tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68737886849612412272024-03-18T16:57:36.900-07:00A Twitcher's TaleSue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.comBlogger240125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-5607181819240708342023-12-31T13:46:00.000-08:002023-12-31T13:48:42.351-08:00BIRD OF THE MONTHBOM may mean Bureau of Meteorology to you. To me it means Bird of the Month. I make this personal award each month to the bird that has given me the most pleasure. It doesn't have to be a lifer; it doesn't have to be a rarity. Simply a bird that's given me pleasure. At the end of the year I have a list of twelve birds that evokes wonderful memories. Sometimes it is quite obvious which bird deserves the award. If, for example, I've seen a lifer. Sometimes it isn't quite so easy. But, so far at least, there's always been some bird that's given me please and warrants the accolade. In June, I wrote of my birds of the month so far for 2023. Now I can complete the year's list. It looks like this:
JANUARY: COMMON KINGFISHER - lifer on Cocos. The thing that struck me most at the time about the kingfisher was how absolutely gorgeous it was. It was even more beautiful (if that's possible!) than our Azure Kingfisher. I hadn't expected that. Then, strangely, I saw another Common Kingfisher on Cocos again in November. It was a young bird and wasn't nearly so brightly coloured. I was very pleased that I'd seen the January bird and understood just how spectacular they can be. These birds have a very wide distribution throughout Europe and Asia, but it was a bird that I'd never expected to be able to write onto my Australian list.I took this photo from HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World:
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FEBRUARY: WHITE-NECKED PETREL. This was a real bogey bird for me. I'd looked for it for many years with certainly well over twenty interstate trips for the purpose. And, when I eventually saw it, it was not an anticlimax: it was even more beautiful than I'd expected. This beautiful photo is by Paul Walbridge, who runs the Southport pelagics.
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MARCH: EASTERN SPINEBILL I grew up with Eastern Spinebills in Ringwood. They used to be in Kew, where I live. Not any more. So, when a spinebill turned up in my neighbour's garden, it was cause for celebration. Unfortunately, seeing a spinebill in Kew today is a rare occasion. This lovely photo by Ken Haines, is not the bird in question.
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APRIL: AUSTRALIAN CRAKE. This illustraion is from HANZAB. - an irruption at Werribee
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MAY: OLIVE-BACKED ORIOLE A beautiful bird, well worth the appelation of Bird of the Month in its own right, but on this occasion, the award was made because the bird greeted in my street! It was sitting in the neighbour's silver birch. In May! This summer migrant should not have been in Melbourne in May, let alone in my suburban street. Again, this lovely photo by Ken Haines, is not the bird in question.
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JUNE: DAME EDNA, FEMALE SUPERB FAIRYWREN This female Superb Fairywren with the diagnostic red around the eye, has the blue tail characteristic of a male bird. I refer any reader wanting to know more about this phenomenon to my blog posting of last June when I quoted Tim Birkhead on the subject. This photo, taken by Peter petinatos, shows the female Superb Fairywren, with a male's blue tail.
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JULY: EASTERN GRASS OWL - at the Western Treatment Plant. You are not permitted to go into the farm at night, but I saw this owl while I was travelling on the public roads. It's the first Grass Owl I've ever seen in my home state. The photo is from CSIRO's Australian Bird Guide.
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AUGUST: AUSTRALIAN GOLDEN WHISTLER I saw this bird on a BirdLife Australia weekday outing to Mullum Mullum. Yes, I know it is a common bird, but it was breathtakingly beautiful. Quite irrisitible. Again, this photo by Ken Haines is not the bird in question, but he's just as gorgeous!
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SEPTEMBER: THICK-BILLED GRASSWREN race cowarie on Cowarie Station, a new race for me. This photo, which I've taken from HANZAB, volume 5, is not the right race. I couldn't find an illustration of race cowarie.
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OCTOBER: GREAT CRESTED GREBE When I visited Lake Colac (on the way to Port Fairy) with Ken Haines, there were several pairs of Great Crested Grebes doing their mating dance. It was truly mesmerizing, something I'd heard about but had never witnessed before. This photo by Ken Haines is of the birds in question.
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NOVEMBER: LARGE HAWK CUCKOO - lifer on Christmas Island. My trip to Christmas Island in 2023 was fun of course. Christmas Island is always fun. But, on the bird front, it was a little disappointing. I was delighted to score this lifer, quite unexpectedly, on a walk looking for a passerine someone had reported (which we did not see). I took this photo from a Lynx publication, the Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago.
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DECEMBER: BAILLON'S CRAKE. Another Werribee irruption. This photo is by Ken Haines (what would I do without him?)
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So here I am in 2024, full of hopeful expectations! I scored seven lifers last year (and the year before!) If I can get two this year, I'll be satisfied. Lifers are getting harder and harder to see! But, even if I don't see any at all, I'm sure I'll be able to achieve twelve lovely Birds of the Month to remember the year by.
Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-7797810435413199732023-12-15T14:59:00.000-08:002023-12-15T15:02:29.303-08:00WERRIBEE: VICTORIA'S TOP BIRDING SPOTA Sydney birding friend once said: 'It's impossible to have a bad day at Werribee.' Of course he's right. It is, after all, Victoria's top birding spot.
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My birding friend, Ken Haines, and I enjoyed a great day at Werribee last Thursday, persistent cold wind notwithstanding. We clocked up only 75 species, a little disappointing for summer I thought, but we had a most enjoyable day and saw some beautiful birds: what more do you want? The water levels were high just about everywhere, so there wasn't much suitable habitat for waders. We did see quite a few Sharp-tailed Sandpipers (see Ken's photo above, all photos on this page are from Ken) but other waders were all in small numbers. In fact we saw just one Red-capped Plover. There were a few stints and greenshanks and we saw some Marsh Sandpipers, but we had to look hard for Curlew Sandpipers. There were avocets and both kinds of stilts, Banded Stilts coming obligingly close to the car.
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There were several Pied Oystercatchers, one with two half-grown chicks.
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For Ken, the highlight of the day was a young Spotted Harrier.
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For me, the highlight was a Baillon's Crake. I'm told they are easily seen in Victoria at the moment, but I always get a thrill out of seeing a crake, and Baillon's are always special.
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We did quite well for ducks, with big numbers of Pink-eared Ducks and Australian Shelducks. The only duck we didn't see which I'd hoped for was a Freckled Duck. There were more White-necked Herons than usual, but we were really down on raptor numbers. We saw just one Brown Falcon as we were leaving, and only two Black Kites for the day. There was just one Black-shouldered Kite and very few Whistling Kites and hardly any Swamp Harriers. Ken may not appreciate my including this blurred photo of the young Spotted Harrier. The joke is that neither of us noticed the Brolgas behind him! We came home without Brolga on our list.
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Thanks, Ken for a great day. And thanks for your terrific photos.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-17765539191632719832023-12-01T20:09:00.000-08:002023-12-01T20:19:02.213-08:00MY SIXTH TRIP TO THE COCOS/KEELING ISLANDSAfter a successful week on Christmas Island, we flew to the Cocos/Keeling Islands feeling positive and optimistic. There was reportedly a Dark-sided Flycatcher somewhere on West Island and I was hoping to see the recently split Tibetan Sand Plover on South Island. This photo shows where we spent some time at Trannies Beach looking for an Asian Brown Flycatcher. I had good views, but others weren't so lucky. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZX-F-4ad8nH3H4a2AEQk_F-AU8zirSDDnQkUZ7PGqaFk2NTAHHsopDokErPNDTjFdrNgiNHg3pbBnjurERypGmV6c4ezq45Qy6QtV8MdQO6xV9v5d96RN8lwjzQk2eShyphenhyphen2ouBrLwgIzYgkAvpz4GKljbe4cl21-HnILF0Ahyphenhyphen2upEju8PbfYu5rdQuqk/s4032/IMG_2342.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZX-F-4ad8nH3H4a2AEQk_F-AU8zirSDDnQkUZ7PGqaFk2NTAHHsopDokErPNDTjFdrNgiNHg3pbBnjurERypGmV6c4ezq45Qy6QtV8MdQO6xV9v5d96RN8lwjzQk2eShyphenhyphen2ouBrLwgIzYgkAvpz4GKljbe4cl21-HnILF0Ahyphenhyphen2upEju8PbfYu5rdQuqk/s320/IMG_2342.jpg"/></a></div>
The Northern Pintail (which I first saw on the remarkably successful December 2016 tour) has stayed around and bred with a Pacific Black Duck resulting in four hybrids, enough to confuse any birder. Thanks to one of our sharp-eyed birders we saw one hybrid on our first day on Cocos, as well as the Common Kingfisher I was so pleased to tick last January. I was surprised to see that this was a different bird sporting juvenile plumage. Of course there were Green Junglefowl everywhere on Cocos and several of the recently split Intermediate Egrets. We'd dipped on Asian Koels on Christmas and promptly rectified this deficit on Cocos. There are lots of Pacific Reef Herons (both white and grey morphs) and just a sprinkling of Western Reef Herons. Both Striated and Nankeen Night Herons are common. Lesser Frigatebirds are common too. I thought they outnumbered Great Frigatebirds significantly. There was just one Oriental Pratincole on the airport runway and I saw just one Cattle Egret too. I cannot confirm rumours of a Tree Pipit (a bird I'd seen here in December 2016). On the day we visited South Island for Saunders's Tern, I saw two Eurasian Curlews, lots of Whimbrels and Ruddy Turnstones and White Terns of course (these are abundant on Cocos) as well as two races of Greater Sand Plover: the nominate race which we see on mainland Australia, and race 'columbinus' with a much thinner bill, making it look like a Lesser Sand Plover. Sadly, I could not turn any of the sand plovers into Lesser of any sort. At the Transfer Station we saw a Common Redshank, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Grey-tailed Tattler, and lots of sticky slippery mud. Despite almost 11 hours of patient, hot, waiting and watching (2 hours on Wednesday, 3 on Thursday, over 2 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday and almost another 2 on Monday) I did not even glimpse the Dark-sided Flycatcher. This photo shows where I looked. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQG1bs72a0lKeOLxEkUVZ-yfjEyxuntCdnMTpGFQd31NpY47Iuh85bSgISZr5arQUcx7Hk4EhpKqGN06S2kNIPOEwOkSkuSN76-OTqjyc5FILA5XRtV0AwQ3FER0ZKqsEAdACtDdtGqwxwbr8RbMgRf6ZhTzVLulyLngCoF92tyzgJ9qEwlitENZloEE/s4032/IMG_2339.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQG1bs72a0lKeOLxEkUVZ-yfjEyxuntCdnMTpGFQd31NpY47Iuh85bSgISZr5arQUcx7Hk4EhpKqGN06S2kNIPOEwOkSkuSN76-OTqjyc5FILA5XRtV0AwQ3FER0ZKqsEAdACtDdtGqwxwbr8RbMgRf6ZhTzVLulyLngCoF92tyzgJ9qEwlitENZloEE/s320/IMG_2339.jpg"/></a></div>
The contraption on the left is a cat trap, and I did see cat footprints on the sand here. Once, I saw something brown moving high in a bush and was momentarily excited, but it turned out to be a rat. So I came home with my record spoiled - I have no longer scored a lifer every time I've visited Cocos. I have a total of 28 lifers for 6 visits. Let's hope that next year is not quite so dry.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-21152091887711840952023-12-01T19:35:00.000-08:002023-12-01T19:39:56.413-08:00MY SEVENTH TRIP TO CHRISTMAS ISLANDI had only 24 hours at home after my Northern Shriketit adventure before I was off to Christmas Island on a Richard Baxter tour. I'd arrived home from the Northern Territory late on Saturday night, spent Sunday worrying about what to pack and left for Perth early on Monday. At 3.30 on Tuesday afternoon I was disembarking at Christmas Island with nine fellow birders. I learnt immediately that the island was extremely dry and there were few vagrants. Of course I'd seen all the endemics on my first trip in 2005 and have been returning to Christmas Island ever since in the hope of seeing vagrants. Generally, I have not been disappointed. I have never visited without seeing at least one lifer, and have achieved a total of 26 on my previous six visits. This year I had heard that there was a Red-billed Tropicbird on Christmas in August and hoped that he'd stick around to greet me in November. Alas, he did not.
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We didn't have a great deal of time for birding on Tuesday, the day we arrived, but we did manage to see (and identify!) both Christmas and Great Frigatebirds and both Red-footed and Brown Boobies as well as the spectacular Golden Bosunbird. No effort was required to add Christmas Imperial Pigeon and Island Thrush to the list and Eurasian Tree Sparrow is probably not worth mentioning. We saw White-breasted Waterhen (a bird I did not see at all on my first visit to the island, but which has become much more common since cat eradication has been taken seriously). They are not yet as common on Christmas as they are on Cocos, but they are very readily seen on Christmas nowadays. On Wednesday, again without effort, we added Christmas Swiftlets and White-eyes, then Java Sparrows and Abbott's Booby. This last entry brought my annual total to 400 birds, a target I always aim for, but which I do not always achieve. We also saw several goshawks (these days deemed to be just a race of Brown Goshawk) and Red-tailed and the white morph of White-tailed Tropicbirds (the same species as the aforementioned gorgeous Golden Bosunbird). On Thursday with a little effort we saw Red Junglefowl. Note that not every feral chook is a Red Junglefowl. We also saw Common Emerald Dove (a different species from the Pacific Emerald Dove on the mainland) and Lesser Frigatebird (not common on Christmas, easily seen on Cocos). Kestrels are common on Christmas Island. We saw Barn Swallows on the top of Phosphate Hill and Glossy Ibis on the oval. Oddly there is also an Australian White Ibis on Christmas at the moment - it's been resident for about eight months. This photo by Heather Alexander is me on the new impressive Margaret Knoll lookout.
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On Thursday we did a boat trip to allow the more intrepid of our group to have a snorkel. They tell me the fish are colourful and stunning. I, on the other hand, sat on the boat and watched young boobies and frigatebirds swooping at the bright pink lure being dragged behind the boat. The next day some birders reported seeing a passerine with white wingbars (perhaps a Purple-backed Starling) so we all set off in search of it. We walked along an overgrown track admiring white-eyes and I thought we probably wouldn't be seeing any passerines. This was the same general area where I'd failed to see the Amur Stonechat last year, so I wasn't feeling very lucky. Suddenly everyone was looking up. A bird flying overhead looked as if it were going to land on a dead twig out in the open, but saw us at the last minute and changed its mind, twisting and flying off never to be seen again. Richard said it was a Large Hawk-Cuckoo (#842) so my record of always getting a lifer when I visit Christmas is still intact. Let's see if I can do the same on Cocos.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pSMxZWydKaGJT0IN_hMNYQpPAQ6NwL53FkskT_5hdRYubb22IobdA96lhH_PqycUE1hG8mgKjgxWIPGzG0IY9ocsNrd2zT0OjKF39QmEnmXDZwYBnTjwt5HwYHJUCRJZ3IfLy5JayiwSBew8MeIANYmgnmr8WdtN74-yRXXNvRTUU_hFmZRkdTSJjjA/s4032/IMG_2315.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pSMxZWydKaGJT0IN_hMNYQpPAQ6NwL53FkskT_5hdRYubb22IobdA96lhH_PqycUE1hG8mgKjgxWIPGzG0IY9ocsNrd2zT0OjKF39QmEnmXDZwYBnTjwt5HwYHJUCRJZ3IfLy5JayiwSBew8MeIANYmgnmr8WdtN74-yRXXNvRTUU_hFmZRkdTSJjjA/s320/IMG_2315.jpg"/></a></div>Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-76322298670201031102023-12-01T15:27:00.000-08:002023-12-01T15:27:51.100-08:00THE QUEST FOR THE NORTHERN SHRIKETITSome birds are easy. You just have to go to the right place at the right time and there they are. Try Island Thrush on Christmas Island or King Penguins on Macquarie Island. Some birds are difficult. I reckon seeing a Lewin's Rail or a Red-lored Whistler is always difficult. Some birds are virtually impossible. For many years, I felt that White-necked Petrels were in this category. But surely every vagrant counts as virtually impossible: there's nowhere you can go to see it; you just have to luck onto it or be fortunate enough to twitch it. While it does not qualify as 'virtually impossible', I'm here to tell you that the Northern Shriketit certainly isn't an easy bird. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXpC8yVYg-VxrRJiG9KYgbFGjU5rz1WaHv3PZdgwY29Lt6x6ijNsgR7MmRL3A5iYJrybTD8BCdEXxExHGNfZC3oupJyw3rAFWBZtsOn16oOaDPtN9B7U00EpHQU93gxN4RsbMo5PdP18N_kSkBYKN4oUwuKfMQbZRRKPwv3KcxUbXue0VUprC_w5Tq1k/s4032/IMG_2287.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXpC8yVYg-VxrRJiG9KYgbFGjU5rz1WaHv3PZdgwY29Lt6x6ijNsgR7MmRL3A5iYJrybTD8BCdEXxExHGNfZC3oupJyw3rAFWBZtsOn16oOaDPtN9B7U00EpHQU93gxN4RsbMo5PdP18N_kSkBYKN4oUwuKfMQbZRRKPwv3KcxUbXue0VUprC_w5Tq1k/s320/IMG_2287.jpg"/></a></div>
When the IOC recently split the Crested Shriketit into the Eastern, Northern and Western, I found myself with two new birds to chase. I grew up with Eastern Shriketit. The first one I remember seeing was on a school excusion to the beach when I was 12 or 13 years old. Why the school saw fit to take us on an excursion to the beach I cannot imagine. But I remember the rest of the class was frolicking happily in the sea and I was wandering alone in the sand dunes quite bored, probably wishing I was back in the classroom doing algebra. Then I saw a breathtakingly beautiful bird - gorgeous bright yellow and black and white. A very striking bird in anyone's language. We called it an Eastern Shriketit in those days. Only later was it lumped to become the Crested Shriketit we've known until recently. Shriketits have been part of my life ever since. They were resident on my parents' property in north central Victoria. I remember sitting on a bench at Banyule catching up with birdy gossip with Richard Lloyn when his astute hearing picked up a shriketit above us tearing the bark from the trunk of a eucalypt. But I'd never seen either a Northern or a Western Shriketit. So now there were two new birds to chase, which was fine by me. I was planning to visit Christmas and Cocos in November, so I figured I could fit the Northern in beforehand and the Western on the way home. So it was that I found myself in Darwin with three other eager birds being escorted by Luke Paterson from Northern Territory Bird Specialists towards Katherine and the Central Arnhem Road. None of the shriketits has a conservation classification, but the Northern is sparsely distributed. We set off from Darwin at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. We had breakfast at Adelaide River and lunch in Katherine, and arrived at the spot where Northern Shriketit are sometimes seen by some select birders just before 4 p.m. It was hot, but we clambered out of the vehicle, eager with anticipation. We hadn't yet failed in our quest. Luke led us bush bashing to the north of the highway. There were few birds of any sort. I think we saw more wild donkeys than birds. We certainly saw more buffalo than birds. We did flush some Brown Quail, which sounded like horses snorting when they flew. We saw several Black-throated Treecreepers (both male and female) and a few Masked and Black-faced Woodswallows. Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters were numerous, but there was precious little else. At 6 o'clock we admitted defeat and returned to our motel, with not quite the enthusiastic optimism we had all exhibited at 6 o'clock that morning. We went spotlighting that night, targeting Chestnut-backed Buttonquail. It didn't occur to me not to join the group spotlighting, although I had assumed that we'd be looking for birds other than the buttonquail and I was surprised when Luke drove past a frogmouth without bothering to slow down or point it out. I guess noone was there to see a frogmouth. We didn't see any buttonquail either. It was a late night after an early start and we set off again at 5.30 the next morning, after having our sleep disturbed by heavy noisy rain in the night. Thursday was a new day and we greeted it with renewed optimism, telling ourselves that the rain would have freshened everything up and encouraged the shriketits to be more vocal and more visible. We left our Katherine motel at 5.30 and breakfasted at a roadside stop on Central Arnhem Road. We told each other that the water beside the road would encourage the birds. Then it started to rain again. Nevertheless by about 7 a.m. we were again looking for the shriketit, this time walking along the road rather than bush bashing. After about half an hour of this we looked a pathetic wet bedraggled bunch. Worse, there was no hint of shriketits. It was about then that I thought it had been a wasted trip and started wondering when it would be convenient for me to come back and try again. A Paperbark Flycatcher attacked a Sacred Kingfisher, but none of us thought it was worthy of mention. Quite undaunted, Luke left us in the rain and ran back to get the vehicle. We squelched aboard and Luke drove slowly, windows down, listening intently for the call of the shriketit that didn't come. After a while, we were out walking again, this time quite lacking in confidence. I must confess that I do not enjoy birding in the rain. I do not enjoy bush bashing in wet bush. I did my best not to be grumpy. Dutifully, we followed Luke, uncertain if it were all wasted effort. I don't remember how long it took. It cannot have been as long as my memory insists, but eventually, Luke heard a shriketit call. It was extremely faint and could have been quite a distance away. We all perked up immediately. Luke hurried towards the call and I did my best to keep up. Quite quickly he found the bird, a single male high in the canopy. We all saw it well; it was joined by a female. We followed the pair. The birds came down to eye level and we all had good looks, as this photo by the unforgettable Jim Sneddon attests.
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It is always good to tick a new bird. It's especially good to tick a difficult bird, but it is perhaps even better to tick a bird when you have given up and accepted the trip was a failure and you'd have to try again some other time. Thank you, Luke!
With the Northern Shriketit under my belt, I set off happily for Christmas and Cocos Islands, then, on the way home, I paused in Perth to try for the Western Shriketit. That was supposed to be a much easier bird. I had a lovely day in the bush with Des Hume, but, alas! there was no Western Shriketit for me. I should be pleased to have an excuse to visit the south west again, but I'm afraid I am simply frustrated that I have not ticked a supposedly easy bird!
Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-54735796439847525242023-10-10T14:54:00.007-07:002023-10-11T16:50:11.145-07:00A VERY DISAPPOINTING PORT FAIRY PELAGICMy birding mate, Ken, drove me down to Port Fairy on Saturday in preparation for a pelagic on Sunday 8 October 2023. At Port Fairy, I heard a Greenfinch (but couldn't see it) and saw several Kelp Gulls.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGdhUITDFOODlPRDiivX619bNlIkdOiHyXkc6kUhzH_Gq9N2UfxY-GS_zte4sf0Y2xu2H1rDMXxjs-jIy3eoo2JQFCbWp7rByYnATBX7KVmLXkAxOUVJ1PgDC-M9Q_C2Km-kNNP7Tlbu4Cfw8BWy4QXlDxtRC113mf0EJnIPNEQbP9Puj8IsAdpKFt3I/s2916/Kelp%20Gull.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="2027" data-original-width="2916" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGdhUITDFOODlPRDiivX619bNlIkdOiHyXkc6kUhzH_Gq9N2UfxY-GS_zte4sf0Y2xu2H1rDMXxjs-jIy3eoo2JQFCbWp7rByYnATBX7KVmLXkAxOUVJ1PgDC-M9Q_C2Km-kNNP7Tlbu4Cfw8BWy4QXlDxtRC113mf0EJnIPNEQbP9Puj8IsAdpKFt3I/s320/Kelp%20Gull.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div>
We also saw a couple of Latham's Snipe in a pond (over the road from the Griffith Island carpark) where Neil Macumber said he'd seen 21 a couple of weeks before. On the pelagic on Sunday, aboard the 'Southern Explorer' I recorded 20 bird species, but only because I started my list before we left port and included such exciting birds as Magpie, Welcome Swallow, Starling, Australian Raven, Silver Gull, Australian White Ibis, Willie Wagtail (I lie! that's always exciting) Kelp Gull (again), Greater Crested Tern and both Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers. That's 12 of my day's 20 species. I saw lots (and lots) of Shy Albatross and Short-tailed Shearwaters, and quite a few Australasian Gannets. There were a handful of Northern Giant Petrels throughout the day - or else a couple kept returning over and over again. Other people on the boat glimpsed one Yellow-nosed and one Black-browed Albatross. I did not, but I had good brief views of one Northern Royal Albatross - the only bird I saw all day which was new for my year list.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JQc8keBHu0X1bOSMxDAd8wiI3xhqIle5x1xEMCP9OQzqCeFawUR8nO2ud5osSHRYMRYpa9WGRRkyYMRSirqO0ottgR-_tSi3eUT5sNakkQSprbX63ncKHfi3Mjyka3y2nJ12QEFGCwMCwS8GDfTro1jdrGw87fF4eLn1iZ7QvLcjQ_Sfp0SVR0L3B_U/s3756/Northern%20Royal%20Albatross.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="2291" data-original-width="3756" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JQc8keBHu0X1bOSMxDAd8wiI3xhqIle5x1xEMCP9OQzqCeFawUR8nO2ud5osSHRYMRYpa9WGRRkyYMRSirqO0ottgR-_tSi3eUT5sNakkQSprbX63ncKHfi3Mjyka3y2nJ12QEFGCwMCwS8GDfTro1jdrGw87fF4eLn1iZ7QvLcjQ_Sfp0SVR0L3B_U/s320/Northern%20Royal%20Albatross.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div>
There were a few Grey-faced Petrels and I think only one White-chinned Petrel and one Sooty Shearwater. Altogether a disappointing day, I'm sure you'll agree. Others were very excited to see three orcas, but I'm afraid I was there to admire birds not whales. On Monday, on the drive home to Melbourne, we stopped at Lake Colac in the hope of adding Freckled Duck to our weekend list. We were delighted to see about 200 of them, doing what Freckled Duck do, that is, precisely nothing. However, we could see no sign of breeding plumage. We must have been a little early for that. This beautiful photo is by Ken Haines. Indeed all these beautiful photos are by Ken Haines.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5v76-NCRghLD1wXqoy6upx9_HpUB9BK4y-wG9w-TItGcN2T50GLicfrmK8mhYHU-bhn3sE7YkC0C0bGkH7ymQOSs7Mr8Vx9v-c4QWz8UGcwLXnSoqAj_k8PN7L_JeiyAdTRAObiA4ZhvpxFvEhE1i1umsnOKiKjxTm0WgnHbXBkGAwJYY-u62cTBWFRE/s6960/Freckled%20Ducks.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="3981" data-original-width="6960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5v76-NCRghLD1wXqoy6upx9_HpUB9BK4y-wG9w-TItGcN2T50GLicfrmK8mhYHU-bhn3sE7YkC0C0bGkH7ymQOSs7Mr8Vx9v-c4QWz8UGcwLXnSoqAj_k8PN7L_JeiyAdTRAObiA4ZhvpxFvEhE1i1umsnOKiKjxTm0WgnHbXBkGAwJYY-u62cTBWFRE/s320/Freckled%20Ducks.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div> We also saw a very interesting Reed Warbler with an aberrant black throat marking. I've never seen that before, nor could I find any mention of it in any of my field guides. But by far the most exciting thing, which made the entire trip worthwhile and transformed what had been a wasted weekend into one of my most memorable birding experiences ever, was: dozens, yes, dozens of Great Crested Grebes. Several pairs were performing their synchronised mating dance. This is a spectacle I'd only ever seen before on film and it certainly lived up to my expectations. I found it literally breathtaking. The birds faced each other in the water. They turned their heads to the side in unison. They twisted their heads and touched their backs in a mirror image of each other. They dived underwater and he emerged with gifts of waterweed to present to his would-be mate. We watched enthralled as several pairs performed their ballet for us but, on each occasion, after the dance was over, the birds each went their separate ways. We didn't see any mating. The main breeding season of Great Crested Grebe (according to the 8th edition of Simpson and Day) is November-January, with possible casual breeding in October and February. So, at the beginning of October, these birds were just starting to think about breeding. Perhaps if we returned in a month's time, we might see some proper mating activity.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfDjcJ0cBTAtHVxlgWD0UmKCla1HAmHdJHgrOffUVO9bGPLgbg73uUFf6uDEYY8WdrDVFq_FwYSS8BXCrHiVSa86DzxPla8zjoPl8Gr0A2szIdwY3PyY3crctKJ42XbF4I9MRKv3_xQlyWWM0_-r2bSnTgaMH4qVnB_ESXMJRkodp17K8PpemeQVe-n8/s2916/GC%20Grebes.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1727" data-original-width="2916" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfDjcJ0cBTAtHVxlgWD0UmKCla1HAmHdJHgrOffUVO9bGPLgbg73uUFf6uDEYY8WdrDVFq_FwYSS8BXCrHiVSa86DzxPla8zjoPl8Gr0A2szIdwY3PyY3crctKJ42XbF4I9MRKv3_xQlyWWM0_-r2bSnTgaMH4qVnB_ESXMJRkodp17K8PpemeQVe-n8/s320/GC%20Grebes.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioebdS03J8OvVkSQ9K6KEYAUL8sl4SOntPW20L7JsrHvWbOzEFNZmjjJKKDkchDd2dOTSGZq3L63voUnuRx8DQDMQz6uchGvTPRWrg6wKvTbMHtSvreMB8Z9370h04kPg-f2nD_QD-htF8AkVjbGUVLL6jQKHb3_x0K9ghSFza38D-TLYAj9_8j2HmTXQ/s3070/GC%20Grebes%203.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="3070" data-original-width="2484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioebdS03J8OvVkSQ9K6KEYAUL8sl4SOntPW20L7JsrHvWbOzEFNZmjjJKKDkchDd2dOTSGZq3L63voUnuRx8DQDMQz6uchGvTPRWrg6wKvTbMHtSvreMB8Z9370h04kPg-f2nD_QD-htF8AkVjbGUVLL6jQKHb3_x0K9ghSFza38D-TLYAj9_8j2HmTXQ/s320/GC%20Grebes%203.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div>
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So instead of coming home disappointed at our inferior day at sea, Sunday was quite forgotten, and we arrived home thrilled at our most memorable sighting of Great Crested Grebes.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcn5zwQHehlKpUtdgaEYS_dFbgqR5eeSPYC3wgUTryemrvC5iqjE_X9AAxPBXJpM-_-XRyWqoebLwq9TD14y4yVRlgEtrUXhoJWLbf_jLD3M3KrX7gDT8ht5kQITFG00dLxONeYB89GdifO6IQnxeIlSoHlXcnF_g698WT5z0-EL7RTCvChj42LnHYNds/s2256/GC%20Grebes%205.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="2256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcn5zwQHehlKpUtdgaEYS_dFbgqR5eeSPYC3wgUTryemrvC5iqjE_X9AAxPBXJpM-_-XRyWqoebLwq9TD14y4yVRlgEtrUXhoJWLbf_jLD3M3KrX7gDT8ht5kQITFG00dLxONeYB89GdifO6IQnxeIlSoHlXcnF_g698WT5z0-EL7RTCvChj42LnHYNds/s320/GC%20Grebes%205.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnJQEqZ8NNn1tdSp6c4s0IqVI2yUag78q0u_kM19BC3-TteHnxIg_kFUjnm2TCDtKWqccl9-z1FX5I6XT0985Rmr61uJBZkhGloJqkzpRD1WMTGgHR4F-szihKxi_GXiP7pwb050lFg-YsCgwsPq5UJ-mBtzAt6UymijdQLojYvDF5pDg1s_9Fg3QfcQ/s2580/GC%20Grebes%206.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1451" data-original-width="2580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnJQEqZ8NNn1tdSp6c4s0IqVI2yUag78q0u_kM19BC3-TteHnxIg_kFUjnm2TCDtKWqccl9-z1FX5I6XT0985Rmr61uJBZkhGloJqkzpRD1WMTGgHR4F-szihKxi_GXiP7pwb050lFg-YsCgwsPq5UJ-mBtzAt6UymijdQLojYvDF5pDg1s_9Fg3QfcQ/s320/GC%20Grebes%206.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div>Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-52550395287391647602023-09-23T22:55:00.001-07:002023-09-23T22:55:29.323-07:00BIRDSVILLE TRACK AND MOREI have just returned from a great trip with Peter Waanders. We started at Mt Isa and finished in Adelaide. I saw 161 birds. We saw a few animals (surprisingly few kangaroos, some euros and wallabies, dingoes and a spectacular display of half a million Little Red Flying Foxes leaving their caves at sunset in Mt Isa) and a few reptiles (one snake, several lizards). There were seven participants and two leaders on the trip.
For me, the bird of the trip was the Thick-billed Grasswren race cowarie, a new race for me. Everyone's choice would be individual of course, but my bird of the day was as follows:
Friday: Carpentarian Grasswren, excellent views;
Saturday: Latham's Snipe at Lake Moondarah;
Sunday: Letter-winged Kites, several at Belle Vista Floodplain;
Monday: Grey Falcon in flight, not a perfect view, but a beautiful bird;
Tuesday: Thick-billed Grasswren race cowarie, a new race for me;
Wednesday: Eyrean Grasswren, several excellent if fleeting views;
Thursday: Black-breasted Buzzard;
Friday: Hooded Robin, sitting cooperatively on top of a tree at Jarvis Hill in Hawker.
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Peter called the tour 'Grey Falcon and Letter-winged Kite tour' and so naturally, we saw both these birds. Here's the tower the falcons were roosting in.
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Without a camera, here's the best digiscope of a Grey Falcon I could manage (or, more accurately, Peter could manage on my behalf with my phone!):
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Here's the best I could do with three Letter-winged Kites roosting in a tree (see them? top right)
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And here's a pellet from a Letter-winged Kite that was pulled apart to reveal a beautiful, tiny foot!
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A great trip, great birds, great company, great country.
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Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-78058714287106284852023-08-20T19:08:00.012-07:002023-08-21T16:48:08.289-07:00COMINGS AND GOINGSSpring is in the air. As I opened my front door this morning, I was greeted by three things simultaneously: a magpie carolling; a Red Wattlebird, which had been feeding in my grevillea, flying to freedom in the neighbours' yard; and, for the first time ever, actually on my front doorstep, a Welcome Swallow swooping around my head. We've had a few swallows overwinter this year, but I reckon this fellow had just arrived. He was swooping joyously, and was soon joined by several mates. Then a blackbird sat up high and sung his heart out. It was the first morning for a long time that I hadn't worn gloves on my morning walk. Although spring is officially another eleven days away, I can already feel it in the air.
I have a girlfriend in Canada who told me that she loves the change of seasons. When she said this to me some fifty years ago, I had to stop and consider. I'd never really thought about it. I look forward to the summer migrants of course, and I'm sorry when they depart, but I'd never really given much thought to the changing seasons. If I lived in Canada, I'm sure it would be different.
Here, changing seasons are not quite so noticeable as in Canada, but still the birds come and go. They are not all migrants. Some are nomads and others seem to be changing their distribution, whether because of climate change or for other reasons. We had an Olive-backed Oriole overwinter this year. In truth, there were a pair of them. They called throughout winter, and I imagined the displaced summer call to sound melancholy in the depth of winter. Once, years ago, I saw a male Rufous Whistler that overwintered. He seemed quite out of place. I expect, with global warming, there will be more and more strange overwintering interlopers. Occasionally, for no apparent reason, I am delighted to see Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos here. The other day, 33 wailed overhead as I walked down High Street. It was wonderful! Recently, we have been lucky to enjoy some Gang Gang Cockatoos. They arrived in July and I'm pleased to report that they're still here in August. They must be one of my favourite birds. What a delight!
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This week I saw an Australasian Swamphen at Hay's Paddock. I used to see them there regularly. But they disappeared sometime last October. Each time I go to Hay's Paddock, I look for them. They haven't abandoned Melbourne: they are still commmon elsewhere. Then, this week, hooray! they are back. They are nomadic, so I have no right to complain when they disappear.
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The Australian King Parrot is a bird which has arrived here recently. They are very beautiful, but they were never a rare bird. My brother has them daily in his garden in Eltham. However, I didn't see them in Kew. I saw my first King Parrot in Kew (from memory) early this century. I thought it must be an escaped cage bird, so I rang Mike Carter. He said, no, King Parrots were extending their range, and, sure enough, now, some twenty years later, they are resident in Kew. I see them just about every day. I try not to be surprised when new young birders don't know that Crested Pigeons are new to Melbourne. I remember watching them in the 1980's at Erldunda and admiring their pretty pink feet and loving the pattern they made in the red sand. I never dreamed that they'd one day become a common bird in the suburbs. From memory, they arrived in Kew shortly after I did, in 1994. Another bird that arrived in Melbourne after I did is the Eastern Cattle Egret. It is uncertain whether they self-introduced from Asia, or whether birds introduced to the Kimberley in 1933 to eat ticks from cattle, spread throughout the continent. I prefer to believe that they self-introduced. The 'Atlas of Australian Birds' shows them present in the Northern Territory and Queensland before 1901, and they were in Victoria by the 1950's. This photo is by Brook Whylie and shows his sexy orange breeding plumage.
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I look forward to the full glories of spring: more warmth, more sunshine, and, best of all, more birds.
Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-11122453335545873382023-07-19T16:37:00.008-07:002023-07-20T14:29:56.223-07:00WERRIBEE'S WESTERN TREATMENT PLANTThere is no doubt that the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee is Victoria's best birding spot. Other states can argue about their best spot; in Victoria, Werribee is such a superb place that there is no room for debate. I visited Werribee on Tuesday this week and I had a wonderful day.
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As I left home, the sky was blue and the sun was shining. This did not last. It was very cold all day. Every time I had to open or close a gate, the rain squalled. The wind kept many of the small birds under cover. I came home disappointed that I had not seen Striated Fieldwren, Greenfinch or Zebra Finch. I also dipped on Freckled Duck and Great Crested Grebe. But I did see 72 species, including 8 Brolga and more Australasian Swamphen than I ever remember seeing in one place. There must have been thousands of them.
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The last time I visited Werribee - in April on my unsuccessful Black Tern twitch - I saw lots of Australian Crakes. This time, I saw none. I had a wishlist of course: a list of birds I hoped to see that I had not yet seen in 2023. They included a couple of 'easy' birds that I expected to see, and several difficult birds that I hoped to see, but didn't really expect to. The easy birds were Eurasian Skylark and Yellow-billed Spoonbill. Of course I saw (and heard) several skylarks throughout the day, weather notwithstanding. The spoonbill was more difficult. I saw some Royal Spoonbills, but a Yellow-billed proved to be harder than I'd expected. I did see one in the end, just one bird, flying overhead, which could have been missed easily. So-called 'easy' birds aren't always easy!
I managed to see two of my difficult birds: Black-tailed Nativehen (two birds hiding under shubbery on the river crossing) and best bird of the day, an Australasian Bittern! With an estimated total population of 1,300, Australasian Bitterns are endangered and it is always a thrill to see one. This bird flushed and flew away quickly, never to be seen again.
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Raptors performed well throughout the day, with lots of Black Kites and Swamp Harriers (such as the one pictured). There were several Black-shouldered Kites, Whistling Kites and Brown Falcons and just one Brown Goshawk. Alas no Black Falcon which I had rather rashly put on my wishlist. Two birds I did see that were new to the year, but hadn't made it onto my list because I thought seeing them was so unlikely, were: Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo and Caspian Tern. I thought it unlikely to see a cuckoo in July (in fact I also saw a Fan-tailed Cuckoo on the Point Wilson Road). This was the first Caspian Tern I've seen at Werribee this century. I'm sorry I dipped on Double-banded Plover and Striated Fieldwren. I've no doubt someone with better eyes would have scored both. But I did see both Red-browed Finches and Yellow-rumped Thornbills These birds used to be very common, but I find they are becoming more and more difficult to add to my list. It is possible that my count of eight Brolgas included some duplication, and there were in fact only six birds. What I actually saw was a pair of Brolga on four separate occasions. I am sure, however, that there were at least six. One bird was sitting on a nest, with her mate standing close by. The others were well spread throughout the farm, and I believe that there really were eight different birds. It was a great day. In winter, on a cold, windy day, a total of 72 species is fine by me, especially when it includes one Australasian Bittern.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-50037382442055483722023-06-27T17:52:00.002-07:002023-07-03T22:25:48.574-07:00BIRD OF THE MONTHEach month I like to select the bird that has given me the most pleasure and reward it by calling it my Bird of the Month. Sometimes it is easy (for example, if I get a lifer); sometimes it is difficult (if I haven't seen anything special). Most months it is surprisingly easy. Birds tend to self select. However, winter in Melbourne can be hard. Mostly, I enjoy the process. I go through the birds I've seen, I remember good trips. It is fun. So far, this year has been a mixed bunch. January was easy. I saw a Common Kingfisher on Cocos - a lifer, and an exceptionally beautiful bird. February was even easier. I saw the White-necked Petrel, a bird I had been wanting to see for decades. It was bigger and even more beautiful than I'd been led to believe. March was not so obvious. In the end I settled on an Eastern Spinebill - not a rare bird, but to me a special one nonetheless. I grew up with spinebills in my backyard in Ringwood and I have been sorely lamenting the fact that, despite all my native planting for that very purpose, they have refused to turn up in my new garden in East Kew. In March I saw one, just fleetingly admittedly, but I saw one unambiguously in the garden next door. Good enough for Bird of the Month for me!
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This lovely photo by Ken Haines is not of the bird next door, but I couldn't tell the difference. (All the birds in Victoria are the same race.) The winner for April again was not obvious. I'd been to Werribee, hoping for a Black Tern, which, unfortunately, I did not see. But that day I had been struck by the large number of Australian Crakes. They all wanted to say hello. I think of crakes as being secretive and shy. These birds were not. I've always loved crakes and rails and I do not see them every month. On reflection, the crake was a clear winner. In the end May was easy, despite a large number of excellent contenders. I went to Sherbrooke and saw several Superb Lyrebirds. I saw Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos at Hay's Paddock. I visited Kamarooka and saw lots of wonderful birds, each worthy of being awarded Bird of the Month. There were honeyeaters (Purple-gaped, Tawny-crowned, White-eared and more), Red-capped Robins, Purple-backed Fairywrens, Shy Heathwrens, Crested Bellbird and (a most worthy nomination) Western Whistlers that I didn't know occurred in Victoria. So May was already spoiled for choice when I saw my clear winner: an Olive-backed Oriole in my street. It was sitting on top of a silver birch singing its heart out. In May! These summer migrants should be far north by May, certainly not sitting in my street singing. Another clear winner.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu3OHCNm015rsr6VjZOhSGI5k76NTbse26l-x3Qp4g58IEs3fLb7bvwRHgAFB7l2FvMzvNA6hAhpz4qWGH2OyOzRqlRD2wYy1sochrT0uySaDfyLEElmaJ5txsnkHccRoKjL6FXiULN13AJUyW8Mv21IJxkjqbezF9fae6R_ExX3lFHFnPy1JxCdWs5g/s1464/Olive-backed%20Oriole%202.%20Hotchkins%20Reserve.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="1464" data-original-width="1152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu3OHCNm015rsr6VjZOhSGI5k76NTbse26l-x3Qp4g58IEs3fLb7bvwRHgAFB7l2FvMzvNA6hAhpz4qWGH2OyOzRqlRD2wYy1sochrT0uySaDfyLEElmaJ5txsnkHccRoKjL6FXiULN13AJUyW8Mv21IJxkjqbezF9fae6R_ExX3lFHFnPy1JxCdWs5g/s320/Olive-backed%20Oriole%202.%20Hotchkins%20Reserve.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div>
Again, the photo is by Ken Haines and again, it is not the bird in question. However, it is a Victorian Olive-backed Oriole so it is near enough for me. Now as June comes to a close, I am considering who deserves my award this month. I have been to Eden where I admired five species of albatross, each one worthy of Bird of the Month appellation. I saw friendly Buff-banded Rail at Eden, and, even better, Southern Emu-wren. En route I saw Spotted Quail-thrush and, again at Eden, I saw a magnificent white Grey Goshawk. Plenty to choose from. But the winner is none of these. The winner is Dame Edna! A bird I have been wanting to see ever since I heard of her existence. She lives in Royal Park and I look for her each time I visit. This time I saw her. She is an old female Superb Fairywren with a male's blue tail. I have been told that the experts think this is due to her age and an excessive build up of testosterone over the years. This fascinated me, as (in my ignorance) I had not heard of it before. I just happen to be reading 'The Wisdom of Birds' by Tim Birkhead (which I thoroughly recommend by the way) and came across a passage discussing just this issue: female birds exhibiting male characteristics. Here's the relevant bit (from page 282): 'Science is often sexist and, perhaps not surprisingly, until recently it was widely assumed that male hormones controlled male sexual traits - like a cockerel's plumes. The truth is that many male characteristics are determined not by the male hormone testosterone, but by the absence of the female hormone, oestrogen. Typically, males do not secrete oestrogen (or at least not very much), and consequently produce male plumage. Females secrete oestrogen and develop female plumage. A female with a diseased ovary that ceases to produce oestrogen reverts to the default situation of male plumage.' Fascinating. Whatever the cause, Dame Edna is the clear winner for June. And here she is:
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The photo is by Peter Petinatos, and you can see that she has a female's orange eye-ring and a male's blue tail. So, so far at least, winter has not been difficult for selecting my Bird of the Month. Fingers crossed for July!Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-5893210876043626842023-06-05T18:07:00.019-07:002023-06-07T17:13:21.744-07:00IT IS WINTER AND I GO TO EDENOn the first of the month, I like to go birding, to start the month's birdlist off appropriately. I often walk to Willsmere Billabong, then on to Darebin Parklands, which is what I did on 1 June 2023. I saw all the usual suspects, including a Common Bronzewing, ducks, parrots and a very vocal Grey Butcherbird. I dipped on Red-rumped Parrots - one of many birds I used to consider a certainty, but alas no longer so. I did see a Buff-banded Rail beside the creek, only my second sighting of this species on this walk. I ended the day with 35 species, which is acceptable for Kew in winter.
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The next day I set off with my birding mate, Ken Haines, for Eden in New South Wales, where we were booked to do back to back pelagics on the M.V. Connemara on Saturday and Sunday. The highlight of the drive to Eden was three (perhaps four) Spotted Quail-thrush spotted by keen-eyed Ken beside the road. Unfortunately, they did not hang around to get acquainted, but they managed to get on my birdlist. We stayed in Reflections Holiday Park and arrived in time for a walk around Lake Curaio, where we met several very friendly Buff-banded Rail, who really did want to get acquainted. We also saw some Southern Emu-wren - always a thrill.
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On Saturday morning, we arrived at the wharf in good time for our 7 a.m. departure. We met Julian, our leader, Mark, the captain, and Luke, the crew. There were twelve passengers in all, a perfect number for the size of the boat. It was cold, but we had only one or two drops of rain all day. The birds behaved well. One or two Brown Skuas accompanied us most of the day. There were lots of Australasian Gannets. They may be common, but they are very beautiful birds. We saw five species of albatross, which isn't bad. There were several people on board who were experiencing their first pelagic. How very special to see five species of albatross on your very first pelagic! The first (and most numerous) was a Shy, then Yellow-nosed, Black-browed, Buller's and finally, Campbell's.
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The albatross were, for me, the highlight of the day. Others were more excited by the one Cape Petrel who put in an appearance in the afternoon. No birds were in big numbers. We saw a single Fairy Prion, one Grey-faced Petrel, one Providence Petrel, one Short-tailed Shearwater, a few Wilson's Storm Petrels (but not many), one White-chinned Petrel and two Northern Giant Petrels. There were some Grey-backed Storm Petrels, but they did not come very close to the boat. I dipped on the one Fluttering Shearwater, seen early in the day on the other side of the boat. Coming into port in the afternoon, we saw plenty of Black-faced Cormorants and several Little Penguins. There were White-bellied Sea Eagles (always very regal) and a few Pelicans. My list for the day totalled 25, which I thought was pretty good. We saw lots of Common Dolphins and a few Bottle-nosed. Some tail splashing Humpbacks right near the boat were quite spectacular - and a new experience for me.
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The boat returned at about quarter to four, giving us time to explore Lake Curaio a bit further in the daylight. There was a noisy colony of Bell Miners which dominated, but didn't deter some inquisitive whipbirds (or a Brown Antechinus for that matter). The highlight today was undoubtedly a pure white Grey Goshawk, a bird I don't see often enough. (I think I'm correct in saying that I haven't seen one since June 2013.) I thought Sunday could not be as good as Saturday, and I was right. I did manage to add the missing Fluttering Shearwater to my list, but that was all.
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The good photos on this page are by Ken Haines. That's the Southern Emu-wren, the Buller's Albatross and the Fairy Prion. The lousy ones are mine, taken with my phone. We spent the night at Lakes Entrance and arrived home in time for lunch on Monday. What better way to spend the first weekend of winter? I can't think of any.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-69949355905417127862023-05-26T17:19:00.000-07:002023-05-26T17:19:19.360-07:00KAMAROOKAWhat a wonderful day I had birding yesterday at Kamarooka! May in Melbourne can be cold and unfriendly. Yesterday at Kamarooka it was sunny and welcoming. I could not in all honesty say that it was warm, but there were plenty of birds to warm my heart. Not wishing to sound too old, I must say nevertheless, that yesterday was what birding used to be like in my youth. So many beautiful birds, you didn't know which way to look first. It was better than any Christmas celebration I can ever remember.
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Kamarooka is part of the Greater Bendigo National Park. I'm told the word means 'wait a while' in the local Aboriginal language. Conditions (and birds) yesterday certainly encouraged us to wait a fair while.
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When we arrived, we were greeted by several Shy Heathwren. I'm used to seeing these birds on the ground, but they were calling from the bushes, and not initially very cooperative about showing themselves. (This photo, incidentally, is from my library and was not taken yesterday. It is one of Ken Haines' treasures - and he wasn't with me yesterday.) We did get good looks a little later, but it was reassuring to know that there is a very healthy population of Shy Heathwren in this area. We saw lots of honeyeaters here too. In fact we saw lots of honeyeaters everywhere - there were several species of eucaplypts flowering. There were Red Wattlebirds everywhere and a few Noisy Friarbirds sprinkled throughout the day. We saw both my favourite honeyeaters in good numbers - Brown-headed and White-eared. We admired Fuscous, Yellow-tufted, and Yellow-faced and had excellent views of Purple-gaped and Tawny-crowned. I reckon we saw hundreds of Yellow-plumed. This photo of a Yellow-plumed is also by Ken Haines from my library.
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We had excellent views of Red-capped Robins (the female Red-capped Robin really is one of our most exquisite birds - too often over-shadowed by her showy mate) and also Restless Flycatchers, which lived up to their name. We had but a fleeting glimpse of a Crested Bellbird, although they serenaded us with their ventriloquial calls for quite some time. There were fairywrens (both Variegated and Superb) and Thornbills (Yellow, Inland and Yellow-rumped - but, surprisingly, no Chestnut-rumped yesterday). There were lots of fresh platelets from Painted Buttonquail and I fancy I saw some movement which was probably them, but no sighting I could confirm.
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I would have liked a Southern Whiteface, a Speckled Warbler and a Gilbert's Whistler, but I clocked up a total of 66 species for the day, including one Peregrine Falcon on the way home, so I am not complaining!Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-44400949210979921562023-05-10T21:24:00.000-07:002023-05-10T21:24:00.331-07:00200 BIRDS FOR 2023 - AT LAST!At last I have clocked up my 200th bird for 2023! It took until 10 May to achieve a goal I'd thought I'd achieve in February. And it's not as if I wasn't really trying. Apart from my local haunts (Burke Road Billabong, Darebin Parklands, Wilson Reserve and Banyule), I've been to Blackburn Lake, Royal Park, the You Yangs, Karkarook, Braeside, Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, Werribee and Sherbrooke Forest.
The 200th bird was a Superb Lyrebird in Sherbrooke Forest on a Birds Australia weekday outing. The weather was cold and grey. It alternated between rain and drizzle as I drove to Sherbrooke, and I wondered why I was bothering to go. Of course the lyrebirds (there were several) made it all worthwhile, as did the happy group of friendly birders who'd gathered to enjoy the delights of the forest. However, I confess that I'd been hoping secretly for more than just one new bird for the year. I had compiled a little wishlist, but, apart from the lyrebird, it remained unfulfilled.
That, I'm afraid, has been the story of 2023: altogether an unfulfilled wishlist.
My one and only trip to Werribee this year was also a disappointment. It was in April and, of course, I was hoping to see the vagrant Black Tern, a very exciting visitor from the Northern Hemisphere. I saw lots of lovely birds that morning, but unfortunately had to hurry home because I had guests for lunch (why didn't I just put them off?). I stood hopefully with a group of eager birders watching White-winged Terns swooping over the sea. We knew that the Black Tern had been seen with this flock. And it is possible that amongst those fast swooping birds I did glimpse the Black Tern, but I certainly did not get an unambiguous identifiable tickable sighting. I came home very disappointed and pretended to be a happy hostess. The bird of the day was without doubt the Australian Crake. I saw at least seven, and they were quite fearless, not exhibiting their usual shy behaviour at all. I always get a thrill out of seeing crakes. This beautiful photo was taken by Ken Haines, who took me on my unsuccessful tern hunt.
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I've made several unsuccessful trips looking for a Tawny Frogmouth to add to my annual list. I did find a dead frogmouth in the local park and subsequently investigated every tree in that park very closely, with no result. We often see frogmouths at Royal Park, but not this year. I also have roosts to check out at Willsmere Billabong and Heidelberg. All empty so far this year. Eventually, thanks to my cousin, I was alerted to a bird roosting in Blackburn Road, Blackburn. I rushed out to see it and this time I was successful. My trip to Braeside gave me my first Australasian Shoveler for the year and my second trip to the You Yangs in 2023 delivered a White-naped Honeyeater and a Jacky Winter. I don't remember ever trying quite so hard for so many months to achieve so little!
In fairness I might say that had I managed to get to Werribee earlier in the year when the Northern Hemisphere migrants were still present (say, in February) I could well have achieved my target then.
Winter is almost upon us - it feels as if it's here - and I'm looking forward to back-to-back pelagics out of Eden in early June. Of course I have a little list. Let's see if I can cross more than one species off it.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-64143623110036571572023-03-02T16:55:00.003-08:002023-03-10T13:25:09.439-08:00KIAMA PELAGICPlans were already in hand for me to do my annual Kiama pilgrimage hoping for a White-necked Petrel, when I unexpectedly saw not one but two White-necked Petrels off Southport earlier in the month. Of course I still wanted to go to Kiama. Who wouldn't?
We left on Wednesday and had a liesurely drive to Gundagai. The bird of the day was an Oriental Dollarbird, sitting high up on a dead tree, giving us great views. On Thursday, we drove to Gerroa, where our cabin had a first floor balcony, allowing us to admire Australasian Figbirds at eye height in the adjacent palm trees. The bird of the day was a very beautiful young Pacific Koel, also at eye height in a palm tree.
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All the beautiful photos on this page were taken by Ken Haines.
The other birdy highlight on Thursday was a visit to Jerrara Dam. The birding was so good that we went back again on Friday. There were Silvereyes and whipbirds, Beautiful and Red-browed Firetails, Eastern Yellow Robins and Crimson Rosellas, Black-faced Monarchs and Leaden Flycatchers, Grey Butcherbirds and Australian Golden Whistlers, and lots of Red-whiskered Bulbuls. There were several Lewin's Honeyeaters, but the only other honeyeaters we saw were a couple of Eastern Spinebills and just one New Holland and just one White-cheeked. Likewise, I saw just one Australian Reed Warbler. There were Superb Fairywrens and White-browed Scrubwrens. Most exciting (for me at least) were Topknot Pigeons, a bird I don't see often enough. We could see swans, swamphens and moorhens on the dam below. Not a bad list at all.
We visited Bomaderry Creek looking for Rockwarbler. Alas, the only bird we saw or heard was a Red Wattlebird. Last year we had been unsuccessful at Bomaderry Creek too. I wonder if the Rockwarblers are still there? They are certainly not as common and easily seen as they used to be.
We went to Spring Creek Wetlands, which accommodated a large colony of very noisy flying foxes. There were also Satin Bowerbirds and bulbuls, but not much else. And we went to the mouth of the Broken River, hoping for Little Terns. All we saw for our effort was Silver Gulls.
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Saturday's pelagic, aboard 'Kato', was great. I had not realized just how much my recent Kiama pelagics have been influenced by my overwhelming desire (obsession?) to see a White-necked Petrel. With this bird happily on my list, I could sit back and enjoy myself. I really didn't care what we did or didn't see. What we did see were lots of shearwaters (Flesh-footed, Wedge-tailed and Short-tailed), some Grey-faced Petrels, at least one Kermadec, a couple of jaegers and at least one Wilson's Storm Petrel. We had great views of a Wandering Albatross and difficult sightings of one Black Petrel. I say difficult, because I for one, thought it looked exactly like the Flesh-footed Shearwaters beside it. Until I saw its black feet, I could not tell the difference, even when the birds were right in front of me.
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And then, beleive it or not, we saw (again) not one, but two, White-necked Petrels! What is the chance of that!
With a couple of terns and seagulls, I recorded a total of 16 species for the day. Others saw more. But I was extremely happy with my White-necked Petrel. The Wandering Albatross and the Black Petrel were icing on the cake. I will certainly return to do more Kiama pelagics, but I will no longer be driven to undertaken an annual summer pilgrimage. That, at least, is behind me.
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The problem with setting targets is that you might not meet them! I did not achieve my target of seeing 100 new birds in February (after I'd seen 100 in January). I think I would have made it had I managed to visit Werribee. For a variety of reasons, I did not get there. However, I'm hoping to get there next week, so we will see if I can top up my total to 200 birds for the year. I am presently sitting on 175. Wish me luck!Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-81048559982727724282023-02-07T17:52:00.000-08:002024-03-18T15:49:55.954-07:00BRITANNIA SEAMOUNTOn the weekend of 3-6 February 2023, I went to the Britannia Seamount off Southport in the Gold Coast. I was hoping for a New Caledonian Storm Petrel, and came home with a bogey bird crossed off my list! Howzat!
The trip was organized by Paul Walbridge. We were on M.V. Grinner, captained by Craig Newton, and a lovely new boat it was too. It only rained at night (sounds like Camelot!) but it was a bit warmer than I'd have liked. In fact, although I wore my hat most diligently, I came home with a bright red burnt face. (Most captivating for my early morning meeting with my publisher on Tuesday I'm sure you'll agree!) I recorded 17 species, and I know I wasn't alone in secretly hoping for more. Most common were Grey-faced and Tahiti Petrels, but there were also good numbers of Flesh-footed Shearwaters and Sooty Terns. There were fewer Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and a surprisingly large number of Kermadec Petrels, all in various stages of moult. One very handsome Gould's Petrel flew past giving us all good looks, contrasting with one Long-tailed Jaeger and one White-tailed Tropicbird, which each grudgingly and fleetingly put in an appearance, just long enough to get onto the list but not to satisfy anyone. There were two Red-tailed Tropicbirds.
But, sadly, no New Caledonian Storm Petrels, the main reason most of us were there. This bird was discovered in 1839, then not seen again for 169 years. It was rediscovered in 2008 off Noumea, and since 2011, 170 sightings have been documented off Southport. Most unfortunately, we were not able to add to that total. We did see three or four White-bellied Storm Petrels, each of which hung around the boat, giving everyone a good opportunity to study it.
I think everyone agreed that the Bird of the Day on Saturday was one single Bulwer's Petrel, that flew by quickly giving just a fleeting glance. When photographs were examined later, opinions differed as to its identification. It wasn't a Bulwer's Petrel at all! It was a dark storm petrel, but which one? Sadly, no one had a definitive photo. As I write, the bird's identity remains a mystery.
Overnight a Tahiti Petrel landed on deck and we awoke to the pleasure of letting it go. I'm delighted to report that, by the time I emerged, it had already been captured and safely placed in a crate with a towel on top. I was told it was to be measured before it was released. In the end it was released without being measured, because no one had sufficiently robust protective gloves. It was not in the least bit scared and sat on the edge of the crate eyeing us all with an interested gaze, before finally flying to freedom.
We were all becoming a bit dejected by the early afternoon on Sunday, when we hadn't seen anything really exciting. Then my bogey bird appeared. I had given up and gone into the cabin to treat myself to a beer. No sooner had I sat down, than I was called outside. My bogey bird had appeared! And there it was. Unambiguously big and beautiful. As shown in these terrific photos by Paul Walbridge.
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I find myself no longer able to feel any animosity towards the White-necked Petrel, which over the years I have learned not to love. I have travelled interstate on 23 occasions attempting to see this bird. Now, while attempting to see something else, I have seen it. In fact I saw two birds. And magnificent they were too. Very big and very beautiful. Perhaps not worth 23 interstate trips, or waiting twenty years to see it. On the other hand, perhaps it was worth the wait. They really were most impressive. In fact, I'd say, literally breathtaking. Included in my notes to help me identify a White-necked Petrel if I ever happened to see one, is the comment: 'more relaxed flight than smaller cookalaria.' This seems to me a most unhelpful comment. Both birds I saw flew so fast, that everytime I took my binoculars off one, I couldn't find it again without some trouble. I reckon it would be hard to describe the flight as 'relaxed.'
I believe a good weekend was enjoyed by all, even those of us who didn't get a lifer. Of course I was disappointed that I didn't see my New Caledonian Storm Petrel, but I can hardly complain, can I?
Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-49913351953461993812023-01-25T20:13:00.014-08:002023-01-26T12:48:22.944-08:00A MODEST TARGET FOR JANUARYI like setting myself targets. I like achieving them. There's no point in setting an unachievable goal. Where's the joy in that?
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This month, January 2023, I set myself the target of seeing 100 species of birds. I thought this would be easily achieved because I was starting the year on the Cocos Islands (giving me such wonderful starters as Purple Heron, White-breasted Waterhen, Asian Brown Flycatcher - photo above by Bill Russell, Rosy Starling, Common Redshank and, best of all, Common Kingfisher) and having to overnight in Perth on the way home (Western Wattlebird, Laughing Dove, Australian Ringneck). I had my name down for a January pelagic out of Port Fairy, so I figured I could achieve 100 birds without too much difficulty. Of course, I did all my normal walks around home, which includes walking to Hay's Paddock, Willsmere Billabong, Burke Road Billabong and Darebin Parklands. I visited Banyule and Wilson Reserve and I did a walk at Historic Woodlands Park. Unfortunately, my pelagic was cancelled. The captain reckoned the swells were too great, and it would have taken us five hours to reach the shelf. Suddenly I realized that January was drawing to a close and I was not going to achieve my 100 birds. I drove to Jells Park and managed to add Australasian Darter and Australian Reed Warbler to my list. I drove to Healesville, but all I saw new for the year were Silvereyes, a beautiful male Rufous Whistler and a Grey Shrikethrush.
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It was 24 January and my total was 94. If only that pelagic hadn't been cancelled, I'd have made it easily. I set off for Karkarook, hoping for a Blue-billed Duck, a Greenfinch and a Goldfinch. I saw none of those. I did manage a Hoary-headed Grebe, so I was now just 5 off my target. I made lists of all the 'easy' birds I hadn't yet seen. There were lots of them! Surely I could find five in a week. I decided to visit Fern Tree Gully. I remembered Rufous Fantails flitting around, just above my head. Too easy! When I arrived at the Dandenong Ranges National Park, I saw two new birds before I left the carpark: Australian King Parrot and Gang-gang Cockatoo. With renewed confidence I set off on the comfortable walk (I think it was called 'Meanderers Track') - none of those 100 steps for me. I wasn't in training. I wanted to see some birds. I wandered around for a while. I saw lots of rabbits and one wallaby, several Eastern Yellow Robins, Grey Fantails and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, but nothing new. No hint of a Rufous Fantail. It seemed ridiculous. There were so many common birds not on my 2023 list. Yet I couldn't see any! Suddenly, I glimpsed something different with a family of fairywrens: a Red-browed Finch, number 98! Perhaps I could make it after all. But no, I was forced to go home without any more ticks for my list. I decided I would not go birding on Australia Day. There were two reasons for this: being a public holiday, I thought there'd be hoards of loud holiday-makers at any birding spot I cared to visit, and the forecast was for a grey, overcast day, with fog in the outer suburbs, conditions not really conducive to birding. However, when I did my early morning walk, the birds seemed to be particularly active. I looked at the sky, and thought I might as well have a go. So I drove to Sherbrooke, with dreams of lyrebirds and whipbirds enticing me. There was a very light misty rain as I parked the car. Immediately I heard a treecreeper, then a Fan-tailed Cuckoo, but I couldn't see either of them. I set off, determined to add just two birds to my list. It was a pleasant walk, but there were few birds. The light rain persisted and I doubted I was going to see anything other than parrots. Then I saw a female Australian Golden Whistler. At last! Number 99. Then, finally, a White-throated Treecreeper. I'd made it. I drove home happily, having achieved my modest target. The difficulty is that I want to do it all again in February!Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-69966169800309091252023-01-08T21:00:00.005-08:002023-01-09T14:49:35.971-08:00MY FIFTH TRIP TO COCOSAfter a successful week on Christmas Island with Richard Baxter, when everyone achieved at least one lifer and the newbies had about a dozen, we arrived on Cocos with great expectations. This was my fifth trip to Cocos and I'd never seen a Watercock, although I had looked every time. There were recent reports of several birds on the island, but we knew they were very sensitive and flighty. A new birdhide had been built at the lake and we spent some hours there, hoping for Chinese Sparrowhawk and Northern Pintail. This photo shows the lake when it is not raining.
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As the group sat on pintail-watch at the hide, once a day, Richard took two of us to look for Watercock, in the long grass in the farm behind the lake. After the birds had been flushed, Richard gave them some peace for the rest of the day. I was lucky to be one of the first two taken to look for Watercocks on the first day. It did not take long! A bird flushed in front of us, showing unmistakable long trailing legs. It is most gratifying to finally tick a bird you have sought for many years. We saw Watercocks several times during the week. There must be quite a few birds on the island this year. Sadly, I do not have a photo of one.
We had high hopes too of seeing a Cinnamon Bittern, as the locals reported seeing one every day. It was either in the green waste dump, or walking along the grassy verge beside the road. Easy! This sighting would have put me in the Bittern Club, meaning I'd seen all six species of Australian bitterns (Australasian, Black-backed, Yellow, Von Schrenck's, Cinnamon and Black). Sadly, we soon learnt that the bird had been killed by a cat. Here' the evidence.
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We saw Common Sandpipers most days. I thank Bill Russell for this lovely photo.
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This Asian Brown Flycatcher led us a merry dance. They like to hide high in the canopy sitting perfectly still for hours, then perversely, come out into the open and show themselves well. Photo again by Bill Russell.
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Of course we did the requisite motorised canoe trip to look for Saunders's Terns. I'm not sure why I dislike these canoes so much; suffice it to say that I do. Nevertheless I girded my loins and gritted my teeth and was rewarded with the best possible sightings of Saunders's Terns. Not only must birders undergo the canoe trip (although in fairness I should say that I think I was the only person present who did not enjoy the canoe trip) but then there is another wet walk through water in the hot sun before birders arrive at the Saunders's Tern viewing area. I've seen these birds a couple of times before, but never like this. The birds actually came to investigate us, flying low over our heads. It was wonderful! Then, of course, we celebrated with champagne. It took great skill to actually notice birds that came to investigate us, so we figured that we'd earned our champagne. Another Bill Russell photo shows us setting off on our journey. I'm in front in the red canoe.
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On New Year's Eve, we attended a fancy dress party at Scout Park. The theme was 'the jungle' and some people went to a fair amount of trouble. With space and weight restrictions in my luggage, I wimped out and wore a teeshirt showing rainforest frogs. The fireworks were nothing short of spectacular, and, most unusual for me, I managed to stay awake to see the New Year in. My reward was the chance at another tick on 2 January. A Common Kingfisher had been seen on the island. I had looked unsuccessfully for this bird before. But this time, we thought we knew where it was. It involved (inevitably) a wade through water. I do not enjoy walking through water. I find it uncomfortable and disconcerting when you don't know where you are putting your foot down. On the way back, Richard found a pineapple puffer fish and I was pleased that I hadn't trodden on it! Or known it was there on the walk out. Lucky for me, Ted offered me his arm, and this assistance made a difficult walk quite bearable. That's me, second from the right, hanging on for dear life! (Photo again by Bill Russell.)
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A great start for the New Year: a lifer! I took this photo from the RSPB's 'Birds of Britain and Europe'. For me, the most outstanding feature was the bright blue back, which really stood out.
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So I came home with three ticks in all: one on Christmas and two on Cocos. That's not bad, I'm sure you'll agree.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-41525712586739247772023-01-07T17:15:00.000-08:002023-01-07T17:15:32.489-08:00CHRISTMAS ON CHRISTMASOn 20 December 2022 I flew to Christmas Island. This was my sixth visit to this tiny piece of utopia. Of course I've always loved Christmas Island: I've seen 27 lifers there. On my first trip in 2002, I saw seven lifers driving from the airport to our accommodation! There's not many places in Australia you can do that.
On this occasion, I had learnt that an Amur Stonechat had been seen recently at North West Point, so of course I wanted that. When I arrived, it was two weeks since the bird had been seen, but I was still keen to look for it.
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As you can see, I got wet! This photo was taken by a fellow intrepid searcher, Bill Russell, and that's me in front. I am not enjoying myself. Apart from the rain and the deep puddles, there were creepers across the track designed to trip me up, not to mention the lack of any stonechats. There are better ways to spend a morning on Christmas Island.
The red crabs are famous on Christmas, and rightly so, because of the incredible numbers of them. They can be a breathtaking spectacle. On this trip, we saw millions of teeny tiny crabs, which looked like red paint spilled across the road. Workmen were blowing them out of harm's way with leaf blowers. Many roads were closed throughout our week on the island, limiting the spots we could visit.
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There are nearly 100 different species of crabs on Christmas. Perhaps the most impressive is the huge robber crab. I've never actually been brave enough to pick one up before, but this time I did, more than once!
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Sadly, I dipped on two very exciting birds on this trip. One was a Yellow-breasted Bunting, which I thought I'd earned, having spent a couple of very hot hours waiting for it to return to the chook pen where it had been sighted. The other was a Northern Boobook, which I also thought I'd earned, as I stood beside Elliot Leach while he admired it! I had better luck on Christmas day. I received the best possible Christmas present: a lifer! It was a Eurasian Hobby, flying overhead and saving me a trip to Western Australia to look for it. A most welcome present indeed, and my 28th lifer for the island. Like MacArthur, I will return!
Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-43954009104467437352022-12-16T22:08:00.000-08:002022-12-16T22:08:05.934-08:00CATBIRD QUEST<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGChLJr6zU29Qd0z3sisbZa41Z0pN2HR4IEdZGE6YM6Efe40wsOYFyj8iWHrINJnsphSJ4D3JS1OGLVGvn2FlUSkT2yQ9XYlW67Buj8GQsPKwxgr5nGqEf4OTiDC8X9duovZKlKULFDTsDXkzmt61G2FrAYxkpUTSqGJavs9K3OSd07YplfyTzRSb/s4032/IMG_1705.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGChLJr6zU29Qd0z3sisbZa41Z0pN2HR4IEdZGE6YM6Efe40wsOYFyj8iWHrINJnsphSJ4D3JS1OGLVGvn2FlUSkT2yQ9XYlW67Buj8GQsPKwxgr5nGqEf4OTiDC8X9duovZKlKULFDTsDXkzmt61G2FrAYxkpUTSqGJavs9K3OSd07YplfyTzRSb/s320/IMG_1705.jpg"/></a></div>
It is hot. The cicadas are so loud I can't hear the bird calls. It is December 2022 and I am with Phil Gregory at Iron Range, hoping desperately to see a Black-eared Catbird.
This bird is fast becoming a bogey bird. I visited Iron Range in 2017 with Phil Maher and in 2018 with Chook, on both occasions joining a tour in the vain hope of seeing a Black-eared Catbird (although in fairness I should point out that in 2017 I did add Spotted Whistling Duck to my lifelist at Archer River so it wasn't a totally wasted trip). I had thought that a catbird should be easy and that any guide worth his fee should be able to show me one. However, I've since learnt differently. Catbirds are not easy. They are elusive and, if they do not call, they can be impossible to see.
So I was done with tours. On this occasion I hired a private guide. Phil told me that the three hardest birds at Iron Range are Northern Scrubrobin, Yellow-legged Flyrobin and, yes, Black-eared Catbird. Now I've seen scrubrobins and flyrobins aplenty: all I ask is one good look at an Iron Range catbird.
Riflebirds were calling magnificently. Orioles wouldn't shut up. Black-winged Monarchs were both vocal and visible, making me wonder why I'd bothered with a special trip to McIvor River to add them to my list. Catbirds remained stubbornly silent.
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Getting to Iron Range is expensive. Of course it's a delightful spot with some exceptional birds and I'm lucky to have an excuse to go there. But Lockhart River is a dry community so I am without alcohol for the duration. If I do see my catbird I will not be able to celebrate appropriately until I return home.
To get to Iron Range, I fly to Cairns, then take the Skytrans Dash 8 to Lockhart River. Phil advises I should allow a good two days to get the catbird, so I leave home on Sunday, overnight in Cairns, fly to Iron Range on Monday, find the catbird on Tuesday or Wednesday, fly back to Cairns on Thursday, then home to Melbourne on Friday. Quite a production for one little bird. And this is the third time I've done it. Don't anybody try to tell me that I haven't earned this tick.
So I flew to Cairns on Sunday. Here I did manage to see a Scaly-breasted Munia, a bird that avoided me when I visited Cairns in March to admire the Nordmann's Greenshank. On Monday I flew to Iron Range and met Phil. Hightlights for me were a Trumpet Manucode, a Green-backed Honeyeater and a Frill-necked Monarch. On Tuesday we looked seriously for the catbird. We saw a Yellow-billed Kingfisher, a Double-eyed Fig Parrot, a Yellow-breasted Boatbill and a pair of Northern Scrubrobins. I did hear a catbird in the far distance. On Wednesday I was starting to feel anxious. I would hate to think that I'd visited Iron Range in vain for the third time. We saw a White-eared Monarch to add to the Frill-necked and Black-winged members of the genus. All very nice, I'm sure, but not a catbird. Then suddenly, there is was! My beautiful catbird miaowing at me. He landed just above my head, allowing me to view his beautiful breast with much bolder markings than his spotted cousin. He flew around, teasing us, calling and (I thought) jeering at me. Needless to say I was absolutley thrilled, even though I wasn't able to toast his beauty with a glass of bubbly. Thank you, Phil.
On Thursday, I added Palm Cockatoo to my list before I flew back to Cairns. On Friday, I flew back home to prepare for my big December trip: Christmas on Christmas.
Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-34709647265778473642022-12-16T15:44:00.001-08:002022-12-16T15:44:49.526-08:00THE LURE OF A LIFERWow! A lifer, Gouldian Finches, Rainbow Pittas and Zitting Cisticolas all in one morning! It was 9 December 2022. The lifer was a Swinhoe's Snipe and I was at Pine Creek, south of Darwin with Luke Paterson from NT bird Specialists. It was hot. Five minutes earlier I'd been conscious of the temperature. I'd flown to Darwin to look for the snipe against my better judgement as I had a long-standing appointment to go to Iron Range in FNQ the next week to look for what was fast becoming a bogey bird, the Black-eared Catbird. When I realized that I wouldn't get the snipe in my spare moments in Queensland after I'd got the catbird, I thought I'd better look elsewhere. Next year would be appropriate. I contacted Luke from Nt Bird Specialists and was told categorically: there's only one month to see the snipe - that's December. Could I fit in a quick trip to Darwin before my scheduled flight to FNQ? The lure of a lifer was too strong. Of course I could.
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I flew to Darwin. I allowed two days to snare the snipe. On the first day Luke and I explored Darwin's best snipe hangouts - Leanyer Sewage Treatment Ponds (above photo is just outside Leanyear), Knuckey Lagoons, McMinn's Reserve. We had a pleasant day, clocked up a respectable 72 species, including some very good birds such as Red-headed Myzomela and Broad-billed Flycatcher. But I wasn't here for a pleasant time admiring very good birds. I was here for a lifer. It was time to get serious. Luke said our best bet was to drive to Pine Creek, some 225 kilometres south of Darwin. A snipe had been seen there recently. This bird (presumably it was the same bird) turned up every year and was very loyal to the one site - a drain beside the road. So Luke and I set off at 5.30 the next morning, full of optimism. A heat wave was forecast across the whole of the north of the continent. The countryside was very green. Wildflowers were in profusion. My mood remained positive even when we arrived at Pine Creek and parked under a large colony of fruit bats. And I was optimistic as we set off to explore the length of the drain. I was a bit alarmed to see that the drain was quite dry, but Luke seemed okay with that. Who was I to query the expert? A koel was calling and I made a mental note to track him down later, after we'd seen our quarry. The Hooded Parrots wouldn't wait: they flew right in front of us, the male unbelievably colourful and handsome. As I obediantly followed Luke beside the dry drain I began to be aware of the heat. I'd never seen snipe in a dry drain. Just what were we doing here? It was madness. We'd have been better off trying Knuckey Lagoon again. I trudged along considering ways I could have spent the money I'd squandered trying to see a Swinhoe's Snipe. Suddenly a brown bird flushed in front of us and flew fast across the oval: undeniably a snipe! The trip had been vindicated. Of course I hadn't really dounbted Luke. He was the expert after all.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-37047995157902122992022-11-15T13:42:00.005-08:002022-11-17T13:50:23.511-08:00TOWER HILL AND PORT FAIRYYesterday I enjoyed a very pleasant pelagic out of Port Fairy. This was the first time I'd been out on the new big boat, the <i>Southern Explorer.<i></i></i>
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I had expected some big swells, perhaps some rain, and certainly cold winds with lots of seaspray. As it turned out, the seas were calm, the weather benign. I listed 17 species of birds out at sea, but I dipped on one Flesh-footed Shearwater that flew past in a hurry. I was a little disappointed we didn't see more storm petrels - I love these dainty little ballerinas. I saw just three storm petrels, all Wilson's. And the only prions we saw were Fairy Prions. There weren't big numbers of them either, but some came quite close to the boat. There were no diving petrels and just two Little Penguins. Naturally there were Silver Gulls and Greater Crested Terns, and, when we were nearly back at port at the end of the day, just one Common Tern. And those elegant creatures, Australasian Gannets, graced us with their presence throughout the day.
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What there were a lot of were Shy Albatrosses. And they were not shy. We must have seen hundreds throughout the day, gliding, taking berleigh or just sitting beside the boat, seeming to enjoy being admired. Just one Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross flew past quickly, unfortunately missed by many people on the boat. And there just a handful of great albatrosses: two or three Southern Royal and one Wandering. Everyone is impressed by a great albatross. Their sheer size is breath-taking. This photo was taken by Ken Haines. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-l3JYoiPsrJhVdAEtnyh8alzEMUI-pDpp05ar6ijdZsR8PtWxItnitX2VEK5s-oXN6PXJpFmAxdiv1vv6gVpWFEVjrrJ6uEBtZv_xBYyKkg3FL6xJRIIAksDvSps5jKdzh4Bg5FQiwI-rBCnqpW3VupKdzxXDjY63SkgNsl0kvhXCf0sh0sjj5Tp/s3744/Shy%20Albatross.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="2938" data-original-width="3744" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-l3JYoiPsrJhVdAEtnyh8alzEMUI-pDpp05ar6ijdZsR8PtWxItnitX2VEK5s-oXN6PXJpFmAxdiv1vv6gVpWFEVjrrJ6uEBtZv_xBYyKkg3FL6xJRIIAksDvSps5jKdzh4Bg5FQiwI-rBCnqpW3VupKdzxXDjY63SkgNsl0kvhXCf0sh0sjj5Tp/s320/Shy%20Albatross.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div>
I thought there were surprisingly few Short-tailed Shearwaters, given we were in Port Fairy in November. I saw one Sooty Shearwater, but I'm told there were more. I'm not sure how many Northern Giant Petrels there were (no Southern), I only saw one at a time, so it is possible it was the same bird throughout the day. As to the petrels, there were Grey-faced, Great Winged and White-chinned. Here's a White-chinned, taken by Ken Haines.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-BTMVFNKCkyKbvg7gFPcbg4yyeOg64lABYc2gem1ihTRqF9UBSESXd4qbEfjoH6GgjZ-isFGED0AiIggq4E0iiNk7RsCh5p7koa94lEAVjx7XB74CeCIHMl9avSkdrCFvE9aTtUUvWOAhwb-ANc-GWQE9Id1G8QFiSZWk28w2UvyBX-b11cqWzd-/s3780/White-chinned%20Petrel%202.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="2159" data-original-width="3780" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-BTMVFNKCkyKbvg7gFPcbg4yyeOg64lABYc2gem1ihTRqF9UBSESXd4qbEfjoH6GgjZ-isFGED0AiIggq4E0iiNk7RsCh5p7koa94lEAVjx7XB74CeCIHMl9avSkdrCFvE9aTtUUvWOAhwb-ANc-GWQE9Id1G8QFiSZWk28w2UvyBX-b11cqWzd-/s320/White-chinned%20Petrel%202.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div>
My last pelagic in February, out of Kiama, was quite disastrous. I spent the entire day, wet to the skin, shivering in the captain's cabin. Yesterday was more like it. Good company, good birds, good weather. As a pelagic should be.
On Saturday afternoon, we visited Tower Hill. This is site 57 in my <i>100 Best Birdwatching Sites in Australia.<i></i> I've been there many times before and always enjoyed it. As always, I was entertained by koalas, kangaroos and emus. Other people enjoyed the copperheads. I liked the skinks. But of course I preferred the birds. We saw a pair of Musk Ducks with three cute ducklings. And just one male Blue-billed Duck made me think the water must have been deeper than I'd expected. There were some regal swans, and a few other waterfowl, Swamp Harriers (of course!) and one or two Whistling Kites. As usual, the highlight for me was the bush birds. There was one gorgeous male Australian Golden Whistler, and, I think an equally attractive, if not quite so showy, male Rufous Whistler. There were Silvereyes, Brown Thornbills and a good collection of honeyeaters: White-naped, Yellow-faced and New Holland. There were Red-browed Finches and European Goldfinches. I mustn't forget the fairywrens: the males were truly superb, living up to their name quite appropriately. We heard, but did not see, a Fan-tailed Cuckoo. Likewise, we heard, but did not see a mournful Little Grassbird. Luckily, we did see, one very noisy Australian Reed Warbler. Tower Hill is worth a visit. There is no reason (in my opinion) to commune with the copperheads. Walk right past is my advice. Then you can admire the beautiful Musk Ducklings.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-703131943079598882022-09-29T18:25:00.007-07:002022-09-30T15:55:25.276-07:00WONDERFUL WERRIBEEYesterday, I spent a wonderful day at Werribee. A birding mate from New South Wales was visiting Victoria and suggested a trip to the Western Treatment Plant. I agreed with alacrity.
We met at Beach Road at 9.30 a.m. and birded happily until around 4 p.m., clocking up just 66 species, including three that we heard but did not see (Red Wattlebird, White-plumed Honeyeater and Australian Reed Warbler). I love going to Werribee and always enjoy myself there, no matter what the weather or how badly the birds behave. However, I do like the place to perform when I have an interstate guest, and I confess that yesterday I was disappointed with both the number of birds and the number of species. There were lots and lots of very vocal Little Grassbirds just about everywhere we went, and an incredible number of skeins of ibis flying overhead. Almost every time I looked up, there was another flock of a hundred or so birds. Assuming it wasn't a few birds recycling themselves, we must have seen many thousands of ibis. All those I identified were Straw-necked.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkFS-Q9riQcV6nkgE63bSAjn5_dhvhEF60h9oB9J8y9K_LMMSVbsw0t3CKpXZ6Z-qj4_6QoHBg9uGYcj_KsCP0k7KFx4azQbTOIp1q2wmuehaBuXQnJPsyitVCcy7yBckkraf0abzvEzFOY8NtMtL22BjDKi0ILru6hjQhogMYiejkYaaIPmPMfvd/s7200/Ibis%20in%20flight%20%283%29.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="4720" data-original-width="7200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkFS-Q9riQcV6nkgE63bSAjn5_dhvhEF60h9oB9J8y9K_LMMSVbsw0t3CKpXZ6Z-qj4_6QoHBg9uGYcj_KsCP0k7KFx4azQbTOIp1q2wmuehaBuXQnJPsyitVCcy7yBckkraf0abzvEzFOY8NtMtL22BjDKi0ILru6hjQhogMYiejkYaaIPmPMfvd/s320/Ibis%20in%20flight%20%283%29.jpg"/></a></div>
That was good. However, we saw very few ducks, just a handful of pelicans, no coots, no terns whatsoever, and just a few raptors. There were not many waders, and those that were there were skittish, but that's fine for September. The bird of the day was undoubtedly the Australian Crake that entertained us at the Borrow Pits while we had lunch, walking and running around in front of us perfectly at home. Probably the only other noteworthy bird was a Buff-banded Rail, playing along the creek edge near the Beach Road entrance. This photo of a Buff-banded Rail, taken by Ken Haines, is not the same bird. (Indeed, if I'm honest, it's not even the same race.)
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAcjzPKkYDNcpMSoEgfI0oFMTMhnYvMdZ56qCSQq_dUgw73Uc8TLrEW92QfjB0rC6JIrrjPwvdUDugfOMdWRginXSjTDdVcs3YXMLN3eCPtO18cgxPLZbDHwxYQjPozGxvfXEv_nz_2-T_NAQBML0GTi6ka-l2rkv9Hqanhb5lYWpQaE4uT26yYSH/s4072/Buff-banded%20Rail%20race%20touelieri.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="2464" data-original-width="4072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAcjzPKkYDNcpMSoEgfI0oFMTMhnYvMdZ56qCSQq_dUgw73Uc8TLrEW92QfjB0rC6JIrrjPwvdUDugfOMdWRginXSjTDdVcs3YXMLN3eCPtO18cgxPLZbDHwxYQjPozGxvfXEv_nz_2-T_NAQBML0GTi6ka-l2rkv9Hqanhb5lYWpQaE4uT26yYSH/s320/Buff-banded%20Rail%20race%20touelieri.%20Ken%20Haines.jpg"/></a></div>
Apart from the crake and the rail, I was disappointed. Over the years, I've visited Werribee many times, but I can only find records for two visits in the month of September. That was in 2007 and 2017. On both those occasions I saw many more species than I managed yesterday. The only bird I've identified that we saw yesterday, but not in either 2007 or 2017 was a Black-faced Cuckooshrike. In 2017, not only did we see both the crake and the rail that we saw yesterday, we saw two other crakes as well: Baillon's and Spotless.
Yesterday must be one of very few visits to Werribee at any time of year when I came home coot-less. On my previous September trips, not only did I tick coots, but I saw moorhen on both occasions and a nativehen in 2017. I saw Glossy Ibis on both previous September trips. There was not a hint of Glossy Ibis yesterday. I saw a Great Crested Grebe in 2017, a bird I wanted yesterday for my year list, but did not see. We saw many more ducks on both previous September visits: more birds and more species, namely: Hardhead, Pink-eared and Blue-billed Ducks and Grey Teal. In 2007 we saw shelduck. In 2017 we saw gannets, but the coast road was closed yesterday, so we had little chance of gannets. We did visit the boat ramp, so we could have seen them. In 2007, we saw Pacific Gulls, but again, without driving along the coast road, we'd have been lucky to get Pacific Gulls yesterday. Nothwithstanding being denied access to the coast road, I did expect to see some terns. Not a one. On both previous September visits, we saw both Crested and Whiskered and in 2007, we saw Caspian. In 2017 we saw many more species of raptors: Spotted Harrier, Collared Sparrowhawk, Peregrine Falcon and both Wedge-tailed and Little Eagle. Yesterday, we saw kestrels, Whistling and Black-shouldered Kites, Brown Falcon and Swamp Harriers. In 2017 we saw Zebra Finch. There were no finches yesterday. There were no avocets yesterday either, a bird I sorely missed. In 2017 we saw Red-capped Plovers, Red-kneed Dotterels, Marsh Sandpipers and (yes!) Sanderlings. Nothing so exciting put in an appearance yesterday.
The wind was cold, and we were a bit cross when our key did not work in the padlock when we attempted to leave, and we had to retrace our steps to the Beach Road entrance. But it is churlish to complain. We still had a fantastic day. It really is impossible to have a bad day at Werribee. Even if you come home tern-less and coot-less.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-21361918985179004232022-08-01T16:54:00.004-07:002022-09-09T22:43:21.698-07:00OPALTON GRASSWRENI'm just back from a quick trip to Winton, to look for the Opalton Grasswren. I flew to Longreach, that took a day. First I flew to Brisbane, then Barcaldine, then (finally) Longreach. From Longreach, the next day I took the Greyhound bus to Winton (and a beautiful new bus it was too!). The following day I joined Peter Waanders grasswren tour just for the day, to look for the Opalton Grasswren. Then I reversed the procedure: it took me a day to do a two hour bus trip back to Longreach, and a day to fly home to Melbourne. Four days travel and one day birding. Now what could be stressful in that?
The streets in Longreach are all named after birds: east/west streets are water birds; north/south streets are land birds. What a great idea!
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiG_gngC-fAx7MahmLOVFeYdBPeVDLLbjt1XJaIid8DOys_7dopQhgMleWlun8lLjQCfa8JLe32zb1PGAlHbKrZrdugKPbgNd4f_AxO6SLmKVeFMYcUzrHAJ30p2z-84g-GYs_S4QPNEwKm7C-_6MVyvemaRZR4vlEWBJyQNTOQMStwXR4po6IFau/s4128/Longreach%20street%20sign%20July%202022.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiG_gngC-fAx7MahmLOVFeYdBPeVDLLbjt1XJaIid8DOys_7dopQhgMleWlun8lLjQCfa8JLe32zb1PGAlHbKrZrdugKPbgNd4f_AxO6SLmKVeFMYcUzrHAJ30p2z-84g-GYs_S4QPNEwKm7C-_6MVyvemaRZR4vlEWBJyQNTOQMStwXR4po6IFau/s320/Longreach%20street%20sign%20July%202022.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1gG6GDb6kNyrcQKpgRay2wveDPc0KGwzjVRfBDh9-AKDgZJHRYnL3NxbdGUJUVB0oP42T9p47kGGSNxjKV8XsbStXXzPThcIIL-9Da_ceBLnLNuVnr5Zq9zhLid5hXD1eqjv33yFrbg2pMp8PcLdZcTLXG5wknxt2K7CtGoCH4qXOBWUC0FlJfGI/s4128/Longreach%20Duck%20Street%20July%202022.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1gG6GDb6kNyrcQKpgRay2wveDPc0KGwzjVRfBDh9-AKDgZJHRYnL3NxbdGUJUVB0oP42T9p47kGGSNxjKV8XsbStXXzPThcIIL-9Da_ceBLnLNuVnr5Zq9zhLid5hXD1eqjv33yFrbg2pMp8PcLdZcTLXG5wknxt2K7CtGoCH4qXOBWUC0FlJfGI/s320/Longreach%20Duck%20Street%20July%202022.jpg"/></a></div>
The bus trip from Longreach to Winton was very comfortable and I saw some nice birds from the bus. Amongst others there were lots of Brown Songlarks, a lone Brown Falcon, and, best of all, several Australian Bustards. I reckon I saw eight in ones and twos. I thought this was pretty good, until I met up with Peter's group that evening. They had driven to Winton from Mt Isa and had seen ten times as many! Eighty bustards is quite a record.
I had limited time in Longreach, but I did not see a sparrow. Winton, on the other hand, has a healthy population of House Sparrows. There were also a few Common Mynas. The most common birds around town are Black Kites and Crested Pigeons. There are also lots of budgies, Cockatiels and Peaceful Doves. I had time to do the touristy things: I visited the Waltzing Matilda Centre and Arno's Wall (just a concrete wall with various items embedded in it) and the site of Queensland's last Chinese market garden. I went to the cooling ponds (Winton uses artesian water, which is very hot when it comes to the surface). Here I saw several noisy Rufous Songlarks, but little else. But the purpose of my trip was to look for grasswren, not songlarks. I was confident about achieving my objective. Everyone I knew who'd set out to see an Opalton Grasswren had been successful. Realistically, my chances of seeing one were very good.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74LpCIPpPpb-Ng5VPBi8KNP0xT0C-LDc6tt4fkypDQvXS7rez4Qr2xsiH48hVsbVD-LmSLyDVDB5-77HeN812xU8cH-W9pQ5A3ApyHYfXZwZBsJmY6g7303U9Y614TX4rHcuVjcBIoXQcxbjvjSZahbY47WY2Po53zuNvbQQGgaxjI53cbWrCSEVz/s3264/Lark%20Quarry%20grasswren%20habitat%20July%202022.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74LpCIPpPpb-Ng5VPBi8KNP0xT0C-LDc6tt4fkypDQvXS7rez4Qr2xsiH48hVsbVD-LmSLyDVDB5-77HeN812xU8cH-W9pQ5A3ApyHYfXZwZBsJmY6g7303U9Y614TX4rHcuVjcBIoXQcxbjvjSZahbY47WY2Po53zuNvbQQGgaxjI53cbWrCSEVz/s320/Lark%20Quarry%20grasswren%20habitat%20July%202022.jpg"/></a></div>
Opalton Grasswren are found at the Lark Quarry turnoff, near a large communication tower. The countryside was unbelievably green. We'd been told to wear jeans or even gaiters, but all the spinifex was soft and green and leg protection was not necessary. Unfortunately it was very windy when we arrived, not good birding conditions. Peter instructed us to stay together as a group, and to stay very quiet. As we set off, I felt all yesterday's optimism evaporate. This would go down in history as the first birding tour ever to dip on Opalton Grasswren. We would walk all day in this wind without glimpsing a grasswren. I would probably twist my ankle and get sunburned. Worse, I would fall over in front of everybody and break my other hip.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbY5WI-0gJ6LWU1p0INGCLU4ahHohwfbH_4gfZcQoJcR9JIAW72ZnBuiLVBIpoAE-mU4XiSfLmP8KvxRcUc0UCWvMHBBUqXuqHqMv_Eryqlc1Y9YdPfbkGK_TS5Cshhqih3kTV1CPgmkJg-xGMmWUWKX2MjnVxIhV8HbvhyfMDrmMhy-sMAoYrqcN/s3264/Lark%20Quarry%20communication%20tower%20July%202022.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbY5WI-0gJ6LWU1p0INGCLU4ahHohwfbH_4gfZcQoJcR9JIAW72ZnBuiLVBIpoAE-mU4XiSfLmP8KvxRcUc0UCWvMHBBUqXuqHqMv_Eryqlc1Y9YdPfbkGK_TS5Cshhqih3kTV1CPgmkJg-xGMmWUWKX2MjnVxIhV8HbvhyfMDrmMhy-sMAoYrqcN/s320/Lark%20Quarry%20communication%20tower%20July%202022.jpg"/></a></div>
We left the motel at 6.30 a.m., paused briefly along the way to admire Hall's Babblers, and arrived at the Lark Quarry turnoff at 8 a.m.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLRvO2oJYkyuVRWA5wjXQDrog61JtKAcTRrzCeA4dqAhIE4XloDtVo5cReAZCrWJ4FoWTBZiVX7NQiJsoWtXe1B37iGV1nO696Qljhcp1xVaQpOdWQZXmldni1Qlg2u47jTGmzf4sE4TfbSulgknGpO8qimKwA26vPQ-gcG5JF3cSCWPgYZz8ITMk/s1231/Opalton%20Grasswren.%20Andrew%20Hobbs.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="1231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLRvO2oJYkyuVRWA5wjXQDrog61JtKAcTRrzCeA4dqAhIE4XloDtVo5cReAZCrWJ4FoWTBZiVX7NQiJsoWtXe1B37iGV1nO696Qljhcp1xVaQpOdWQZXmldni1Qlg2u47jTGmzf4sE4TfbSulgknGpO8qimKwA26vPQ-gcG5JF3cSCWPgYZz8ITMk/s320/Opalton%20Grasswren.%20Andrew%20Hobbs.jpg"/></a></div>By ten minutes past eight, we'd all had good views of the grasswren, as confirmed by this beautiful photo taken by Andrew Hobbs. How easy was that! In fact, except for the Dusky Grasswren that ran around under my feet at King's Canyon, it is the easiest grasswren I have ever seen. We walked around for a while, and kept seeing grasswren. Peter reckoned there were just two pairs that kept circling around us, but it certainly seemed like more than four birds to me. Then we turned our attention to Rufous-crowned Emu-wrens, which are delightful little birds, but, on this occasion, after a lifer, seemed like an anticlimax. We saw both Black and Pied Honeyeaters and Splendid and Purple-backed Fairywrens. Crimson Chats were common and one beautiful male Red-capped Robin wanted to make friends. We had excellent views of a Red-backed Kingfisher. Later, we visited Winton's sewage ponds where the highlight was Plum-headed Finches.
An excellent trip! A great bird. Well worth four days' travel!Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-61163719909487052772022-07-24T17:13:00.000-07:002022-07-24T17:13:39.919-07:00A NEW BIRD FOR MY WALK LISTThis morning I added a new bird to my walk list: Gang Gang Cockatoo!
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I should say that this photo is not this morning's bird. I took this photo in Cooma some years ago. Gang Gangs can be surprisingly friendly to photographers, as long as the birds are busy feeding they don't worry about you.
The Gang Gang brings my walk list total to 50 species. Which is not to say that I've ever seen 50 birds on a walk: that is my cumulative total of species for all walks. My best individual walk total is 24, which I achieved last spring. This morning I saw 20 species, which isn't bad for winter. (These are only short walks, designed to take 30 minutes.) As well as the usual suspects, this morning I saw Musk Lorikeets, which are not all that common in Kew East. Yesterday I saw Red-rumped Parrots, which are also unusual. The last new bird I added to my list was the Eastern Spinebill, which I had been missing from the streets around here. I used to see them regularly in the streets of Kew, but sadly, they are no longer present. I've visited the spots where I used to be able to rely on seeing a spinebill and alas! they are no longer here. I can see them if I go to the Burke Road Billabong when the correas are flowering, but I no longer see spinebills in the suburban streets around Kew. I do not know what has changed. There are still plenty of flowering plants. They are just another one of our small birds that are disappearing. It is most disconcerting.
But today I am celebrating my sighting of Gang Gangs, not lamenting our loss of small birds. Although there is much to lament about Gang Gangs too. Gang Gangs are now officially listed as threatened. The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020 lists Gang Gangs as 'Vulnerable.' They were previously listed as being of 'Least Concern.' The damage was done in the 2019 bushfires, which it is thought destroyed 10% of the population. Fires also destroyed habitat. The total population of Gang Gangs is estimated to be 25,000 individuals. Not a very big number.
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I've always loved these clowns of the bird world, and I've always thought it appropriate that they should be the avifaunal emblem for our national capital.Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873788684961241227.post-71536028742214785912022-05-29T16:28:00.009-07:002022-06-20T16:35:38.571-07:00BIRDING IN ROYAL PARKRecently I joined the Friends of Royal Park on a bird survey. We started at Trin Warren Tam-Boore, where we noted all the usual suspects: Red Wattlebirds, Noisy Miners (of course!), Rainbow Lorikeets, magpies, Magpie-larks and Willie Wagtails. Welcome Swallows swooped over the water and the exotics were present in good numbers: mynas, Spotted Doves, Rock Doves. The glorious song of Grey Butcherbirds took my mind off these interlopers. A noisy white cocky drowned out the butcherbird, but I was busy adding Australasian Grebe, Grey Teal, swamphens and moorhens to my list. The best bird from my point of view, was a Tawny Frogmouth roosting in a gumtree near the carpark. In fact there were two. The Friends said that they were often there.
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We did not see any fairywrens, but the Friends told me an interesting story. There is an old female Superb Fairywren who has started to exhibit male characteristics who lives at Trin Warren Tam-Boore. She has a blue tail and, in the breeding season, a little blue colouring on her head. The Friends told me that, because she is old, her testosterone levels have built up, thus giving her some male features. She has been nicknamed Dame Edna. (Which, of course, is back to front: a male masquerading as a female, rather than a female masquerading as a male.) I would like to meet Dame Edna.
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We walked on into an area the Friends called 'Skink Habitat.' We saw kookaburras, House Sparrows and New Holland Honeyeaters. Then we were entertained by a wonderful display of several hyperactive Grey Fantails with both Striated and Spotted Pardalotes. They brought a smile to my face. Of course there were Pied Currawongs and Crested Pigeons. We heard Bell Miners (only appropriate, as that's what Trin Warren Tam-Boore is named after) and had great views of a female Australian Golden Whistler. Nothing too exciting, but an enjoyable walk with like minded people.
Last Saturday I was pleased to attend a meeting conducted by the Friends of Royal Park, to learn about three projects presently underway: one studying Superb Fairywrens, one about White's Skink and the third about a matchstick grasshopper. Numbers of both grasshoppers and skinks are declining and causing concern. But of course I was there to learn about fairywrens. I was hoping to learn more about Dame Edna, but I did not.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEina_YILGzKLWDlAlREzyx-4kzSKFxG-gFrjyWZgEpiPwg8e2aLLiO_AQUMXWGH5UzRapSECrnXOHe2lU1sslZHjWoRH2s1LSAtuvFnbrjz_8NkKGk_VL3pojWavZeV0NfVDJzq_jTtefHojTgHGhxlMrcq4zioNxCS86bB8qAsdz5vr4v-Kb3gGNmy/s1200/Blue%20Wren%20Dame%20Edna.%20Peter%20Petinatos.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEina_YILGzKLWDlAlREzyx-4kzSKFxG-gFrjyWZgEpiPwg8e2aLLiO_AQUMXWGH5UzRapSECrnXOHe2lU1sslZHjWoRH2s1LSAtuvFnbrjz_8NkKGk_VL3pojWavZeV0NfVDJzq_jTtefHojTgHGhxlMrcq4zioNxCS86bB8qAsdz5vr4v-Kb3gGNmy/s320/Blue%20Wren%20Dame%20Edna.%20Peter%20Petinatos.jpg"/></a></div>
This lovely photo of Dame Edna was taken by Peter Petinatos, and I'd like to thank him for it. The fairywren project at Royal Park is being jointly undertaken by the City of Melbourne, Birdlife Australia, Melbourne University and RMIT. We were told that fairywrens are vulnerable everywhere around the city because of loss of habitat and predation by cats. (I was interested that foxes were not mentioned.) Fairywrens breed every year and females disperse after breeding, moving up to eight kilometres away. Where do they go? Fairywrens require dense vegetation, and the project aims to discover whether revegetation will facilitate movement of fairywrens. Will the population increase, and, if so, where will these birds come from? All the fairywrens in the area have been banded. They have a blue metal band on their left leg and a unique two colour combination plastic band on their right leg. Birders are requested to report sightings of banded fairywrens. There was great excitement this week when the first banded fairywren was reported from the zoo.
Forty-four designated sites have been selected. Birders are asked to go to a site, sit still for 5 minues, then count birds for 10 minutes. Report finds to superbcitywrens.com. I certainly plan to contribute to this project. Anything we can do to help save our small birds is worth doing!
Sue Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13670689536879937184noreply@blogger.com0