near the M7 overpass - I was surprised to spot a Square-tailed Kite circling low above the car park of a Red Rooster. Photograph attached. Greg McLachlan
	Musk Lorikeet Bundanoon township One bird early evening in huge gum on Church St outside the primary school. Another newie from Bundaoon and only the second Musk Lorikeet I've recorded in the Southern Highlands since moving here in 2009. Lorne Johnson
	Scarlet Robin Voyager Point Wetlands I was pleasantly surprised to find a female Scarlet Robin foraging in Castlereagh Scribbly Gum woodland this morning, a local first for me. Also, my first Rose Robins (3) of the season locally and a single Brown-headed Honeyeater amongst loads of migrating Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. David James
	Brown Cuckoo-dove Bundanoon township 22 birds feeding only a few feet away from me on The Gullies Road. Splendid stuff. Never seen this many together before. Lorne Johnson
Sat 19 Apr	Turquoise Parrot, Musk Duck Lake Inverell An unusual number of 50+ Eastern Rosellas were found in the picnic area. Also 4 Turquoise Parrots in the picnic area, which is special as they aren't found here around the lake but always in the woodland walk through the National Park. 3 male Musk Ducks were spotted on the lake. Bird numbers were very low compared to my 3 previous visits, eg. no Treecreepers, Thornbills, Doves, Herons or Egrets. Lots of Honeyeater species not present either. Curtis Hayne
	Little Eagle, Brown Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon East Kurrajong, Private Property Watched a dark morph Little Eagle fly past property this morning to the north. Not long after an adult Brown Goshawk was seen stooping down into a large tree with talons thrust out (never seen this before) to catch a bird, but it failed. I also saw an adult Peregrine Falcon in the evening. Present were male Rose Robin, male/female Golden Whistler as well. Ákos Lumnitzer
	Grey Goshawk Old Port Rd Port Kembla Flew low (tree height) over the road south of Christy Drive trailed by a Nankeen Kestrel. Paul & Carol Lynch
	Gang Gang Cockatoo Pennant Hills Park/ Upper Lane Cove National park Single bird high in trees then flying north over bushland from Blackbutt Avenue Pennant Hills Ian Francis
Fri 18 Apr	Common Noddy, Sanderling Long Reef Aquatic Reserve One Common Noddy still roosting with Cresteds on the reef at low tide this afternoon. It looked a little sick, so hopefully it gets better soon and finds its way back up north. Other than the usual suspects showing a bit of colour, there was at least 2 Sanderlings on the reef (not seen together, but different birds were separated by the breeding colours one was beginning to show). (Moderator's Note: Common Noddy photo provided by Greg McLachland and taken when Henry was present). Henry Coleman
	Scarlet Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Mistletoebird Irrawong Reserve 8 Scarlet Honeyeaters feeding on Mahogany flowers in Warriewood Wetlands whilst a male Mistletoebird and 2+ Yellow-faced Honeyeaters fed on Mahogany flower in Irrawong reserve. Also plenty of Musk and Rainbow Lorikeets. Jayden Walsh
	Hoary-headed Grebe Dee Why Lagoon 4 Hoary-headed Grebes near Pittwater Road in a creek that connects to form the lagoon. Jayden Walsh
	Black Falcon, Superb Parrot Condobolin STW Good numbers of Pink-eared Ducks, Australian Shovelers and Hardheads present along with about 30 Hoary-headed Grebes. A sudden explosion of ducks was followed by a pair of Black Falcons hunting low over the ponds. 6 Superb Parrots were seen feeding close by in gums at the golf course. Warren Chad
Thu 17 Apr	Musk Lorikeet Taronga Western Plains Zoo A few Musk Lorikeets in the zoo at the moment with a lot of the eucalypts in flower here. An uncommon visitor to the zoo. Also plenty of Little Lorikeets, Little and Noisy Friarbirds around. Andrew O'Brien
	Noisy Pitta Bus stop track Valla Beach Lew saw the Noisy Pitta on the same date last year (first sighting for both years) Lew Witten per Allen Hamilton.
	Chestnut Teal, Australian King Parrot Whittaker's Lagoon Whittaker's Lagoon has partly filled up after recent rainfall. Lovely to see the drought broken and lush green everywhere where grasses shot up everywhere after cattle went through during October 2013-February 2014 leaving no grass anywhere. A single male Chestnut Teal was distantly spotted in flight (photo) for a second near a flock of Grey Teals, possibly also female Chestnut Teal but not identified. Chestnut Teals were always found here throughout 2009-2010, which was very unusual. Today's sighting is the first since June 2011. Other birds included 10 Black-fronted Dotterels and a Sacred Kingfisher. Nearby in scrub on the Mehi River were Spotted Pardalotes which have just returned to the area and 6 Australian King Parrots which are very rare on the plains, especially out this far west! Curtis Hayne
	Dollarbird Moree Common A single adult Dollarbird was still present, late in the season. Curtis Hayne
Wed 16 Apr	Ground Cuckooshrike, Great Crested Grebe, Freckled Duck, Silver Gull Cotton Farms, Ashley A flock of 6 Ground Cuckooshrikes were found perched on dead trees in an empty, overgrown farm irrigation dam. A Great Crested Grebe was also found in a large irrigation farm dam. This species was always found here in numbers of up to 10 birds from 2008-June 2012. Since June 2012, this is only the second sighting. A total of 55 Silver Gulls were also found spread over several dams, the largest flock we've ever seen (usually only 1-10 birds). 2 Freckled Ducks were also found among other waterfowl. Also present were about 35 Black-winged Stilts, 24 Red-necked Avocets, 1 White-bellied Sea Eagle, 6 Caspian Terns, 8 Australasian Shovelers and 300 Pink-eared Ducks. Curtis Hayne and Ainslee Lines
	Fairy Prion and Shy Albatross Mistral Point, Maroubra A Fairy Prion was seen today, early, but not that surprising, considering 5 days of gale-force southerlies. 20 or so Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, 2 Fluttering Shearwaters and a Shy Albatross also logged. David Mitford
	Azure Kingfisher, Rose Robin, Spangled Drongo Bonnievale Camping Ground, Bundeena Just along from the pond at Bonnievale camping ground down from the end of Woodfield Ave., found Azure Kingfisher, Rose Robin, Spangled Drongo, Brown Gerygone and Golden Whistlers, around midday. Bruce Roubin
	Common Noddy Long Reef Aquatic Reserve One Common Noddy roosting with Crested Terns at low tide this afternoon. A good number of waders still about, and two Caspian Terns also on the reef. Max de Beer
	White-winged Chough Tallong 7 White-winged Choughs flicking up and sorting through freshly cut grass by side of Highland Way. Lorne Johnson
	Wedge-tailed Eagle, Grey Currawong Badgerys Lookout (Morton National Park), Tallong 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles flying purposefully over Shoalhaven River in Morton National Park (viewed from Badgerys Lookout). Also present in area: Grey Currawong, 4 White-eared Honeyeaters, 2 Superb Lyrebird, Bell Miners, Wonga Pigeon, Striated Pardalote. Lorne Johnson
	Grey Ternlet, Wandering Tattler Flat Rock, Ballina Pleased to report that the Grey Ternlet is still around. It was located amongst hundreds of terns at 12.30pm. Also, great views of a Wandering Tattler in full breeding plumage. Bernie OKeefe
Tue 15 Apr	Lewin's Honeyeater Lane Cove National Park (Blue Gum Creek) A pair of feeding Lewin's Honeyeaters on backyard Sasanqua Camelia in the rain. Several years since I saw them in this area. Chris Charles
	Barking Owl, Osprey, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Striated Heron, Capsian Tern, Sooty Oystercatcher Narrabeen Lakes A great day of birding today saw a White-bellied Sea-Eagle fly over the lake as well as an Eastern Osprey fishing at Jamieson Park, the Barking Owl was present at its usual spot, a Striated Heron was seen flying along a creek near the end of the Jamieson Reserve track (Cromers end), a Little Egret was also seen near the coastal environment centre and a Caspian Tern was fishing at the lake entrance to the sea. A Sooty Oystercatcher was also seen feeding near the lake entrance. Photos taken of all species and photos shall be uploaded here: Jayden Walsh
	Plum-headed Finch Wollar Road, Bylong/Wollar area A flock of around 30+ Plum-headed Finchs was located on Wollar Rd feeding on seeding grasses. They were exactly 3.6 km from the T-intersection of Wollar Rd/the road to Bylong coming from Denman, around half way between Mudgee and Denman. Also on Wollar Rd about 30 km towards Mudgee, at the one small location, were 4 finch species including Zebra, Double-barred, Diamond Firetail and Red-browed. A big thanks to Bill Morecraft for giving me the tip as to where to find these finches. Bernie OKeefe
Mon 14 Apr	Grey Currawong Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens Seen in gardens near cafe buildings. Carol Abbott
	Plumed Whistling-Duck Powells Lane Pond Group of about 5 Plumed Whistling-Ducks seen late afternoon. Carol Abbott
	Grey Ternlet, Wandering Tattler Flat Rock, Ballina Single Grey Ternlet found resting on Flat Rock at 5:20pm this afternoon. It was still there when we departed at about 6:15pm. Also count of 4 Wandering Tattler, highest count for me this season. Steven McBride and Hans Wohlmuth
	Straw-necked Ibis, Australasian Grebe, Eastern Osprey Mona Vale Golf Course A single Straw-necked Ibis was feeding with a group of Australian White Ibis this morning. Other highlights included 2 Australasian Grebes in the large pond and an Eastern Osprey at Mona Vale beach Jayden Walsh
	Spectacled Monarch Caniaba, Lismore NSW Single Spectacled Monarch active in understorey on eucalypt hillside. Probably on passage north. paul griffin
Sun 13 Apr	Spotted Quail-thrush Braidwood - Nerriga Road A pair of Spotted Quail-thrush crossed the road ahead of us. We had excellent views of them foraging along the roadside vegetation Peter West
	Collared (Magnificent) Petrel, 'New Caledonian' type Storm-Petrels - now with link to photos Brittania Seamount off Ballina Highlights of day 2 of Paul Walbridge's trip (for day 1 see #217306 in Birdline Central & Southern Queensland) were: A Collared Petrel (paler than the three at Queensland Seamount), 10+ 'New Caledonian' type Storm-Petrels, a Red-tailed Tropicbird, 3 White-tailed Tropicbirds, a Streaked Shearwater, two White-faced Storm-petrels, large numbers of Tahiti and Kermadec Petrels, good numbers of Gould's Petrels, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 White Terns, many Sooty Terns (plus the usual Grey-faced & Providence Petrels, Wedge-tailed & Flesh-footed Shearwaters). P.S. 'New Caledonian' type Storm-Petrel is an undescribed taxon similar to large NZ Storm-Petrels with darker underwings (previously seen off Ulladulla, NSW [March 2010]; SEQ and New Caledonia). This taxon may represent the mysterious 'Striped Storm-Petrel 'Pealea lineata' or 'Thalassidroma lineata' (see discussion in our submission of the Ulladulla bird in March 2010). More research needs to be done. Here is a link to Raja's photos: The crowd on Paul Walbridge's Seamount pelagic
	Grey Goshawk (white morph) Cantril Rd, Leeton Mike Schultz phoned to say there was a white goshawk in his nursery beside Cantril Rd. I went to see it and agreed it was a Grey Goshawk. It was confirmed a half hour later by Keith Hutton. This is the first siting of a Grey Goshawk in the Leeton area for the past 30 years or more. Mike Schultz, Max O'Sullivan and Keith Hutton
	Pacific Gull Marine Parade, Maroubra Pacific Gull, immature, flying back and forth along the cliff line. Chris and Jane Gregory
	Rose Robin Jerrara Dam, near Kiama Observed a lone adult male Rose Robin back at the Dam again. Just where the dirt road intersects to go up the hill. Lots of other species about. [Moderator's note: Rose Robins are moderately common autumn and winter visitors to coastal woodlands and open forest areas, and to a lesser extent into the mid west of NSW. The latter reports are of more interest than the coastal records. Rose Robins are now being seen for instance at a number of Central Coast sites in the past week. For this season, we won't publish any more records, other than the tablelands and slopes reports, after today.] John & Sue O'Malley
Sat 12 Apr	Great-winged Petrel, Shy and Black-browed Albatross Mistral Point, Maroubra 5 Great-winged Petrels today, along with 1 Shy Albatross, 3 Black-browed Albatross, 2 Pomarine Jaegers, 1 Arctic Jaeger, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, a few Flesh-footed Shearwaters and about 200 Wedge-tailed Shearwater. David Mitford
Mon 7 Apr	Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Southern Emuwren, Red-browed Treecreeper Lake Cathie, Port Macquarie About 40 bird species in just under two hours, great business here lately. 5 Glossy Black-Cockatoos seen on two mornings same time, Australian Owlet-Nightjar calling daytime, young Australian Koel fed by Little Wattlebirds, and much more Duncan Fowler, Carmen Ludcke, Madeline Sanders

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