A DISAPPOINTING START TO SPRING

Pelagics are often cancelled. It seems to me that I've driven to Wollongong on many occasions only to be greeted with a cancelled pelagic. The Portland/Port Fairy pelagics were notorious for being cancelled as often as they went out, especially in winter. But I don't remember an Eaglehawk Neck pelagic being cancelled before. Yet that's what happened this September. What's more, I was told that, of the 19 pelagics scheduled for this year, nine have been cancelled. Of course I'd had a little list of birds I expected to see, and another, much longer list of birds that I would love to see. I was going with my birding mate, Ken Haines and we had not considered the possibility of having our trip cancelled. We had purchased flights, a car hire, parking at the airport and we'd booked accommodation. We decided to go anyway. We knew the weather would be cold and windy. Ironically, I'd been watching the forecasts and thinking that the wind would blow in some good birds for us. I had not thought the wind would cancel our boat trip. So, without any specific plans, we landed at Hobart and picked up our hire car for a weekend of Tasmanian birding, constrained only by the fact that our accommodation was in Eaglehawk Neck. Ken wanted to photograph a Strong-billed Honeyeater, a Tasmanian endemic that had eluded his camera on previous occasions. I wanted to pick up as many endemics as possible for my year list. We would be nowhere near Forty-spotted Pardalotes and I decided that Scrubtits would be very unlikely, but I had hopes for the other ten. Add a Forest Raven and I could go home with eleven new birds for 2024. Or we could have a cold, wet and windy weekend and see nothing. We drove down to Eaglehawk Neck without incident, seeing plenty of Forest Ravens and Tasmanian Nativehens, and admiring the Black-faced Cormorants at Dunally. We made a half-hearted attempt at seawatching at The Blowhole, but all we saw were Kelp Gulls and one Australasian Gannet.

At the end of Saturday, I'd managed to see five more endemics - the five easiest! - Green Rosella, Black Currawong, Yellow Wattlebird, Tasmanian Thornbill and Tasmanian Scrubwren. Ken had good photos of the Tasmanian race of Grey Currawongs (arguta) and one cooperative Yellow Wattlebird at the hotel. I also managed to add a Fan-tailed Cuckoo to my year list. So the day wasn't totally wasted. It had been very windy and in fact we were lucky to have seen anything at all.

We attempted to be optimistic on Sunday, but it was difficult. Again, it was windy, and we were both pleased in the end that we were not out at sea. A Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle was too quick for Ken's camera. Photographers are like fishermen: they always lament the one that got away instead of celebrating what they achieved. But I guess birders are too! We tried in vain to summon up a Strong-billed Honeyeater. We did manage one Yellow-throated, to add to our Tasmanian tally. And that was it. I went home with a total of nine birds to add to my year list. I did my best to hide my disappointment. Our plane was late. It was a Virgin flight and they'd just about run out of food. A fitting end to our weekend, I thought, as I arrived home very late, still doing my best not to be grumpy. Ken had a worse drive home from dropping me off, with closed roads and blackouts with no traffic lights. I live in hope: I put my name down to do it again next year. And we are both hoping that our proposed October pelagics out of Kiama will prove a little more productive. Fingers crossed that they are not cancelled.

TIBETAN SAND PLOVER

I have just returned from a successful twitch for the Tibetan Sand Plover in Broome. I was with Louis Masarei and we saw the bird well, but I wouldn't say it was easy. Here's proof that we saw it:

Actually, it's not proof, because this photo was not taken by me, but by Leo Norman, one of the Two Birders/Two Bikes pair of teenagers who are biking around Australia seeing as many birds as possible and raising money for a school in East Timor. I first met up with them on my recent Pilbara trip, and saw them again in Broome. Here's proof at least that I've actually been in Broome.

The Tibetan Sand Plover has been in Broome for a while, taunting me. Eventually I could stand it no longer and decided I had to go. I knew that I wouldn't be able to find it/identify it/twitch it by myself, so I contacted the Broome Bird Observatory to ask if they could help. Their answer was in essence a polite 'no.' They said seeing the bird depended on my identification skills (doesn't it always?) However, this is probably a fair enough point with waders in general, and sand plovers in particular. I've always had trouble with Greater and what we used to call Lesser (or before that Mongolian) and now Siberian Sand Plovers. Now the Tibetan is somewhere in between. I don't think anyone would say that identifying sand plovers is easy. First, find your sand plover, and don't let him wander into the nearby group of waders. Keep your eyes on him. Observe his bill, his neck, his forehead (we used to say 'front'), his flanks, and his size compared with other sand plovers. People also talk of leg length and colour, but that's too hard for me. I worked out that for me the best method was looking for general size first, then the size and shape of the bill second, then nice clean white flanks third, then having a good squiz at the forehead and neck band, and only then, suggesting that better eyes than mine check it out.

Seeing new birds gets harder and harder as the years go by and my total increases. With each new addition, it is more and more difficult to find new birds to tick. Every rare vagrant becomes even more desirable and I find each failed twitch is even more disappointing. Will I ever have another go at that species? Was that my one and only chance of seeing it? I really wanted to add the Tibetan Sand Plover to my list. People were seeing it every day and I was stuck in Melbourne, turning greener by the day, seeing their success on ebird. When I learnt that there was more than one bird, I thought I really should go and try to see one of them. I asked Louis if he would meet me in Broome and help me. I didn't have to talk too hard to persuade him, and I will be forever grateful to him, because I would not have got the bird by myself.

No sooner had we congratulated ourselves on seeing our bird, than we learnt that there was a Blue-winged Pitta in Broome! It has apparently been there for several months, first seen last March, seen three or four times since, and even captured on camera. In fact the photo makes the bird look far more colourful than it does in my field guide. It has been seen in suburban Broome, amongst houses all seemingly inhabited by noisy barking dogs. Louis and I spent more time looking for the pitta than we did for the sand plover. And of course we didn't see it or hear it. Who knows if it's even still in Broome? Of course it could have been sitting watching us, laughing quietly to itself. Or it could be back home in Thailand or Cambodia or wherever it's come from having quite forgotten its Broome adventures. Most uncharacteristically, I came home not berating my lack of pittas, but celebrating my success with the sand plover. How unlike me! But an excellent twitch, whichever way you look at it.

IS JULY THE WORST MONTH FOR BIRDING IN MELBOURNE?

Every year I like to see 400 Australian birds and every month I like to see 100. In summer this is not too hard. In winter it can be difficult. In the month just over, July 2024, I clocked up a miserable, miniscule 59 species. You'd be forgiven for thinking I wasn't trying. Every month I try to visit Banyule Flats, Wilson Reserve, Bourke Road Billabong and Darebin Parklands. I did all this in July. What's worse, I also visited Sherbrooke Forest. A lovely woman I'd met on my recent trip to the Pilbara had never seen a lyrebird, so, perhaps stupidly, I offered to show her one. It seemed very simple when I was in Western Australia. Back home in Melbourne, the cold weather was discouraging and the grey skies were dispiriting. Nevertheless, she came, and together we conquered. We visited Sherbrooke and saw a couple of lyrebirds: one male most obligingly displaying for us, happy to continue the show while we watched entranced. We also saw several wallabies, one very mangy wombat - but, very few birds.

One vocal whipbird proved very elusive and we came home without him on our list. All I added to my July list that day (apart from the lyrebird) were a Crimson Rosella, an Eastern Yellow Robin and a White-throated Treecreeper. The truth is that I often do not reach my 100 monthly target. In the last 27 years, I haven't seen 100 birds in July on 15 other occasions! That means I fail to achieve my objective more often than not! How depressing. Furthermore, the months with the lowest totals are not July at all. My worst months are (strangely) February, September and November. I cannot explain that. Spring and summer should have the highest totals. And, just to underline the fact, I am always trying. So, when someone tells you that they're trying to see 100 birds every month in Melbourne, do not assume it is easy! As I write, it is the afternoon of 1 August, and my August total is 31. Let's see if I can make 100 this month.

MALLACOOTA - BACK TO ITS BEST

When I compiled 'The Best 100 Birdwatching Sites in Australia,' I put Mallacoota in the top ten. Then came the devastating fires of 2019. When the second edition of 'The 100 Best Birdwatching Sites in Australia' was published, I felt obliged to downgrade Mallacoota to site number 30, and it remained there for the third edition. Site number 30 for the whole of Australia is still pretty impressive. I have just had a great few days enjoying the birds of Mallacoota, and I'm pleased to say that, should there ever be a fourth edition, Mallacoota will be restored to its rightful place in the top ten of Australia's birding sites. I saw 133 species in total on my trip - this includes driving to and from Melbourne and one night in Orbost on the way. Highlights were: Freckled Duck on Lake Guthridge in Sale, a paddock full of Glossy Ibis along the way, Australian Masked Owl at Cape Conran, and an unexpected Australasian Figbird at Paynesville on the way home. Of course Mallacoota reliably provided: Southern Emu-wren, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Hooded Plover (at Betka Beach), Satin Bowerbirds and both White-headed and Wonga Pigeons. I saw Superb Lyrebirds every day, and they lived up to their name. One beautiful male, in particular, shimmered his tail for me for quite a few seconds. I must also mention the superlative Grey Goshawk that flew overhead when I was on the beach looking for Sooty Oystercatchers. I saw Beautiful Firetails at the airport, but, to be greedy, I'd have liked a better look. The bird of the trip was a magnificent Spotted Quail-thrush on the Wangarabell Road who very kindly walked into my line of sight as I pointed my binoculars hopefully towards some moving grass.

Disappointments were: I did not see a Ground Parrot and I did not see a Greater Sooty Owl. But, let's face it, anyone who's seen a Masked Owl has no right to complain about the absence of sooties, right? At Shipwreck Creek I admired sea eagles and emu-wrens, but I could not convince a Ground Parrot to say hello. I was also disappointed to note that some remarkably clever person had seen fit to burn the toilet down. I do hope that person is caught short in very embarrassing circumstances. I also dipped on Glossy Black Cockatoos and Scarlet Myzomelas. Again, I should not complain. The Victorian population of Glossy Blacks is now a fighteningly low 30-40 birds, and Scarlet Myzomelas don't really have to put in an appearance until summer according to their contract. Having enjoyed my first ever Western Shriketits in Western Australia earlier this year, I was very pleased to admire Eastern Shriketits at Gipsy Point. I don't seem to see these lovely birds in Melbourne as often as I used to. The Eastern Whipbirds were vocal and evident at Gipsy Point too, always a great addition to the birdlist.

Of course I had a wishlist when I set off from home. It had a very ambitious 43 species on it, all birds I haven't seen yet this year. I came home with 21 new birds for the year, but five of those were so unexpected they weren't even on my wishlist. As well as the beautiful birds, and the kangaroos and wallabies, I always admire Australian Swamp Rats in Mallacoota. I confess I don't get excited when I see Humpback Whales, but I do catch my breath for Sugar Gliders and Agile Antechinus. There was also a colony of Grey-headed Flying Foxes present as I admired the Freckled Duck at Lake Guthridge. Mallacoota, you never disappoint! I hope there is a fourth edition of my book and I can reinstate you to your proper place in the world.

PILBARA BIRDING

If you want to see grasswrens, I recommend that you seek help from Bellbird Tours. The IOC presently recognises 13 species of grasswren. Phil Maher showed me one species (the Carpentarian near Mt Isa); Klaus Ulenhaut showed me one (the Black Grasswren on the Mitchell Plateau); and, remarkably, I've managed to get two by myself (the Dusky at King's Canyon and the Striated at Hattah Kulkyne in my home state). But Bellbird Tours has shown me an incredible eight species. Yes, you're right, I still have one to get: the elusive White-throated Grasswren at Kakadu. There are also another eleven subspecies to chase, of which I've now seen four, leaving me with a total of one species and seven subspecies yet to see. I'm just back from a Pilbara tour with Bellbird Tours, where I clocked up three grasswren subspecies: the Western Grasswren, famously at Monkey Mia in Shark Bay (easy!); the Sandhill Grasswren, a race of Rufous, at Sandstone (typical grasswren difficulty); and the Pilbara Grasswren, another Rufous race, at Newman (which also seemed remarkably easy - but that might just be down to the skill of the guide!).

The tour, comprising six birders (including me) and Louis Maserei, our guide, started at lunchtime on Wednesday, 5 June 2024 in Kings Park Cafe in Perth - don't ask me why! After lunch, we had a quick walk around Kings Park, allowing me to add Western Spinebills to my daylist. They are even more beautiful than their eastern cousins. We saw a few other birds, including Carnaby's Black Cockatoos and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos. The Red-tails had an unusual rolling call, which I hadn't noticed before, and I declared them to be my bird of the day. We had an uneventful drive to Geraldton, where we spent the night in cabins in the caravan park. On Thursday, we were disappointed that we could not view the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool. There had been a cyclone in 2021 and the damaged boardwalk had been fenced off, which, to be fair, is much easier than fixing it, and it is only 3 years, isn't it?

We drove on to Monkey Mia, admiring Black-breasted Buzzards from the car, and stopping briefly to see Chiming Wedgebills and Western Fieldwrens. It was almost dark when we arrived at the Monkey Mia Resort, but Louis still managed to point out a pair of Western Grasswren in the carpark, right on cue! Of course they were my bird of the day. We had better views in the daylight the next morning, and everyone expressed due excitement at the dolphins. I was surprised (because I'd forgotten) how pale the Southern Whiteface are here, and how bright their chestnut flanks are. My bird of the day was the Southern Scrubrobin, which had provided us all with excellent views. We were back in the Geraldton caravan park cabins overnight. On Saturday we drove to Mt Magnet accompanied by a little unwelcome misty rain. We saw lots (and lots!) of Red-capped Robins, but they are beautiful, aren't they? I like the understated females even more than the showy males. We also saw quite a few mixed flocks of thornbills: Inland, Chestnut-rumped and Slaty-backed, and quite a few very colourful White-browed Treecreepers, a bird I wouldn't normally think of as 'colourful,' yet they were. Simpson and Day says that they breed from July until December, and I reckon that, in June, these blokes were getting ready for an early start. We saw an interesting wattle, Red Mulga, with red, prickly stems. The Granites provided spectacular scenery, as well as Little Woodswallows and our first Western Bowerbird for the trip. This is what The Granites looked like:

Our accommodation on Saturday night in Mt Magnet was called 'Outback Gold' and the less said about it the better. My bird of the day for Saturday was the White-browed Treecreeper, although I was spoiled for choice. On Sunday morning, we ate breakfast in our room, then set off at 5.30 in quest of Sandhill Grasswren, a bird I had been warned we may not see, as it can be difficult. Louis found (or re-located) a likely spot in the spinifex, and we all had excellent views of both male and female Sandhill Grasswrens before 7.15 a.m.! Of course they were my bird of the day. We had lunch at a picnic table. Being vegetarian, I'd been given a special lunch: a salad with two raw eggs! That night we went spotlighting. The rain paused long enough for us to see absolutely nothing. The others heard owlet-nightjars, but I managed to miss even this. On Monday, we all had wonderful views of Bourke's Parrots and one very special Banded Whiteface, which I named my bird of the day. We moved on to Nallan Station, where we stayed in the Shearer's Quarters (note where they placed the apostrophe). I did not like this accommodation. One compensation was a Western Bowerbird's bower very close to our accommodation, with a most accommodating bowerbird tending it. He had a large pile of brand new screws carefully arranged on his runway. The photographers got great shots, and Louis even managed a most professional video on his mobile phone. On Tuesday, we drove to Newman, finally arriving in the Pilbara. An odd thing, to start a Pilbara Tour on day seven of a nine day tour! Here, without any apparent effort, Louis produced Pilbara Grasswren for us, my easy pick for bird of the day. On Wednesday, we birded around Newman, admiring Crimson Chats and Masked Woodswallows. I found a small turtle carapace, which I'm told came from a Flat-shelled Turtle.

We did not see Rufous-crowned Emu-wren, a minor disappointment, well compensated for by our great views of Grey Honeyeaters, my obvious pick for bird of the day. These small, inauspicious honeyeaters must be the most mis-identified honeyeater we have. Often in mixed flocks, they are easily confused with thornbills or gerygones. On Thursday, our last day, Louis showed us some delightful Painted Finches (clearly the bird of the day), then dropped me off at the airport. I attempted to get a boarding pass, and was quite traumatised when I was informed that there was no seat for me on the plane: I was on standby, despite having paid for my ticket months beforehand. No apology, no explanation, no seat. Alone in Newman, far from the township and any possible accommodation, I didn't know what to do. There is no taxi rank at Newman airport. How could I get back to town? I waited patiently, and after my plane was fully loaded, somehow they managed to find me a seat. I've never been so grateful for a squashy economy seat. I managed to get back to Perth without further drama and my disappointment at the attitude and behaviour of Qantas Link will soon be forgotten. It was a great tour. Great grasswrens. Great company and a great tour leader.

BIRDING IN NORTH-EAST VICTORIA

I've just returned from three beaut birding days in north-east Victoria. Highlights were Swift Parrots, Hooded Robins and a stunning Azure Kingfisher. Disappointments were no nightbirds, no Painted Buttonquail and no Gilbert's Whistler (although I heard more than one, they were being very coy and would not show themselves). I love visiting this part of the world. Of course the main focus is the birds, and I clocked up a satisfactory 117 species over three days, but I'm also nostalgic about visiting places which have given me so much pleasure over so many years. And then, of course, there's the sherry! I confess we did make a mandatory stop at Pfeiffer's winery. We had an early start on Wednesday morning, but the sun was shining by the time we arrived at Mangarlore Flora and Fauna Reserve and the birding was good straight away. I admired Diamond Firetails and Flame Robins and heard Gilbert's Whistlers. There were lots of recent buttonquail platelets, but no buttonquail in sight. However, the honeyeaters were good, both pardalotes were present, as well as Sittellas. I'd seen 27 species by the time we set off for our next stop, Winton Wetlands. When we arrived, I'd added another 16 species to my list. The weather was quite good for the tail end of autumn and so was the birding. I always see Restless Flycatchers in the carpark at Winton Wetlands; I don't think they've ever let me down. We saw Grey-crowned Babblers right on cue (a great bird, that!) and a very handsome Pied Butcherbird. Add a few waterbirds and my list was growing well. At Warby-Ovens National Park, I saw my first Peaceful Doves for the year. There were White-throated Treecreepers and Silvereyes and some cute Yellow-footed Antechinus. It had been a good day and I had high expectations of an owl or two when we went spotlighting that night. Sadly, it was not to be. We saw Brush-tailed and Ringtailed Possums and some very sweet Squirrel Gliders, but no night birds at all. Can't complain, I had 71 species for the day, and with such specialties as Grey-crowned Babblers and Diamond Firetails, it would be churlish to mention the lack of owls and nightjars.

This is a photo of a soak in Barnawatha Depot Road in Chiltern National Park. Take my word for it, there were Swift Parrots drinking here. There were about 60 of them. If the entire population of Swift Parrots is 750 individuals, that's an impressive proportion of the population right there that morning. They were joined by even more colourful Turquoise Parrots. What a sight! And what a great way to start Thursday. Both Little and Purple-crowned Lorikeets flew over and my first Satin Bowerbird for the year joined the parrots in the soak. When an Eastern Shriketit landed overhead, I wasn't sure which way to point my binoculars. I'd seen my first Northern Shriketit last November, and my first Western Shriketit last month, so I was delighted to add their Eastern cousin to the set. Of course there were Yellow-tufted, Black-chinned, White-naped and Fuscous Honeyeaters, as well as an out of season Dusky Woodswallow. At Cyanide Dam, the Brown Treecreepers did not let me down, although they'd been playing hard to get until then. Bartley's Block is often full of surprises. This time, I saw two birds I really did not expect to see: Mistletoebirds and an Olive-backed Oriole. I had thought both these species were summer migrants, but when I checked Simpson and Day, I learnt that he classifies Mistletoebirds as 'uncertain sedentary' and Olive-backed Orioles as partial or annual migrants, so I should not have been so surprised at the oriole I had in Kew during winter last year. We drove to Number One Dam, where there were lots and lots of pelicans, then Number Two Dam, where I added Red-rumped Parrots and Masked Lapwings to the day list. I didn't see any Eurasian Tree Sparrows in the township. We drove on to Lake Moodemere, where I saw a very beautiful Azure Kingfisher. These birds are summer breeders, so I don't expect them to be dressed up in their very best in the last week of May. But he was. It is difficult to imagine a dull looking Azure Kingfisher, but believe me when I say, this bird was particularly handsome. The rain, which we had feared would curtail our birding, held off until night time. Then it poured heavily all night. Luckily, it had stopped by Friday morning. We returned to Warby-Ovens National Park to admire Jacky Winters, Hooded Robins and one happy Speckled Warbler. Great birds, all of them. We had another unsuccessful attempt at Painted Buttonquail at Mangalore on the way home, but I couldn't really be disappointed when we missed out. I count this as a very successful three day outing.

WONDERFUL WERRIBEE - AGAIN!

Yesterday, I had the most wonderful day birding I've had in a long time. Yes, I know I saw a lifer last month (the Western Shriketit in the Stirling Range) and, of course, that's always a thrill. But yesterday was a full day of superb weather, blue skies, sunshine, no wind, great company and lots of fantastic birds. Can anyone do better? This is the spot where we heard a Lewin's Rail.

Alas, we could not see it. What strange noises Lewin's Rails make! We did see several Australian Crakes, at least four, perhaps more. I saw just one Spotless Crake. I was with Tim Dolby, it's possible he saw more than one. We saw just a couple of Double-banded Plovers, fraternizing with (or perhaps hiding amongst) a flock of Red-capped Plovers. The male Red-caps looked absolutely splendid - at their breeding best I thought. In my ignorance, I would have said that they were summer breeders, but, after this sighting, I looked them up, and, although they may prefer the warmer months, according to Simpson and Day, they can breed at any time of year. I reckon these birds had breeding in mind. I wanted a sea eagle for my year list and my wish was fulfilled. One memorable sighting of the day was Brolgas. Yes, I know, you've seen Brolgas at Werribee lots of times. But have you ever seen eleven birds at once? I certainly hadn't before yesterday. I had to count them twice to convince myself that there really were nearly a dozen of them. One very handsome Black-shouldered Kite endeared himself to us by sitting quite close to the car and posing for his photo. I thought he was a young bird: some of his feathers were very fluffy. Here's one of Tim's photos.

A rather unusual sighting was an aberrant Straw-necked Ibis. He had lots of white on his wings, which, according to the field guides, should be all black. This is Tim's photo.

Towards the end of the day, after we had persuaded ourselves that the American Golden Plover really had vacated the Borrow Pits, we saw that the adjacent pond was brimming with ducks, mainly Pink-eared and Shovellers, but also some teal, Musk Duck and Pacific Blacks. It was the pinkies and the shovellers that stole our hearts. There were so very many of them so very close, it was breathtaking. I thought perhaps a thousand of each species, both in the water and on the bank. Unfortunately impossible to photograph, but very easy to admire. Although we were very close to them, the car was hidden by reeds. As soon as we attempted to get out of the car, the birds flew. But what a beautiful sight! Again, this is Tim's photo.

Another bird I wanted for my year list was a Singing Bush Lark. Bush Larks can be difficult and I didn't really expect to see one. Tim deviated up Beach Road to check out the Banded Lapwings, and there, on a fence post, wanting to be admired, was a Singing Bush Lark. I looked at it and didn't believe it. Its bill did not look thick enough; its plumage was too colourful. Its belly, in particular, looked a lemon colour. I expect my bush larks to be dressed in sparrow colours. I could not accept this colourful creature really was a Singing Bush Lark. Fancy being cheeky enough to question Tim Dolby! Tim took a photo, and there, unquestionably, sitting on a fence post was a Singing Bush Lark, just as I had ordered.

In my opinion, the Bird of the Day was none of the above. It was a dear little Stubble Quail, walking towards the car in Paradise Road as we were driving out. He looked like he wanted to be friends. A fitting end to a great day. We clocked up 81 species - of course I always want more! But that's not too bad for autumn. I don't believe I've ever enjoyed such perfect weather at Werribee. And I think I've proved that I don't really need rarities to have a good time birding.