ALL THIS AND A KOEL TOO!

What a lovely start I've had to 2025! My morning walk on the first of the month is always to Hay's Paddock. This is just a short walk and I usually see around 17-18 species of birds. The worst I did last year on this walk was 11 species in both February and May. The best I did was 23 in July, then 22 (just twice) in April and September. It is, as I say, usually more like 17 or 18. This morning I recorded 23 species: 20 I saw, and a further 3 I heard. Best were an Australian Reed Warbler and a Nankeen Night Heron. Night herons used to be seen around here more frequently than they are today. I believe I've seen them just 3 or 4 times on this walk in the last (almost) four years. I thought that was an auspicious start to the year, as I set off for my usual first of January birding spot: Banyule. Apart from the ridiculously large number of rabbits and the obscenely overgrown grass I had to wade through, it was a pretty good couple of hours. I was greeted by a mixed flock of ibis on the oval.

Australian White Ibis are reasonably common in Kew, but Straw-necked are not. I walked around to the grotty pond. Unfortunately, it is sadly overgrown. It would be extremely difficult to see any crakes or snipe that happened to be there. Nevertheless, I opened the gate as quietly as possible, and veered to the left to avoid a rabbit. I'd rather all rabbits were eradicated, but I didn't wish this particular animal any harm, and I'd rather not create alarm among wild creatures. So I approached the pond from the far left. I confirmed that I would be unable to see any bird present and was turning to leave, when a Latham's Snipe flushed from the edge of the vegetation. I noted that it did not zigzag in flight (a habit I thought they all possessed) and took a step towards where it had come from. Another bird flushed immediately. So while the grotty pond is tantamount to invisible, it's probably still worth a visit, to see if there's anything hanging around nearby. I was serenaded by several Common Bronzewings as I exited as quietly as possible. There was not a great deal on the lake. (I've heard people refer to this body of water as a 'billabong,' but it seems to me to be too far from the river to deserve this name.) There were Pink-eared Ducks, Australasian Grebes and all the usual suspects. I had 22 species on my list as I walked down to inspect the water more closely. I was delighted to see a pair of Masked Lapwings land near the water. If I hadn't seen them land, I would not have known they were there. These birds used to be common at Banyule, indeed I used to see them often in Kew, but nowadays I see them locally less and less frequently. At the water, I saw another Nankeen Night Heron and thought that on any other day, that would be a good sighting. Today, I'd already seen one at Hay's Paddock. I added Red-rumped Parrots and Dusky Moorhens to my list and set off for the river. The sun was not out; there were few insects and few passerines. I heard a Grey Fantail and saw several Brown Thornbills, but I was a little disappointed in the small number of small birds. I saw a fox and a Black-faced Cuckooshrike, but there were no Bell Miners. Until recently, this had been a reliable spot for them. I was quite pleased that they'd moved on to give the trees a chance to recover from their presence. I was sorry that I had not heard any orioles. In fact, I don't believe that I've heard one this summer at all. I looked in all the usual spots for frogmouths and owls, but had no luck. I saw a Long-billed Corella, not nearly as common here as our usual Little Corellas. And I saw a Kookaburra. Here's proof:

Then a Pacific Koel demanded my attention. He called constantly and he wasn't far away. I tracked him down. It wasn't too hard. He was sitting high in a gumtree, announcing his presence to the world. I wished him a Happy New Year, and returned home, quite satisfied with my first day's birding for 2025.

BIRD OF THE MONTH 2024

My awards for the Bird of the Month 2024 are as follows: JANUARY: TAWNY FROGMOUTH: I've always loved Tawny Frogmouths and I try to get them onto my birdlist every month. I have a couple of local spots I check every month, but if these birds let me down, I go to Blackburn, where I'm usually successful, or Royal Park. This photo was taken in Royal Park by Peter Petinatus.

FEBRUARY: RED KNOT: The Red Knot is not a rare bird, but it is one I don't often see. In February I saw them at Werribee, hence it became the Bird of the Month. This beautiful photo is by David Hollands. I took it from 'Waders, The Shorebirds of Australia' by David Hollands and Clive Minton. The Red Knots really stand out. The ones I saw at Werribee were not in breeding plumage, and did not stand out. They melted into the background of other anonymous waders. The photo also shows Grey-tailed Tattlers, Sand Plovers and Curlew Sandpipers.

MARCH: MANGROVE GERYGONE: I saw this bird at Wynnum Mangrove Boardwalk in Brisbane, where Rae Clark took me birding. (Thank you, Rae!) Although it is not rare, it is a bird I do not see every year and it is a dear little thing, I'm sure you'll agree. I sometimes think it has been mis-named: I don't see them in Mangroves. I see them in paperbarks, adjacent to Mangroves. This photo is Peter Marsack's illustration in the Australian Bird Guide.

APRIL: WESTERN SHRIKETIT: My first lifer for the year. I put in some effort for this bird, then, when I saw it, it couldn't have been easier. It was at the traditional spot, by the water feature at the Stirling Range Retreat, right on cue. I had looked for it on a previous visit to Western Australia, and failed, so this was a special trip to the other side of the continent. And well worth it too. I don't think the Western Shriketit is as pretty as our Eastern one, but a tick's a tick in anyone's language. Des Hume showed me this bird and took this photo. Thank you, Des.

MAY: HOODED ROBIN: Hooded Robins bred every year on my parents' property in north-central Victoria. I was with my parents the day they decided to buy the property, and I reckon it was a Hooded Robin that clinched the deal! I love all those birds of the box/ironbark countryside. Hooded Robins in particular always remind me of my parents' place. In May, I saw them in the Warby Ranges, on my way to check out the birds of Chiltern. Again, I took this illustraion from the Australian Bird Guide. It is another of Peter Marsack's lovely images.

JUNE: SANDHILL GRASSWREN: I saw this bird in June, but it was not split by the IOC until July. Louis Masarei showed it to me at Sandstone in WA. I have been unable to find an illustration of it. JULY: SUPERB LYREBIRD: My birdy friend, Helen Yuille, wanted to see a lyrebird. With great confidence, I said I'd show her one. Of course I'd seen them countless times. And I reckon I could find one easily enough in far east Gippsland. But where could I guarantee to find one a short drive from of Melbourne? I thought perhaps Healesville, but (after consulting some people who know a lot more than me) decided on Sherbrooke. Helen and I found the recommended track and heard lyrebirds almost immediately. Then we saw them: I think we saw three altogether, but one bird in particular put on an impressive display. Mission accomplished!

AUGUST: TIBETAN SAND PLOVER: In August I had my third trip to Western Australia in 2024 and my third lifer for the year. I got this bird thanks to Louis Masarei. Thank you, Louis. I saw them again on Cocos (South Island, on the Saunders's Tern hunt), but it wasn't nearly as exciting as making a special trip to Broome for the tick. This photo was taken on Cocos by Richard Baxter. The Tibetan Sand Plover is the bird on the left.

SEPTEMBER: OLIVE WHISTLER: I visited Tasmania in September with my birding mate, Ken Haines, with the sole purpose of going on a pelagic. The pelagic was cancelled and so we made do with a little Tasmanian birding. It was very windy, (guess why the pelagic was cancelled!) and the birds refused to cooperate. However, a couple of Olive Whistlers put on quite a show for us. I enjoyed it very much. I'm not sure I'd say it made the trip to Tasmania worthwhile, but it was certainly fun. Ken took this photo.

OCTOBER: CHANNEL-BILLED CUCKOO: These extraordinary birds look like they were created by a committee. I don't see them often and they never fail to create quite an impression. Ironically, these birds flew over as I set off on a pelagic out of Kiama. I would have expected my bird of the day (let alone my bird of the month) to be a seabird. But this flock of cuckoos, calling as they flew, were certainly worthy of the accolade. Again, this illustration is from the Australian Bird Guide. This time it is by Jeff Davies.

NOVEMBER: KAMKATCHA LEAF WARBLER (sometimes called simply Kamkatcha Warblers): In November, I visited Ashmore Reef for the third time. All I wanted to see was a Nazca Booby. Of course I knew that the chances were extremely slim, but I had to try, didn't I? And of course I didn't see any Nazca Boobies. However, on Browse Island, on the way home, we found a pair of warblers. Initially we thought they were Arctic Warblers, but a sonogram of their call identified them as Kamkatcha Leaf Warblers. Again, this illustration is from the Australian Bird Guide, another of Peter Marsack's little gems. They are in fact identical to Arctic Warblers. Without Louis, we would never have known what they were.

DECEMBER: BLACK-NAPED ORIOLE: How could I possibly go past this gorgeous bird for my bird of the month for December? Not only was it gob-smackingly gorgeous, it was my 850th bird. And exceptionally rare. I believe this was the second record for Australia. I saw it in the Big House garden on Home Island in the Cocos group. And I only saw it thanks to Sue Abbotts. Thank you, Sue! This photo is by Nick Thompson. Thank you, Nick!

Not a bad year, I'm sure you'll agree. To get ten lifers in a year is pretty good, I think. I won't do that again in a hurry. But I can't help wondering, what exciting birds will 2025 offer me?

MY 850TH AUSTRALIAN BIRD

I've just returned from Richard Baxter's Cocos/Christmas Island tour. To summarize this particular 2024 trip, Christmas was disappointingly wet with no lifers for me, but Cocos excelled itself, providing me with six lifers, including my milestone 850th Australian bird, an incredible Black-naped Oriole!

There were 15 of us on this tour, some who'd never been before and some veterans of many trips. I'd been to Cocos seven times; Christmas eight times. We arrived on Friday 29 November and the ony bird of note we saw that day was the Northern Pintail at the birdhide, together with some of its hybrid offspring, some resembling it and some resembling Pacific Black Ducks. On Saturday, several of our group, including me, took the ferry to Direction Island because there were reports of a Cinnamon Bittern there. As the ferry didn't leave until 9.30, we had plenty of time for some birding beforehand. We drove the length of the island checking the sides of the road to see if anything had flown in overnight. It hadn't. However, at the farm I saw my 847th Australian bird: a Dark-sided Flycatcher. I reckon I'd earnt this bird: I spent a week looking for it on my last trip to Cocos in November 2023. I sat in the heat watching the bush it had been seen in for hot day after hot day, with no joy at all. Now here it was at the farm, happily flying over our heads, and drawing attention to itself, always returning to the same perch. I was quite delighted to get a lifer so early in the trip and to see a bird that I'd worked hard for previously and reckoned that I'd earned. This photo is by Bernie O'Keefe.

Seeing the flycatcher lessened my disappointment at not seeing the Cinnamon Bittern on Direction Island. Richard (who'd stayed on West Island with the rest of the group) contacted us to say that one of our group had photographed an Indian Cuckoo! That's the luck of birding. We'd taken a gamble and gone looking for a Cinnamon Bittern when we'd have been better off staying with the group and seeing an Indian Cuckoo. This is the second record of this bird for Australia: a bird was seen on Cocos in February 2011. We returned to West Island and searched diligently for the cuckoo. We admired David's photo and said we were pleased for our companions. Then Geof Christie, resident birder on Cocos, reported 'a strange little orange duck' at the birdhide. We drove there immediately and saw the bird straight away. It was in front of the birdhide, constantly feeding, never still for a second, quite a contrast to the lazy, loafing Pacific Black Ducks around the pond. Graham Barwell (one of our group) identified it as a female Eurasian Wigeon, (848), a bird I thought I'd never see and didn't really deserve to as I hadn't bothered to twitch the one that turned up at Carnarvon some years ago. This photo of the wigeon is again by Bernie O'Keefe (thank you, Bernie!)

We also saw a Chinese Pond Heron, more excitement for the first timers. In the late afternoon we were celebrating our success in the club, when Jenny Spry (Australia's number one female birder, also a member of our group) arrived to announce that a Cinnamon Bittern had been seen at the farm. People who know me would be amused to learn that I abandoned my glass of wine and ran out immediately in search of the bittern. Sue Taylor abandonning her wine is not an everyday occurrence. Six of us rushed to the farm. We floundered around in long grass in a disorganized fashion. The outcome was predictable: three of us saw the bittern, three did not. I did not. The light was failing and we were forced to call it a day. I painted a smile on my face and pretended to be pleased for my successful companions. On Monday morning before we caught the ferry to Home Island, we all went on a cuckoo hunt. We had looked the previous morning and failed once more. This time we were successful. That lovely little Indian Cuckoo became my 849th Australian bird. This photo is by David Charley.

On Home Island, our first exciting bird was a Rosy Starling. Again, thanks to Bernie for this photo.

Sue Abbotts, a fantastic Western Australian birder with a phenomenal Australian total well over 800, found a Blue and White Flycatcher. Later she was to find a Mugimaki Flycatcher (which I did not see), as well as her undeniable triumph: a Black-naped Oriole, which, I'm delighted to say, I did see, but only after a considerable time spent looking, and only after a bit of help from Matt Hansen. These birds live in Asia and I couldn't think of a better candidate for my 850th milestone slot. I took this photo from 'The Birds of Java and Bali' by Derek Holmes & Stephen Nash.

Just to continue my extraordinary record of one lifer per day, on Wednesday, Richard took us to the farm, and everyone had at least a fleeting glimpse of the Cinnamon Bittern (851). It was a dark bird, hence declared to be young, with some early discussion about whether it might be a von Schrenck's Bittern instead. But unambiguous views of its rufous flight feathers confirmed its identity as a Cinnamon Bittern, another bird I convinced myself I'd earned, because on a previous occasion a Cinnamon Bittern had been seen on Cocos every day while I was on Christmas Island. It was wandering along the grass verge beside the road, unafraid and out in the open, and this, evidently, was its undoing. It was killed by a cat (rumoured to be owned by a park ranger!). Anyway it was quite dead by the time I arrived on Cocos. Somehow, this made seeing this Cinnamon Bittern even more special. On Thursday, I broke my pattern of daily lifers. But on Friday, I returned to form. In the farm (where else?) we all had great views (after a fair bit of waiting and looking and a great deal of hard work and patience on Richard's behalf) of a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler. Here's a photo Bernie took, not on Cocos, but on Ashmore Reef some time ago. It's a terrific photo of a Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, showing its long legs, a feature few people actually see as it zips past or skulks away invisibly.

One last photo of Bernie's I must include, because Watercocks are not on everybody's lifelist. They are not often present and when they are, they often flush fast and people don't get a good look.

Quite a trip, I'm sure you'll agree. And I haven't mentioned any of the 'ordinary' birds. Birds like the Christmas Boobook, the Golden Bosunbird, Abbott's Booby or Christmas Frigatebird. Thank you, Richard! I'll be back!