| Sun 5 | | White-bellied Sea-Eagle
North Parade, Hunters Hill |
| Two birds perched in old pine tree. Heard first. Also heard calling on 4 Feb 2023 |
| Elisabeth Karplus 5/2 #268919 |
| | Whiskered Tern
Bushells Lagoon |
| There were 6 Whiskered Terns initially seen perched on the posts within the lagoon and then foraging over he lagoon which included both adults in summer plumage and a young bird. Not as many waterbirds as Pitt Town Lagoon with water levels still quite high. |
| Edwin Vella 5/2 #268916 |
|  | Australian Painted Snipe, Baillon's Crakes, Auistralian Shelducks
Pitt Town Lagoon |
| The female Australian Painted Snipe was seen again in early part of the morning for quite an extended period - though quite distant where a spotting scope was definitely needed. it stood for quite some time beside the reeds on the far western side of the lagoon as viewed through my spotting scope. We also had 2 young Australian Shelducks, 2 Baillon's Crakes, 4 Yellow-billed and 21 Royal Spoonbills as well as 7 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers.
There are thousands of waterfowl there at the moment with well over 2,500 Teal (mainly Chestnut) and some Pink-eared Ducks and Australasian Shovelers among them. |
| Edwin Vella et al 5/2 #268915 |
| Sat 4 | | Varied Triller
Myalls Lakes National Park - Mungo Brush. |
|
| Spotted in Fig Tree Near The Boat Ramp. eBird checklist |
| Gordon Arthur. Allan Johns. 4/2 #268909 |
| | Australian Painted Snipe, Wood Sandpiper, Australian Shelduck.
Pitt Town Lagoon. |
| Went to Pitt Town Lagoon this morning hoping to find some Crakes. Didn't find any Crakes but I did find a female Australian Painted Snipe standing on the edge of the reeds preening and sunning itself it was on the far south western corner of the Lagoon also there was a Wood Sandpiper on the Island just in front of where you stand on the Northern side of the Lagoon and last but not least there were 2 female Australian Shelducks present. (Moderator's Note: Should the report of the Painted-snipe be corroborated, we would expect that the bird is not 'pushed' by people wanting to get the best views or photographs of it - be mindful that this is endangered species with very few reports across it's range in recent years. Thanks! MR). |
| Michael Ronan. 4/2 #268908 |
| Fri 3 | | Plumed Whistling Duck
Central Coast Wetlands (Tuggerah) |
|
| 11 birds were seen mixed amongst Wood ducks, Chestnut Teals Pelicans etc on the edge of lagoon at approximately 11.00am. (Moderator's Note:6th Central Coast Report, last seen at at the Central Coast Wetlands 28/11/2020. AKM). eBird checklist |
| David Schuemaker 4/2 #268910 |
| | Streaked Shearwater, Buller’s Shearwater, Sooty Tern
Terrigal Pelagic |
| The highlights of a slowish but solid trip out of Terrigal were singles of the above species, along with White-faced Storm Petrel (1) and Wilson’s Storm Storm (1). |
| Andrew Robinson, Dean Purcell and 12 others on board 3/2 #268905 |
| Thu 2 | | Black-necked Stork
Southgate Creek, near Clarence River |
|
| 11 Storks (2+ adult, 6+ immature and 1+ juvenile birds) first observed by Neville Rosendale at about 18:00 hrs. I observed and photographed them between 17:41 to 17:44 hrs when they took off singly or in small groups and flew to the east. A large aggregation of a species that usually only groups in family units of up to 5 birds. |
| Greg Clancy and Neville Rosendale 3/2 #268901 |
| | Oriental Cuckoo
Rocky Creek Dam |
| Alerted to the bird by the alarm calls of other species. Observed flying over dam wall and landing in canopy tree. Large, pointy-winged, slaty-grey, heavily barred cuckoo. An exciting record for me.
Also observed: Forest Kingfisher, Pale Yellow Robin, White-eared Monarch, Russet-tailed Thrush, among others. eBird checklist |
| Henry Coleman 2/2 #268896 |
| Tue 31 | | Glossy Black Cockatoo
Wollamia, Jervis Bay road, NSW 2540 |
| one pair of Glossy Black Cockatoos plus another male sighted in bushland at Jervis Bay Road, Wollamia, NSW, 2540 Casuarina trees were present. |
| Birgit Seidlich Earl 31/1 #268890 |
| | Barn Swallow
Cabarita, northern NSW |
|
| Continuing presence of the bird initially found by Ruben Brinsmead. Today I found two Barn Swallows at the location. Both photographed together. One has longer streamers. The large group of Welcome Swallows that roost at the site might be worth searching for additional birds. |
| David Charley 31/1 #268888 |
| Mon 30 | | Roseate Tern
Flat Rock (Ballina) |
|
| Roseate Tern in worn breeding plumage, briefly seen at Flat Rock this afternoon (Moderator: Barn Swallow is on the review list of NSW ORAC). |
| Steve McBride 31/1 #268892 |
| | Pectoral Sandpiper
Lake Goran |
|
| Potentially two individuals. Longish bill with yellow base, clean white under tail, lacking rufous crown. Strong breast demarcations apparent, though not entirely obvious from angle of the photos. The lake is very full at the moment, there are some nice muddy flats at around -31.297723, 150.214160 where these birds were seen. The fields have been cropped, so the area is very open allowing good views of the lake. Good chance of something else interesting showing up. Also of note where large numbers of very vocal Stubble Quail and Bushlarks, as well as a Black Falcon. eBird checklist |
| Tim Henderson 31/1 #268886 |
| | Barn Swallow
Cabarita |
|
| Roosting in carpark under Woolworths. Good chance of being seen roosting at night or on wires behind Woolworths. First spotted by Ruben Brinsmead. (Moderator: Barn Swallow is on the review list of NSW ORAC). eBird checklist |
| Jude Shaw 31/1 #268884 |
| Sun 29 | | Glossy Black Cockatoo
12 Secret lane, Kings Forest, Kingscliff NSW |
|
| Noted in top of tree near my house. Had different call to the usual black cockatoos and notably smaller. There was a pair and they took no notice of several black cockatoos as they flew past.
Definite red tail and small light coloured patches on cheek. I’m very familiar with native cockatoos and have never seen these in this area in 40 years. |
| Bernice Andrews 4/2 #268907 |
| | Spotless Crake, Australian Spotted Crake, Lewins Rail, Buff-banded Rail
Elizabeth Island, Clarenza, Clarence River |
| 2 Spotless Crakes heard and observed, and one Spotted Crake observed at water's edge, Lewin's Rail heard calling and 3 Buff-banded Rails also present. |
| Craig Cassady per Greg Clancy 3/2 #268902 |
| | Black-backed Bittern
Narawang Wetlands, Sydney Olympic Park |
| At least one male and one female were showing well 25 to 29 January inclusive. Birders and photographers should be aware that venturing off footpaths, including entering the water, is not permitted. Rules and regulations exist to protect wildlife and the fragile wetland ecosystems that have been restored through substantial efforts. Photos posted to social media to encourage contemplation of ethical birding and ethical bird photography. |
| Dean Portelli 30/1 #268883 |
| | Little Curlew
Gingham Watercourse Mudflats adj Morialta Road, BULLARAH |
|
| 90 Little Curlews viewed and counted thru mounted scope from shoulder of road. Same location as previous recent trips.
30km south of Mungindi,
30km west of Gwydir Wetlands.
Other significant numbers in hundreds included: Red-capped Plovers, Banded Lapwings, Grey Teal, Dotterels etc (Moderator: Easily the biggest count of Little Curlews in NSW now! MR)
Observers: Jenny Holcombe, May Kuypers Whittall and myself eBird checklist |
| Patrick Johnston 29/1 #268881 |
| | Comb-crested Jacana
Rowes Lagoon, Collector |
|
| Originally posted to NSW Rare Bird Alert Facebook page. Single adult bird, seems content feeding approximately 50m out from shoreline, Edmondson VC Rest Area (Moderator's Note: This is an extraordinary record, and there would appear to be no previous records for the Southern or Central Tablelands of NSW. The only other western record that I could find, apart from one in recent times in the Moree Watercourse, was for Gilgandra in 1932. AKM) |
| Daniel Kurzawa 29/1 #268880 |
| | Lesser Frigatebird
Broughton Island |
| Seen on Providence Beach been chaced off by a Crested Tern. Too quick to snap a phone picture. Clearly seen in binoculars for ID. Headed quickly east along the island out of view. Good number (12) of Red-capped Plovers on beach also. eBird checklist |
| Jason Brown 29/1 #268877 |
| Sat 28 | | Australian Brushturkey - breeding record, southern Sydney
Oatley |
| Not my sighting - local Facebook page "Oatley Flora & Fauna Conservation Socity" shared photos and notes on 26th showing two days-old juvenile Australian Brushturkeys. Not sure when this species was last reported breeding in the southern half of Sydney (between Parramatta and Georges Rivers). Last year locals reported up to 5 adult-sized birds near Neverfail Bay, Oatley, and I managed 3 at a time at this location. |
| Oatley Flora & Fauna Conservation Society via Chris Rehberg / Sydney Birding 31/1 #268887 |
| Thu 26 | | Painted Snipe
Ephemeral Swamp near Chat Alley |
| Single bird took flight from fence line landed some 30 meters further into swamp. unable to locate again. distinctive colour and pattern separated it from any other snipe in the area. eBird checklist |
| Paul Heath 29/1 #268873 |
| | White Tern, Sooty Tern, White-faced Storm-Petrel
Offshore--Sydney Pelagic |
|
| We had a reasonable day considering the slow start. Highlights included our first White Tern since 2015, good numbers of White-faced Storm-Petrels and a lone Sooty Tern. Frustratingly, the only Pterodroma for the day was to be Grey-faced Petrel. We did however have excellent views and interactions with four species of cetaceans including Spinner dolphins. The 200-odd shearwaters kept us entertained on the return leg. Photograph: Dave Irving. eBird checklist |
| Sydney pelagics and all onboard 28/1 #268870 |
| | Little Curlew
Gingham Floodplain adj Morialta Road BULLARAH |
|
| 39 Little Curlew sighted/counted with a Mounted Scope. Count verified by Jane Humphries.
Location: Viewed from shoulder of Morialta Road (approx 30km south of Mungindi, 100km west of Moree).
7.8km north of Watercourse Rd intersection where the Gingham Watercourse Floodplain meets Morialta Road and is cultivated mudflats from water flowing from the Gwydir Wetlands 30km east). Area has been pretty much innundated since March 2020 with 3 good years of rainfall combined with flooding.
Note: No ebird record made due to brewing storm. Location was identical within metres to where I saw 5 x Little Curlew 9th of Jan 2023 (Moderator's Note: A remarkable count of Little Curlew and the biggest I can find for NSW. It looks ripe for a Long-toed Stint or two to arrive there! MR). eBird checklist |
| Patrick Johnston 26/1 #268867 |
| Tue 24 | | Common Noddy and Shy Albatross
Mistral Point, Maroubra |
|
| A trawler was working the inshore waters with about 250 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters following it, as was a Shy Albatross which was present for at least an hour. A few Pomarine Jaegers were also seen and possibly the same Common Noddy from last week was still feeding close inshore. |
| David Mitford 25/1 #268863 |
| Sun 22 | | Black-winged, Gould’s and Black Petrels
Offshore--Port Stephens pelagic |
|
| Great day off Port Stephens on our first pelagic since May last year with a real treat of Cookilarias to watch for much of the time. We ended up with seven Black-winged and seventeen Gould’s (best count on a Port Stephens pelagic for Gould’s and our first Black-wings). We had five Gould’s feeding together in a tight bunch a few miles shy of the shelf break and when we repositioned from our first drift to our second drift all of our attendant shearwaters abandoned us and we were followed by only a Gould’s and a Black-winged! We also had a single Black Petrel, two Grey-faced Petrel, good numbers of Sooty Terns, a Long-tailed Jaeger and 25x Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, which is a good count for January. Surprisingly we only had three Flesh-footed Shearwaters at the shelf and a total of five for the entire day. A NSW ORAC submission will be made for the Black-winged Petrels. Back of screen photo uploaded because I don’t have access to download my photos at the moment. |
| Mick Roderick and all aboard M.V. Contagious 22/1 #268859 |
| Sat 21 | | Gang-Gang Cockatoo
Tomboye, NSW |
| Large group of 20 birds. 4 adult pairs with the remaining birds being immature/juveniles lacking adult plumage. |
| Nick Charley 26/1 #268865 |
| | Comb-crested Jacana
McPherson Road Swamp |
|
| Long staying bird still present on the swamp eBird checklist |
| Felix Watson, Martin Snowball 22/1 #268857 |
| Fri 20 | | Southern Emu-wren, King Quail, Painted Button-quail
Surveyor's Creek, Gibraltar Range National Park |
|
| Adult male Emu-wren photographed, and pair of King Quail flushed in hanging swamp. Painted Button-quail heard calling same location on 17.01.23 (Keith Fisher, Russell Jago, Darryl Eggins). |
| Greg & Val Clancy, Megan Rush, Warren Martin, Jag Robertson, Keith Fisher 26/1 #268866 |
| Thu 19 | | Common Noddy and Long-tailed Jaeger
Mistral Point, Maroubra |
| A Common Noddy hung around for about 30 minutes, also 19 Long-tailed Jaeger came through in dribs and drabs. Other species included: 300 Wedge-tailed Shearwater, 8 Short-tailed Shearwater, 5 Flesh-footed Shearwater, 4 Fluttering Shearwater, 1 Sooty Shearwater and 6 Pomarine Jaeger. |
| David Mitford 20/1 #268851 |
| | White-throated Needletail
Cooranbong |
| Probably over 300 seen over a 5 km. stretch between Morisset and Cooranbong. This is twice the size of the flocks that have been here at this time of year. They usually roost in the Blackbutts along Stockton Creek and you can see them slowly rise from there early morning - generally resident for a few weeks |
| Paul Schofield 19/1 #268848 |
| Wed 18 | | Rufous Shrike-thrush
Sea Acres Nature Reserve |
| Two birds seen smaller than a Grey Shrike-thrush, rufous under & grey brown above with very faint streaks on the breast. Too big for a Whistler but classic Shrike-thrush/Whistler head & bill shape. Calling continuously the same as the Little Shrike-thrush on the Aus. Birds App, & the Rufous Shrike-thrush (Wilson Creek NE NSW) on the new Stewart Sounds App. They have been observed here before & have been recorded on the NSW Atlassers database by other observers. eBird checklist |
| Ian Kerr 3/2 #268906 |
| | Little Shrike-thrush
Sea Acres Nature Reserve |
| 2 birds calling continuously then seen. Rufous below, smaller than a Grey Shrike-thrush but larger than a Whistler with Shrike-thrush/Whistler head & bill. In the rainforest mid level.(Moderator's Note: Interesting report because the normal range usually only extends to Scotts Head/Grassy Head, in Northern NSW. AKM) eBird checklist |
| Ian Kerr 18/1 #268845 |
| Mon 16 | | Black-backed Bittern
Narawang Wetlands, Sydney Olympic Park |
| Good views of a male perched in aquatic vegetation at pond on north side of Avenue of Oceania. Best view of entire pond is from the roadside. Reported on ebird by other observers. |
| Dion Hobcroft 16/1 #268836 |
| Sun 15 | | Plumed Whistling-Duck
Centennial Park (Sydney) |
| 6 Plumed Whistling-Ducks were on the larger island in the eastern end of Duck Pond Centennial Park.
They had earlier been sighted on the grass verge of Busbys Pond.
They are believed to have only stayed 24 houirs. (Moderator's Note: There is at least one previous record for this site. AKM) |
| Judy Clark 5/2 #268912 |
| | Black-necked Stork, Wood Sandpiper
Central Coast Wetlands - Pioneer Dairy |
| Update on Black-necked Stork and Wood Sandpiper at Central Coast Wetlands - Pioneer Dairy.
One individual Wood Sandpiper flushed low from -33.296116,151.424922 while slowly driving past - square white rump patch and barred tail clearly seen. Waited for 20 minutes and emerged foraging, -33.2967385, 151.4255660, then sat down. While observing, a second individual Wood Sandpiper appeared foraging on the opposite bank at -33.2958429, 151.4247667.
One individual Black-necked Stork flew in at 5:23pm. Landed, foraged, then began roosting at -33.2964011, 151.4260170. Still present when leaving site at 6:50pm.
Also noting four Black-fronted Dotterels and one Latham's Snipe foraging (see eBird checklist S126181377 for further details; two hour stationary survey with two observers). eBird checklist |
| Jessica Rooke, Hugh Chan 16/1 #268835 |
| | Blue-billed Duck (breeding record)
Denbigh Farm Dam - Cobbitty |
| An adult female with a young bird was present on the dam this morning suggesting it has bred here. To my knowledge there are few breeding records for this species in Sydney and the only other one I am aware of is at Pitt Town Lagoon in the Hawkesbury a few years ago. |
| Edwin Vella 15/1 #268830 |
| | House sparrow
George St. North Strathfield |
| A few years ago I reported house sparrows in George St. North Srathfield. Is this species still uncommon in certain parts of Sydney? Whatever, several were seen and heard today in the same outside cafe/restaurant area where they appear to be living on scraps from under the tables (Moderator's Note: House Sparrows continue to decline, certainly in Sydney, Central Coast and parts of the Mid North Coast. As Starlings are also declining in those areas one wonders whether their decline is partly caused by increased numbers of Common Mynas in urban and industrial areas. AKM) |
| Nick Hodges 15/1 #268829 |
| Sat 14 | | Restless Flycatcher
Spring Ck reservoir Orange |
| First we have seen some years. Also one male Blue-billed Duck, Red-rumped Parrots and Double-Barred Finches. |
| Bernard Huxtable 14/1 #268827 |
| Tue 10 | | White-throated Nightjar
Blue Mountains National Park--Glenbrook entrance |
| Large numbers of Nightjars on our owling walk tonight. One was flushed from presumed day roost just on sunset by a pair of Magpies. Then once dark we played some calls, two came flying in, one perching very close the other circling. Another two were heard in the same period of the two that were with us so assumed two pairs are present. eBird checklist |
| Felix Watson 5/2 #268913 |
| Mon 9 | | Little Curlew
Gingham Floodplain adjacent Morialta Road Bullarah |
|
| Flooded mudflats/cuiltivation paddock adjacent to Morialta Rd Bullarah.
5 * Little Curlew.
The site is approx 30-40km south of Mungindi and 90-100km west of Moree eBird checklist |
| Patrick Johnston 9/1 #268810 |
| | Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Pipeline Rd, Hexham Swamp |
|
| Eastern Yellow Wagtail showing well in marshes alongside the Pipeline Rd, Hexham. Disappeared for an hour and then reappeared in same location, drank from a puddle on the road and then back out onto the marshes. Lost sight amongst tussocks. Very poor phone photo attached. |
| Ashley Mullahey 9/1 #268809 |
| Sun 8 | | Black-necked Stork, Wood Sandpiper
Pioneer Dairy, Tuggerah |
|
| Update on Stork and Wood Sandpiper at Central Coast Wetlands. Adult. seen flying over., also 2 Wood Sandpipers seen, breeding Tawny Grassbirds (feeding young), and 5 Channel-billed Cuckoos in the one Moreton Bay Fig (with Figbirds and Satin Bowerbirds). |
| Ian McAllan, David Martin, Laurie Smith, Rob Montgomery 9/1 #268808 |
| | Topknot Pigeon
Kurrajong Hills |
|
| 3 local records in the past week culminating in a flock of 8 to 10 in a fruiting Moreton Bay Fig where I first recorded them locally in 2020. There are few records of this species west of the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system. |
| Eric Finley 8/1 #268806 |
| Sat 7 | | Oriental Pratincole
North of Wanganella |
| Robert Nevinson located an Oriental Pratincole on private property north of Wanganella on 5 January Last seen 7 January. This is the first record for the Deniliquin district, and possibly the Riverina, of which I am aware. Access restricted. |
| Robert Nevinson per Philip Maher 8/1 #268807 |
| | Buller's Shearwater
Long Reef Aquatic Reserve |
| Highlight of a 3 hour seawatch from Long Reef this afternoon were 15 Buller's Shearwater which is 1 more than my previous record from Tacking Point Lighthouse a few years ago. |
| Michael Ronan 7/1 #268804 |
| | Common Myna
Condobolin |
| Very disappointed to see 7 Common Mynas fly over my house this morning. First ever record to my knowledge for Condobolin
Anyone got any good tips to get rid of the %$#@%$s |
| warren Chad 7/1 #268802 |