KENTISH PLOVER

2020 is starting quite well.  We've had an unidentified shelduck at Werribee, a split in the Graceful Honeyeater giving us a new species (Cryptic Honeyeater in FNQ) and a twitch to Kurnell near Sydney for a Kentish Plover.

I flew to Sydney on 11 January.  The bird had not been seen for several days, despite people looking for it on at least two days.  I thought I'd probably miss out but it was certainly worth a go.

I flew to Sydney, picked up a hire car, drove to Captain Cook Drive, parked opposite the skate park.  Arrived at 9.30.  Walked up and down the beach.  Tide was wrong and there were few waders.  I'd been told the optimum tide would be about noon.  The bird had been seen associating with Red-capped Plovers.

Some time after noon, I found a flock of Red-capped Plovers and my heart leapt.  I examined each bird in the flock.  I think there were 13.  But no Kentish Plover.

By 1 o'clock I'd decided the Kentish Plover had moved on.  I'd visited all the spots where the bird had been seen.

I decided to walk further up the beach.  I knew the bird would not be there because there were lots of noisy kids and dogs.  But I had nothing better to do until my flight home.

Suddenly, in the midst of the noisiest part of the beach, there was a different wader.  I had thought it would look very like a Red-capped Plover.  (My early bird books regard the Kentish Plover as a race of the Red-capped.)  But it did not.  It was much paler and easily identified.  A successful twitch is always a good feeling.  But this dear little bird felt particularly good because I'd been sure that I'd missed out.

A wonderful start to 2020!

Kentish Plover

Kentish Plover

UNIDENTIFIED SHELDUCK

There is an unidentified shelduck at Werribee's Western Treatment Plant.  The experts cannot decide what it is.

Unidentified Shelduck, photo by Ken Haines

Initially some people thought it was a female Paradise Shelduck from New Zealand.  Paradise Shelducks have turned up in Australia before.  I saw one at Lake Wollumboola in New South Wales in January 2016.  That was a male.  The theory was that the Werribee bird was a juvenile female transitioning to adult plumage.

Paradise Shelduck from Heather & Robertson's Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand.

This possibility has been ruled out as the plumage is too uniform for a bird that is transitioning, which should show mottling with some dark immature feathers.

Unidentified Shelduck with Australian Shelduck, photo by Ken Haines

Another suggestion (apparently favoured by our local South African birders) is that it is a South African or Cape Shelduck.

South African Shelduck from 'Wildfowl of the World'

This is regarded as unlikely because this species is not migratory and South Africa is a long way away!

Unidentified Shelduck

The bird is moulting and we all eagerly await its new plumage.  It would be a shame to leave its identity unresolved or to have to regard it as a mutant Australian Shelduck because we cannot be sure.

Unidentified Shelduck

MY MOVE TO NORTH WARRANDYTE

I have now moved into my beautiful new home on the Yarra River in North Warrandyte.

View from my kitchen window

I've been here eight weeks and the list of birds seen on my property numbers 41 species.  So far, there's just one introduced species, the Common Myna.  When I write 'CB' on my daily walk list, here it means 'Common Bronzewing' not 'Common Blackbird' as it did in Kew. I'm delighted to report that my list does not include the native but most unwelcome Noisy Miner.  Perhaps for this reason I have fairywrens, scrubwrens and thornbills.  I rarely venture out after dark so my birdlist does not yet include any nightbirds.  I believe there are Powerful and Barking Owls, Southern Boobooks and Tawny Frogmouths.  There are choughs up the road which haven't made it to my place since I've been here and the previous owner photographed a Crested Shriketit in the backyard. I've found active nests of Red Wattlebirds, Superb Fairywrens and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and an old nest of an Eastern Yellow Robin.  I'm told the Yellow-faced Honeyeaters are resident all year round, which is interesting as I always thought of these birds as migratory.  When I check Simpson and Day, it says they can be an annual migrant, a partial migrant or nomadic. 'The Australian Bird Guide' talks of annual migration but notes that 'many birds remain in coastal south east Australia.'

River Yarra from my place

Rainbow Lorikeets are present but not in plague proportions as they are in many parts of Melbourne.  Crimson Rosellas are far more common.  The most numerous species is the Red Wattlebird.  I have two cuckoos so far - Brush and Fantailed.  I look forward to adding more to my list.

My backyard

 Echidnas are common and I have a resident wombat who I have not yet met.  My bluetongue likes to sun himself beside the swimming pool.  I'm turning the pool into wetlands and I've changed the design to retain the bluetongue's bricks.  I have a frog pond too, decorated with pink waterlilies.  It is home to Pobblebonks, Common Eastern Froglets and at least one huge Spiny Crayfish.  Yesterday I found a dead blue frog, which I have not yet identified.

My frog pond

It truly is a lovely home and very different from my home in Kew.  Just two things prevent it from being perfect:  (1) the genuine fear of bushfire (I have a bunker); and (2) I cannot walk to the shops.

As I write, an Eastern Spinebill is playing in the garden, luring me outside.  I fear I may not get as much writing done here, as I did in Kew.

BIRDS OF ELTHAM

Having left Greensborough, I've spent the last couple of weeks in Eltham
There were three species I saw in Greensborough which I haven't seen in Eltham. They are Common Bronzewing, Dusky Moorhen and Rock Dove. There were six species I saw in Eltham that I did not see in Greensborough. They were Laughing Kookaburra, Little Corella, Spotted Pardalote, Crimson Roselle, Gang Gang Cockatoo and (disappointingly) Common Starling.

The number of Noisy Miners in Eltham is quite disturbing, and the lack of Silvereyes, thornbills and Eastern Spinebills is sad. Having said that I should point out that only twice did I actually go birding: most of my observations were made walking along Main Road, so I do not pretend that my list is in any way comprehensive.

MRS MOREAU'S WARBLER

I've just finished reading 'Mrs Moreau's Warbler, How Birds Got Their Names' by Stephen Moss. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I found the constant interruption of the narrative with footnotes in tiny print was a minor irritant.
Many ornithologists are mentioned and I am somewhat bemused at the omission of John Gould. Australia is mentioned fleetingly; the book is predominantly Anglocentric. Only on page 263 did I learn that the book was supposed to be about English bird names.

'The Times' is quoted on the cover:  'Stephen Moss unlocks a trove of folk history. . .Not a page goes by without at least one diverting fact.'

The 'diverting fact on page 115 is one that I have written about elsewhere. It concerns the derivation of the name storm petrol.  Moss quotes the late Professor W.B
 Lockwood who wrote 'The Oxford Book of British Bird NamesLondon, 1984) as saying that these tiny birds 'tap the water with their feet as they fly low over the surface of the sea. He (Lockwood) suggested that this "pitter-patter" action led to the name, though the OED. . . Demurs, suggesting that although the origins are now long lost, it may come from the sounds these bird(s) make while mating, or even their smell.'

I found this fascinating as I'd always believed patrels were named after Peter, because they walked on water like St Peter on the Sea of Galilee.

Moss goes on to attribute this theory to William Dampier in 'A voyage to New Holland, etc, in the year 1699.'  Moss asserts this is entirely spurious. He does say that this derivation has  been accepted in many other European  countries, namely Germany, Norway and Spain. Id love to know why Moss is so sure of his grounds.

This quibble notwithstanding, I'd happily recommend 'Mrs Moreau's Warbler to anyone with an interest in the history of ornithology and the naming of birds.

A WEEK IN GREENSBOROUGH

I've just spent a week in Greensborough. I didn't go birding, yet on my walks I saw 21
 species of birds and heard another three.

Greensborough is a very pleasant leafy suburb with lots of flowering eucalyptus. There are even more Noisy Miners and Rainbow Lorikeets than in Kew. Surprisingly there are significantly fewer Red Wattlebirds, and no Little Wattlebirds.

There are fewer exotics:  no sparrows, no starlings, no blackbirds and very few Common Mynas.  Rock Doves and Spotted Doves are in about the same numbers as Kew.

Little Ravens and magpie are as common as in Kew, Grey Butcherbirds are less common, Galahs are more common. I saw two species I've never seen on my walks in Kew:  Dusky Moorhen and Common Bronzewing. White-faced Herons and Australian King Parrots are far more common in Greensborough. I heard many Eastern Rosellas, but perhaps surprisingly, I didn't see one. I saw just a couple of Musk Lorikeets.

Now it will be interesting to see what birds I can see in Eltham.

GOODBYE TO KEW

After 26 years living in Kew, I'm off to leafy North Warrandyte.  I've done well over 1,000 daily walks from my Kew home (I only started in recent years) and my bird total for these walks is 54 species.  My house birdlist had another six species:  Kookaburra, Rufous and Golden Whistler, Rufous Fantail and (most exciting!) Tawny Frogmouth - all seen just once, and Song Thrush, which used to be a common resident over twenty years ago, but which hasn't been seen here this century.

Tawny Frogmouths - a lousy photo, but proof that they came.

One sad loss is the Willie Wagtail, which I used to be able to rely on on my north walk, but which hasn't put in an appearance for some years.  Another bird I used to see, but haven't seen since the invasion of Noisy Miners is the White-plumed Honeyeater.  They were common here in the 1990's.  Another 'new' bird to the district is the Crested Pigeon - not here when we moved in.  Silvereyes are now rare; they used to be common.

Just last week I added a new bird to my walk list:  a pair of Maned Ducks flew into a tree above my head on my south walk.  I had seen them years ago at the neighbours' pool, but never had they graced one of my walks.

Gang Gangs are always a favourite.  I see them on north walks, most often in April, but also in June and August.

Gang Gang photo by Ken Haines

Perhaps the most exciting bird on my walks was the Wedge-tailed Eagle - always a joy to see.  Although the Little Button-quail deserves a mention.  I'm sure the Budgerigar on a west walk was an escaped pet.  The Australian King Parrots were exciting and I hoped they'd stay around, but they did not.

So, it's goodbye to Kew.  I will miss the daily walks.  The terrain and footpaths around North Warrandyte are not quite so friendly.  However, I'm sure my birdlist will be longer.  I know there are Powerful Owls and Scarlet Honeyeaters on my property.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to get a total over 60 species.  I am confident it will not take 26 years.