Eremaea Birdlines
Interesting and unusual bird observations
Birdline New South Wales

Birdline NSW is a site for the reporting of rare or unusual birds outside their normal range, unusually high or low numbers, early or late arrivals or departures for migrant species and interesting behaviour or unusual habitat usage. We may also consider publishing unusually-plumaged birds (e.g. albinistic/leucistic/melanistic) if they are considered interesting or are uncommonly seen.

Birdline New South Wales is supported by Birding NSW, Birdlife Southern NSW and Cumberland Bird Observers Club and moderated by Alan Morris, Liam Murphy, Mick Roderick and Simon Blanchflower.

We support ethical birding .

11/28/2021

Moderators' Note

Birders are encouraged to post lists to eBird Australia, where sightings are incorporated into the BirdLife Australia Atlas. To do this you need to register with eBird Australia then login. All Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot reports should be forwarded to Mick Roderick to assist in the recovery of these severely declining species: mick.roderick@birdlife.org.au. Note we will not be publishing reports of Accipiter raptors (Collared Sparrowhawk, Grey/Brown Goshawks) or Square-tailed Kites unless they are in unusual locations or are seen with unusual prey etc.

Recent Sightings

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Reports published in the past 30 hours.

highlightHighlightmegamegaMega
December 2024
Wed 4Terek Sandpiper
Shoalhaven Heads Inlet
Continuing bird. Details on checklist. 4 others observed the Terek Sandpiper this morning before I got there. Simon Rees and I were out there together from about 1:10pm on high to outgoing tide. Digiscoped ID shots added. Simon has better images. An immature/juvenile White-winged Black Tern was also observed with Little, Crested and Caspian Tern. eBird checklist
Carla Jackett, Simon Rees 4/12 #271979
Terek Sandpiper, Grey tailed Tattler, Australian Tern
Shoalhaven Heads
Observed 1 Terek Sandpiper, 4 Grey tailed Tattler, 273 Bar-tailed Godwit, 83 Far Eastern Curlew, 4 Great Knot plus assortment of usual waders. 1 Australian Tern plus approx 80 Little Terns.
Brian Deans, Terrill Nordstrom, David Rower 4/12 #271978
Mon 2highlightMangrove Honeyeaters (x3)
South West Rocks
Had 3 birds feeding and displaying courtship chasing though the mangroves in Boyters lane along the hide walk mangroves. (Moderator's Note: South West Rocks is the known southern limit for the Mangrove Honeyeater in NSW. This is the first published report that I have seen for 2024.AKM)
Joe Deluca 3/12 #271974
Sun 1Dusky Woodswallow
Northbridge Golf Course
Two birds soaring and calling over Northbridge Golf Course at dusk. As I had no optics I recorded the sharp call (sound recording and video - both poor but usable). The recording and a sonogram are available on the eBird List. eBird records of Dusky Woodswallow are few and far between in eastern Sydney. This is the first eBird record for the Willoughby LGA, but Dusky Woodswallow is referenced in the 2004 Birds of Willoughby by Andy Burton. eBird checklist
Mike Kilburn 3/12 #271977
highlightBroad-billed Sandpiper
Flat Rock, Ballina
Broad-billed Sandpiper seen on the rock at Flat Rock, East Ballina, very late this afternoon.
Steven McBride 1/12 #271971
White-winged Black Tern
Farquar Inlet Old Bar
Two seen with a range of other terns on the beach side of the inlet. (Moderator's Note: One White-winged Black-Tern was first seen in Farquhar Inlet on 29/11/2024 by Max Weatherall, subsequently two were present on 1/12/2024. AKM) eBird checklist
Laura van Bussel 1/12 #271970

November 2024
Sat 30Black Falcon
Old Post Office Lane, Ulmarra
Falcon perched on mound of mud in recently harvested sugar cane field in rain.
Greg Clancy 1/12 #271969
Thu 28highlightLittle Shearwater
Mandalong Rd., Mandalong
My daughter found the bird in the middle of the road last night and took it to my son who looked after it overnight then took it to a wildlife rescue place today. Must've been blown in by the storm last night like the Black-fronted Dotterel I saw today on a street in Cooranbong looking very out of place.
Paul Schofield 29/11 #271965
White-browed and Masked Woodswallows
Macquarie University, North Ryde Campus
Mixed flock of approx 40 birds in all - no idea on proportions but saw both species. Alerted to their presence passing over by their calling. Seen at Waterloo Park (very close to Mac Uni campus) moving eastwards with the weather change passing over Sydney - sighting at approx 8am
Tom Wilson 28/11 #271964
Wed 27Latham's Snipe
Macquarie road Fassifern
We have had this little guy here for a few days, never seen one here before but is working the yard over. I did put a post up on Native Birds Australia and was told to report our location for statistics. (Moderator's Note: Latham's Snipe are not uncommon in the Lower Hunter Region but we have published this report because a check of eBird has found that there are basically no Snipe reports in the Fassifern/Teralba area. AKM)
Kim Brown 27/11 #271963
Tue 26Budgerigar
Durridgere Road near Turill (Upper Hunter Valley)
2 Budgerigars in trees by waterhole, 1 photographed. (Moderator's Note: This report is the furthest east that Budgerigars have been reported so far this year and complements a sighting of 7 Budgerigars seen nearby on Durridgerie Rd by Archie Brennan on 9/11/24. AKM).
Jeffrey Jones 26/11 #271962
Sun 24Masked Woodswallow
Scheyville National Park--Longneck Lagoon
2 Masked Woodswallows seen with about 30 White-browed Woodswallows at Longneck Lagoon at about 8:30 AM. Poor Idee photo on ebird check list. eBird checklist
Michael Rutkowski 24/11 #271961
Glossy Black Cockatoo
Wentworth Falls
Three feeding on casuarina along the Rocket Point Loop Track. Three seen later near Queens Cascades were presumably the same birds. Not out of usual range, but a gratifying sight nevertheless.
Ted Nixon 24/11 #271960
Black-winged and White-chinned Petrels
Offshore--Port Stephens pelagic
A less-diverse day off Port Stephens today, partly owing to us fanging out and back at ~20 knots, hence not really seeing any birds in neritic waters. Highlights were a very obliging Black-winged Petrel which is perhaps a little bit unseasonal in November (more often recorded in January), and a White-chinned Petrel which was only the second Port Stephens record for this species. We also had great and close views of White-faced and Wilson's Storm-petrels. (Moderator's Note: So in the past ten days between Terrigal and Port Stephens we've had 4x Cookilarias, 2x Procellarias and 2x Fregettas incl. NZSP - not bad! MR).
Mick Roderick and all aboard 'M.V. Reel Contagious' 24/11 #271959
Sooty Owl
Kurrajong Hills
The 'falling bomb' call given several times over half an hour just after midnight, from a dry rainforest creek gully. This is the 3rd record here this year, with no prior records in two decades
Eric Finley 24/11 #271955
Fri 22megamegaNew Zealand Storm Petrel
Terrigal Pelagic
Another cracking trip with NZ Storm Petrel seen well on several occasions at a depth of about 400m. A Black-bellied Storm Petrel was also briefly seen, while 4 individual Red-tailed Tropicbirds were good records on the way out. (Moderator's Note: A great addition to the Central Coast list and only the 6th NSW record of NZSP and from what I can tell, the first ever for November in Australian waters. A BARC submission should be prepared. MR).
Central Coast Pelagics (14 on board) 23/11 #271954
Thu 21Cook's, Gould's, Black Petrel, Wandering/Antipodean Albatross
Offshore--Port Stephens pelagic
Solid day off Port Stephens with 18 species recorded outside of the heads. Despite virtually no birds feeding behind the boat we still managed to see Cook's (1), Gould's (3) and Black Petrels, as well as one each of Wandering and Antipodean Albatrosses, with a distant 'very white' Wandering-type unable to be properly identified. Cook's Petrel image by James Bennett.
Mick Roderick and all aboard 'Imagine' 24/11 #271958
Common Terns (26)
Ramsgate Beach Baths, Botany Bay
The summer flock of Common Terns in Botany Bay has returned to their favourite daytime gathering spot, on the swim nets at Ramsgate Beach.
Richard Murray 21/11 #271950
Wed 20Square-tailed Kite
New England Highway, 2-3 km SW of Lily Creek, NE of Bendemeer,
1 bird floating moderately low over road and canopy at 09:20 hrs. (Moderator's Note: a check of eBird shows that there are few to no reports of Square-tailed Kites in the Bendemeer area, so this bird, which is a Threatened Species, meets the criteria of being " Rare and or Unusual" and so worthwhile to posting in Birdline NSW. AKM)
Greg Clancy 23/11 #271951
Tue 19Red-kneed Dotterel
Central Coast Wetlands (Tuggerah)
Single bird foraging along waters edge. (Moderators Note: Red-kneed Dotterels are uncommon visitors to the Central Coast LGA. AKM) eBird checklist
David Schuemaker 19/11 #271947
Mon 18Red-backed Kingfisher
Bureen Rd at Martindale Creek
One, possibly two Red-backed Kingfishers at Bureen Bridge today. This is where Martindale Creek flows into the Hunter River and is a past site for this species. Rainbow Bee-eaters and White-backed Swallows breed here, so it's no surprise that RBKI gravitate back here. But it is the first time since the irruption of spring 2017 that a RBKI has shown up here.
Mick Roderick 18/11 #271946
Sun 17Square-tailed Kite
Mosman
A single Square-tailed Kite seen very low over my house this morning in Mosman which close to Reid Park. This is my first ever sighting of this species in Mosman after living here for about 30 years. Great to see this species continuing to do well in the Sydney area where it is becoming more widespread.
Simon Blanchflower 17/11 #271943
White-throated Needletail
Crawford Rd., Cooranbong
First sighting of Needletails this season - probably about 100 as they were flying very low to start with (around 7:30) and unusually still around 30 minutes later. Could see the flock stretching across the paddocks on either side at times less than 5 metres about the ground.
Paul Schofield 17/11 #271942
Sat 16Turquoise Parrot
Tumbarumba
2 sighted around Wolesly Park on the Tumbarumba to Rosewood rail trail . (Moderator's note: I had assumed that there would be plenty of eBird records of Turquoise Parrots in this Region, but that is not the case. AKM).
Christine Matthews 16/11 #271940
Fri 15highlightMottled Petrel, Black-bellied Storm Petrel, Gould’s Petrel, Black Petrel
Terrigal Pelagic
A really solid and enjoyable trip that included Mottled Petrel, Black-bellied Storm Petrel (2), Gould’s Petrel (5), Black Petrel, Antipodean Albatross, Sooty Tern (5) and large numbers of Grey-faced Petrel (125 / 65 max count). The Mottled Petrel was a first for the Central Coast (LGA) while the Black-bellied Storm Petrels were apparently only the third record.
Central Coast Pelagics (Andrew Robinson and 15 others on board) 16/11 #271941
Grey Plover
Evans RIver estuary, Evans Head
Two Grey Plover feeding on tidal sand flats. Seperate from a foraging group of Pacific Golden Plover (181), Bar-tailed Godwit (35) and other shorebirds. Grey Plover uncommon on NSW far north coast.
David Charley 15/11 #271939
Thu 14Australian Spotted Crake
Llewella Davies Walk Camden
Australian Spotted Crake first seen by Keith Atterton and two other birders, also photographed. Despite ephemeral wetlands in this immediate area this species has not been recorded here previously. eBird checklist
Brett Mezen 14/11 #271937
Wed 13Australian King Parrot
Murray St, Pyrmont in front of Maritime Museum
Possible juvenile King Parrot calling loudly in trees in front of Maritime Museum and opposite Light Rail stop. About 2pm
Judy Christie 13/11 #271935
Australian Little Bittern
Lake Wallace
Single male Little Bittern seen briefly perched in a shrub at (-33.4168861, 150.0724496) before it flew into the reeds, very poor record shot in flight attached. Scarce in the Lithgow region. eBird checklist
Max Weatherall and Paul Rowan 13/11 #271934
Pallid Cuckoo
Jennings lane Bolong, east of Bomaderry.
One bird observed sitting on fence post. Uncommon on the Illawarra & South Coast with only a few records each year.
Terrill Nordstrom, Michelle and David Rower 13/11 #271933
Dollarbird
Balmoral Beach
A single Dollarbird seen at the back of Balmoral Oval (nr the steps), Mosman early this morning making plenty of noise flying around and being mobbed by noisy miners. Whilst there are plenty of these migrants around greater Sydney now, Dollarbird sightings are not common in Mosman.
Simon Blanchflower 13/11 #271932
Mon 11White Ibis
Freemans Drive Morisset
Saw an Ibis with a feathered head and neck. Got a few points quality photos after a Harley came past and flushed the bird that were 10 metres from me.
Paul Schofield 11/11 #271927
Sat 9Terek Sandpiper
Lake Innes, Lake Innes Nature Reserve, Port Macquarie
Lake Innes is currently tidal due to Lake Cathie being open to the sea resulting in some exposed sand flats where a Terek Sandpiper was present which is uncommon on the Mid North Coast. Also present were at least 24 Red Knot and 85 Sharp Tailed Sandpipers. (Moderator's Note: subsequently Ed Loey kayaked up to Lake Innes from Lake Cathie today (10/11) and was able to photograph a pair of Terek Sandpipers at the same location. AKM) eBird checklist
Tim Morris 10/11 #271922
Fri 8White-throated Nightjar and Australian Owlet-nightjar
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park--Bobbin Head
Birding from 7-9pm in BH. Great views of circling White-throated Nightjar from bridge near mangroves. 2 Australian Owlet-nightjars heard in vicinity. One seen well. Another AON was heard at Apple Tree Bay a bit later.
Lorne Johnson and Steve Edwards 11/11 #271923
White-throated Needletail, Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Beach Stone-curlew
Cudgera Creek Bridge (Hastings Point)
Hundreds of Needletails flocking with 100+ in a flock moderately low and numerous birds scattered in the distance. Estimated 300-500 birds but maybe more. Adult flagged and banded Pied Oystercatcher with two juveniles in tow and a pair of Beach Stone-curlews, one with a band and flag, near fenced off nesting site.
Greg Clancy, Russell Jago and members of Wildlife Tourism Australia 9/11 #271921
Thu 7Glossy Black Cockatoo
Raspberry Rd West Kunderang recreation retreat
Three birds sighted on Raspberry Rd at Boundary of Cunnawarra National Park and West Kunderang Recreation Retreat. Two adults and maybe one immature bird. (Moderator's Note. There are few recent records for this location although the remoteness of the site means that there are few observers. AKM)
Douglas Hocking 12/11 #271928
Black-tailed nativehen
Capertee Valley
Single bird seen alongside the road near a pool of water.
Robert Hynson 7/11 #271918
Report
Outside normal range
Early arrival; late departure
Interesting behaviour
Threatened
Hard to see
Unusual habitat
Uncommon in area
Highlight
Rare
Endangered
Vagrant
Irruption
Unusual numbers
Mega
Rare vagrant
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