birding-aus

Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 36, Issue 23

To: "" <>
Subject: Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 36, Issue 23
From: Xenia Dennett <>
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2016 01:29:03 +0000
Well done Chris, great effort. Hope to see you and Rosemary outback somewhere, 
sometime. Xenia

Sent from my iPhone

> On 28 Oct. 2016, at 00:00,  wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. BirdLife Victoria Portland Pelagic Trips in the first half of
>      2017 (Chris Lester)
>   2. Re: Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton? (Carl Weber )
>   3. Re: What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton? (Richard Nowotny)
>   4. Re: Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton? (Tom Tarrant)
>   5. Re: What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton? (Dave Torr)
>   6. Re: Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton? (Mike Carter)
>   7. Vale Wallie Coles (John Harris)
>   8. What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton? (Philip Veerman)
>   9. White-throated Needletails over Kobble Creek, SEQ (Marie Tarrant)
>  10. Re: What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton? (Roger Giller)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 05:37:04 +1100
> From: Chris Lester <>
> To: 
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] BirdLife Victoria Portland Pelagic Trips in the
>    first half of 2017
> Message-ID:
>    <>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> Dear Pelagic Birders,
>
> The BirdLife Victoria web site (see link below) now has the details of boat
> trips from Portland in 2017 and Tim Bawden is now taking bookings for the
> first six months of next year.
> If you want a spot (or spots), please follow the instructions there to make
> a booking.
>
> Please note: You will see that Tim is taking over the bookings from me for
> next year so please address your requests to him. (His email address is on
> the web site).
>
> so, I am taking a break from organising these trips and intend to spend my
> extra spare time going birding. Thanks to all those who have been involved
> over the past years and to my fellow organisers - Rohan, Paul and Tim. I
> still intend to do pelagics out of Portland regularly and hope to see you
> on a trip in the future, when my busy birding trip schedule allows it.
> Regards
>
> Chris Lester
>
> For details of future Portland trips, go to the BirdLife Australia web
> site at the bottom of the relevant Birdlife Victoria page at
> http://www.birdlife.org.au/locations/all-victoria-statewide/activities-vic
>
> For reports of past BA-Vic and BirdLife Victoria trips from Portland
> and Port Fairy, search the Birding-Aus archives for the trip reports
> at http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/birding-aus/
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 10:46:11 +1100
> From: "Carl Weber " <>
> To: "'Tom Wilson'" <>,
>    <>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
> Message-ID: <@optusnet.com.au>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="UTF-8"
>
> Lake Cargelligo STW is the same. On Saturday last, there were 6 black swans, 
> a duck and a moorhen - not even a swamphen or black duck. The flooded 
> paddocks around the perimeter were also devoid of birds.
>
> Carl Weber
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf Of 
> Tom Wilson
> Sent: Wednesday, 26 October 2016 8:42 PM
> To: 
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>
> Hi all
> Sydney is the same ? and Penny is probably right. They?ve all gone out 
> west...way west ? I was at Lake Wallace a bit west of Lithgow in late 
> September ? there were a few ducks but only about a dozen Coots whereas I 
> would expect 100s. Lithgow STW was similarly devoid of birds (about 20 ducks 
> and a couple of grebes and certainly nothing ?interesting?).
> Cheers
> Tom Wilson
>
> From: Penny Brockman
> Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 6:45 PM
> To: 
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>
> One thought - all the rain out west has attracted them to "better pastures"
>
>
>> On 26/10/16 6:08 PM, David Taylor wrote:
>> Ive been a regular visitor to Lake Galletly at the UQ Campus at Gatton, 
>> Sth-east Queensland  for many years and had some memorable birding 
>> encounters there. At its peak there were hundreds of Pink-eared Ducks, 
>> thousands of Plumed Whistling-ducks and similar numbers of Magpie Geese.  
>> Mixed amongst that were the likes of Blue-billed Ducks, Grey, Pacific Black, 
>> various Egrets, Herons, Cormorants, shorebirds, coots, swamphens etc as well 
>> as occasional Native-hens, Bitterns, Crakes and other rarities that have 
>> showed up there.
>>
>> Over recent visits every time I go there though there appear to be less and 
>> less birds!  Cattle Egrets have colonised the areas around both ponds and 
>> appear to have breeding cycles a couple of times a year and then move on.
>>
>> I was amazed yesterday on my way home from Durikai to visit and see so few 
>> birds - not a Pink-eared in sight or a Magpie Goose - greatly reduced 
>> Whistling-ducks and a tiny smattering of other birds - I noticed some rather 
>> horrid green algae covering some of the lake and wondered if the water is 
>> affected at some levell?  There are numbers of Cattle Egret who appear to be 
>> in the early stages of a breeding bout but not much else. I do understand 
>> that wetland areas can change with climate/environmental issues and this can 
>> see variances in numbers but it does seem this terrific spot has lost its 
>> appeal for many of the local birds lately ?.. any thoughts?
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> David Taylor
>>
>>
>>
>> <HR>
>> <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
>> <BR> 
>> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
>> <BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
>> </HR>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 11:27:44 +1100
> From: "Richard Nowotny" <>
> To: "'Birding-aus'" <>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
> Message-ID: <@bigpond.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="utf-8"
>
> What?s particularly interesting at the Western Treatment Plant is that not 
> only have tens of thousands of ducks left for greener inland pastures (not a 
> single Grey Teal or Pink-eared Duck seen last Monday ? often present in 
> thousands ? and almost everything else seen in ones and twos other than Black 
> Duck and Chestnut Teal) but so have all the Hoary-headed Grebes (usually 
> hundreds, even thousands), Great Crested Grebes, spoonbills, avocets, Banded 
> Stilts, Cape Barren Geese, and most of the Black-winged Stilts (I saw only 
> one), ibis (only one White Ibis, although tens of Straw-necked remain), 
> herons (only one White-faced) and egrets. It?s quite an exodus. The place 
> looks eerily deserted, with pond after pond entirely bird-free.
>
> Richard
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf Of 
> Dave Torr
> Sent: Wednesday, 26 October 2016 7:27 PM
> To: Penny Brockman
> Cc: birding-aus
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>
>
>
> Yes indeed. The famous Western Treatment Plant at Werribee is almost deserted 
> by waterfowl at the moment.
>
>
>
>
>
> On 26 Oct 2016 7:19 PM, "Penny Brockman" < <> 
> > wrote:
>
>
>
>> One thought - all the rain out west has attracted them to "better pastures"
>
>
>
>
>
>>> On 26/10/16 6:08 PM, David Taylor wrote:
>>
>>
>
>>> I?ve been a regular visitor to Lake Galletly at the UQ Campus at
>
>>> Gatton, Sth-east Queensland  for many years and had some memorable
>
>>> birding encounters there. At its peak there were hundreds of
>
>>> Pink-eared Ducks, thousands of Plumed Whistling-ducks and similar numbers 
>>> of Magpie Geese.
>
>>> Mixed amongst that were the likes of Blue-billed Ducks, Grey, Pacific
>
>>> Black, various Egrets, Herons, Cormorants, shorebirds, coots,
>
>>> swamphens etc as well as occasional Native-hens, Bitterns, Crakes and
>
>>> other rarities that have showed up there.
>
>>>
>
>>> Over recent visits every time I go there though there appear to be
>
>>> less and less birds!  Cattle Egrets have colonised the areas around
>
>>> both ponds and appear to have breeding cycles a couple of times a
>
>>> year and then move on.
>
>>>
>
>>> I was amazed yesterday on my way home from Durikai to visit and see
>
>>> so few birds - not a Pink-eared in sight or a Magpie Goose - greatly
>
>>> reduced Whistling-ducks and a tiny smattering of other birds - I
>
>>> noticed some rather horrid green algae covering some of the lake and
>
>>> wondered if the water is affected at some level? There are numbers
>
>>> of Cattle Egret who appear to be in the early stages of a breeding
>
>>> bout but not much else. I do understand that wetland areas can change
>
>>> with climate/environmental issues and this can see variances in
>
>>> numbers but it does seem this terrific spot has lost its appeal for many of 
>>> the local birds lately ?.. any thoughts?
>
>>>
>
>>> Cheers
>
>>>
>
>>> David Taylor
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 10:37:50 +1000
> From: Tom Tarrant <>
> To: "" <>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
> Message-ID:
>    <CAJZAv4D8--35-PP2pLzavLKg9i4M5Ubv2B0LRmdCO=>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> The biggest confirmation of this 'migration' south and west is the lack of
> 'Swamp-Chooks' (Purple Gallinules) in our area at the moment. Plenty of
> Dusky Moorhens but virtually none of their bigger 'cousins'....no
> Straw-necked Ibis, few White-faced Herons, large 'raptors' and waterfowl.
>
> Anyone else noticed this in their area?
>
> Tom
> ?
>
> --
> ********************************
> I.B. (Tom) Tarrant
>
> Dayboro
> Queensland
>
> http://www.aviceda.org
> ********************************
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 11:45:32 +1100
> From: Dave Torr <>
> To: Richard Nowotny <>
> Cc: Birding-aus <>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
> Message-ID:
>    <CAMQyua-6sU2ub_qZv835czWQf6WyFZzsiGBECn8E7MyL=>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> No Swamp Harriers either as I guess nothing for them to eat apart from the
> large number of Black Swans and cygnets.
>
> On 27 October 2016 at 11:27, Richard Nowotny <>
> wrote:
>
>> What?s particularly interesting at the Western Treatment Plant is that not
>> only have tens of thousands of ducks left for greener inland pastures (not
>> a single Grey Teal or Pink-eared Duck seen last Monday ? often present in
>> thousands ? and almost everything else seen in ones and twos other than
>> Black Duck and Chestnut Teal) but so have all the Hoary-headed Grebes
>> (usually hundreds, even thousands), Great Crested Grebes, spoonbills,
>> avocets, Banded Stilts, Cape Barren Geese, and most of the Black-winged
>> Stilts (I saw only one), ibis (only one White Ibis, although tens of
>> Straw-necked remain), herons (only one White-faced) and egrets. It?s quite
>> an exodus. The place looks eerily deserted, with pond after pond entirely
>> bird-free.
>>
>> Richard
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf
>> Of Dave Torr
>> Sent: Wednesday, 26 October 2016 7:27 PM
>> To: Penny Brockman
>> Cc: birding-aus
>> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>>
>>
>>
>> Yes indeed. The famous Western Treatment Plant at Werribee is almost
>> deserted by waterfowl at the moment.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 26 Oct 2016 7:19 PM, "Penny Brockman" < <>
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> One thought - all the rain out west has attracted them to "better
>> pastures"
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>> On 26/10/16 6:08 PM, David Taylor wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>
>>>> I?ve been a regular visitor to Lake Galletly at the UQ Campus at
>>
>>>> Gatton, Sth-east Queensland  for many years and had some memorable
>>
>>>> birding encounters there. At its peak there were hundreds of
>>
>>>> Pink-eared Ducks, thousands of Plumed Whistling-ducks and similar
>> numbers of Magpie Geese.
>>
>>>> Mixed amongst that were the likes of Blue-billed Ducks, Grey, Pacific
>>
>>>> Black, various Egrets, Herons, Cormorants, shorebirds, coots,
>>
>>>> swamphens etc as well as occasional Native-hens, Bitterns, Crakes and
>>
>>>> other rarities that have showed up there.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Over recent visits every time I go there though there appear to be
>>
>>>> less and less birds!  Cattle Egrets have colonised the areas around
>>
>>>> both ponds and appear to have breeding cycles a couple of times a
>>
>>>> year and then move on.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> I was amazed yesterday on my way home from Durikai to visit and see
>>
>>>> so few birds - not a Pink-eared in sight or a Magpie Goose - greatly
>>
>>>> reduced Whistling-ducks and a tiny smattering of other birds - I
>>
>>>> noticed some rather horrid green algae covering some of the lake and
>>
>>>> wondered if the water is affected at some level? There are numbers
>>
>>>> of Cattle Egret who appear to be in the early stages of a breeding
>>
>>>> bout but not much else. I do understand that wetland areas can change
>>
>>>> with climate/environmental issues and this can see variances in
>>
>>>> numbers but it does seem this terrific spot has lost its appeal for
>> many of the local birds lately ?.. any thoughts?
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Cheers
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> David Taylor
>>
>> <HR>
>> <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
>> <BR> 
>> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
>> <BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
>> </HR>
>>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 13:37:50 +1100
> From: "Mike Carter" <>
> To: <>, "'Tom Wilson'"
>    <>,    <>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
> Message-ID: <>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="utf-8"
>
> Melbourne Water's Eastern Treatment Plant which currently has vast areas of 
> water available has been without nomadic waterfowl, or only just a few, for 
> nearly two months. The last to leave were Blue-billed Ducks. Even the Coots 
> which usually number ~1,500  have mostly gone. Whereas our survey last 
> October counted 2,900 Pink-eared Ducks, this year NIL. Some other comparison 
> examples are Latham's Snipe 11 & 1, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 1,120 & NIL, 
> Whiskered Tern 215 & NIL. Even Black-fronted Dotterels are scarce.
> We did however have a rather intriguing looking 'Barn Owl' which is unusual 
> for us and because of some other reports I wonder whether we are about to 
> experience an irruption.
>
> Mike Carter, 03 5977 1262
> 181/160 Mornington-Tyabb Road
> Mornington, VIC 3931, Australia
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf Of 
> Carl Weber
> Sent: 27 October 2016 10:46 AM
> To: 'Tom Wilson'; 
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>
> Lake Cargelligo STW is the same. On Saturday last, there were 6 black swans, 
> a duck and a moorhen - not even a swamphen or black duck. The flooded 
> paddocks around the perimeter were also devoid of birds.
>
> Carl Weber
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf Of 
> Tom Wilson
> Sent: Wednesday, 26 October 2016 8:42 PM
> To: 
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>
> Hi all
> Sydney is the same ? and Penny is probably right. They?ve all gone out 
> west...way west ? I was at Lake Wallace a bit west of Lithgow in late 
> September ? there were a few ducks but only about a dozen Coots whereas I 
> would expect 100s. Lithgow STW was similarly devoid of birds (about 20 ducks 
> and a couple of grebes and certainly nothing ?interesting?).
> Cheers
> Tom Wilson
>
> From: Penny Brockman
> Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 6:45 PM
> To: 
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Whats happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>
> One thought - all the rain out west has attracted them to "better pastures"
>
>
>> On 26/10/16 6:08 PM, David Taylor wrote:
>> Ive been a regular visitor to Lake Galletly at the UQ Campus at Gatton, 
>> Sth-east Queensland  for many years and had some memorable birding 
>> encounters there. At its peak there were hundreds of Pink-eared Ducks, 
>> thousands of Plumed Whistling-ducks and similar numbers of Magpie Geese.  
>> Mixed amongst that were the likes of Blue-billed Ducks, Grey, Pacific Black, 
>> various Egrets, Herons, Cormorants, shorebirds, coots, swamphens etc as well 
>> as occasional Native-hens, Bitterns, Crakes and other rarities that have 
>> showed up there.
>>
>> Over recent visits every time I go there though there appear to be less and 
>> less birds!  Cattle Egrets have colonised the areas around both ponds and 
>> appear to have breeding cycles a couple of times a year and then move on.
>>
>> I was amazed yesterday on my way home from Durikai to visit and see so few 
>> birds - not a Pink-eared in sight or a Magpie Goose - greatly reduced 
>> Whistling-ducks and a tiny smattering of other birds - I noticed some rather 
>> horrid green algae covering some of the lake and wondered if the water is 
>> affected at some levell?  There are numbers of Cattle Egret who appear to be 
>> in the early stages of a breeding bout but not much else. I do understand 
>> that wetland areas can change with climate/environmental issues and this can 
>> see variances in numbers but it does seem this terrific spot has lost its 
>> appeal for many of the local birds lately ?.. any thoughts?
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> David Taylor
>>
>>
>>
>> <HR>
>> <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
>> <BR> 
>> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
>> <BR>
>> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
>> </HR>
>
>
>
> <HR>
> <BR> Birding-Aus mailing list
> <BR> 
> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
> <BR> http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
> </HR>
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> <BR> 
> <BR> To change settings or unsubscribe visit:
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> </HR>
>
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 16:59:26 +1100
> From: John Harris <>
> To: "" <>
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Vale Wallie Coles
> Message-ID:
>    <>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> Hi All,
> It is with a very sad heart that I inform you that another great birder, of
> our Australian bird watching community, Wallie Coles has passed away.
> Wallie was a stalwart of the Ballarat Branch of the BOCA for many decades
> but has suffered from ill health for a few years now. My condolences go out
> to Eileen, his family and his close birding friends.
>
> Let me take a few lines to reminisce about my old mate and birding mentor.
> I first met Wallie in 1976, when he popped into the old zoo in Ballarat,
> where I was living, to observe how our aviary birds reacted to the solar
> eclipse that was happening at the time. From then, he took me as an 11 year
> old kid to see a flock of Glossy Ibis at the Flaxmill Swamp (behind the
> Mars factory in Ballarat), gave me my first binoculars and started me in
> birding. Over the years, we went on a number of trips most often with his
> birding buddy and good friend Helen O'Donnell, to many parts of Victoria
> seeing many new birds. One of my most memorable locations was to the Clunes
> State Forest, and that "Magic Tree" to see the Painted Honeyeaters. I know
> there are hundreds of people from across Australia and the world who owe
> their first Painted Honeyeater to Wallie and Helen, along with numerous
> other birds. Wallie and Helen accompanied me on my trip around the birding
> "hotspots" of the Ballarat district while I was compiling the chapter for
> "Where to See Birds in Victoria". My last trip out with him, and Helen, was
> to Clarkesdale Sanctuary and Devil's Kitchen a couple of years ago. He was
> looking frail even then.
>
> I'm not sure of funeral details yet, but they will appear in the Ballarat
> Courier in due time I presume.
>
> Thanks for all of the birding memories!!
>
> Rest In Peace my good mate.
>
> John
>
> *Yours in all things* "*GREEN"*
>
> *John Harris BASc, GDipEd*
> *Croydon, Vic*
> *Director - Wildlife Experiences Pty Ltd*
> *Principal **Zoologist/**Ecologist*
> *Nature Photographer*
> *Wildlife Guide*
>
> *www.wildlifeexperiences.com.au <http://www.wildlifeexperiences.com.au>*
>
> *www.facebook.com/wildlifeexperiences/
> <http://www.facebook.com/wildlifeexperiences/>*
>  <>*
> *www.flickr.com/photos/wildlifeexperiences
> <http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildlifeexperiences>*
> *0409090955*
>
> *Past President, Field Naturalists Club of Victoria*
> *(www.fncv.org.au <http://www.fncv.org.au/>)*
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 17:10:00 +1100
> From: "Philip Veerman" <>
> To: "'Dave Torr'" <>,    "'Richard Nowotny'"
>    <>
> Cc: "'Birding-aus'" <>
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
> Message-ID: <>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="utf-8"
>
> I was at Phillip Island last week and there were several Swamp Harriers 
> there. Lots of water all along the Hume highway (I did the return trip from 
> Canberra to Melbourne) and almost no ducks and few other water birds but more 
> than the usual number of raptors (Black & Whistling Kites, Brown Goshawks, 
> Kestrels & Brown Falcons). For what it may be worth, there was massive 
> breeding of Masked Lapwings and Cape Barren Geese on Phillip Island. The 
> latter is a first for me. The species did not occur there as far as I recall 
> in all my many visits in the 1970s.
>
> Philip
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf Of 
> Dave Torr
> Sent: Thursday, 27 October, 2016 11:46 AM
> To: Richard Nowotny
> Cc: Birding-aus
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>
> No Swamp Harriers either as I guess nothing for them to eat apart from the
> large number of Black Swans and cygnets.
>
> On 27 October 2016 at 11:27, Richard Nowotny <>
> wrote:
>
>> What?s particularly interesting at the Western Treatment Plant is that not
>> only have tens of thousands of ducks left for greener inland pastures (not
>> a single Grey Teal or Pink-eared Duck seen last Monday ? often present in
>> thousands ? and almost everything else seen in ones and twos other than
>> Black Duck and Chestnut Teal) but so have all the Hoary-headed Grebes
>> (usually hundreds, even thousands), Great Crested Grebes, spoonbills,
>> avocets, Banded Stilts, Cape Barren Geese, and most of the Black-winged
>> Stilts (I saw only one), ibis (only one White Ibis, although tens of
>> Straw-necked remain), herons (only one White-faced) and egrets. It?s quite
>> an exodus. The place looks eerily deserted, with pond after pond entirely
>> bird-free.
>>
>> Richard
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 17:35:43 +1000
> From: Marie Tarrant <>
> To: "" <>,    Marie
>    <>,    Michael Tarburton <>
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] White-throated Needletails over Kobble Creek,
>    SEQ
> Message-ID:
>    <CABK7-PS0=>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> Six WTNTs were observed late this afternoon lazily drifting overhead the
> property in the space of 5 minutes from 5.10pm this afternoon (-27 14' S /
> 152 47' E).  They came from a southerly direction and drifted off to the
> east - it was a slow, unhurried fly-over and the birds appeared as
> individuals and not in a group.
>
> --
> Marie Tarrant
> Kobble Creek,  Qld
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2016 23:05:55 +1100
> From: "Roger Giller" <>
> To: "'Philip Veerman'" <>,    "'Dave Torr'"
>    <>,    "'Richard Nowotny'"
>    <>
> Cc: "'Birding-aus'" <>
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
> Message-ID: <>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="us-ascii"
>
> My daughter, a non-birder,  phoned a couple of days ago to say she had just
> arrived at Macquarie Marshes (Willie Retreat). They  had come from Bourke
> and had to get there via Warren as the bridge at Carinda is out. She said
> there was almost continuous water in the roadside drains from Warren up to
> Gibson Way with birds by the hundreds in every "long puddle". Hopefully she
> took some photos for me.
>
> Roger
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf Of
> Philip Veerman
> Sent: Thursday, 27 October 2016 5:10 PM
> To: 'Dave Torr'; 'Richard Nowotny'
> Cc: 'Birding-aus'
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>
> I was at Phillip Island last week and there were several Swamp Harriers
> there. Lots of water all along the Hume highway (I did the return trip from
> Canberra to Melbourne) and almost no ducks and few other water birds but
> more than the usual number of raptors (Black & Whistling Kites, Brown
> Goshawks, Kestrels & Brown Falcons). For what it may be worth, there was
> massive breeding of Masked Lapwings and Cape Barren Geese on Phillip Island.
> The latter is a first for me. The species did not occur there as far as I
> recall in all my many visits in the 1970s.
>
> Philip
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf Of
> Dave Torr
> Sent: Thursday, 27 October, 2016 11:46 AM
> To: Richard Nowotny
> Cc: Birding-aus
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] What's happened at Lake Galletly, Gatton?
>
> No Swamp Harriers either as I guess nothing for them to eat apart from the
> large number of Black Swans and cygnets.
>
> On 27 October 2016 at 11:27, Richard Nowotny <>
> wrote:
>
>> What's particularly interesting at the Western Treatment Plant is that not
>> only have tens of thousands of ducks left for greener inland pastures (not
>> a single Grey Teal or Pink-eared Duck seen last Monday - often present in
>> thousands - and almost everything else seen in ones and twos other than
>> Black Duck and Chestnut Teal) but so have all the Hoary-headed Grebes
>> (usually hundreds, even thousands), Great Crested Grebes, spoonbills,
>> avocets, Banded Stilts, Cape Barren Geese, and most of the Black-winged
>> Stilts (I saw only one), ibis (only one White Ibis, although tens of
>> Straw-necked remain), herons (only one White-faced) and egrets. It's quite
>> an exodus. The place looks eerily deserted, with pond after pond entirely
>> bird-free.
>>
>> Richard
>
>
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>
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>
> End of Birding-Aus Digest, Vol 36, Issue 23
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