| Sun 29 | | Black- browed Albatross, Pomarine Jaeger and Kelp Gull
Maroubra Beach |
|
| An early autumn seawatch resulted in the following bird tallies :
Black-browed Albatross 1, Pomarine Jaeger 1, Kelp Gull 1, Wedgies 50,
Etc. |
| David Mitford 29/3 #248731 |
| | (possible) Little Ravens
Toongabbie |
| Toongabbie has been my new home since 9th Jan. I see corvids flying overhead, but do not hear the dying notes, ever, of the Australian Raven. The call is aaah-a, with the final "a" a shorter, higher note. In describing these calls to Alan Richards, he believes them as typical of Little Ravens (Moderator's Note: Little Ravens are known to be winter visitors to western Sydney but it is not known if there might be resident birds. We are publishing this as a possible record only. MR). |
| Barrie Ayres 29/3 #248728 |
| Sat 28 | | Brown Skua
Redhead Beach |
|
| Large broad winged brown seabird. Double white wing flashes. Flew directly south. First bird seen at the beach. eBird checklist |
| Archie Brennan 28/3 #248720 |
| Fri 27 | | Bush Stone-curlew
Main Street of Brunswick Heads. Far Nth NSW |
| On intersection of primary school and bakery corner in town block a bird crossed street towards the health food store side from the school side. Not very busy in towns present so maybe birds able to spread out a bit more.(Moderator's Note: The BSC population from Ballina Northwards to the Qld border is increasing, with support from the LGAs and bird conservation groups. AKM) |
| Carmen and Duncan fowler 30/3 #249734 |
| | Flame Robin, Gang-gang Cockatoo
Matthew Eades Reserve, Katoomba |
| 1 adult male Flame Robin and 2 Gang-gang Cockatoos seen this afternoon. |
| Paul Johnstone 27/3 #247715 |
| | Mangrove Gerygone
Oatley Park, Hurstville |
| Single bird calling and seen well on the edge of mangroves at the far west end of the point. Rare in Sydney away from Botany or Homebush Bay. eBird checklist |
| Max Breckenridge 27/3 #247711 |
| | Glossy Black-Cockatoo
Eleebana Landcare site opposite Lindeman Ave |
| I was riding my bike at the Landcare Site of Glad Gunson Dr opposite Lindeman Ave when I heard a Glossy Black-Cockatoo. I looked up through the trees & & a pair of Glossy-Black-Cockatoos were flying over. I saw their red tails a they flew over. They appeared significantly smaller than a Yellow-Tailed Black-Cockatoo. Back to school from home though hopefully I'll see them again. |
| Archie Brennan 27/3 #247706 |
| Wed 25 | | Eurasian Coot, Plumed Whistling-Duck, Restless Flycatcher
Dam near Poley Bridge, Orara River, NW of Coutts Crossing |
|
| Adult Coot sitting on nest in dam, first observed on 23 March - only second record by observer of breeding in Clarence Valley; 26 Whistling-Ducks on and around dam, some feeding on grass seeds, 1 Restless Flycatcher on fence. |
| Greg Clancy 25/3 #247700 |
| | Magpie Goose
"Jacana" Hsd Clarenza 2460 |
|
| At 7am about 70 Magpie Geese were spotted on the edge of our dam |
| Eric Wheeler 25/3 #247695 |
| | Koel
Bellevue Hill (Sydney) |
| 1 male same tree two days in a row. Had not seen here since 12th March.
Incidentally I had a Channel-billed Cuckoo here until 16th March. |
| Chris Gladwin 25/3 #247694 |
| Tue 24 | | Turquoise Parrot
Nikora Homestead, Capertee Valley |
| Descending into Capertee Valley at approx 10am, we pulled into the gateway of Nikora Homestead our first regular site. Alive with birds such as Hooded Robin, Dusky Woodswallows, Rainbow Bee-eaters and Diamond Firetail. We were just enjoying views of two Plum-headed Finches perched on the top strand of a wire fence when they were flushed when a parrot landed on the same strand.
Front on at barely 10m a male Tourquoise, Blue face and vivid yellow breast and flanks, blue wings and red shoulder patch. Regrettably he flew on almost immediately.
Many years years since we enjoyed a nesting pair further down the valley near Crown Station. |
| Graham Blackwell, Gwen Blackwell 26/3 #247704 |
| | Magpie Goose
Wetland near Pacific Highway Clarenza |
| 40+ birds loafing in and at edge of water. |
| Greg Clancy 25/3 #247699 |
| | Black Kite
Pacific Highway, Tyndale |
| One bird flying over Pacific Highway. |
| Greg Clancy 25/3 #247698 |
| Mon 23 | | Brolga
Ulmarra |
| 14 Brolga feeding on a recently harvested fallow field on the south side of the Pacific Hwy, just out of town towards the East. I really wonder about these birds' movements in the area; they seem quite erratic but I'm not sure. |
| Henry Coleman 25/3 #247691 |
| Sun 22 | | Black Kite
Sydney Airport |
| A single Black Kite (fork tail clearly seen and photographed) observed flying west to east across the field just north of General Holmes Drive Tunnel. It was soon accosted by Australian Ravens and chased off to the east.
There's no previous records of a Black Kite here that I can find. |
| Nigel Coghlan 23/3 #247684 |
| | Black-chinned Honeyeater
The Gap Road, via Woodburn |
| Black-chinned Honeyeater called passing through canopy. Possible that they are spreading further afield than normal (east in this case) due to extensive recent summer fires in habitat. |
| Clive Heywood Barker 22/3 #247680 |
| | Plumed Whistling Duck
Doughboy Hollow, Singleton |
| 250+ Ducks sitting next to the creek line (Moderator's Note: counts of up to 500 birds have been made at this known site. MR). |
| Daniel McKeon and David Peet 22/3 #247679 |
| Sat 21 | | Diamond Dove, Lewin’s Rail, Plumhead Finch
Queensland Road, Casino |
| A pair of Diamond Doves observed and photographed on the road. This species is an extremely rare vagrant in the Richmond valley. Male and female Plumhead Finches observed feeding on ragweed seeds. Lewin’s Rail heard in adjacent wetlands. |
| David Charley 21/3 #247675 |
| Fri 20 | | Diamond Dove
Giants Creek Road at -32.23597, 150.51503. 100m past end of tarred rd |
|
| Diamond Dove seen on the ridge to the left of Giants Creek Rd Sandy Hollow. Single bird. Also many other species present Red-capped Robin, Jacky Winter, Weebill, Varied Sittella, Brown-headed HE, Common Bronzewing, both Yellow & Yellow-rumped Thornbill, White-throated Gerygone. The area has recovered well after the recent rains! |
| Darren Earnshaw, Greg Miles 21/3 #247666 |
| Thu 19 | | Streaked Shearwater, Solander's Petrel, Campbell Albatross
Pelagic out of Swansea |
|
| A Streaked Shearwater, an early Solander's Petrel and a sub-adult Campbell Albatross were the highlights of a slow but enjoyable pelagic out of Swansea. Also seen were several immaculate-looking Pomarine Jaegers, good numbers (~200) of Flesh-footed Shearwaters (that dominated the boat the entire day) and a few Grey-faced Petrels. Was also a good day for other ocean-life with the highlight being some very acrobatic dolphins and a 'flock' of very large Mobula rays (possibly Chilean Devil Rays) that glided under the boat on our second drift. |
| Mick Roderick, Allan Benson et al 20/3 #247664 |
| | Marbled Frogmouth, Noisy Pitta & Glossy Black Cockatoo
Nightcap National Park - eastern Boundary Trail |
| Marbled Frogmouth & Noisy Pitta best birds. Pair Glossies feeding in she oak: also Little Lorikeets overflying, and a Albert's Lyrebird doing some excellent mimicry - ; https://www.facebook.com/1837215776315371/posts/2514422785261330/ |
| Ian Colvin 20/3 #247661 |
| Wed 18 | | Freckled Duck
Wallsend Brickworks Park |
| Single Freckled Duck seen well on the water, from the bird hide. It occasionally swam out of site behind a mound |
| Jon Spicer-Bell 18/3 #247646 |
| Tue 17 | | Bell Miner
Warriewood |
| Small separate colony of a dozen or so birds near Boundary Street/Mona Vale Rd. about 1.6 km north-west of the large Wetlands colony. Perhaps indicative of the ongoing spread of this species in Northern Beaches LGA. |
| David Sawyer 18/3 #247642 |
| | Musk Duck, Freckled Duck, Plumed Whistling Duck, Aust Shelduck
Condobolin Sewage Treatment Works |
| First record of Musk Duck at this site, two males. Not a lot of ducks but great variety. THere were even new juvenile Grey Teal and Hoary-headed Grebes. Other species included Pink-eared Ducks,Aust Shoveller and a pair of Major Mitchells feeding quietly in a pine tree. |
| Warren Chad 18/3 #247641 |
| | Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Beach Stone-curlew
Sunset Beach, Port Stephens |
| A total of 15 Glossy Black-Cockatoos flying north at Sunset Beach. A mob of 9 followed shortly after by 6 more. I did see at least 5 the day before in the stony ridge reserve, but 15 is surprising at any time.Other species present at Sunset Beach were a couple of Whimbrels, 3 Grey-tailed Tattlers, a pair of Beach Stone-curlews and a juvenile Striated Heron. |
| Geoff Witten 17/3 #247639 |
| Mon 16 | | Blue-billed Duck, Freckled Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Australian Shoveler
Bushells Lagoon |
|
| Two Blue-billed Ducks seen, the male performed a display to the nearby female. As it was raining, a call could not be heard.
Two Freckled ducks, and a handful of both Aust. Shovelers and Pink-eared Ducks.
Nearby on Blacktown Rd (road that leads to Bushells) were a male and female Restless Flycatcher (outside 129), a Little Eagle and Whistling Kite. eBird checklist |
| David Davidson, Cary Lewis. 17/3 #247637 |
| | Wandering Tattler
Wategos Beach, Cape Byron |
| Two Wandering Tattlers, with breeding plumage coming through, feeding on the rocky outcrop at the eastern end of Wategos Beach, Cape Byron. Also a feeding frenzy of Shearwaters and Terns off the cape, but without a scope I only managed to identify Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Crested Tern and Common Tern. |
| Henry Coleman 16/3 #246640 |
| Sun 15 | | Glossy black cockatoo
Forster |
| 6 birds flying over near the bowling club |
| Peter mint 15/3 #246631 |
| Sat 14 | | Diamond Dove
Medhurst Bridge, Martindale |
|
| Only the one sighting, mid afternoon right at the entrance of Medhurst Bridge in a brushy shrub. Call was heard again Sunday 15th about 11 am. |
| Patricia Sweet 15/3 #246636 |
| | Bar-tailed Godwit
Rodd Park, Rodd Point |
| We have been looking out for godwits here (on the shore/mudflats) for at least 5 yrs. We drive past one day a week in most weeks of the year (i.e. twice on the same day as we go past on the way to elsewhere and back), usually surveying the scene from a moving car. As the check is incidental, favourable tides would be coincidental. This time it was raining and 14C, with low tide about 2 hrs away. We were so startled by our first sighting of godwits here we doubled back and parked briefly. Counted 8 foraging. Not seen when we returned about 2 hrs later. We also noticed for the first time that signs about them (or shorebirds generally) had been erected. Looked new or newish. If the godwits are now regulars, clearly a bit of luck required given our weekly checks of the area. This is a popular recreation zone so a challenging situation for them. eBird checklist |
| Thalia and Darren Broughton 15/3 #246633 |
| | Grey-faced Petrel and Arctic Jaeger
Mistral Point, Maroubra |
| 7 Grey-faced Petrels, 4 Pomarine Jaegers, 1 Arctic Jaeger, 60 Flesh- footed Sheareaters, 40 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and a Little Penguin were seen today. A few juvenile Australasian Gannets also going through with the odd adult. |
| David Mitford and Robert Griffin 14/3 #246627 |
| Fri 13 | | Spangled Drongo
Bicentennial Park (Sydney Olympic Park)--Waterbird Refuge |
|
| I have not seen a Spangled Drongo at Sydney Olympic Park for several years, so it was nice to spot one this morning right next to the birdhide. |
| Jenny Stiles 13/3 #246622 |
| | Glossy Black-Cockatoo
Newcastle CBD |
| 3 Glossy Black-Cockatoos, Hunter St, Newcastle in Norfolk Is.Pines at 7am. Quite vocal, rested here for 30 minutes before flying in southerly direction. An unexpected sighting for a typical CBD morning. (Moderator's Note: This is a very unusual record, though in line with the spate of GBC reports from elsewhere along the coast. GBCs were also heard calling from a residence along Watt Street, Newcastle CBD this morning as well - possibly the same birds. MR) |
| Gavin Shelley 13/3 #246621 |
| Thu 12 | | Glossy black Cockatoo (pair with young)
Hurstville Aquatic Centre |
| 20 years in this address never seen the species here before!!! Definitely the Crown Jewel on my garden list. |
| LORAND SZUCS 12/3 #246618 |
| | White-necked Heron
Coutts Crossing Village |
|
| Two nests constructed in trees in village, one in Large-leaved Spotted Gum first observed on 5 February (although birds observed in tree on 16 January) and second in Forest Red Gum. The first has a nestling, first observed on 9 March and was seen being fed by one adult today (see circled nestling in poor photo). The second nest is in a Forest Red Gum virtually hanging over our backyard was first seen being constructed on 9 March and was advanced at that stage (we had been away for a few days) and an adult was sitting today. A pair nested in a Forest Red Gum in the nearby McIntosh Park some years back. |
| Greg Clancy 12/3 #246613 |
| Wed 11 | | Glossy Black Cockatoo
Royal National Park - Near Costens Point |
| A flock of six glossies seen flying overhead yesterday, individuals were seen before and after. |
| Dave Robson 12/3 #246616 |
| | Freckled Duck, Blue-billed Duck, Australian Shoveler
Dangar’s Lagoon, Uralla |
| A single Freckled Duck with at least 23 shoveler. One pair of Blue-billed Duck. Lagoon about 1/4 full. |
| David Charley 12/3 #246612 |
| | Spotless Crake, Baillon's Crake, Lewin's Rail
Sydney Park |
| Excellent hour and a bit at Sydney Park late this afternoon. Finally, I added a Spotless Crake to my SP list. The bird was on eastern side of big southern pond. Seen preening and feeding for two minutes. Lifted its wing a few times to reveal silver-grey underwing. Also recorder at big southern pond: Lewin's Rail (heard), Baillon's Crake, Buff-banded Rail and Little Grassbird. |
| Lorne Johnson 11/3 #246609 |
| Tue 10 |  | Black-winged Petrel (heard only), Gould's Petrel, Wompoo Fruit Dove
Cabbage Tree Island (restricted access) |
| Annual chick banding at CTI. On the first evening, 10th of March, we heard an unknown call at about 20:30 of a bird flying in among a couple of Gould's Petrels over the canopy. We were suspicious it might have been a Black-winged Petrel. Luckily I had some audio recorders out and got a fairly decent recording. Comparison to known Black-winged Petrel flight calls strongly suggests this bird was indeed that species. Not heard again on the second evening, but audio data yet to be analysed. Other birds of note were a flock of Topknot Pigeons (15+) and a single Wompoo Fruit Dove (morning of 11th) all feeding on the abundantly available figs. Gould's Petrel obviously around on both nights, as were lots of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and some Little Penguins. |
| Vincent Mourik, Emily Mowat, Tom Clark, Jim Cutler (NPWS) 13/3 #246624 |
| | Magpie-Goose
Tooraweenah |
|
| Three Magpie-Geese turned up at a farm near Tooraweenah (just west of the Warrumbungles NP) , possibly to feed on grain that had been put out for stock feed. The owners of the farm have never seen Magpie-Geese at their farm before and I do not know of any previous records for Magpie-Geese in the Tooraweenah area. It is also significant that Magpie-Geese have recently returned to a site at Quambone and at two locations in the Macquarie Marshes following good rains at those locations |
| Dee Roworth, per Alan Morris 12/3 #246617 |
| | Rainbow Loriket
Bullarah Locality (70km west of Moree) |
|
| Turn-around season, recent February/March rains providing localised flooding, etc..
Feasting on Mistletoe. |
| Patrick Johnston 11/3 #246607 |
| | Little Lorikeet
Glades Bay Park, Gladesville |
| 20 Little Lorikeets flew north-northwest direction before sunset. |
| Fatih Sam 10/3 #246603 |
| | Budgerigar
Nyngan |
| A small flock of 12 budgies seen near the river at Rotary park. (Moderator's Note: There seems to be a big push of Budgies into parts of central NSW, eastward to the western slopes around Narrabri, with flocks of up to 250 birds reported just west of Cobar and Bourke. With them, there appears also to be a push of Diamond Doves. Will be interesting to see if birds move further east; probably much less likely now given the recent inland rains. MR) |
| Mick Crosland 10/3 #246594 |
| Mon 9 | | White-breasted Woodswallow
Mona Vale Road, near Boundary St, Mona Vale. |
| Around 8 White-breasted Woodswallows were seen at 11am on the high voltage powerlines. Some were sitting side-by-side in typical woodswallow fashion. On return at 2pm, they were no longer present. Perhaps some blow-ins from Central Coast. (Moderator's Note: White-breasted Woodswallows are known to occur at Narrabeen Lakes, so these maybe part of that population. AKM) eBird checklist |
| David Davidson 9/3 #246587 |
| Sun 8 | | Aleutian Tern
Old Bar, Farquher Inlet |
|
| 3 Aleutian Tern, no indications of breeding plumage. Other 130+ Bar-tailed Godwit, 11 Eastern Curlew, 1 Common Tern, 700+ silver gull, 50+ Crested Tern, Red-capped Plover, Red-necked Stint, 5 Pacific Golden Plover , 1 Beach-Stone-curlew, 1 Pelican, 1 Great Cormorant, 1 Black-winged Kite. Some Bar-tailed Godwit and Pacific Golden Plover in breeding plumage. |
| Neil Fraser, Graeme Stevens 9/3 #246593 |
| | Glossy Black-cockatoos, Gang-gangs, Eastern Bristlebird, Pilotbird
Barren Grounds Nature Reserve |
| Things came together on yesterday's trip to Barren Grounds with many of the key species sighted, albeit briefly in some cases. Very distant views of 2 Glossy-blacks, heard calling across the valley; Flock of 10 Gang-gangs flying same. Those seen from the service trail. Pilotbird showing well at the Herbarium walk. Over at Budderoo, three Eastern Bristlebirds encountered along with Chestnut-rumped Heathwren. Although the day was quiet overall, a good range of birds seen in the end. eBird checklist |
| Chris Rehberg, Dave, Cary. 9/3 #246585 |
| | Barred Cuckoo-shrike
Kooloonbung Reserve, Port Macquarie |
|
| Two birds sitting high in a tree calling before being chased off by a Red Wattlebird |
| Daniel McKeon 8/3 #246581 |
| | Topknot Pigeon
Albion St., Pennant Hills |
| 3 topknots seen in my back yard resting in Sydney Blue Gum. For the first 19 years in my Albion St residence I saw no Topknots. Now several sightings in the last few years. |
| Nick Hodges 8/3 #245584 |
| Sat 7 | | Blue-billed Duck
Seale Rd Belmore swamp |
| With all the rains the swamp is full to overflowing. Waterfowl that had deserted the area as it was dry have now returned in large numbers. A pair of Blue-billed Ducks with the male in full breeding plumage were seen well over ten minutes or so. The birds were with a group of about 10 Hardheads. We also found 2 x Australasian Shoveler plus 4 x Hoary-headed Grebes at the same site. |
| Peter West and Sue Proust 8/3 #245581 |
| | Turquoise Parrots
Scheyville National Park |
| While walking through the Scheyville Paddocks at around 5:30 yesterday afternoon, I disturbed 3 turquoise parrots feeding on the ground. |
| John CRESSWELL 8/3 #245580 |
| Fri 6 | | Pied Honeyeater
Round Hill Nature Reserve--Whoey Tanks |
|
| Found one adult male and after inspection of photos there was an immature male as well. 20 metres west of the tanks. eBird checklist |
| Shorty Westlin 8/3 #245582 |
| Tue 3 | | White-headed Pigeon
Engadine |
|
| Had a dozen white headed pigeons on the electric wires out the front of my house with peak hour traffic driving underneath them. I have only ever seen one bird in Engadine before. |
| Sharon Redman 3/3 #245563 |
| | Glossy Black-Cockatoo
Condobolin |
| small groups of GBC have been seen in recent days close to Condobolin along the river and adjacent creeks. Like the coast many Belah trees suffered badly in the drought and have died. It remains to be seen how they recover from recent rain. Some of these birds have been observed feeding in revegetation planted some years ago. I never see these birds in this area so this may also be drought driven. There have also been a pair feeding in Lake Cargelligo town trees over the past week or so. A group of 18 birds was seen feeding in planted trees in someones farm driveway 50 km East of Condo this week also |
| Warren Chad 3/3 #245555 |
| Mon 2 | | Cockatiel
Wallabadah (south) |
| 2 flew over the New England Highway heading west eBird checklist |
| Tim Henderson 2/3 #245554 |
| | Little Penguin
Shelly Beach Pacific Palms |
| Two individuals observed for a few minutes.
Quite unexpected......Mid afternoon. (Moderator's Note: Rarely reported north of Seal Rocks. MR). |
| Chris Catt 2/3 #245552 |
| Sun 1 | | Glossy Black-Cockatoo
Glenbrook,Bluff Reserve, Ranch Ave |
| Pair |
| Dan Barnet 2/3 #245553 |
| | Glossy Black Cockatoos
Lake Cathie, Port Macquarie |
| Dawn and dusk movements of up to 9 Glossies all week drinking and roosting nearby In fire affected zone. Young present too calling constantly. Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos daily passing as well. (Moderator's Note: Obviously bushfire and drought affected birds as there are large flocks in coastal areas of the Mid North Coast. As a result of the drought, there was widespread death of Forest Oaks Allocasuarina tortulosa (their major food source) on the slopes around this Region and the rain arrived too late to save them, and large numbers of Forest Oaks were killed by the bushfires. AKM) |
| Duncan and Carmen Fowler 1/3 #245544 |
| | Topknot Pigeon, Powerful Owl
Royal Botanic Gardens (Sydney) |
| About 15 - 20 Topknot Pigeons flew down into a gum tree late this afternoon - down by the ponds. Also the Powerful Owl was back in his Macadamia tree roost - the first sighting since the rain event of a few weeks ago. |
| Chris and Jane Gregory 1/3 #245541 |
| | Musk Duck, Blue-billed Duck
Pitt Town Lagoon |
|
| Lots of water and waterfowl on Pitt Town Lagoon at the moment. Blue-billed Duck, Australasian Shoveler, Musk Duck, Pink-eared Duck are all present at the moment. eBird checklist |
| JJ Harrison 1/3 #245540 |