Dodgy Drongos Twitchathon Report - Back to Basics

After last year’s Lake Cargelligo flop the Drongos decided that returning to the route we know best was the best way of trying to wrestle our way out of third place. A brief reccie to Nyngan confirmed this suspicion and on Twitchathon eve three of the team (the co-pilot, Max and I) gathered at the usual starting point ready for our pre-race time trial. The weather was feral and the birding rubbish (80 species) so our hopes for the main event were low to say the least.

Our Painted Honeyeater site

We woke to a glorious morning and after picking up our fourth member Robbie we headed out for some last minute oiling. As we cruised along the back roads I noticed a familiar looking bird perched above the road. Swinging the car around revealed a Ground Cuckoo-shrike! Further observations revealed a second bird and a nest!! What a corker to bag just before the race.

Diamond Firetail

As 4pm approached, a female White-winged Triller was spotted flying into a tall eucalypt and there it stayed, with four desperate observers straining their necks, until the alarm went off and that rather dull little girl became our first bird for the race. White-throated Gerygone, Brown Treecreeper, Diamond Firetail and Fuscous Honeyeater were the next to fall. Little Friarbird was heard and a Double-barred Finch flushed from the grass. Wedgies, Tree Martin, Bee-eater and Dusky Woodswallow were seen soaring above. Rufous Songlark were very vocal and a brief glimpse of a Turquoise Parrot was a relief. A well oiled pair of White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike on nest was our last sighting here.

Jakcy Winter

We zipped along picking up Little Raven, Banded Lapwing, Little Corella and Grey-crowned Babbler along the way. A Plum-headed Finch was fluked and nervous waiting finally revealed a Painted Honeyeater calling and a Singing Honeyeater feeding in mistletoe. A bit further up the road and two biggies fell, White-backed Swallow and Horsfield’s Bushlark. A White-winged Fairy-wren was seen in the usual place but we dipped on Yellow-throated Miner. A Spotted Harrier glided past and the Co-pilot somehow managed to hear a Cockatiel at a 100kph! Ground Cuckoo-shrike, Blue Bonnet and Zebra Finch were easily seen but we dipped on Red-capped Robin and Spotted Bowerbird.

Leard State Forest - future open cut mine

We entered Leard State Forest and quickly picked up a swag of western woodland species like Leaden and Restless Flycatcher, Varied Sittella, Speckled Warbler, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Brown-headed Honeyeater, Western Gerygone and Common Bronzewing. We then swung the car around and headed for Boggabri. We didn’t need to leave the main street to get our targets, Blackbird, Brown Honeyeater and Musk Lorikeet. With the sun nearly gone we made a dash for Gunnedah and with minutes to spare Pink-eared and Blue-billed Duck made the list.

Our night time drive was pretty uneventful with only the big three night birds recorded, Barn Owl, Southern Boobook and Tawny Frogmouth. Masked Lapwing and Cattle Egret were spot lit bringing our Saturday total to 114 species.

Bassian Thrush

Superb Lyrebird

After another uncomfortable night on the ground we awoke to a subdued dawn chorus but slowly the list started to grow. Pitta, Russet-tailed Thrush, Spectacled Monarch, Wompoo Fruit-dove, White-headed Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Catbird and Yellow-throated Scrubwren were heard and seen. A Red-browed Treecreeper was the highlight as we crossed over the ridge, where on the other side we saw Brush Turkey, Crimson Rosella and Bassian Thrush.

Phesant Coucal, Variegated Fairy-wren and Koel were recorded on the drive down to Dungog. Long-billed Corella was seen south of town. Clarence Town only revealed Scarlet Honeyeater, whilst Seaham came through with the goods….Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Nankeen Night Heron and Scaly-breasted Lorikeet. Green Wattle Creek only produced White-naped Honeyeater, not an easy bird to get during the Twitch.

Geoff proved quite difficult to locate in the Terrace and it wont be long before a new location might be needed. Musk Duck and Great-crested Grebe were seen at our ‘New Walka’. We arrived at Stockton Sandspit to find the tide still quite high so we decided to leave and come back in an hours time. Tattlers and Tereks were seen in Fern Bay and Golden Plovers along the Stocko foreshore.

Brown Quail

The Baths were exceptionally quiet with only Crested Tern, Sooty Oystercatcher and Wedge-tailed Shearwater seen. We then headed west to Hexham Swamp where the waders of the previous week had disappeared but Brown Quail and Little Egret were welcome sights. Ash Island was quite good and we managed some beauties like White-fronted Chat, Brown Songlark, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Osprey and Brown Goshawk.

Pied Oystercatcher

Back to the Sandspit and there were the waders! In a very quick space of time we saw Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Whimbrel, Red Knot, Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Pied Oystercatcher and Gull-billed Tern. It was at this point that a quick count put the wind in our sails….212!

Next was Lenaghans which produced Glossy Ibis, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Latham’s Snipe and Topknot Pigeon. Over the range we dipped on Jacana and most of the woodland birds we were relying on but Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters were present in numbers. We then drove to our One Bird Town where we saw Goldfinch. Our final stop was the Wetlands Centre….Magpie Goose, Wandering Whistling-duck, White-cheeked Honeyeater and our final bird for the day, Tawny Grassbird.

We had managed to equal our highest score of 223 species and raise over $600 for the Cowra Woodland.

Tyto season

Over the past 2 months I've spent a considerable amount of time hunting owls and other night birds. Most trips are unsuccessful but recently I've had a fair amount of luck in the area between Maitland and Barrington Tops. Just by driving the quieter back roads it is quite easy to pick up one or two species, like Barn Owl and Frogmouth. Having reached Barrington, it is possible to pick up several more species like Sooty Owl, Powerful Owl and Boobook.
My best so far was seeing Masked, Barn and Sooty Owls in the one night plus the always present Frogmouths.
Here are some recent pics.

Belated 2011 Twitchathon report

We Drongos are a stubborn lot. Over the years we’ve tended to stick to the same old route, with the same old time restrictions and even the same old petrol station stops. But 2011 saw a new era in Drongo thinking. After a bombed oiling trip on the Liverpool Plains, the captain and co-pilot jokingly played with the idea of starting further west. Of course this joke quickly turned into reality (after a quick session on Google maps) and after consulting with our team mates it was quickly decided to start in the bird rich mallee and sewage works of Lake Cargelligo (LC).

Twitching isn’t easy. We mere mortals require many hours of oiling before the race to ease our worries and maximise our chances of competing with the big boys. I must say that each year I step back and see this massive hurdle of 230 in front of us. We start sweating on the most common of species and praying to the birding gods for a few rarities to turn up. Luckily, with only a few days before the race we could see the common stuff and even had a few toughies tucked under our belts. Previous oiling trips had resulted in some staggering birds, including Spotless Crake, Red-backed Kingfisher, Painted Honeyeater, Spotted Bowerbird, Little Bittern, Wood Sandpiper, Black-eared Cuckoo, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Noisy Pitta and Orange Chat.

Whilst we rested on the shores of Lake Cargelligo, a slight glimpse of confidence entered my thoughts. With two hours until kick off we headed off to do our last bits of oiling. Firstly to our roadside spot where all the regulars were waiting for us, including masses of Brown Quail that seemed to be everywhere. We then headed to the Sewage works in search of something special to start our race on. We walked right round the ponds and found some goodies but it was the one Freckled Duck in amongst the hundreds of waterfowl that won out. We set the scope up so we wouldn’t lose her and after 45min of watching that damn bird paddle happily around the pond she was ticked as our first species. The list shot up quickly with Glossy Ibis, Black-fronted and Red-kneed Dotterel, Pink-eared Duck, Native-hen and Little Grassbird all being seen within seconds of each other. Baillon’s and Spotted Crake were great additions and bagging three ‘inland’ species of wader, Wood, Sharpie and Marsh Sandpiper, was a highlight. We left the works after 20min with roughly 30-40 species on the list, but dipping on Shoveler, Shelduck, Cockatiel and Buff-banded Rail was a real blow.Our road side spot resulted in few ticks with the Spotless Crake and Brown Quail no where to be seen! Luckily Maxie spotted some Whiskered Tern on the other side of the levy bank which we thought we’d dipped on. Heading back towards town a Red-backed Kingfisher was spotted on the wires with an Apostlebird feeding below. Blackbird, Feral Pigeon and Sparrow were the highlights as we drove through suburban LC.

Mallee Ringneck, Blue Bonnet and Brown Songlark had us stop/starting on the highway north but to our disappointment we dipped on Spotted Harrier and Yellow-billed Spoonie. At chat alley we had Orange Chat, White-winged Fairy-wren and Zebra Finch. Emu were spotted in the paddocks and Black-shouldered Kites were everywhere. As we entered the first patches of woodland woodswallows could be heard calling from high above, and when I say I mean HIGH! We could only make out White-brows but there would have certainly been Masks in amongst them. Little Friarbird and Striped Honeyeater were vocal.

We pulled up at the famous Wheat Field a little behind schedule but not before ticking Gilbert’s Whistler roadside. The mallee was dead. Every previous reccy had resulted in numerous species calling but of course it didn’t happen on race day. We paced and strained to hear anything and eventually we added Inland and Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Splendid Fairy-wren, White-winged Triller and White-fronted Honeyeater. We then continued further down the road a little but this only resulted in Red-capped Robin and Crested Bellbird. It was time to move on and to say the Drongos were a little shattered would have been an under statement.

We left the Wheat Field and headed towards Whoey Tank. A shout from the co-pilot had Bel the Subaru screaming to a halt in time to watch a male Chestnut Quail-thrush walk slowly off the road. A cracking bird that saw our spirits rise a little and Robbie Drongos life list creep ever higher. As we drove into Whoey, a pair of Shy Heathwren shot across the track but were missed by the two youngins in the back, our first proper miss for the race. Black, Spiny-cheeked and Singing Honeyeater and Southern Whiteface were the only notable species so we decided to spice things up a little by heading back to the Wheat Field. What a move! The male Quail-thrush was still on the road where we left him, allowing all of us fantastic views, and as we walked through the mallee Robbie Drongo found a Southern Scrub-robin quietly sitting nearby. Yellow-plumed Honeyeater were feeding in the taller Eucalypts but we still couldn’t hear any Western Gerygones. It was then decided that we should use the last remaining light driving back to LC in the hope of seeing Cockatiel and Spotted Harrier. As we hooned along, the co-pilot let out an almighty ‘FOWL! FOWL! FOWL!” and there on the side of the road was a magnificent Malleefowl, a tick for three of us. Robbie Drongo went diving into the boot to retrieve the co-pilots camera and several shots were taken before the bird calmly walked back into the mallee. We were so excited that eventually dipping on the Harrier and Cockatiel didn’t really matter and we sped off into the night with 109 species under our belt.

The night drive was long and tedious. The only night birds spotted were Barn Owls and these were few and far between. It wasn’t until we got to our rest stop some 6 hours later that we finally added our second and last night bird to the list, an Aust. Owlet-nightjar. Pallid Cuckoo called all through the night but in my groggy state I failed to notify the team when the Channel-bills started a rave in the wee small hours, a costly mistake.

We awoke to a pathetic dawn chorus in Goulburn River NP but the birds started trickling in slowly. Oriole and Grey Fantail were heard and a female Hooded Robin flew in for a closer look. As we headed south towards the river we started picking up some desired species like Superb Lreybird, Glossy Black-cockatoo, Dusky Woodswallow, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Double-barred Finch, Speckled Warbler, White-browed Babbler, Painted Button-quail and a whole swag of Honeyeaters (White-naped, Yellow-tufted, White-eared etc). We dipped on Plum-headed Finch, Black-eared Cuckoo, Diamond Firetail and Turquoise Parrot which were all seen two weeks before. Luckily however the Black-chinned Honeyeaters hadn’t moved and we quickly ticked them up.

We left Goulburn with a good total but now had a long stretch of almost birdless driving ahead of us. Horsfield’s Bushlark and Stubble Quail were calling along Ringwood Road, and we saw our first White-necked Heron nearby. It wasn’t until after Jerry’s Plains that we saw our first and only Wedge-tailed Eagles for the race.

A quick discussion about high tide times saw us changing our route and heading straight for the coast, which as it turned out was our biggest mistake of the race. Bypassing all our planned stops we headed for Stockton Sandspit only to find it very waderless. Stint, Red-capped Plover, Curlew, Little Egret and Pied Oystercatcher were all in the lagoon. Brown Honeyeater and Mangrove Gerygone called from the mangroves whilst Tattlers and Whimbrel were ticked in Fern Bay, but besides that we scored little else. Not even the sight of a partially coloured Golden Plover could brighten our spirits and with very dark storm clouds rolling in we held little hope of scoring big this year.

The storm hit us as we travelled down the freeway towards the Toronto exit. The rain was howling in from all directions and the decision was made to pull over and ride it out. After 10min we pushed on, crawling through the traffic until we eventually reached our rainforest spot at Brunkerville where the rain finally stopped and we starting ticking the limited rainforest species on offer. Brown Gerygone, Lewin’s Honeyeater and Black-faced Monarch were calling loudly and a Rufous Fantail spotted but the Pitta, Catbird and Bassian Thrush of the week before failed to show. Maxie Drongo not wanting to get his shoes wet in the rapidly rising creek decided on the barefooted birder approach which failed miserably and resulted in his team mates plucking the leeches from between his toes! We’re a more bonded team now.....

We pushed on towards Maitland getting a Yellow-billed Spoonbill along the way and hearing a Koel as we drove through Kurri. Walka Water Works was dead and we only added Great-crested Grebe and Red Wattlebird here. Goldfinch and Banded Lapwing were major dips on the floodplains but finally bagging Fuscous Honeyeater, Little Lorikeet and Shining Bronze-cuckoo at Green Wattle Creek slightly made up for that. Seaham produced Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Nankeen Night Heron, Tawny Grassbird and Chestnut Teal, but the Channel-billed Cuckoo was only seen by two in the group. Our last ticks before hitting the Wetlands Centre were Mallard and Little Wattlebird at Raymond Terrace and a single Grey-crowned Babbler feeding in someone’s front yard just north of town.

Rolling into the Wetlands with 30min still on the clock we ticked the obligatory Goose and Whistling-duck and finally managed to put White-browed Scrubbie on the list!!! We then made our way back to the centre where we settled in to go over the list. Sadly Robbie had not under counted and our end total was a very pitiful 215 species. We were shattered and it was quite a relief to hear we had snuck into third place.

Well done to all teams involved especially the Brewers who started the race near us and to the Dry-throated Buzzards for their Herculean effort. The Drongos thank all those who sponsored us. We managed to raise over $600 which we’re pretty chuffed about. Also a huge thanks to Huxtable Drongo for supplying the camping gear and to Lloyd Drongo for supplying his son.

Until next year,

Head Drongo

Yengo National Park

The following article appeared in the April edition of the Hunter Bird Obsevers Club newsletter.

Yengo has only been a new discovery of mine and therefore my knowledge of the area is pretty light. However, from the few visits I have made it has quickly turned into one of my favourite birding locations close to home (within 1.5hrs of Rutherford).

This large national park is located 45km south west of Cessnock and can be accessed via Laguna in the east or off the Putty Road in the west. The terrain is rough with many valleys and ridges which hosts fairly basic habitat types. As you wind your way up the Finchley Track from Laguna you pass through large amounts of rocky, dry eucalypt forest and this habitat dominates the area. According to the NPWS website there are remnant patches of rainforest in the deeper gullies and open woodland on the western side of the park. I have not experienced these habitats in Yengo.

The best birding I have so far found is around the Finchley lookout and the Aboriginal cultural site on the Finchley Track. There is a very basic camping ground nearby which only has a pit toilet for amenities. Within walking distance I have seen Spotted Quail-thrush, Rock Warbler, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Cicadabird, Gang-gang Cockatoo and Turquoise Parrot.

Driving around the park should produce Common Bronzewing, Wonga Pigeon, Painted Button-quail, Lyrebird and various other ‘roadside’ species. Various honeyeaters can be found in the area with the most common being Yellow-faced, Yellow-tufted and White-eared.

I haven’t managed much night time birding but have seen White-throated Nightjar and heard Boobook. I believe there are records of Barking Owl within the park and I wouldn’t be surprised if all of the Hunter’s forest owls are in there somewhere.

Unfortunately that is about the limit of my knowledge. My advice would be to get out and start exploring the area. I’m keen to continue visiting Yengo in the hope of finding Glossy Black-cockatoo, Masked Owl and who knows, maybe a Grey Currawong.