The Twitcher

Queensland Trip Report

2011-08-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Nick Livanos, Rob Kilkelly and I had planned a two week birding trip around western Queensland incorporating Mt. Isa, Bedourie and Noccundra. Unfortunately for us the channel country experienced 3 days of rain which closed several roads in the area and had us changing the route mid trip. We decided instead to hit the coast, visiting Karumba, Etty Bay and the rest of the Qld coast down to Nerang. We drove 7500km and saw 280 species.
Our route changed dramatically from the one we posted on birding_aus several weeks ago:
Day 1: Maitland - Mitchell
Day 2: Mitchell - Winton
Day 3: Winton area (Lark Quarry and Opalton)
Day 4: Winton - Mt. Isa
Day 5: Mt. Isa (Lady Loretta and Mica Creek)
Day 6: Mt. Isa (Lake Moondarra)
Day 7: Mt. Isa
Day 8: Mt. Isa - Karumba
Day 9: Karumba (Ferryman cruise)
Day 10: Karumba - Etty Bay (Cumberland Dam and
Day 11: Etty Bay - Sarina (Mission Beach and Tyto Wetlands)
Day 12: Sarina - Nerang (St. Lawrence and Inskip Point)
Day 13: Nerang (Mt. Tamborine, Victoria Point and O'Reilly's)
Day 14: Nerang (O'Reilly's)
Day 15: Nerang - Maitland

I could literally write for days about every awesome location we visited and every feathered friend we saw but I'll try to keep the day reports as short as possible. I've also added our Bird of Prey (BOP) counts at the end.

Day 1: A 950km drive resulted in very little birding being done outside the car. Nankeen Kestrel were very plentiful with 99 seen while driving. It was amazing how they vanished once we got so close to 100.
Our river side lunch stop in St. George added Dusky and White-breasted Woodswallows to the list and a few Red-winged Parrots.
The really cool birding started after St. George when we started seeing Pale-headed Rosella, Red-capped Robin, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Aust. Bustard, Spotted Bowerbird and a single White-browed Treecreeper. Is this at their eastern limit?

Day 2: We headed off early and didn't spare the horses (or speeding fine) as we wanted some birding in Bladensburg before dark. Our 100th Kestrel was ticked up and a Little Eagle was sighted sitting in the sun. Amazingly our first Black Kite was seen at the Giant Meat Ant in Augathella. Do they migrate north in Winter?
We managed two hours in Bladensburg before the sun went down. We saw 20+ Spinifex Pigeon on our first stop but couldn't get close enough for a pic. Further up the road we found a great patch with lots of activity. Budgerigars, Black-faced Woodswallow, Rufous Songlark, Zebra Finch, Peaceful Dove, Singing Honeyeater and Aust. Bustard were all seen together. Our last bird for the day was a single Diamond Dove.
Day 3: We arrived at the Lark Quarry CP just after dawn in the hope of hearing Grasswrens before the wind picked up. Unfortunetly we couldn't find any but did stumble upon three RUFOUS-CROWNED EMU-WREN. What a stunning bird! So much richer in colour then the Southern EW we're accustomed to. Grey-headed Honeyeater and Hooded Robin were seen nearby.
Having dipped on the Grasswrens we decided to head south east to Opalton where they're apparently more common. Around the hamlet we saw a fair sized flock of Crimson Chat, more Grey-headed Honeyeater, a Little Button-quail, Crested Bellbird and a single STRIATED GRASSWREN! He allowed great views as he called from low in a mallee eucalypt and bounced between spinifex clumps. My Grasswren virginity had been broken and I liked it!!
We then commenced the drive back to Winton via Bladensburg seeing White-backed Swallow, Red-backed Kingfisher and more Bustards.
Day 4: As we drove north of Winton large numbers of Horsfield's Bushlark appeared. Seven Brolgas were seen feeding beside the road and a pair of Black Falcon circled over head.
We passed through Cloncurry and stopped briefly at Chinaman Creek Dam. A large flock of mud gathering Fairy Martins allowed a very close approach which delighted the photographer in us. Double-barred Finches and Variegated Fairy-wrens were seen in the water side vegetation. Then at once Nick and I asked each other "did you hear Painteds?" and sure enough there were 10-15 PAINTED FIRETAILS preening in the scrub.
After booking into our accommodation in Mt. Isa we quickly ducked out to Sybella and Mica Creeks hoping for Kalkadoon Grasswren. They didn't show but we did add Varied Lorikeet and Collared Sparrowhawk to the trip list.

Day 5: We started the morning at the water tanks at the end of Pamela Street, Mt. Isa. Varied Lorikeets and Rainbow Bee-eater zoomed overhead and an Owlet-nightjar called once from his well hidden hollow. Then we saw movement. A small dark bird had jumped up onto the spinifex and disappeared quickly. Nick and Rob swear they saw a long stiff tail so we patiently wait for the bird to reappear. Then suddenly the bird reappears right in front of us....a SPINIFEXBIRD! Not what we were hoping for but still a much needed tick.We then drove north to the famous Lady Loretta mining road in the hope of seeing Carpentarian Grasswren. We couldn't find the cairn (at first) so just relied on information given to us and the two creeks described in the new Thomas & Thomas. The area was alive with birds. Black-tailed Treecreeper was first to be seen closely followed by Grey-fronted Honeyeater, Painted Firetail, Spinifexbird and Little Button-quail. After 2hrs of searching we heard a grasswren call. We slowly advanced on the bird until Rob spotted him quite high in a eucalypt. We advanced some more and after a bit of cat and mouse we eventually had great views of a single CARPENTARIAN GRASSWREN.
We then headed back to Mica Creek where we once again dipped on Kalkadoon but saw Black-tailed Treecreeper, Painted Firetail, Grey-headed and Grey-fronted Honeyeater and another Spinifexbird.
Last stop for the day was Pamela Street again. We didn't expect to see anything so all our cameras were left in the car to loosen the load. Of course what happens when cameras are left behind....the bird you want appears. Right beside the first water tank and only metres from the busy walking track there were three KALKADOON GRASSWRENS hopping around the rocks. We had great views as they eventually flew low across the track and down into the valley below. Rob had run back to the car to retrieve the cameras and we managed distant record shots.
Day 6: We spent the day at Lake Moondarra. What a great spot! We recorded 80 species and added a few to our trip and year lists. Highlights included: 50+ Painted Firetail, 7 Pictorella Mannikin, Spinifexbird, Great Bowerbird, Spotted Bowerbird, Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Silver-crowned Friarbird, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Red-backed Kingfisher, Varied Lorikeet, Spinifex Pigeon, Comb-crested Jacana, Brolga, Black-necked Stork, Glossy Ibis and Green Pygmy-goose.Day 7: We had seen the three species we wanted to target in the Isa so we decided to target the Cloncurry subspecies of the Aust. Ringneck. We were told to search eucalypt lined waterways and we saw a pair at the first spot we tried! Beautiful pastel colours.
Nick and I then headed back to Lake Moondarra to try for some photos but the clouds had rolled in and the wind had picked up. We still saw some good birds including 70+ Varied Lorikeet, Crimson Chat, White-winged Fairy-wren and Silver-crowned Friarbird.Day 8: Left Mt. Isa before dawn and saw nothing until we were well past Cloncurry. At one point we had 8-10 Brown Songlark on the road, I've never seen so many in the one spot. Parrots were very common along the Gulf Development Rd with Cockatiel, Budgerigar, Varied Lorikeet and Red-winged Parrot all in good numbers. We eventually started seeing more and more Brolgas along the road and at Normanton we found a pair of Sarus Crane. Radjah Shelducks were also seen here and a Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo heard.We booked into our accommodation at Karumba and headed to the mangroves. Yellow White-eye were very common and the occasional Red-headed Honeyeater shot past. Mangrove Gerygone called constantly.
In the ratty looking scrub behind the mangroves we stumbled upon a fair sized flock of Star Finches feeding in the seeding grasses. The huge majority of birds were juveniles which was nice to see but luckily for Rob he got to tick a good coloured male.Just before dark we headed to Karumba Point where we watched the sunset over the mudflats and ticked up two very obliging MANGROVE GREY FANTAIL, Nick's 600th species.

Day 9: Yellow Oriole was heard at the caravan park which was a bit of a surprise when we referred to their distribution maps in Slater and Pizzey. Anyone know if they're regular here?
After a fruitless attempt at Zitting Cisticola we boarded the Ferryman Cruise with Glenn and Alison. We couldn't have asked for a better morning. Brahminy Kite, Osprey and Sea-eagle soared overhead as we went from one patch of mangroves to the next. We had excellent views of Mangrove Grey Fantail, 4 Mangrove Golden Whistler, 3 Mangrove Robin, 4 Northern Fantail, 2 Little Bronze-cuckoo and 4 WHITE-BREASTED WHISTLERS! We had fantastic views of both male whistlers which really made the trip.
The afternoon was spent walking across grassy floodplains looking for cisticola. We dipped but did score 15+ Brown Quail and 4 RED-CHESTED BUTTON-QUAIL.
At the Karumba golf course we watched 100+ Red-tailed Black-cockatoo coming into roost at dusk and later that night a pair of Barking Owls calling to each other.Day 10: Heading off early paid off when two Spotted Nightjar flushed off the Gulf Development Road. Two Squatter Pigeon (race tick for me) and four Ground Cuckoo-shrike were seen east of Croydon.Cumberland Dam is a must return spot for us. We only spent 15min at a small puddle of water in the creek bed but managed to see White-eared Masked Finch, Black-rumped Black-throated Finch, Banded Honeyeater, Yellow-tinted Honeyeater and the northern Brown Treecreeper. Three race ticks in the one spot, not bad.We continued east and didn't stop until we hit the southern end of the Atherton Tablelands. Aust. Swiftlet were seen hawking south of Millaa Millaa. At a road side stop in the Wooroonooran National Park we found a very active feeding flock comprising of White-eared and Spectacled Monarch, Little and Bower's Skrike-thrush, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Grey Whistler and Varied Triller.
My main aim for the day was to see a Southern Cassowary. I missed this species last year when we were in the tropics and I was the only one in the car not to have seen one so I was pretty damn keen. Boy wasn't I surprised when we pulled up at Etty Bay to be confronted by a male CASSOWARY on the beach in front of us! What a moment. We saw three birds all up. Dusky Honeyeater was seen nearby.

Day 11. Our first stop for the day was Mission Beach. Cyclone Yasi has caused horrific damage to the Lacey Creek rainforest and bird numbers were pretty low, although it did make spotting a Wompoo Fruit-dove in the leafless trees extremely easy. We saw Rufous Fantail, Grey Whistler, Black Butcherbird and Azure Kingfisher here and heard a Noisy Pitta.
Tyto wetlands at Ingham was our next stop. Yellow Honeyeaters were everywhere. Crimson Finch and Red-backed Fairy-wren added a splash of colour to the greenery. I really wanted to see White-browed Robin again but it wasn't to be so we settled with Little Bronze-cuckoo, Forest Kingfisher, Fairy Gerygone, Leaden Flycatcher and two White-browed Crake. A Buff-banded Rail was seen crossing the carpark at the information centre.
Other birds seen on the drive south included Pacific Baza, Black-necked Stork, Aust. Bustard and Pied Oystercatcher.
Day 12. Its always nice when travelling the boring Bruce Hwy to stop at St. Lawrence to tick up the resident Cotton Pygmy-geese. Such cute little ducks. Pallid Cuckoo and Horsfield's Bronze were heard calling nearby.
Pacific Baza and Square-tailed Kite were both seen as we entered Rockhampton.
We were already pushed for time but decided a side step to Inskip Point was in order to search for Black-breasted Button-quail, a tick for Rob. After 45min walking around the point Nick spotted a pair 'circling' a few metres in front of us. They allowed a fairly close approach but managed to keep a few twigs between us and them. We were all stoked with our views.
By this stage it was getting dark and we made the last minute decision to try for Ground Parrot at Cooloola. Best move we could have made. As the sun sank below the horizon 2-3 birds started calling. Unfortunately there was no hope of seeing them in the dark so we decided to leave. As we drove up the track a bright green, long tailed parrot flew in front of the headlights and Nick had ticked up his long time bogey bird. What a fluke! We decided to try our luck again so we briefly played the Grass Owl call and almost immediately had two birds flying low over the heath in front of us! Three cracking birds in two hours birding, doesn't get any better.

Day 13. We started the day at Witches Falls at North Tamborine and it didn't take us long to find a single ALBERT'S LYREBIRD feeding beside the track. Noisy Pitta, Wonpoo Fruit-dove and Fan-tailed Cuckoo were also recorded here.
We then drove to Halloran Point in an attempt to see the South Island Pied Oystercatcher recently reported there. We arrived at the right time with the tide rising quickly but only managed to see Pied Oystercatchers. The pies and tarts we had for lunch while searching were well worth the trip.
We ended the day at O'Reillys guest house. Whilst waiting for night to fall we did the beginning of the Border Track and were amazed at how tame the birds were. Yellow Robin, Scrubwrens and whipbird foraged under our feet.
We tried for Marbled Frogmouth on the main road down from the guest house and failed although we did hear two birds calling and glimpsed one. Unfortunately not a tickable look. We did see a Southern Boobook at Canungra so the night wasn't a complete loss.
Day 14: We decided to have a relaxing start to the day and didn't get to O'Reillys until 11am. We watched the free flight raptor show and had lunch in the restaurant....completely not like us at all!!! We must be getting old...or our lists are getting too big. We wandered around and took lots of pics of Wonga Pigeon, King Parrot, Logrunner, Yellow-throated and Large-billed Scrubwrens and Fan-tailed Cuckoo until once again we were standing in the rainforest at night.
We didn't get a response at the spot we had two Froggies the night before so we continued on and at our second spot got an instant response. Its amazing how busy the O'Reilly's road is at night when there are a pair of Frogmouths very close by!! After what seemed like an eternity Rob caught a beautiful MARBLED FROGMOUTH in the spotlight and all got fantastic views until another bloody car come alone. Much celebration was had and for Nick and I it was our 12th and final tick for the trip.
Day 15: Home time. Bugger. Pretty boring trip down the Pacific Hwy. Highlights included two Brolga north of Grafton, one Green Pygmy-goose at Smith Lake (NSW tick) and a few Brahminy Kites along the road.
Our last stop for the trip was at Cattai Wetlands north of Taree where Rob ticked up Southern Emu-wren (his 54th and final tick), we put Forest Raven on the year list and four Forest Kingfishers put on the Hunter Valley list.

BOP counts: Maitland - Mt. Isa - Etty Bay - Maitland.

Black-shouldered Kite = 24
Pacific Baza = 2
Black Kite = 558
Square-tailed Kite = 1
Whistling Kite = 174
Collared Sparrowhawk = 2
Grey Goshawk = 1
Brahminy Kite = 14
Osprey = 3
White-bellied Sea-Eagle = 7
Little Eagle = 3
Wedge-tailed Eagle = 29
Spotted Harrier = 1
Black Falcon = 2
Brown Falcon = 90
Nankeen Kestrel = 186
Australian Hobby = 11

Barking Owl = 2
Southern Boobook = 1
Eastern Grass Owl = 2
Tawny Frogmouth = 3
Marbled Frogmouth = 2
Spotted Nightjar = 2
Aust. Owlet-nightjar = 1

Unidentified = 60
TOTAL = 1181

Also: Australian Bustard = 31 (No reason for counting, just a cool bird!)

Old pics

2011-07-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

Haven't been out birding much lately due to a busted foot. I've been keeping it rested and its recovering nicely (phew!). Due to this I haven't posted a blog in ages. Today I though I'd share some pics I took before my little accident.
Locations include Borah TSR, near Manilla, Jerry's Plains, Walka Water Works in Maitland, Ash Island and Werakata National Park, near Kitchener.
All pics were taken with my canon 7D and my L100-400mm canon lense. No flashed was used and playback used in some.
My favourite shot is the Red-capped Robin as I've had no lucky with this species in the past. The Fan-tailed Cuckoo pic is also my best cuckoo pic.

Swift Parrots

2011-07-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Stowie and I made a quick trip to Wyong to get some photos of Swift Parrots. Unfortunately the weather didn't come to the party with constant drizzle and dark skies making photography difficult. The other challenge was the distance between us and the birds. The Swifties tended to feed very high in the Spotted Gums, only occasionally coming down low enough for the camera to focus on them.
Another factor that was against us was their flightiness whenever a Noisy Miner or Pied Currawong dove into their tree. Luckily they'd just circle around for a while before landing and feeding again.
They were totally unfazed by us and would often land in the tree above.
Attached are a few terrible pics but as this is a photo tick for me I'm still happy with them. Hopefully I'll get better pics soon.

Dubbo/Macquarie Marshes Trip Report

2011-04-03T18:33:00.001-07:00

Rob and I had a very successful trip out west last week, spending 2 nights in Dubbo with a day trips to the flooded Macquarie Marshes and Dubbo Zoo. We saw 120+ species for the trip, Rob got 17 ticks.
We left Maitland Sunday afternoon after work and made the leisurely 4hr drive to Dubbo, not seeing anything exciting on the way. White-breasted Woodswallows and Red-rumped Parrot greeted us in town.
Next morning we awoke at 5am and headed off to the Marshes. As Rob slept, I watched the sunrise over the Warrumbungles. Birds started to appear from every direction with many Blue Bonnets on the road. We stopped for a small group of Black-faced Woodswallows and soon had Ground Cuckoo-shrike (eventually seeing 10 birds for the day) and Horsfield's Bushlark. Emu, Mallee Ringnecks, Cockatiel and Red-winged Parrots showed well.We reached the first bit of roadside water and wow! Birds everywhere! Magpie Geese, Plumed Whistling-duck, Pink-eared Duck, Great, Intermediate and Little Egrets, White-necked, White-faced and Nankeen Herons, 3 species of Grebe, Black Swan, Stilts, Red-kneed Dotterel and Royal Spoonbills. Darter and Cormorants were constant in the sky. What an amazing sight. Little Grassbird and Reed Warbler were seen/heard in the reeds and a Sacred Kingfisher watched over all.
As we continued on along the Gibson Way we constantly flushed Egrets, Herons and ducks from roadside ditches and puddles. Native-hens started appearing and we probably saw well over a 100 birds all up, all juveniles.
Bush birds were light on until we hit the more wooded roadsides. Yellow-throated Miner, Singing Honeyeater, Southern Whiteface, Weebill, Mistletoebird, Yellow Robin, Hooded Robin, Jacky Winter, White-browed Woodswallow, and Plum-headed and Double-barred Finches were all ticked.
Overhead there were a few raptors but not in the numbers I expected. We saw Wedgies, Swamp Harrier, Whistling and Black Kite, Black-shouldered Kite, Little Eagle, Black and Brown Falcon, Brown Goshawk and Kestrel.
More water birds were spotted including Glossy Ibis and Brolga. A Spotted Crake ventured out into the open and gave great views.
We started to head north to Carinda where we saw Chestnut-crowned and White-browed Babbler, Dusky Woodswallow, Spotted Bowerbird, White-winged and Variegated Fairy-wren and loads more of the common stuff. Around 'The Mole'? homestead we saw Wandering Whistling-duck.
Our final stop for the day was between the Gibson Way and Warren where we saw 3 Painted Button-quail and Chestnut-rumped Thornbill.

The next morning we headed off to the zoo and had a wonderful time riding their bikes around the 4km track, which we did twice! Most of the animals showed really well, especially the Giraffes, Hippos and Siamangs. In the afternoon we practically had the place to ourselves which made for a very relaxing experience. The zoo is set amongst cypress woodland so there were plenty of birds to see between enclosures. Highlights included Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Double-barred Finch, Little Eagle and White-browed Babbler.
We left the zoo very happy and made our way back home ready for work/uni the next morning.

Walka Water Works, Maitland

2011-03-12T02:55:00.000-08:00

I regularly visit this wonderful location and thought I'd share a few pics I've snapped there recently. The lake used to supply Maitland's water but hasn't served this purpose in decades. Its now home to many species of waterfowl (including Musk, Blue-billed and Pink-eared Ducks), 3 species of Grebe and many of the more common water birds.
The edges are lined with reeds and during the warmer months Crakes and Rails are regularly seen. All three species of Bittern have been reported here but rarely.
Eucalypt woodland surrounds the lake on two sides with open agricultural land on the other sides. These mixed habitats result in a very large species list for Walka with 50+ species often seen in a visit. On one occasion I did observe 90 species in a day.Bush birds are plentiful with Superb Fairy-wren, Red-browed Finch and Thornbills being the most commonly seen. Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo, Grey Goshawk, Spangled Drongo and Scarlet Honeyeater are also regularly recorded.The three km loop track around the lake is recommended as it passes through a few habitats. An early morning walk through the eucalypt covered hillside could turn up Variegated Fairy-wren, White-throated Gerygone, Leaden Flycatcher and Brown-headed Honeyeater.

Spotted Quail-thrush

2011-03-11T00:15:00.000-08:00

Had the pleasure of photographing this spectacular male Quail-thrush in the Kitchener section of the Werakata National Park, south of Cessnock.
I first observed him flushing from the track and after some patience and playback he eventually walked right up to me and started feeding. He was very aware of the playback but wasn't at all concerned. As the tape played the typical high pitched contact call he would respond softly and continue feeding.
At one stage he froze and dropped to the ground. As I was wondering what this behaviour meant a Brown Falcon shot through the bush and continued on. Almost immediately the quail-thrush realised the danger had passed and continued on.
Eventually I had to get moving (mainly due to my legs being covered in ants). As I walked away the bird followed for a bit before slipping back into the thicker vegetation.
Other birds seen on my Kitchener walk included Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Jacky Winter, Speckled Warbler, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Spotted Pardalote, Rufous Whistler, Peaceful Dove and Rainbow Bee-eater.

Rufous Whistlers at Broke

2010-12-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

Spent Wednesday afternoon at Broke Common in the Hunter Valley snapping anything that moved. The late rays of sun were beautiful and the male Whistlers proved to be very co-operative.
Other birds in the area included Satin Bowerbird, Striped Honeyeater, White-throated Gerygone, Olive-backed Oriole, Bar-shouldered Doves, Dollarbird and Sacred Kingfisher.

The last image is heavily photoshopped as I screwed up the exposure. Very pleased with my efforts and another trip to Broke is planned soon.

Cairns Trip Report

2010-12-10T01:21:00.000-08:00

On the 19th November, Nick & Liz Livanos, Rob and I flew off to Cairns for a 5 night tickathon. Nick and I had previously visited the north but for the two tropics virgins it proved to be a real boost to their life lists.

19th Nov: Our flight was delayed so we didn't arrive in Cairns until late but as it was pelting down it didn't really matter. The first northern birds for the trip were the many Pied Imperial Pigeons flying around the streets. That night after our gourmet pizza on the Eplanade we spotted Nankeen and Striated Herons, Common Greenshank and Royal Spoonbill in the dark.

20th Nov: We awoke early and headed for the mangrove boardwalk just south of the airport. On our drive there we saw Bush Stone-curlew, Metallic Starling and Helmeted Friarbird in the suburbs. The mangroves were silent until a pair of Collared Kingfishers started calling nearby and we got excellent views. Then a pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds darted through. At the end of the walk we could hear a Mangrove Robin calling mournfully and was easily called in with a similar whistle. Black Butcherbird, Shining Flycatcher, Varied Honeyeater, Aust. Swiftlet and White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike were seen on the walk back to the car.
Rob and I then dropped the other two off at the wharf where they were catching a barrier reef cruise. 100+ Swiftlets were flying low over the street trees. Yellow Figbirds were very common.
Cairns cemetary was a great place to go birding. The bush was alive with Yellow, Brown-backed, White-throated and Dusky Honeyeaters, Varied Triller, Drongo and a single Fig-parrot whilst amongst the headstones Bee-eaters hawked, Stone-curlew hid and Peaceful Doves wandered. A Grey Goshawk flew over and Nutmeg Mannikins flushed from the grass.
Kuranda was our next port of call with touristy stuff to be done. Whilst walking around the markets and attractions we spotted more Fig-parrots, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Spotted Catbird, Macleay's Honeyeater and a Barred Cuckoo-shrike. We also had the best supreme pizza I've ever eaten at the cyber cafe.We then headed back down the mountain to pick up Nick and Liz. Crimson Finch and Chestnut-breasted Mannikin were in the cane fields north of Cairns.
That afternoon was spent searching for Dowitcher on the Esplanade to no avail. Luckily there were still heaps of waders to scan through and we quickly added Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Whimbrel, Grey-tailed Tattler, Terek Sandpiper, Great Knot, Sharp-tailed, Curlew and Broad-billed Sandpipers, Red-necked Stint, Greater Sand, Lesser Sand and Pacific Golden Plovers, and Little and Eastern Reef Egret.

21st Nov: We started the day in torrential rain at Centenary Lakes. Birding was very hard with few birds being seen. Large-billed Gerygone feed low in the mangroves and more Nutmegs feeding in the grass. The highlight however was seeing a magnificent Great-billed Heron up close and personal. It actually flew towards us and landed in the mangrove opposite. Due to the rain none of us had our cameras but we had all scored a massive tick.
We then revisited the cemetary, only adding Yellow Oriole to the list.On our way to Atherton Rob ticked off Forest Kingfisher and Intermediate Egret. Brilliant male Red-backed Fairy-wrens sat on the wire fences. At Cathedral Fig Tree we had Grey Fantail, Large-billed Scrubwren, Grey-headed Robin, Little Shrike-thrush and a pair of nesting Chestnut-breasted Mannikins.We stopped for lunch at Lake Barrine where we got smashing pics of Macleay's Honeyeater. A raft of several hundred Great-crested Grebe sat on the lake.A pair of Baza and a Tree Kangaroo were seen near the Malanda Waterfall. We had a wonderful hour further down the road at the Curtain Fig Tree. Everyone got great views of Victoria's Riflebird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Pied Monarch, Pale-yellow Robin and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater on nest.We then spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find Sarus Cranes between Malanda and Atherton. Buff-banded Rails were common along the road, as were Magpie Geese and Plumed Whistling-ducks. Black-shouldered Kite, Black Kite, Nankeen Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon patrolled the roads. The only birds we weren't seeing were cranes!Our last attempt was Bromfield Swamp right on dusk.....nothing! We were standing around feeling very sorry for ourselves when two Sarus Cranes flew in and landed in front of us. Lovely views through the scope and a great way to end the day. The drive to Julateen was done in the dark.

22nd Nov: Kingfisher Park. Almost immediately Rob found a beautiful Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher sitting on the clothes line. Pale-headed Robin, Macleay's Honeyeater, Spectacled Monarch and Emerald Dove were the most common birds around our room.
We then headed up the Mt. Lewis Rd. A Paradise-kingfisher flashed across the road and as we searched for Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo along the road we had awesome views of 4 Chowchillas calling and displaying, and a pair of Superb Fruit-dove high in the canopy. A Russet-tailed Thrush flushed from the road.
On the dam walk from the top 'parrot finch' clearing we easily found Bower's Shrike-thrush, Atherton Scrubwren, Topknot Pigeon, Mountain Thornbill and a male Fernwren calling from his exposed branch. The biggest bummer/highlight for the trip was when Rob startled a Southern Cassowary from the track!!! Unfortunetly the rest of us were too far behind to see the bird so Rob scored himself an impressive first attempt tick.
Back at the Park and we finally saw a Graceful Honeyeater feeding in the Grevillas. Very hard to tell apart from the Yellow-spotted Honeyeater. Luckily I got pics.
After some advise from Keith (the park owner) we headed south of Julateen and on our second stop we had Lovely Fairy-wrens, 3 males. Also at this location we had Cicadabird, Leaden Flycatcher, Pheasant Coucal, Graceful Honeyeater and Blue-winged Kookaburra.
Abbatoir Swamp was lousy for water birds but did have Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Northern Fantail and Pale-headed Rosella in the carpark.
Around Mt. Molloy we ticked up Great Bowerbird, Red-winged Parrot, more Rosellas and a Koel. Helmeted Guineafowl were roadside at Mareeba, as were Double-barred Finches and another Coucal.
Last stop of the day was at Lake Mitchell and in the late afternoon light we saw Green Pygmy-goose, Comb-crested Jacana, Black-necked Stork, Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo, Little Friarbird and Grey-crowned Babblers.
On arriving back at the Park we joined the spotlighting tour and had lovely views of Barn Owl, Striped Possum, Green Ringtailed Possum, Northern Bandicoot, Fawn-footed Melomys and White-tailed Rat.

23rd Nov: We started the day on the lower rainforests of Mt. Lewis. Nick finally saw a Pied Monarch and we came very close to a calling Noisy Pitta. Wompoo Fruit-dove, Catbird and Paradise-kingfisher called regularly. The rain had started to become more frequent and we spent a bit of time sheltering in the car. Between showers however we could hear a Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo calling and after much patience we finally scopped one high in the canopy. We shared the moment with a local bird guide and his customers. A great moment.
Coming down off the mountain we stopped at a little creek that looked ideal for Boatbill and within a minute of playing their call a pair flew in straight to the source and showed off nicely for the cameras.The rest of the afternoon was spent around the park watching Pacific Baza on nest with two chicks, Fig-parrot and wonderful views of Paradise-kingfishers.

24th Nov: We sadly had to leave Kingfisher Park and head back to Cairns for our flight. We dipped on Cassowary around Kuranda and Papuan Frogmouth at Centenary Lakes. The rain was now falling heavily again so we called it quits.
We recorded around 200 species on our 5 night stay in the north, 11 of which were ticks for me.

Dodgy Drongos 2010 Twitchathon Report...pt 2

2010-11-10T02:26:00.000-08:00

We made good time as we headed across the Liverpool Plain and into the Hunter, swinging north as we hit Singleton. At this stage we still hadn't recorded a single night bird except for a very early Owlet-nightjar calling in Leard . It wasn't until a few kilometres south of Greford that we saw our only Barn Owl for the night flying beside the road. At my usual pit stop in Gresford we heard a distant Boobook calling and a bit further up the road we saw our first Frogmouth. Our final night bird was a real hoot, a Powerful Owl calling from the hills. What a successful night run!
The next day we awoke to a some what subdued dawn chorus in the rainforest. Black-faced and Spectacled Monarch started early with Golden Whistler, Brush Cuckoo, Rose Robin, Superb Lyrebird and Yellow Robin soon kicking in. Russet-tailed Thrush and Noisy Pitta called close to where we slept. Trudging through the now very overgrown track, with leeches marching up our legs like battalions on the warpath, we ticked White-browed Scrubwren, Topknot Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Satin Bowerbird and Crested Shrike-tit.
Heading towards Barrington we ticked Bassian Thrush on the road and at our 'hill top' spot we bagged our only Brown Thornbill and Eastern Spinebill for the race! We also found one of our highlight species, a single Red-browed Treecreeper. Brush Turkey, Bell Miner and Yellow-faced Honeyeater made the list as we hit the old guest house. Yellow-throated Scrubwren and Grey Goshawk were added as we avoided 2 other twitching teams, busy spot!
Leaving with rainforest we were a little disappointed to miss so many pigeons and doves but still pleased overall. This stretch of road to Dungog is generally pretty slow bird wise but Torresian Crow, Pheasant Coucal and Tawny Grassbird kept spirits high. Dungog revealed Red Wattlebird and Rainbow Lorikeet....where have those White-headed Pigeons gone!!!Our Clarence Town spot was alive with bird noise. White-naped and Scarlet Honeyeaters in the canopy and a distant Shining Bronze were great finds. Seaham was next and besides the initial rush of Blue-faced Honeyeater, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet and Spotted Dove not much was happening, no night herons or snipe.
Things were really starting to slow up now with no new species being added at Green Wattle Creek. Banded Lapwing and Cisticola were on the flood plain and Goldfinches called on the Maitland back roads. Walka was deadsville for us. A few Great-crested Grebe, the common waterfowl and Reed Warbler....hmmm probably should have oiled that a bit better.
We added Yellow-tufted and White-cheeked Honeyeater, Buff-rumped Thornbill and Variegated Fairy-wren at Kurri. It was at this stage our race fell to bits a little. A complete lack of oiling in the lower wetlands saw us heading east. In hindsight a trip to more bush/rainforest would have been more productive. Live and learn I guess.
From our vantage point on Lenaghan's Drive we could see Straw-necked Ibis, Great Egret, Whistling Kite and two Chestnut-breasted Mannikins as they whizzed past us. Little Grassbird and Brown Goshawk at Pambalong.We dipped on Brahminy Kite at Raymond Terrace but did see Caspian Tern, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Mallard, White-breasted Woodswallow, Nankeen Night Heron and Little Wattlebird. Hexham Swamp was a complete waste of time with no birds added, although Rob did get his best looks of Sea-eagle and Great Egret. Ash Island was a one bird wonder with Mangrove Gerygone calling from the.....mangroves.
Newcastle was next and what a wonderful 15min we had. Short-tailed, Wedge-tailed and Fluttering Shearwater were all very close to shore. Crested, Common and Little Terns patrolled and roosted on the rockshelf. Turnstones and a Whimbrel camouflaged themselves beautifully in amongst the rocks, unlike the ' I don't give a toss' Sooty Oystercatchers.Off to Stocko with team moral very high. Unlike last year we actually had something to look at on the spit despite the constant disturbance from fishermen. Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits dominated with Red Knot and Curlew Sandpiper in lesser numbers. Eastern Curlew, Red-capped Plover, a Golden Plover and Pied Oystercatchers all sat in the lagoon. Two non-breeding Gull-billed Terns gave a wonderful flyby show. Tereks and Tattlers in Fern Bay.
Now this is really where we fell to pieces. Off we went to Awabakal (why!) where our only tick were New Holland Honeyeater *slaps forehead*.
With 45min to spare we arrived at the Wetlands Centre, ticked off Wandering Whistling-duck and Magpie Goose, and commenced looking for any number of unlikely last minute species to add to our list. Unfortunately the Little Bitterns and Garganey didn't show.
Our final tally was a good one, 219. Little did we think it would bag us 2nd place, tied with the Brewers! (who did 300km less then us mere mortals!). So after 24hrs (really 3 days), 800+km and very little sleep, 4 Drongos were very tired, satisfied and fired up for next year.

Dodgy Drongos 2010 Twitchathon report...the western run

2010-11-08T04:01:00.000-08:00

The lead up to the big race was nothing but stress with many species vacating their usual haunts for greener pastures out west in the channel country. We had talked ourselves down to the point where a 190 species count sounded the most likely outcome, one of our worst results ever. But we kept our chins relatively high as we made our way up to Manilla a day before the race to get some last minute oiling in and to do a proper dumby run that afternoon.
Our team was considerably younger then last years with Max Breckenridge (15) and Rob Kilkelly (21) joining the Drongos. The co-pilot Nick was still on board and was stressing as much as I. We booked into the Manilla caravan park, stopped for supplies and then headed west towards our starting spot.
On route as we stopped to show Max his first ever White-winged Fairy-wrens, several Stubble Quail could be heard calling in the paddocks, a much sort after race bird. We couldn't afford to add the extra km to the Saturday leg so me prayed for closer birds. Luckily further on we found more birds calling in a field on our route....hazzah! What more there was a male Brown Songlark displaying overhead! Another cracking bird.
We rocked up at Borah and slowly wandered around until we got to our Hooded Robin spot. This is where we had decided to start the race and at 4pm we ticked the robin, our dumby run was under way. I wont go through all the species we saw but some highlights included Spotted Harrier, Plum-headed Finch, Little Raven, Southern Whiteface, Singing Honeyeater and Blue Bonnet. As the sun sunk behind the hills Rob did the count and we had seen 93 species. Not a bad effort we thought, hoping we'd get the same the next day.
A great sleep was had before leaving the caravan park at 9:30 and making our way west to Boggabri. The Plum-heads were still on the dam we had seen them at the day before. We located a great spot for Yellow-throated Miner and beyond our Leard SF turnoff we found Yellow-billed Spoonbills loafing in the River Gums. We refueled the car and grabbed some fuel in town, listening to Musk Lorikeets, Blackbird and Brown Honeyeaters.
We headed back to Borah TSR where we had lunch and readied ourselves for the race. Clouds started rolling in and the wind was quite gusty.....my stress levels had now entered the red zone. Rob, Max and I headed off to the starting point as Nick continued to rest. A Black-eared Cuckoo was heard but couldn't be found but seeing a female Turquoise Parrot fly into her hollow was nearly as good. At the starting point the Hooded Robins were still there but constantly moving around so I followed them for a good 20min until at 4pm we had ticked off the robin as our first bird again. Max yells out White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and that was our second bird for the race. White-throated Gerygone, Brown Treecreeper, Dusky Woodswallow and Diamond Firetail fell quickly and down by the creek we bagged 3 common ducks, Black-fronted Dotterel and Dollarbird. Fuscous, White-plumed and Black-chinned Honeyeaters called from the canopy as a Painted Button-quail was flushed from underfoot. High above the eucalypts Tree Martin and White-backed Swallow danced, but where were the Bee-eaters!!! Little Frairbird called, Little Lorikeets zoomed past, and Red-winged Parrots could be heard in the distance. What couldn't be heard was the Rufous Songlark quietly sitting on an old stump, our last bird for Borah. We sped off towards Leard ticking Apostlebird, Wedge-tailed Eagle and Pipit on the way.
There was silence at our songlark/quail spot...stress!!! A Brown Falcon, Little Raven and Horsfield's Bushlark were seen and just as we were giving up......a Stubble Quail called.....HAZZAH again.
Back on the road and finally ticking off Rainbow Bee-eater. At the Plum-headed Finch spot we totally dipped on Plum-heads (Grrrrr) but did get 2 Southern Whiteface for our troubles. Singing Honeyeater, Double-barred Finch, Weebill, Western Gerygone and White-throated Treecreeper were recorded in the bushier areas. Fairy Martins flushed from a road culvert.Our Yellow-throated Miner spot was true, bagging us a much needed western bird. White-winged Fairy-wren called nearby but the Brown Quail were silent. Large flocks of Cockatiel greeted us as we turned off towards Leard but the flock of 20 odd Plumed Whistling-ducks standing at our farm dam was a true highlight as we'd never seen this species here before. Grey-crowned Babbler crossed the road as we entered Leard which was alive with bird calls. Striped Honeyeater, Leaden Flycatcher, Speckled Warbler, Inland Thornbill, Channel-billed Cuckoo and Varied Sittella were ticked in quick succession. A little further on we finally got White-browed Babbler onto our Twitchathon list.
As we passed out the other side of Leard our options for new birds were slim and we still had so much daylight. Blue Bonnets were feeding in the same spot as the previous day and Bar-shouldered Doves were heard but the Spotted Bowerbirds failed to show so we turned the car around and headed towards Boggabri. What a great move that turned out to be.
As we were talking about how good it would be if a Mallee Ringneck was to be seen a Mallee Ringneck flew across the road in front of us. In unison 3 of our members called the bird and commenced a very load ' UP THE DRONGOS!" .
As we passed through some flooded paddocks we bagged our Yellow-billed Spoonbill and in a road side ditch Max spotted a brilliant White-necked Heron. These two species had deserted the east so we were glad to tick them up.
In Boggs we drove the streets hearing Musk Lorikeets, Blackbird, Sparrows and Brown Honeyeater. I glimpsed a Hobby zoom past out of the corner of my eye so 10min was spent patrolling the streets until Nick spotted him (her?) plucking its freshly caught prey in a roadside tree.
As Rob counted up our final score we looked for Blue-faced Honeyeater to no avail. Itching for a score we huddled around him to hear the news that we had scored the same as our dummy run, 93 species. We were quietly pleased until Rob cracked a smile and told us he was kidding, we had actually scored 110 species! our highest ever western run score, and all in 3.5hrs. Alot of cheering and laughter followed as we left Boggabri and made our way to Gunnedah for tea.
Night drive and Sunday run coming soon..........

Western Thornbill

2010-10-01T04:25:00.000-07:00

Been processing a few shots of these little cuties taken at Dryandra last month. Western Thornbills Acanthiza inornata are endemic to the south west and fairly common, often found foraging in low vegetation.
Their quite vocal and easily approached. Behaviour and calls are some what similar to our Buff-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza reguloides.

Western Australia Trip Report...part 2

2010-09-24T02:59:00.000-07:00

Day 9
Left Moora bright and early and made our way north to Payne's Find. I'm not sure what Payne found but it clearly wasn't much, just a roadhouse surronded mulga scrub. Being in such an isolated location we decided to top the petrol tank up and at $1.70 a litre we were glad it was just a top up.
From Payne's we turned right onto the Maranalgo Road trying to find Grey Honeyeater. We dipped of course but did see the western race of Southern Whiteface, White-backed Swallow, Crested Bellbird, White-fronted Honeyeater, White-browned Babbler, White-winged Fairy-wren and SLATY-BACKED THORNBILL.
A stop at Lake Austin (north of Mount Magnet) netted us five Orange Chats.

We finally pulled into Nallan Station (10km north of Cue) late in the day and had enough light for a quick stroll. White-plumed Honeyeaters were seen for the first time on the trip and the difference between the bright yellow western birds and our dull olive eastern blobs was quite staggering. We also encountered the red northern race of Grey-crowned Babbler.
Near the homestead we found another tick, WESTERN BOWERBIRD. The pink nape feathers glowed in the afternoon light.
Day 10
Another early start saw us leaving Nallan and heading a few km's west of Cue on the road to Austin Downs station. At exactly 3.8km from town (Frank O'Connors website is fantastic by the way) we had 2 calling CHIMING WEDGEBILL. My impression of wedgebills was always of a bold bird perching out in the open calling but its quite the opposite. We found it hard to get a clear view through the binoculars, just fleeting views as they ran from shrub to shrub.
Further up the road we stopped at another of Frank's sights and scored our second tick for the day, 3 BANDED WHITEFACE. What a cute little bird and very different to their Southern cousin.

It was at this stage that we should have packed up the gear and headed west to the coast but silly us decided to stay on and find those mythical Grey Honeyeaters. The next 2.5 days were hell. Sure there were a few good birds around like the western Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush, Bourke's Parrot, Black-capped Sittella, Crimson Chat, Black-breasted Buzzard, Redthroat and Mulga Parrots, but on the whole bird numbers were down and hard to come by. We spent alot of time dozing, reading (oh thank you Angels & Demons.....strongly recommended ) and eating to fill the time.

Day 13
HEADING SOUTH!!!!!! We were so chuffed to be leaving the dry mulga country we didn't stop the car until we hit the wheatbelt again. Pallid Cuckoo were seen several times beside the road, as were White-fronted Chats. Western Corellas seemed to be everywhere (sorry Dave).
We couldn't leave Western Australia without seeing the famous Northam MUTE SWANS. After much deliberation with other birders once we got home we've decided to tick these birds as the remnants of a once sustainable population. We've also heard a report of recent breeding.Day 14
Spent an absolutely gorgeous day birding around Rockingham and Armadale. Nothing overly exciting was seen but just being back in civilisation and being near the turquoise blue waters off Perth made for a great days birding. A few highlights included Red-winged Fairy-wren, White-breasted Robin, 3 species of Black-cockatoo, Western Thornbill, Western Wattlebird, Western Thornbill, Scarlet Robin and a pair of Western Gerygones building a nest.Day 15
Our last day in Western Australia and Rottnest Island was calling. Everyone will be glad to hear that I made it across without being sea sick (Hazzah!!). Nick and I walked many kilometres in the sun with no breeze to help us and with little reward.......oh.....except that stunning little corker known as a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE! What a tiny little bird, dwarfed by the nearby Banded Stilts.
We walked the golf course many times in search of Pheasant but failed, we did however see many Quokkas, furry footballs in my mind . Banded Lapwings and Pied Oystercatchers were common on the fairways.
Our last bird for the day before jumping on the return ferry to Fremantle was a ridiculous looking male PEACOCK, strutting its stuff through the settlement amongst the tourist.

So after 15 days on the road I had managed 12 ticks, totally cleaning up the South west and our trip list was 175 species strong.

Western Australia Trip Report...Part 1

2010-09-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Nick Livanos and I have just returned from a 2 week tickathon in south-west Western Australia. My main objective was to clean up on the sw endemics I missed earlier in the year while birding with Stowie. It was Nick's first time in the west and his life list jumped by 30 odd species! Brief summary of each day below.

Day 1
Flew into Perth and headed straight down to Erskine near Mandurah looking for the Pintail recently sighted there. Dipped badly but did see a flock of REGENT PARROTS flying over...tick 1.
We then headed east towards Dryandra seeing Red-capped and Elegant Parrots and Western Rosella. As we unpacked the car in the dark we could hear Bush Stone-curlew and Boobook.

Day 2
FREEZING!!! Frost covered the ground and a thick fog hung low. Rufous Treecreepers were everywhere and we quickly found our other targets, Blue-breasted Fairy-wren and Western Thornbill. White-browed Babblers foraged on the ground and Purple-crowned Lorikeets were high in the canopy. Westermn Spinebills brightened up the morning with their stunning markings.
More Regent Parrots were seen as we headed south through Narrogin to the Stirling Ranges and the Porongurups. No new birds were added but we did see Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Splendid Fairy-wren, Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Scarlet Robin, Elegant Parrot and Painted Button-quail.

Day 3
Woke up in beautiful Cheyne Beach and immediately headed down to the main road to tick off Noisy Scrub-bird.....less then 5min minutes later we had the bird crossing both the tarred and dirt roads. We then headed up the sandy track past the caravan park and heard 2 bristlebirds calling near the track. We stalked them slowly never getting any closer. We stopped and played the tape, a verbal response but nothing moved. I decided to set the ipod in a little clearing and this worked wonderfully as the pair of WESTERN BRISTLEBIRDS appeared in the open. Gold!!! My main target for the trip was ticked.
The rest of the day was spent looking at Brush Bronzewing, Red-eared Firetail, Western Wattlebird, White-breasted Robin, Red-winged Fairy-wren and Great Skua.

Day 4
Spent the entire day searching for Western Whipbird without sucess. Did add Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Shining Bronze-cuckoo, Dusky Woodswallow and Brown Quail to the trip list. Watching a mother Southern Right Whale with her calf in the bay was pretty cool.

Day 5
Stuff the whipbird! After having two gruelling days without sucess we decided to head back to the Stirling Range for a better look. Looking for Mt. Trio we quickly became lost which was the best move we made all trip. We stopped the car and decided to do some quick birding before turning around and finding the main road. As I walked into the mallee/heath PURPLE-GAPED HONEYEATERS appeared from no where, a totally unexpected tick. What a fluke! Across in the adjacent paddock were 2 Banded Lapwing and some Emu.
With our spirits soaring (cockiness levels through the roof) we decided to stop in likely Fieldwren habitat. At our second stop we had sucess.......while I was off having a pee Nick bags us a WESTERN FIELDWREN. Excellent views were had.
Other birds seen nearby included Carnaby's Black-cockatoo, Little Eagle, Red-capped Parrot, Elegant Parrot, Yellow-plumed Honeyeater, and Grey Currawong.
There were Robins galore in the Porongurup carpark with Scarlet, White-breasted and Western Yellow showing well.Day 6
Our final morning at Cheyne was spent looking for those bloody whipbirds. We trudged up that damn hill, over looking the damn bay. Man I was starting to hate that hill. Our heads were down but they soon lifted when we heard our first whipbird calling near the track. We walked towards the calling bird until we were pretty close but we still couldnt see it. Then a glimpse! Through the dense heath I could see it, feeding back on the edge of the track! Nick however couldn't so we made our way towards the bird and eventually after much waiting got cracking views of 2 Western Whipbirds, one was feeding in the front of a small banskia, the other called from the top of a bush before flying in front of us and disappearing. AWESOME!!!! Lots of high fives were had. We left Cheyne very happy with our results, the three toughies done.
Driving west towards Augusta I finally managed to tick off WESTERN CORELLA just outside Rocky Gully. We watched about 60 birds feeding on the ground around a homestead. Soon after, the heavens opened with heavy rain and very strong winds so we were very happy with our well timed sighting.

Day 7
Appaulling weather all day. Very strong gusty winds hammered the Margaret River area and very few birds were seen. We dipped on Rock Parrot at Cape Leeuwin so headed in to the taller forests looking for Baudin's Black-cockatoo which we eventually found.

Day 8
Awoke to much calmer conditions so headed back to Cape Leeuwin, ticking off the 3 Rock Parrots feeding on the visitors centre lawn. We also saw alot more Baudin's just north of Augusta.
We headed north back to Erskine for another try at the Pintail (dipped!) and had a look around Peel Inlet. No where near the number of birds seen previously in the year but seeing 7 Grey Plovers is always good.
South of Moora we bumped into the northern race of Western Corella and also my first Port Lincoln race of the Aust. Ringeck. Our one and only Rufous Songlark was seen in Moora.

Northern Hunter Day Trip

2010-08-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

Nick and I headed up to Tuncurry last Sunday looking for the Swift Parrots seen there recently. Unfortunetly we dipped but did see some cracking species while looking.
Our first stop for the day was by the river at Bulahdelah. A Tawny Grassbird shot across the road as we left the highway and White-cheeked Honeyeaters were very vocal. Tree Martins inspected old Fairy Martin nests under the bridge. After 30 odd minutes we had managed 34 species but sadly dipped on the now famous Radjah Shelduck.
We then drove down to Bombah Point still hoping for the Shelduck but again dipped. Blue-faced Honeyeater, Whistling Kite and Eastern Yellow Robin was added to the list.
Next stop was Tuncurry. The flowering eucalypts around the caravan were full of Scaly-breasted, Rainbow and Little Lorikeets but no Swifts. Spinebills, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Little Wattlebird and Noisy Friarbird were also common. A pair of Tawny Frogmouths were seen roosting, an Osprey glided over and a male Satin Bowerbird was welcomed.
We soon got sick of viewing Lorikeets so headed up to Wingham Brush (not before watching a Square-tailed Kite gliding over Taree) in an attempt to add some much needed rainforest birds to our Hunter year lists. Along the road opposite the the Brush we saw Brown Thornbill, Golden Whistler, Red-browed Finch, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Torresian Crow, Spangled Drongo and a stunning male Regent Bowerbird, a year tick for both of us.In the dark of the rainforest we got fantastic views of two Russet-tailed Thrush (year tick for Nick), Brush Turkey, Yellow-throated Scrubwren and Crimson Rosella. Wonga Pigeon and Bar-shouldered Dove were heard nearby.
Excellent days birding .

Goulburn River NP...again

2010-06-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

Another quick trip out to this glorious spot with the aim of getting Plum-headed Finches on the Hunter year list. The fog was thick for most of the morning, not lifting until 10:30am, so birding was slow until then.At O'Brien's Crossing we easily found 10-15 Plum-heads feeding along side Double-bars, Zebras and Red-brows. Deeper into the NP we found an Emu, 3 Black-chinned Honeyeaters, Diamond Firetails, Peaceful Dove, Brown Treecreeper, Speckled Warbler, White-eared Honeyeater, Jacky Winter, 2 Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, and White-browed Babbler.
We once again dipped on Spotted Harrier and Red-winged Parrot.

Victoria Trip Report

2010-06-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

Knowing that I’d never seen Blue-winged Parrots, my mate Geoff invited me down to his local patch where he regularly sees them. I’m a sucker for a tick twitch so my airfares were booked ASAP and off I went to yet another airport (my 6th for the year!).
Geoff picked me up from Avalon airport and we headed straight for Werribee STW where we met up with George and Paul. It was awesome to finally meet these guys who I’ve only ever chatted to via BOZ.Birds were everywhere as we drove the dirt tracks around the ponds. Skylarks and Welcome Swallows were incredibly common with Swallow numbers in the 1000’s. A Glossy Ibis was spotted in amongst the Spoonies and a flock of Zebra Finches flushed from the road. It wasn’t long before someone yelled out Brolga! George and Paul quickly bailed out of the car as I added one to the list. At the bird hide we were greeted by Fairy-wrens, Scrubwren, Horsfield’s Bronze and Little Grassbird. Pacific Gulls hunted off the shore. George’s coffee was much appreciated and a good chat was had.....love being around other birders!Several small terns were spotted at a distance and after referring to some pics the conclusion was they were Fairies. Unfortunately I couldn’t ID the birds properly and they soon disappeared....a missed tick? Pied Oystercatchers were on the rocks and Greenfinches proved to be quite common. We then parted company after finding 60 odd species.Geoff and I then headed to his local patch near Torquay. I’ve never seen so many White-fronted Chats in my life! Same could be said for Striated Fieldwren although I’ve only ever seen them once before. Little Grassbird called from the saltmarsh and Black-fronted Dotterels feed in the shallows. After searching for quite some time a pair of Blue-winged Parrots were finally spotted sitting on the fence line and gave spectacular views in the late afternoon light. Crawling on my knees through the long grass enabled me a close view and pics. A superb way to end the day.The next day we headed west along the Great Ocean Rd to Point Addis where we quickly found two Rufous Bristlebirds in the carpark. It’s been several years since my last sighting and I’d forgotten how beautiful they were. Black-browed Albatross passed by.
Fan-tailed Cuckoos were very common in the Anglesea Heath. Geoff’s Yellow Robin on a string was very amusing and allowed me to score my best ever shots of this species. Silvereyes and Brown Thornbill were ever present and a White Goshawk was only my 3rd ever sighting.
Back onto the Bellarine Peninsular and birding the fantastic Ocean Grove NR. Grey Currawong and Brush Bronzewing were state ticks for me and the sight of Flame Robin feeding in the open paddock was enough to make me wanna jump the 2m high fence. We were puzzled by a pair of odd looking Rainbow Lorikeets and we finally decided that they were hybrids with Musk Lorikeets.Several stops were made on the way home adding Restless Flycatcher, Great Cormorant, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater and King Parrot to the list.
The next morning we headed into Geelong for a crack at Song Thrush....dipping badly. Then we tried the You Yangs for Swift Parrot and Purple-crowned Lorikeets....another two dips! However we did see Scarlet Robin, Buff-rumped and Yellow Thornbill, Weebill and White-naped Honeyeaters.As I was flying out that afternoon, we decided to have one more go at Fairy Tern at Werribee. Swallows and Skylarks were still very common. Shoveler and Pink-ears were added to the list and 3 Black Kites passed overhead. Small terns were again seen flying off the shoreline and one landed on some nearby rocks so down I went through the mud and ticked up my second lifer for the trip. Striated Fieldwren, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brolga and a Whistling Kite with a fresh rabbit kill were our last sightings for the day.

124 species in 3 days.

Regent Honeyeater Survey, 16th May

2010-05-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Lucky and I headed out west to the Bulga/Jerrys Plains area to search for Regents and Swift Parrot last Sunday. We started birding along Wambo Rd where we witnessed 6 Striated Pardalotes displaying on the telegraph wires. Peaceful Doves and Double-bars flittered across the road and a Pipit was on the fence post.Along the Putty Road heading north we stumbled upon a great mixed flock of birds feeding beside the road. We recorded 30 species in 30 minutes with the highlights being Speckled Warbler, Scarlet Robin, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Varied Sittella, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Brown-headed Honeyeater, Grey-crowned Babbler and Striped Honeyeater. Several Tassie race Silvereyes were also in the flock.We then turned onto Wallaby Scrub road and made a stop about half way along. Lucky was very pleased to find a male Red-capped Robin. Western Gerygone was heard nearby and more Warblers and Buff-rumps were recorded. A Litte Eagle soared over head.Pine Grove Rd was our next stop and we spent lots of time here snapping away at Striated Pardalotes and Red-capped Robin. Speckled Warblers were once again very common.After lunch at the Jerry's Plains pub we headed further west along Jones Reserve Road seeing more of the same birds. A big flock of Double-bars (50-70) were seen near the horse stud as were 2 Jacky Winter, 1 Red-capped Robin and a Western Gerygone.
On the corner of Doyle's Creek Rd we photographed Weebills and a bit further down we had Diamond Firetails and Restless Flycatcher.Over all we had a very enjoyable day even though we dipped on the targets.

Chasing Hunter Ticks: Western Hunter

2010-05-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Nick and I headed to the far reaches of the Hunter Valley chasing the Singing Honeyeaters that have be recently discovered breeding out there. We managed to arrive at Durridgere before the cool change roared through and in that hour we scored 3 Singing Honeyeaters, 2 Hooded Robins, 4 Red-capped Robins, many Brown-headed Honeyeaters, Eastern Spinebill, White-browed Babbler, Double-barred Finch and Rufous Whistler.We continued along the road but the wind was now howling and the temperature had dropped considerably so birds were hard to come by. A small mixed flock was seen crossing the road so we stopped and added Jacky Winter, Speckled Warbler, Striated Pardalote, White-eared Honeyeater and Buff-rumped Thornbill to the day list.Next birding was at the Cassilis Rest Stop where we hoped to see Red-winged Parrots but we instead scored two Cockatiels!!! Another Hunter tick for both of us.
We then made our way east to Ringwood Rd seeing a Black Falcon along the way. This road has quickly turned into my favourite woodland sight in the valley (shame its over 2hrs from home). At our first stop we had Jacky, Hooded Robin, Diamond Firetail, Turquoise Parrot, Restless Flycatcher, Peaceful Dove, Brown Treecreeper, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater and a Black-chinned Honeyeater.Further along at another stop we had Sittella, Speckled Warbler, Weebill and a Golden Whistler.
Our time out west had run out so we departed for home after a very successful days birding.

Tassie Trip

2010-05-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

I was informed at work on the 16th that due to working to many contracted hours during the month (yeah I know hard to believe hey) I was to be sent on annual leave for a few days. I happily accepted the deal but then started to panic as I had to organise a birding trip in a very short space of time. Cairns and Lord Howe Island were ruled out pretty quickly so I had to decide between Victoria and Tasmania. A quick message to my brother Chris and before I knew it he had organised leave for himself and pointing me across Bass Strait to the Apple Isle.In one night Chris and I had booked our flights, hire car and accommodation for a 5 night stay, pretty good effort I thought. Funnily enough I never studied or 'crammed' at school but I certainly stayed up late the night before our flight studying the 'Where to find" books and old birding_aus threads, ah priorities.So after three days we were flying into Hobart airport, ticking Tassie Native-hen before the wheels had touched the runway.
Itinerary: 2 nights in Hobart, 1 night in Triabunna, 1 night in Launceston and 1 night in Queenstown. We really enjoyed Hobart and Triabunna (fantastic porterhouse with mushroom sauce), and our accommodation at Queenstown was good, as was the pizza! Launceston is certainly the arse end of Tassie and all inbred jokes have certainly come about after visiting this hole.
We hired a Hyundai i30 which was adequate for our needs although I don't think she appreciated my rally driving (kept forgetting she wasn't my Subaru) and she was completely gutless on the hills....and Tassie has ALOT of hills.
Anyways I'll shut up about the boring stuff and move onto the birds. We saw 83 species during our stay of which 13 were ticks. I managed to find 11/12 endemics within 5hrs which I was pretty chuffed about. Below are my ticks in order of appearance.

Tasmanian Native-hen 20-30 ticked on the airport runway. Very common and seen in most locations around the south-east.
Yellow Wattlebird First seen in the motel carpark in North Hobart. Fairly common around the south east corner especially in suburban Hobart and coastal areas. Resembles Koel in flight.
Yellow-throated Honeyeater First seen at Peter Murrell Reserve. Common through all bushy habitats.
Green Rosella Peter Murrell Reserve. Very common species found in all habitats from Cradle Mountain to the coast, farmland to rainforest.Forty-spotted Pardalote Only 3 birds seen at Peter Murrell Reserve.
Black-headed Honeyeater Peter Murrell Reserve. Another very common species found in various habitats. Listen out for White-naped like calls and behaviour.
Black Currawong First seen south-west of Fern Tree. Not as common as I'd thought. Seen in higher altitudes. Very distinct call.
Strong-billed Honeyeater Only seen at Longley. Looks like Black-chinned, acts like Shrike-tit. My 550th species.Dusky Robin Only saw one bird during the entire trip at Longley, under the Strong-bill tree.
Tasmanian Scrubwren Fern Tree. Very common species found in thicker vegetation. I noticed a fair amount of variation in the plumage which was interesting.
Tasmanian Thornbill Fern Tree. Tassie is full of Brown Thornbills and it took some time before I was confident enough to tick this species.Pink Robin Wielangta State Forest. For me this bird will always be known as the Norma Zeta Robin. The night before my Nan had passed away suddenly which was a huge shock to my brother and I, so when I saw this species and its immense beauty and bright pink outfit (my Nan always wore a pink dressing gown) I knew my 554th species was hers and mine to share. Nan, thank you so much for always encouraging my love of birds.Scrubtit Wielangta State Forest. This was the hardest endemic to find and it was a huge relief to finally see them in the dark gloom of the rainforest. Also seen on the Franklin River walk.

Other sightings:
-Only 3 species of raptor: Brown Falcon, White-bellied Sea-eagle and the endangered Tassie Wedge-tailed Eagle.
-Masked Lapwing are extremely common if not abundant. Banded Lapwing seen once near Copping.
-Kelp Gull were seen flying high over Hobart and the surrounding hills. Also seen gathering in ploughed paddocks. Their presents reminded me of Hitchcock's 'The Birds'.
-Scarlet Robin, Forest Raven, Starling and Blackbird were everywhere!
-Cape Barren Geese seen near Port Arthur and Triabunna.
-10+ Hooded Plovers seen at Orford.
-Brush Bronzewing and Grey Currawong at Coles Bay.
-10 Olive Whistlers on the Dove Lake walk at Cradle Mountain.

Tassie is an incredibly beautiful place and our 5 night stay was way to short to take in everything. I can strongly recommend the south-east and the Cradle Mountain/Franklin River areas to any birder wishing for a more leisurely birding trip.

Bird of the Week: Crested Bellbird

2010-04-15T04:11:00.000-07:00

Oreoica gutturalis
With its distinct cow bell like call, the Crested Bellbird is one of interior Australia's most recognised birds. They are found in various dry, timbered habitats throughout much of Australia, including mallee, mugla and cypress forests.The sexes are easily separated with the male having a white face which is surrounded by a large black bib. He also has a small black crest which he can raise when needed. The female lacks the white face and bib but does have a black stripe along the crown. Young birds are duller versions of the adults. This species is generally heard long before its seen and its call is quite deceiving making tracking its location hard. Once found, the male will often pose and call without to much worry.I first saw this species in 2003 while birding around the Macquarie Marshes. I've since seen them on most trips out west, mainly in the Lake Cargelligo, Cunnamulla and Bourke regions.

Black Noddy Twitch

2010-04-13T04:25:00.000-07:00

At 10:30 yesterday morning Nick and I decided to ditch our planned Radjah trip and head south instead to attempt bagging a lifer, the Black Noddy. The Noddy was first seen off Long Reef last week by Mark Young but it wasn't until Mr. Stowe's phone call yesty morning that made me want to tick off this little beauty. By 2pm we were on the ground in Collaroy and searching for the bird.As we walked out onto the rock platform we stopped for some Welcome Swallows perched on the rocks. Their colours can only be appreciated in the afternoon sunlight. We managed to creep up on them and obtained cracking shots.
Closer to the waters edge a fair sized group of waders were feeding on the rocks. Ruddy Turnstone, Red-necked Stint, Pacific Golden Plover, Double-banded Plover, Sooty Oystercatcher and a Grey-tailed Tattler made up the flock.
We finally made it to the furthest most rock and there was the Noddy fishing in the white wash, its white cap glowing in the sunlight. It did several passes of the ledge before landing nearby. We slowly crept around so the light was in a more favourable position and started to take 100 odd pics each of the bird in many different positions. He was so tame that we were able to creep to within 4m as he preened and surveyed his surrounds.
After a while an Australian Raven flew over and started harrassing the Noddy which eventually took off (as did the Raven after a rock was somehow thrown in his general direction lol). We watched as the Noddy flew out to sea and then turned back only to land right in front of us again....happy days. Eventually we decided we'd had enough of clicking the same bird in the same position so we made our way back to the waders.Down I went, dragging my arse through the water, just to get that nice low angle to my pics....shesh I'm turning into a photographer...on no!!!! Its amazing how close you can get to waders when your soaking your butt in salt water. The Stints barely moved as I approached but the Double-banded Plovers and Tattler were much more wary.We were only on Long Reef for 1.5hrs but in that time I snapped 188 pictures of 7 species. We were over the moon with our efforts and the excitment was still with us when we got home at 10:30pm.....damn F3 being closed, stupid trucks, stupid 4.5hr wait on the Pacific Hwy! Oh well.
542 = Black Noddy, Long Reef, 12/4/10

Newcastle Seawatch

2010-04-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

Spent a lovely afternoon looking out to sea from Fort Scratchly Drive with fellow HBOC members. The weather was perfect, to perfect in fact with very few pelagic species close to shore. Mostly it was a social event with the birders and their scopes, hoons and their wheels and lots of beautiful people walking by......doesn't get any better really.
Silver Gull and Crested Terns were in abundance. Sooty Oystercatcher and Ruddy Turnstone fed on the rockshelf below and a constant stream of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters passed in the distance heading north. A prolonged view of an Arctic Jaeger gave me a Hunter Year tick which was unexpected.Eventually the Common Noddy was spotted flying around the Newcastle Baths rockself. Everyone watched as it fished along the coast all the way up to Nobbys Breakwall and back. Gannets were also fishing but further out the sea.Nick and I then decided to head down to the Baths and try our luck with the Turnstones which are now in full breeding plumage. We crawled along on our butts until we got close enough for a decent shot. Of course this was the same time the sun decided to disappear behind the clouds! AHHHHHWe kept at it and eventually scored some half decent shots. The Crested Terns were very obliging and allowed us to get quite close, in fact I was pulling the 400mm back to fit them in frame.
Very good afternoon for birding and clicking.

Hunter Rarity: Common Noddy

2010-04-09T04:16:00.000-07:00

My phone rang hot yesterday as I sat on registers at work. It wasn't until I had finished my shift that a found out that a Common Noddy had been seen that afternoon. Noddies are rare visitors to the Hunter coast so this was an opportunity to good to miss. I flew down to Newcastle Baths with Rob and was greeted by Dan who was looking at the bird.....how easy is that! The bird moved twice before retreating back out to sea.
Also present were heaps of Sooty Oystercatcher, a few well coloured Ruddy Turnstones and the usual Crested Terns and Silver Gull.Not a bad after work twitch.

Bird of the Week: Turquoise Parrot

2010-04-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Neophema pulchella
This beautiful little parrot can be found in grassy woodlands from southern Queensland to northern Victoria. They are generally found in pairs feeding quietly on the ground or occasionally in small groups. Breeding takes place in the warmer months and the nest is usually found in a tree hollow or similar (fence post). They raise 3-5 young. Their call is a sweet, high pitched 'tink'.My first encounter with this species was in the rocky, cypress covered hills in the far western Hunter Valley. I generally find them to be common around Munghorn Gap, Borah TSR and the Capertee Valley. Fairly easy bird to pick out on jizz alone, with their size and bright yellow tail edgings being excellent give aways.

HBOC Easter Camp: Borah TSR

2010-04-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Just returned from a wonderful 3 day camp with the Hunter Bird Observers Club in the grassy woodlands west of Manilla, NSW. Borah Travelling Stock Route is a magic spot made up of mostly remnant box woodland, a beautiful little creek and some large, open grassy areas. 30+ members attended the camp and a great time was had.
Red-winged Parrot, Jacky Winter, Restless Flycatcher, White-backed Swallow, Apostlebird, Grey-crowned Babbler, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater were ticked off several kilometres before the campsite.After setting up camp we decided to make the most of the time available and headed off in search of the woodland specialists. We easily found Azure Kingfisher, Double-barred Finch, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Speckled Warbler and Fuscous Honeyeater. Diamond Firetails called from high, exposed branches making photos impossible. Several Brown Treecreepers were very vocal up towards the main road and a White-throated Gerygone gave a great show.
That night Southern Boobook and Owlet-nightjar called non stop.

The next morning we were up and about early and were rewarded with a pair of Hooded Robins hunting over their patch. Little and Musk Lorikeets screeched overhead as King and Red-winged Parrots drifted through the trees. Dusky Woodswallows were quite common and a young one was found. A highlight was seeing 10 White-backed Swallows perched in a dead tree. I finally managed half decent shots of Black-chinned Honeyeater which was exciting but not as good as the female Turquoise Parrot pics 6 of us scored as she fed quitely in a low shrub. Crested Shrike-tit, Little Friarbird, Peaceful Dove and Striated Pardalote were common.
The next day we had to leave so we packed up camp and headed west before heading east again. On the back roads towards Boggabri we picked up Yellow-throated Miner, Southern Whiteface, Singing Honeyeater, Plum-headed Finch, Black Falcon, Cockatiel, Western Gerygone, White-winged Fairy-wren and Horsfield's Bushlark. Seeing 3 Ground Cuckoo-shrikes south of Gunnedah got the blood pumping and a White-headed Pigeon flying across the road in Medowie was a Hunter Tick.

All up I saw 122 species, 7 year ticks, 1 Hunter year tick and scored lots of awesome pics. Thanks to everyone involved.

Wollongong Pelagic

2010-03-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

Dave and I drove down to Gong harbour early Saturday morning and boarded the Sandra K with the other keen pelagic goers. It was built up as being a great day for ocean birds and everyone was quite excited with the endless possibilities being mentioned. We set off at 7am in overcast conditions and into a fair chop.
It wasn't long before we had an endless stream of Wedge-tailed and Flesh-footed Shearwaters behind the boat and they followed us for most of the day. A few Short-tailed Shearwaters joined in and a single Hutton's Shearwater circled the boat, my first tick for the day.
It was at this point I commenced vomiting and didn't stop for the rest of the day. Being sea sick is a terrible feeling and I really struggled to lift my head at times. I did manage great views of Pomarine Jaeger (including birds in breeding plumage), Yellow-nosed, Campbell and Shy Albatross, Solander's Petrel and my two other ticks for the day, Great-winged Petrel and Wilson's Storm-petrel.
So at the end of the day I managed 3 new species but had a completely miserable time. I hate being sea sick!!!!

Bird of the Week: Chestnut-breasted Mannikin

2010-03-23T03:54:00.000-07:00

Lonchura castaneothorax
This species ranges from the Kimberely to the south coast of NSW and is reasonably common within its range, particularly in the north. They are a very social species and it is not unusual for flocks of over 100 birds to congregate at certain times of the year. They are generally associated with areas of tall grasses and reeds in which they love to feed and breed.
The sexes are visually identical and young birds are predominately brown with some adult markings sometimes visible eg. breast bar or black face. Their call is best described as a sweet 'plink'.
My first encounter with these guys occurred in the tall seeding grasses behind Redhead Beach, Lake Macquarie. They are generally seen around many of the lower Hunter wetlands and surrounding farmland but can be hard to find at times and appear to be very nomadic.
Watching large flocks associating with other finches in the NT and Nth Qld is a must for all birders.

Year tickin near Cessnock

2010-03-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

Spent an enjoyable day birding around the Cessnock area with Nick and Liz. Our aim was to clean up a few woodland species missed on previous trips and to see the Regent Honeyeaters that have just arrived.
We hit Kitchener early and immediately found Black-chinned Honeyeater and Regents in the carpark. Musk and Little Lorikeets were common and gave great views. Both Pardalotes and White-throated Gerygone could be heard.
We walked further up the track and heard Spotted Quail-thrush calling down the slope so off we went and after much searching located the pair. At one stage the male was calling high in a eucalypt.
We left Kitchener and headed into the North Cessnock section of the Werakata NP. Here we found Yellow-tufted, Brown-headed, White-naped, Scarlet, Black-chinned and Fuscous Honeyeaters. A Shining Bronze-cuckoo was heard and Dusky Woodswallows were common.
Having scored all our year ticks early we then decided to go for a drive around Wollombi and Laguna. We travelled along this small country road scoring some good birds as we went: Crested Shrike-tit, Golden Whistler, Spinebill, Sittella and Little Raven.
Failed to see Goldfinch in Maitland on the way home.
Great day out with 93 species recorded.

SW WA Trip Part 3: The last leg

2010-03-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

We left Cheynes Beach on a high, and with 15 ticks already under our belt we felt confident that our desired 20 was very achievable. We made our way north west through the back roads heading towards the Porongurup NP. On the way we saw heaps of Western Rosella and Red-capped Parrot, and came across a flock of Red-tailed Black-cockatoo.
The carpark in the national park turned out to be a great spot with two ticks easily seen, Purple-crowned Lorikeet and Western Yellow Robin. The Lorikeets stuck high to the tree tops and were hard to see properly but the Robin was very tame and allowed close approach. Also in the area were Tawny-crowned Honeyeater (weird habitat to see them in), Western Rosella, Red-winged Fairy-wren, White-breasted Robin and Red-eared Firetail. We also spent some time photographing the western race of the common Australian Magpie.
We then pushed on north through the dry farmlands that dominate this region. We had the best chicken burgers ever in Kojonup (no birds) and did several laps of Narrogin before finding the road to Dryandra. This conservation area is litterally an oasis in a cleared desert. With various eucalypt communities present it is home to a wide range of birds and a few well known marsupials like the Numbat. It is well worth a visit.
On arrival we went straight out to the Old Mill Dam site and had a ball. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters were pretty common and it didn't take long to tick off one of the many Rufous Treecreepers in the open woodland. Western Yellow and Red-capped Robins were seen and we eventually tracked down some Blue-breasted Fairy-wrens in the thicker scrub. We heard Regent Parrots but didn't see them...another dip.
As we walked out into the edge habitat we found a great little flock of birds comprising of Inland and Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Weebill, Blue-breasted Fairy-wren, Golden Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush and several Western Thornbills, our 20th tick for the trip! We got excellent views and they proved easy to identify. As we watched the flock, five Elegant Parrots flew in and perched in the eucalypts above us. What an afternoon, three ticks in the one spot.
This was our last real birding for the trip. We saw a Bush Stone-curlew that night in front of our cabin and more Twenty-eight Parrot, Red-tailed Black-cockatoo and Rufous Treecreepers the next day on our way to the airport for our flight home.
All up we saw 20 ticks, 35 year ticks and 118 species.
I can strongly recommend the south west corner too any keen birder/photographer.

SW WA Trip Part 2: Cheynes Beach area

2010-03-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

We left Tony's early the next morning and headed east into the drier parts of the region. The birding was pretty slow during the drive and we dipped on our one target species, Western Corella. We did see Swamp Harrier, Square-tailed Kite, Scarlet Robin, White-breasted Robin, White-naped Honeyeater and Western Wattlebird (another tick). We stopped in Albany for lunch and a look around, nice place but few birds. Blue-billed and Musk Duck were added to the list and we scored more Red-winged Fairy-wrens.
The wind of previous days was still blowing strongly which made birding impossible around Two Peoples Bay. The scenery around this part of the world is breathtaking, and we stopped to take some nice landscape pics. Flesh-footed Shearwaters were seen in the bay.
Heading back to the highway an unusual parrot was spotted and we quickly found several Red-caps feeding quietly in the low eucalypts. Unfortunetly no male wasn't seen.
A little further up the road and we spotted some more parrots, this time Elegants. We watched a male and 3 uncoloured birds for some time before they flew off never to be seen again. The yellow on the belly really stood out in the late afternoon light.

Arriving at Cheynes Beach we were greeted by a mass of honeyeaters in the surrounding heath. New Hollands, White-cheeked, Western Wattlebird and Western Spinebill were all common. This turned out to be our last birding for the day and we settled into our cabin for the night.
Another early start saw us standing on the main road in the gloom waiting for the scrub-bird to appear. According to the information provided too us by the caravan park, the Noisy Scrub-bird has a set routine every morning and can be seen crossing the road at certain times during the day.....which it did....but only for me. I saw the bird twice that morning and Dave missed it both times.

We headed back to the caravan park and found Brush Bronzewing, White-breasted Robin, Red-capped Parrots and a juvenile Red-eared Firetail among the campers. We then spent a conciderable amount of time chasing Western Whipbirds through the heath to no avail. Damn birds!!!
The afternoon was spent snapping away in the caravan park. The birds were very approachable and excellent shots of Brush Bronzewing, Western White-browed Scrubwren and Western Spinebill were obtained, much too the amusement of the park residents.

Our last morning at Cheynes was spent chasing rarities. We headed back to the Scrub-bird spot and within 5min had a male hopping across the road in front of us, stopping briefly in the middle to check us out. He would have been roughly 5m away from us and Dave scored a reasonable record shot.
Up into the heath behind the caravan park again and another scrub-bird was spotted crossing the track. These guys were pretty common once the call was learnt. Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters were fairly common but kept out of sight of the cameras, unlike the stunning male Red-eared Firetail who couldn't resist our charms.
A Western Bristlebird was heard several times but failed to come out into the open. So frustrating! This turned out to be our second endemic dip for the trip. However, hearing and then flushing a Western Whipbird from besides the track certainly made up for this and we left Cheynes very happy with our efforts.

SW WA Trip Part 1: Margaret River area

2010-03-17T02:03:00.000-07:00

Its long been a dream of mine to bird around the south west corner of Western Australia, ticking off all the endemic species that can be found there. Luckily for me, Mr Stowe scored a gig over there and offered me the opportunity to go. Sweet!
We flew into Perth airport late Saturday morning after a hairy landing in strong easterly winds. After we picked up the hire car we made the decision to trawl the suburban streets on the look out for Laughing Turtle-dove. It took us all of 5min to find a pair sitting on the electricity wires and out we jumped with binos and cameras in hand. First tick for the trip!

We made our way south along what would have to be one of the most boring roads in the world. As we drove we added heaps of WA state ticks like Welcome Swallow, Aust. Magpie and Wood Duck. Black-faced Woodswallow was probably the highlight.
We stopped at an inlet south of Perth (the name escapes me) and what a great spot!! We quickly ticked off Twenty-eight Parrots, Splendid Fairy-wren, Singing Honeyeater and Inland Thornbill in the shrubbery and in the water, Aust. Shelduck, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Caspian Tern and lots of Banded Stilt, a new bird for Dave.
We pushed on further south and eventually made it to the Cape Naturaliste area where Dave had some business to attend too. While waiting, I walked the grounds of the vineyard and glimpsed three Purple-crowned Lorikeets shooting across the sky. The views were lousy and not tickable. However, the views we got of a male Western Rosella were excellent and that was my second tick for the day!

Next stop was Cape Naturaliste lighthouse which is surrounded by heath. To our excitement there were several Carnaby's Black-cockatoo feeding at eye height in a banksia beside the track. We got wonderful photos and this was the highlight of the day for me. Common Bronzewing and Western Rosella were also seen in the heath.

It was getting late in the day so we made tracks to Margaret River where we were staying with Dave's mate Tony. On the way we spotted more Black-cockatoos feeding on the ground. I swung the car around and to our amazement they turned out to be Baudin's!! We got excellent views and photographs of these as well and we finished the day on a high.

The next morning we were up bright and early and heading further south to Cape Leeuwin lighthouse. We stopped to snap Twenty-eights and Rosellas along the way. It was blowing a gale on the cape and birding was difficult. After a long wait we eventually located a beautiful Rock Parrot feeding quietly among the rocks. We slowly crepted up on him and he slowly started to walk towards us and in the end we were within 3m of the little fella. Great experience!
I finally managed to tick off a tropical Tern in the form of Bridled, and as we headed back to Margaret River, White-breasted Robin and Red-winged Fairy-wren made appearances. Another 4 tick day.

Tales of a Twitcher: 2009 campaign

2010-03-15T02:46:00.000-07:00

WARNING!! Long and boring!

As many of you are aware I’m quite the twitcher. Any free time available is spent travelling to all parts of the state (and country) chasing my year list. A year list is simple, the number of species seen between the 1st of Jan and the 31st of Dec. Yes maybe this is a sign of desperation or maybe an acknowledgement of how nerdy my life is, but for me its a great way of keeping an interest in birding and seeing as much of this beautiful country, and its birds, as possible.
My previous highest year total was set last year when I saw 415 species. This was certainly helped by an extremely successful trip to Mackay/Townsville and a trip through western QLD to the coast. Great effort I thought.
Below is my year in review. Obviously I cant tell every story or describe every species seen but hopefully by breaking it up into monthly segments and just picking through the highlights you’ll get some idea of how hard and how much fun my year was.

January
If you really want to impress your non birding friends start the year strong. “Hey I scored 186 species this month, at this rate I’ll get 2232 species by New Years!” Of course it doesn’t work like that, as like Twitchathon its all about diminishing returns.
So at 12:00:01am on the 1st as two Masked Lapwings flew above my head I started my race. The next morning I was off to Capertee with Stowie and the Big Man and by days end I had 94 species on the list. Highlights that day included Regent Honeyeater, Square-tailed Kite, Painted Button-quail, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Whiteface, Plum-headed Finch and Horsfield’s Bushlark.
The rest of the month was spent around the Lower Hunter wetlands ticking up hard to get species like Wood and Pectoral Sandpiper, Painted Snipe, Lewin’s Rail, Black-necked Stork and Brush Bronzewing.
Total: 186
Milestone species: 50- White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, 100- Royal Spoonbill, 150- Osprey

February
Very much a Maitland month. Checking out my local patches rewarded me with Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Spotless Crake, Grey-crowned Babbler, Speckled Warbler and Black-faced Monarch. A trip out to Munghorn Gap cleaned up the rest of those woodland birds I missed in Capertee like Emu, White-throated Nightjar, Cicadabird, Turquoise Parrot, Little Friarbird and Rock Warbler.
Aust. Pratincole, Fork-tailed Swift, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren and Black Bittern were all ticked up in the Hunter during Feb. Great to knock off some rarities early.
Total: 234
Milestone: 200- Golden Whistler

March
A month of rarities started when a Black Kite was seen circling near home. A trip to Seal Rocks revealed two major Hunter rarities in Yellow-throated Miner and Common Noddy. Arctic Jaeger, Eastern Reef Egret, Short-tailed and Flesh-footed Shearwater and Little Penguin capped off a great day.
Down to Boat Harbour to tick another corker when the now famous American Golden Plover turned up.
Total: 249

April
Go west young man! And that I did. HBOC held their Easter Camp out at Willies Retreat (Macquarie Marshes) and Bowra Station, Cunnamulla Qld. What a great opportunity to see a whole swag of western birds in various habitats. Highlights around the Marshes: Budgerigar, Painted Honeyeater, Chestnut-crowned Babbler, Spotted Bowerbird, Stubble Quail, Ground Cuckoo-shrike, Mulga Parrot, Diamond Dove, Crested Bellbird and Black Falcon. Most of these birds were found around Willies Retreat owned by Phil and Myra Tolhurst. For those of you who may not have heard, Phil sadly passed away a few weeks ago which was a great shock to HBOC members who had fond memories of Phil and his yarns during our stay. A true friend of conservation and birds.
Bowra was brilliant as usual with 20 year ticks seen in 3 days. The first morning out in the Stoney Hill country bagged me White-browed Treecreeper, Hall’s Babbler, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush, Grey-headed Honeyeater and Aust. Bustard. Other birds seen around the property included Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, Little Woodswallow, Brolga, Redthroat, Bourke’s Parrot, Banded Lapwing, Little Button-quail, Crimson Chat and Spotted Nightjar.
After 3 days back at work I was ready for another holiday so off I trotted up the Blue Mountains and scored 6 ticks: Beautiful Firetail, Red-browed Treecreeper, Scarlet Robin, Grey Currawong, Glossy Black-cockatoo and Gang-gang Cockatoo.
Total: 306
Milestones: 250- Cockatiel, 300- Grey Currawong

May
Another month confined to the Hunter with another quick visit to the Blue Mountains and Capertee.
The winter migrants were honing in on Newie with Northern Giant Petrel, Black-browed Albatross and Fluttering Shearwater seen. A Brahminy Kite was seen above Seal Rocks and the old faithful Radjah Shelduck was still wandering the streets of Bulahdelah. Thanks to Lucky I also managed to find Southern Emu-wren and Tawny-crowned Honeyeater around Lake Macquarie.
In the mountains a Pilotbird was a welcome sight and Swift Parrots were fluked in the valley.
Total: 318

June
Where else does one go in the winter but south!! Nick and I had a fabulous 3 days on the south coast (based in Eden) birding around Ben Boyd NP. On the way down we stopped in Canberra and ticked off Skylark, Greenfinch and Flame Robin. The next morning we were standing in the heath on Green Cape where I bagged a lifer, Striated Fieldwren. The rest of the day was spent seawatching from the lighthouse, one of the best vantage points in NSW. That afternoon I saw 2 more ticks, Shy and Buller’s Albatross and good year ticks like Yellow-nosed Albatross, Brown Skua, Black-faced Cormorant and Pacific Gull.
Two weeks later Dave, Nick and I were jetting off to Melbourne for the now famous Hudsonian Godwit twitch. Luckily for us we found the bird and added Aust. Shelduck, Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Hooded Plover to the list. Downer was dipping on some much needed ticks (not a past foreign affairs mister I might add).
Total: 334

July
May as well have dropped this month from the calender! Only three year ticks seen: Glossy Ibis, Spotted Quail-thrush and Pacific Baza.

August
Back in the ball game with lots of highly desirable birds seen. Barn, Sooty and Boobook Owls were ticked making it a very successful month for night time birding. Mangrove Gerygone and an early Common Sandpiper were on Ash Island and a very successful pelagic off Wollongong (lots of ticks and vomit) added Wandering Albatross, Solander’s Petrel, Cape Petrel and Southern Giant Petrel. I must say that even though I was ill for most of the day, the trip out and the blokes onboard made this one of my birding highlights for the year.
Back in the Hunter and off to Stockton Sandspit for my most embarrassing moment of the year, forgetting what was and wasn’t on my list. As we looked over the mass of waders I could only see one year tick.....until I got home and referred to my notes....one tick turned into four...oops. Red and Great Knot, Black-tailed Godwit and Curlew Sandpiper.
Total: 350
Milestones: 350- Great Knot

September/October
Spring had arrived!! Around the Hunter migrants had started to return and breeding was well under way. Australasian Bittern, Baillon’s Crake and Leaden Flycatcher were seen close to home and a quick twitch down to Sydney one night after work had Stowie showing me my first Powerful Owls in 9 years. I repaid him a couple of days later with an extremely successful trip to Gloucester Tops where we nailed two toughies, Olive Whistler and Rufous Scrub-bird.
Then came the year list saviour, two weeks in the Top End. On the first morning I recorded 30 ticks around Darwin and Buffalo Creek and all up I saw 83 year ticks and 40 lifers. We then travelled through Katherine, Timber Creek, Kununurra, Kakadu and back to Darwin. Highlights included: Red Goshawk, all the northern finches, Hooded Parrot, 8 species of pigeon , Chestnut-backed Button-quail, 12 honeyeaters, Chestnut Rail, Little Stint, 2 Owls and so many other corkers.
We arrived back in Newcastle just in time to participate in the NSW Twitchathon. Up in the rainforest we saw Wompoo Fruit-dove, Noisy Pitta and Spectacled Monarch. Our starting point at Borah added a beauty in Black-eared Cuckoo.
Total: 443 species!
Milestones: 400- Black-tailed Treecreeper

November
After such a successful start to the year I soon realised how hard it was going to be to add to my list in the Hunter. It had been years since my last trip to the mallee country out near Lake Cargelligo so Stowie, Nick and I jumped in Bel and headed west. Superb Parrots put on a great show near Cowra and at the LCarg STW later that afternoon Spotted Crake and Orange Chat made appearances. Next morning we were out in the mallee in appalling conditions but the birds were magnificent. Southern Scrub-robin, Shy Heathwren, Grey-fronted Honeyeater, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush and Gilbert’s Whistler all gave lengthy views and were very welcomed additions the list. Yellow-plumed Honeyeater and Freckled Duck were also added.
Total: 453 species
Milestone: 450- Grey-fronted Honeyeater

December
I wanted to end the year on a nice round number so 460 became my new target. Luck was on my side when a Black Honeyeater rocked up at Walka Water Works in Maitland.
With six ticks needed and no chance of getting those in the Hunter I decided to head north up the NSW coast aiming for those “southern Qld” species I had missed. Near Kempsey I was delighted to find Pale-yellow Robin, Brush Cuckoo and Barred Cuckoo-shrike. Across the road to Jerseyville and Yellowlegs was on the list. Just two more birds need.....a breeze I thought especially after adding White-eared Monarch at Illuka. Night fell and I nodded off feeling confident in easily passing my target the next day, but as all you birders now, birding can be a bitch of a hobby. Mangrove Honeyeater = dipped, Ground Parrot = dipped, Beach Stone-curlew = dipped, Paradise Riflebird = dipped, Logrunner = dipped. Panic stations had set in as I marched around the rainforest of Copeland. Hearing a soft thrush like call in a thick tangle of vines I decided to play the call back and out popped a Russet-tailed Thrush, bird 460!!

And its there my year list ended. My last hope was seeing Nutmeg Mannikins on the BOZ outing in the Hawkesbury but sadly that wasn’t to be.

So there is my story. Yes I’m a mad twitcher and yes I’ll do it again one year but for 2010 I’ve decided to take a break from hardcore year twitching.....instead I’m doing a hardcore Hunter twitch lol. Hopefully this time next year I can report back saying I’ve seen my 300th Hunter species for the year.

Thanks to everyone who made this list possible. To Craig, Stowie, Peter Kyne, Johnny Estberg, Deano, Rob Kavanagh, Geoff Jones, Lucky and the HBOC crew thank you! Of course I wouldn’t have reached 350 if it wasn’t for my birding brother Nick, thanks champ....whens the next trip?
Hope I haven’t bored everyone silly.

North Coast Year Tickin...Dec 09

2010-03-15T02:39:00.001-07:00

My intention was to leave Maitland very early Saturday morning and head up the coast mopping up some year ticks I’d missed on previous visits. My plan was shot to pieces when I had a few too many schooners at the work xmas drinkies the night before but by 5am I felt well enough to head off.
After a quick brekkie in Kempsey I headed west up the Macleay Valley to the rainforest clad hills near Willi Willi. What a great spot. I’m usually not a great fan of birding in this habitat but by sticking to the road I managed to see most of my targets utilising the more ‘open’ habitat. First tick was a cute little Pale-yellow Robin who sat up nicely in the forest gloom and gave a few quick calls before darting off again. Also at this patch I saw/heard both Monarch, Large-billed Srubwren, Whipbird and Wompoo Fruit-dove.
A pair of Painted Button-quail crossed my path as I continued further up the road. A Wonga flushed from the side and Regent Bowerbirds were busy in the lantana. A Brush Cuckoo could be heard in the distance and after a quick blast of the playback I soon had my second tick for the day. The poor cuckoo was soon set upon by Bell Miners and made a hasty retreat.
The day was pushing on so I started to make my way back down the hill, stopping at a large fig tree on the way. A bird flew up into a small tree in front of me and thinking it was a figbird I almost didn’t raise my binoculars. Luckily birders instinct kicked in and I was rewarded with lovely views of a Barred Cuckoo-shrike! I’ve only seen this species 3 times before so this was a real highlight. Also at this spot I saw 4 Emerald Dove, Topknot Pigeon, Wonga Pigeon, Wompoo Fruit-dove and heard a Noisy Pitta in the distance. I left Willi Willi a very happy man.
Next stop was Jerseyville near South West Rocks where I ticked up the Lesser Yellowlegs. At first I was only seeing Marsh Sandpipers and some doubt crept into my thoughts about being able to ID the bird but as soon as it was spotted it was obvious. Latham’s Snipe, Mangrove Gerygone and Tawny Grassbird were all common here.
Illuka was my next planned stop as dark storm clouds rolled in and the light started to fail. Its amazing the difference between highland and coastal rainforest. The call of Rose-crowned Fruit-dove filled the air, as did the mozzies, and Varied Triller and Spectacled Monarch showed themselves in the gloom. A familiar little whistle (and my brilliant whistling) lead to my last tick for the day, a White-eared Monarch. Such a chirpy little chap, full of life and not afraid of the big bad birder gazing up at him.
I then jumped in the car and raced around to Yamba hoping for enough light to see a Mangrove Honeyeater but didn’t make it in time so I spent the night in town hoping to tick one off first thing the next morning. Waking up early I found myself gazing out at the same storm I’d fallen asleep too. The clouds were low and dark, the wind was howling and the rain driving. I briefly attempted searching for the honeyeaters but the weather got the best of me and I soon gave up, after seeing Pied Oystercatcher, Whimbrel and Pacific Golden Plover. My first real dip for the trip.
I searched the heath around Red Rock, just north of Coffs, in the vain attempt of flushing a Ground Parrot, which of course failed to show. I did however see Brown Quail, Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo, Southern Emu-wren, and one of the highlights of the trip.....male Superb, Variegated and Red-backed Fairy-wrens all within 200m of each other.
I then decided I’d had enough of north coast birding and made the decision to head back to the Hunter. I dipped on Beach Stone-curlew at Red Rock and Old Bar, and Russet-tailed Thrush at Wingham Brush. The afternoon wasn’t going too well.
It was roughly 3pm when I pulled into Copeland (near Gloucester) with my spirits waning. This location is another rainforest spot which has a good variety of birds with easy walking paths and plenty of open patches for those canopy species. As I wandered around I found more Pale-yellow Robins, scrubwrens, monarchs, Catbird, Wonga Pigeons and an Emerald Dove. A Wompoo Fruit-dove gave great views as it fed in the huge fig tree and Topknot Pigeons circled above the canopy. A quiet little Thrush like call led me to having great views of a Russet-tailed Thrush, my 460th species for the year!! My other target, Logrunner, failed to show but I was rewarded with excellent views of an adult Noisy Pitta on the track and a very cute juvenile perched nearby.
I then called it quits and heading back home. I saw 6 year ticks which I’m stoked about and recorded 141 species during the trip including some I don’t see very often.
Thanks for reading.

The Bogey Busting Lake Cargelligo Trip - Nov 09

2010-03-15T01:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the belated trip report but we’ve all been flat out after returning from a very successful trip to the mallee region around Lake Cargelligo. To be perfectly honest this was a twitching trip with both lifers and year ticks sought. In saying that, all three of us (Dave, Nick and I) are lovers of western birding and any opportunity to cross the divide is much appreciated.
We left Dave’s Sydney home very early Sunday morning and made our way over the mountains. As the boys slept I was ticking off Crimson Rosella, King Parrot and Channel-bills as the sun poked over the horizon.
Dave did all the organising and gathering of info and did a wonderful job, but as usual I grabbed control of the steering wheel and made my own decisions on which was the best route out there and back, which I am pleased to say payed off. As we turned towards Cowra (not the most direct route out west) we quickly came across our first targeted species, Superb Parrots. We got awesome views of several males and later found a large dead tree besides the road which we think contained two nests. We witnessed many quick battles and aggressive behaviour which is so unlike this normally placid species.
Continuing west we started seeing Yellow-throated Miners, Apostlebird and Little Ravens. A young male Brown Songlark was spotted and a dark morph Little Eagle soared above the road. It was at this point my heart sank as I claimed my first casualty for the trip, a newly fledged Western Gerygone.
Lake Cargelligo was hot! 40+ degrees with a scorching westerly blowing across the town. After we booked into our very comfortable accommodation at the caravan park we ventured out and headed towards the sewage works (as is the norm for us guys). What a great place. Purple Variegated Fairy-wrens and Cockatiel greeted us at the gates and several Native-hens ran off the track. Shelducks and Glossy Ibis took flight as Dotterels and Swamphens scurried away. As we drove around the ponds I smashed the brake and called White-fronted Chat. Nick agrees with my ID but Dave in the back is calling Orange Chat! Thinking the air-conditioning mustn’t be working in the backseats I initially chose to ignore his call.....until I noticed the softly coloured orange bird in the shrub behind our bird. Second year tick for the trip. Later that arvo we found Blue Bonnets, Banded Lapwings and Whiskered Terns.

Day 2: The next morning we woke up bright and early and headed towards Nombinnie Nature Reserve, roughly 40min north of town. This well known NR is mallee dominated and is somewhat reminiscent of rainforest.....seemingly birdless! We walked into the scrub and besides from the ever constant Rufous Whistlers it was dead. Then Nick picks up on movement, stalking, stalking.....SCRUB-ROBIN!!! And what great views, cheeky little buggers wandered all around us. This was a huge tick for me as I’d previously seen this species but hadn’t ticked it due to poor views.
That was one to Nick in the spotting score card. Now it was my turn. “Hey Dave, give Heathwren a blast”. Quick playback and in trots two Shy Heathwrens, a tick for Dave. We watched them for ages as they circled us and showed why they are so misnamed.
Crossing into the famous wheat field we soon came across a brilliant male Red-capped Robin. “seeeep”.....hmmm was that the robin or a quail-thrush??? “seeeeeeep”.....QUAIL-THRUSH! The bloody thing ran off as soon as it was spotted and then flushed as we approached. Unsatisfied with our views we continued on as Nick and I pleaded our case as to why Chestnut Quail-thrush was now on our location list but not on our life lists. As we passed through some shrubs Dave spots a male QT and after a nervous wait Nick and I picked up half decent views......we were happy with that view and celebrated accordingly.....until the singing male perched off the ground in the mallee was spotted, now thats a view!
Continuing along the road we stopped for Splendid Fairy-wrens, Little Eagle, more Scrub-robins and a thick clump of trees that had a fair bit of activity around it. Brown-headed Honeyeaters, Inland Thornbill and Rufous Whistler flew out. Dave: “Ummm this Rufous Whistler has a rufous throat.....fellas.....it has a rufous throat!......GILBERT’S!” Nick and I shot over to Dave’s location and in the small cypress pine was a gorgeous male Gilbert’s Whistler.....TICK!! This was a huge relief for all as we had started to doubt the existence of this almost mythical species. We watched him for ages as he sang from his favourite branch and then eventually returned to his shaded roosting spot.
To say we were happy would have been an understatement. Three ticks each for the morning was a great achievement, three bogey ticks even better! We then headed out to the second wheat field in search of honeyeaters. Unfortunetly the flowering of previous weeks had all but finished but we were happy with Grey-fronted, White-eared, Spiny-cheeked and Striped Honeyeaters, as well as a few Mulga Parrots. By now the heat of the day had kicked in so we made tracks back to our room.
That afternoon we headed out to Round Hill NR, literally across the road from Nombinnie. It was hot and the sky thick of dust and flies. Pratincoles were spotted flying across the road and a possible Malleefowl kept us guessing. Mallee Ringneck, Blue Bonnet and Mulga Parrots were common and many Common Bronzewings flew into drink. Southern Whiteface avoided the 500mm and everything else avoided the 400mm. Our last stop for the afternoon was on top a stony ridge as the sun sank below the horizon, giving us a beautiful sunset to end the day.....the Spotted Nightjar circling above us was pretty good also, especially for Dave, his 4th tick for the day.

Day 3: We headed back out to Nombinnie in search of the elusive and rare Red-lored Whistler. The weather conditions were much more favourable with a slight southerly breeze blowing but the mallee was eerily quiet, even the Rufous Whistlers had given up. After a fair amount of searching we found Scrub-robin and Heathwren again but the whistler wasn’t to be. We made our way back out to the western wheat field where we found an abundance of Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Splendid Fairy-wren and Grey-fronted Honeyeater, and a solitary Quail-thrush lifted our spirits slightly before it disappeared. We decided to leave the mallee early and concentrate on birding around town, not before stopping at a water trough we had found the previous day. It was here we found several Speckled Warbler, Red-capped Robin and our only Yellow-plumed Honeyeater for the trip.
After our now standard afternoon break we headed to the lake for some photographic opportunities and we weren’t disappointed. Many Whiskered Tern and a solitary White-winged Black Tern fed over the shoreline, Avocets loafed nearby and many Shelduck could be seen on the far bank.
We then headed to “Our Chat Alley”, a location Nick and I found many years ago and not to be confused with the well know “Chat Alley”. Whilst watching White-winged Fairy-wrens, Zebra Finch and more Whiskered Tern a bright Orange ball shot across the road, a splendid male Orange Chat. We sat in the car for ages hoping that the male and several uncoloured birds would land on the nearby fence but it wasn’t to be.

Day 4: Another early start saw us at the sewage works again with cameras at the ready. The light was perfect and the birds very active. We easily found Spotted and Baillon’s Crakes, Red-kneed Dotterel, Latham’s Snipe and Glossy Ibis. Native-hens sprinted in all directions and Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos were spotted in the distance. A pair of Blue Bonnets sunning themselves atop a dead tree finished off our stay nicely.
We then left Lake Cargelligo and made our way east through Condoblin and Forbes. We saw a Spotted Bowerbird perched on a road side marker and every Ground Cuckoo-shrike magically turned into their Black-faced cousins much to Dave’s disgust. Of course there was a reason for us travelling this route, Gums Swamp, Forbes. This is a great little wetland and we saw the now mandatory Native-hens and Baillon’s Crake, as well as nesting Sea-eagles, hundreds of Pink-eared Duck and our target......2 loafing Freckled Ducks. Not the most exciting behaviour but an excellent way to finish the trip.
All up we saw over 140 species in 4 days. I’d like to thank my two travelling buds for their excellent birding knowledge, their wonderful conversation skills and their terrible sense of humour...especially Nick, never seen Dave blush that like before.
Lake Cargelligo is a wonderful area and I would recommend it to anyone.

Dodgy Drongos Twitchathon Campaign 2009

2010-03-15T01:04:00.000-07:00

Well this years race can be summed up with one word, "Pressure!". We were feeling the pressure before the race, and all of the time during the race, whether it be from lack of species or lack of time. In the end the pressure got too much and we started to crack but luckily still managed to hold on to 3rd place with a very respectable 212 species. Below is a run down of our race.

Sat 31st, 3:15pm: Whilst driving to our starting spot we noticed a large flock of finches cross the road so we stopped to check them out. Turns out they were Double-bars but the small creek nearby was alive with birds. White-rumped Miner, Grey-crowned Babbler, Peaceful Dove, Horsfield's Bushlark, Red-winged Parrot and a Black-eared Cuckoo were recorded within 5min of each other. We decided that we should add this spot to our race.

4pm: As the alarm on my mobile went off everyone was glued to the Jacky Winter hunting from an exposed branch, our first bird for the race. Crested Shrike-tit, Leaden Flycatcher and White-throated Gerygone fell within a minute of each other. Soon after a Turk Parrot flew above my head and a Black-fronted Dotterel was seen on the creek. Dusky Woodswallow, Tree Martin, White-backed Swallow and Wedge-tailed Eagle flew over head. Bee-eater and Songlark were heard and Sacred Kingfishers abundant.
We then headed off to our creek crossing spot where Diamond Firetail, Brown Falcon, White-winged Triller and Brown Quail were highlights. There were Zebra Finch on the fence line as we entered the open grazing country. Our new "Black-eared Cuckoo" spot was next and was completely dead. Peaceful Dove and Grey-crowned Babblers were heard in the distance but nothing else showed. We eventually scoped a Bushlark perched on a small shrub miles away and White-winged Fairy-wren and Pipit common.
Already running behind time we flew along the dirt back roads stopping for Black-shouldered Kite, Hooded Robin, Striped Honeyeater and various Thornbills. A chance stop at a nearby homestead resulted in us scoring Blue-faced Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Pallid Cuckoo and a very cheeky Musk Lorikeet.
Our Painted Honeyeater spot held up to its name. Singing Honeyeater and Red-winged Parrot also seen/heard here. Common Bronzewing flew off the road and a White-rumped Miner perched on the fenceline.
Cockatiel and Apostlebird were classic western birds ticked. Blue Bonnets scattered as we entered the cypress pine country and an Inland Thornbill was only seen by 2 members so wasn't put on the list. A quick dam stop saw Mallee Ringnecks flying off.
We finally entered our last spot before dark (actually we were terribly late and darkness had really started to set in. A Western Gerygone and Brown-headed Honeyeater were our only ticks. It was at this stage, with only 89 species on the list, that we realised a big score was out of the question and we'd only been at it for 3.5hrs.

Our long night time drive was broken up by a nearly road kill roo, 11 Barn Owls, 2 Frogmouths and 2 cheeseburgers at Tamworth Maccas.
We arrived at our rainforest campsite at 2am and after an hour of light snoozing we heard our first Boobook, which conitnued to call for most of the night. Being very moonlit some species started calling very early. Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Noisy Pitta and Spectacled Monarch all started shortly after 4am.
The dawn chorus in the rainforest is just awesome! While we lay on the ground in our sleeping bags we ticked off Russet-tailed Thrush, Black-faced Monarch, Rose Robin and Green Catbird. We started our walk and had Yellow-throated Scrubwrens beside the track, Topknot and White-headed Pigeons flying above the canopy, whilst Lyrebird and Bassian Thrush called up the ridge.
As we drove up onto the mountain road we spotted Regent and Satin Bowerbirds, Bell Miner and Brush Turkey. Brush Cuckoo, Dollarbird, Torresian Crow and Brown Thornbill were our last birds before leaving the rainforest.

We then headed south towards the coast ticking off White-necked Heron, Collared Sparrowhawk, Hobby, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scarlet Honeyeater and Scaly-breasted Lorikeet. It was at this stage that we smacked into an Eastern Grey Kangaroo, killing it instantly and resulting in my new car no longer being new and pretty
Seaham swamp was a great little stop as we saw Latham's Snipe and Night Heron within seconds of each other. 2 Long-billed Corellas flew over. Cicadabird was heard at our eastern woodland spot, but only two members heard the White-naped Honeyeaters.
Mailtand turned up the usual suspects (Goldfinch, Blue-billed Duck, 3 grebes etc) but Blackbird was another species missed. Dipping on many birds on the Saturday saw us heading towards the Kurri Kurri woodland, something we usually don't do. Of course it was quiet! Luckily Yellow-tufted and White-cheeked Honeyeaters, Eastern Spinebill, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Brown Goshawk and 2 very cute Painted Button-quail made up for the wasted time.

Lenaghans Drive near Minmi got the race list ticking along with Glossy Ibis, Whiskered Tern, Swamp Harrier, White-bellied Sea-eagle and Intermediate Egret being added.
Hexham Swamp was pretty good with Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, White-fronted Chat, Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo, Tawny Grassbird and Black-tailed Native-hen all making appearances.
Nobody mention Ash Island.....sore point, not even Mangrove Gerygone made up for the time lost.
Mallard was eventually ticked at Warabrook wetlands. This used to be a very reliable spot for this species but we're guessing some tree huggin, do gooder has had them removed with only one text book female remaining.

We hit Stockton Sandspit at exactly the wrong time, tide was way out and the mud flats covered in fishermen. We scoped a Pied Oystercatcher, Curlew and Whimbrel, and heard Brown Honeyeater in the mangroves.
Next stop was the Newcastle Foreshore which was packed with 'normal' people enjoying a typically beautiful Hunter Valley day. We eventually found a park and while having a great perve managed to see 4 species of Shearwater and Ruddy Turnstones.

Little Wattlebird and New Holland Honeyeater were seen in the heath before we scooted through the afternoon traffic to our finishing point at the Wetland Centre at Shortland. Wandering Whistling-duck was seen across the road, whilst Magpie Goose and Shoveler were our last additions to the list.
We then settled in amongst the other teams and enjoyed some great food and a sit down. Huge congratulations to the Hunter Home Brewers who saw 234 species within the Hunter Valley!!!! Also a big thank you too Alan Morris and Mick Roderick for organising a wonderful race.

Until next year......

UP THE MIGHTY DRONGOS!!!!!!!!!