 |
|
BIRDLISTS | GUIDING SERVICE | BIO | CONTACT | LINKS | CREDITS |
|
|
|
BIRDLISTS | GUIDING SERVICE | BIO | CONTACT | LINKS | CREDITS |
NEWS (July–December 2006)LATEST | 3 2 1Regent Honeyeaters in the Wolgan Valley
There are currently good numbers of Regent Honeyeaters in the Wolgan Valley, first reported by Tiffany Mason who found 4 along the Wolgan Road before Christmas. Since then, Lorand Szucs found a further 13-20+ birds including 3 juveniles (see photos, left) further down the valley at Newnes on the 24th, and on the 28th December I saw 5 at Tiffany's original site, which is 25.1km from the Lidsdale turn-off. They are feeding mostly in Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) which is flowering well throughout the valley at the moment, so it's likely that there are more Regents down there waiting to be found among the many Noisy Friarbirds, Musk and and Little Lorikeets! Birders are encouraged to visit this very interesting valley (or anywhere there's good flowering of eucalypts for that matter) and search for more. It's important that all Regent Honeyeater sightings are reported to the National Co-Ordinator, David Geering by email or phone Freecall 1800 621 056. Note the exact location, date, number of birds and what they were feeding on if possible. Please also look for colour bands on the legs of any birds seen. Such information will assist greatly with the Recovery effort for this endangered species. For those not familiar with it, the Wolgan Valley is like a smaller version of the Capertee Valley – but arguably more spectacular – to the south and separated from it by a very narrow plateau and escarpment. It is generally more timbered and the birdlife tends to be a bit more coastal in nature, with fewer of the western species than the Capertee although birds like Hooded Robin, Speckled Warbler and Diamond Firetail can be found there. Access is along the Wolgan Road from Lidsdale to Newnes, a short distance north of Lithgow. | |||||
The aftermath of the recent bushfire3rd January 2007The Grose Valley bushfire of November–December 2006 has resulted in some temporary closures of parts of the Blue Mountains National Park. (However, if you're planning a visit please remember that the Blue Mountains is a very large area and there are many great birding sites completely unaffected by this fire, including all areas south of the highway.) The fire began on 14th November and continued into December, burning 13,000 hectares before being contained on 4th December. Several fires were burning at the same time in the Wollemi National Park, with the total area affected there nearly 70,000 hectares. One site which was burnt as part of the large backburn operation was the area around Evans Lookout (a well-known site for Rockwarbler among other things). During a short visit there on 12th December, I found a number of species inhabiting the charred forest including Flame Robin, White-throated Treecreeper, Noisy Friarbird, Golden Whistler, Striated Thornbill, White-browed Scrubwren and Crimson Rosella. There was evidence of recent lyrebird feeding activity, and a Peregrine Falcon was seen in flight. The Peregrine was then seen regularly in December, and late in the month I found a female Glossy Black-Cockatoo feeding quietly in an Allocasuarina... and the Rockwarbler was heard calling nearby. The following information on park closures is current as of 3rd January 2007: Due to bush fire damage, parts of the Blue Mountains National Park are closed to visitors. The Grose Valley and surrounding roads, tracks, lookouts and canyons are closed, that is the area of the park north of Katoomba bounded by the Great Western Highway, Darling Causeway and Bells Line of Road. This includes:For further information and updates see the NPWS web pages: Brilliant birding at Pitt Town Lagoon 
Left: Ruff (click to enlarge); right: Baillon's Crake. Photos by David Stowe. Nov-Dec 2006: As many NSW birders are aware, Pitt Town Lagoon is fantastic at the moment and is living up to its reputation as an important waterbird refuge in times of drought. The appearance of a Ruff had many birders making the trek from Sydney, Newcastle and further afield. First reported by Edwin Vella on 11th November, it was still present on 9th December. It's usually been seen feeding with Sharp-tailed Sandpipers at the eastern side of the lagoon. Baillon's, Australian Spotted and Spotless Crakes are in abundance and all three species are reported to have bred. Other great birds at the lagoon since early November include up to 42 Glossy Ibis, 15 Australian Shelduck, 2 Black-tailed Native-hens, 200 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Pectoral, Marsh and 4 Wood Sandpipers, Greenshanks, Red-necked Stint, a Bar-tailed Godwit, Pacific Golden Plover, up to 10 Red-necked Avocets, many Black-winged Stilts, Latham's Snipe, Buff-banded Rail, 5 Yellow-billed and 10 Royal Spoonbills, 5 White-necked Herons, Pink-eared Ducks, Red-kneed Dotterels, Brown and King Quail, Whiskered Tern, Swamp Harrier, Chestnut-breasted and Nutmeg Mannikins, Double-barred and Zebra Finches, Peaceful Dove, Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo and, on the 10th December, 3 Banded Lapwings. There are also Banded Lapwings with chicks along Cornwallis Road, Windsor. Pitt Town is in the Hawkesbury region north of McGrath's Hill, and is about an hour's drive from Katoomba. Note that access to the lagoon is from Church Street, not via Lagoon Road. From reports on Birding-Aus, Birdline NSW and personal sightings. Update: By the end of December, Pitt Town Lagoon was reported to be virtually dry with only a few waders remaining. The Shelducks had moved to McGrath's Hill, one Pectoral and two of the Wood Sandpipers were seen at Little Bushells Lagoon, and the Ruff was last seen on 29th December. Otherwise the Hawkesbury region continues to turn up interesting birds, with Spotted Harriers reported from Cornwallis Lane and the University of Western Sydney Richmond campus, and White-browed Woodswallows having bred at various sites. Another new record set in NSW TwitchathonHere are the provisional results from the NSW & ACT Twitchathon 2006, held on 28-29 October (from Alan Morris, 31st October).The NSW & ACT Twitchathon 2006 would appear to have been the most successful twitch organised since Birds Australia Southern NSW & ACT Regional Group (now BASNA) began organising them in 1994. This year 129 participants in 10 Main Race teams, 18 Champagne teams and 11 children's teams (Dollarbirds and Little Curlews) took part. At this stage the results are not in for the children's team events. MAIN RACE This year the top team scored 233 species, five more species than has been previously reported, as last year 229 was the top score. 1st Prize: 233 Hunter Home Brewers (Mick & Steve Roderick, Craig Anderson, Lucas Grenadier), Hunter BOC. 2nd Prize: 227 Whacked-Out Woodswallows (David Geering, Carol Probets, Clive Meadows), Dubbo/Blue Mountains. 3rd Prize: 214 Dodgy Drongos (Grant Brosie, Nick Livanos, Michael Kearns, Robert Macdonald), Hunter BOC. 202 Hunter Thickheads (Hunter BOC) 190 Central Coast Champions (BNSW Central Coast Group) 189 Canberra's Crazy Capital Chooks (Canberra Ornithologists' Group) 188 Black-necked Stalkers (Clarence Valley BOC) 183 Cheerful Drongoes (Sawtell) 175 Grey Toilet Thrushes (Cumberland BOC) 154 Eastern Whiplashes (Laurieton) CHAMPAGNE RACE 1st Prize: 167 Lessticum Phoradae (Liz Huxtable, Rachael Russell, Sue Tiley, Liz Livanos). Hunter BOC. 2nd Prize: 156 Crested Shrike-twits (Jim Smart, Lorna Mee, Paul Baird). Hunter BOC. 3rd Prize: 145 Two teams viz: Jizz Birding (Margaret Pointer, Kaye Pointer, John Carpenter, Carole Carpenter) BNSW CCG & The Old Birds (Jenny Powers, Di Johnson, Jenny Helman, Chris Eastham, Dave Eastham) Hunter BOC. 137 Lucky Bustards (Canberra OG) 133 Happy Wanderers (Murrumbidgee Nats) 133 Out For a Lark (Murrumbidgee Nats) 125 Spineless Spinebills (Far South Coast Birders) 117 Warbler Specklers Less One (Cumberland BOC) 113 Babbling Grey-crowns (Murrumbidgee Nats) 113 Stoned Terns (Canberra OG) 112 The Collective (Canberra OG) 104 Spangled Drongoes (Murrumbidgee Nats) 103 Liar Birders (Sydney) 96 Red-faced Parrots (Birds Australia – Sydney) 80 Wooden Spoonbills (Birds Australia – Sydney) 80 Northern Twitchers (Canberra OG) 70 Matheson Mopokes (Glen Innes) 56 Counting Crows (Sawtell) Congratulations to the four Murrumbidgee Naturalist Teams who entered the competition for the first time and have started the long climb to overturn the dominance of the Hunter BOC in the competition. It was great to see the increased number of bird groups who supported the Twitchathon in 2006. Congratulations too to all the people who took part and to all those people who sponsored them. Preliminary advice to the co-ordinator would appear to be that our target of $14000–15000 as proceeds towards the Australian Bird Study Association's Research Fund, will be met!! Great news!! Many thanks too to the major sponsors who so willingly supported our Twitchathon in 2006 viz: Alison Green Designs, Australian Bird Study Association, Banrock Station Wines, Birds Australia, Bombah Point Eco Cottages, Fivebough & Tuckerbil Wetland Trust, Follow That Bird Tours, John McLennan, Sean Dooley, Steiner Binoculars (Mainstay Marine Pty Ltd) & Undercliff Winery. Alan Morris, Co-ordinator Congratulations to the Hunter Home Brewers ....but watch out next year, guys! And a BIG thank you to all our sponsors. - Carol Spring arrivals
White-throated Needletails – 5 over Hazelbrook on 11th November, reported by Lynda Hyde. Typically these are the last migrants to arrive. Cicadabird – heard at Faulconbridge on 25th October. Rufous Fantail – 22nd October at Blue Gum Swamp, Winmalee; 24th October at Leura. Leaden Flycatcher – 1st October at Blue Gum Swamp, Winmalee. Dollarbird – 23rd September at Winmalee, reported on Birding-Aus by Neil Kirby. Neil says this is three weeks earlier than he recorded last year. Also recorded at Woodford during October by Mark Ley: this is further up the mountains than it usually occurs. Common Koel – 15th September at Emu Plains, reported on Birding-Aus by Mike Simpson. Calling daily at Springwood from 16th September, reported by Zena Easson. First recorded at Leura by 3 different observers on 19th October. Black-faced Monarch – 15th September at Hazelbrook. Channel-billed Cuckoo – 12th September at Lapstone; 13th September at Hazelbrook shops. Painted Honeyeater, Western Gerygone – 10th September in the Capertee Valley. Pallid Cuckoo – 9th September, calling at Yarramundi, reported on Birding-Aus by Alan Morris. Sacred Kingfisher – 6th September at Hazelbrook and 11th September in Megalong Valley (the latter reported on Birding-Aus by Evan Beaver). Rufous Whistler – 6th September at Hazelbrook. White-throated Gerygone – 3rd September at Shipley Plateau and at Euroka, Glenbrook (reported by Julie Neumann). Rainbow Bee-eaters – 3rd September at both Lithgow and in the Capertee Valley. Scarlet Honeyeaters, Tree Martins and Dusky Woodswallows are also around, having arrived earlier in August. Updated to include dates reported in Blue Mountains Bird Observers Newsletters Oct & Nov. | |||||
Powerful Owl electrocutedFriday, 15th September 2006An exciting but sad discovery was a Powerful Owl, found freshly dead on a track directly beneath power lines in the Megalong Valley on Friday 15th September. The owl still had its talons tightly clamped around the rear end and tail of its prey, a Greater Glider. The owl (complete with prey) is now in my freezer and will be given to the Australian Museum for their collection. Spring honeyeater migrationSeptember 2006The spring (southward) migration of Yellow-faced and White-naped Honeyeaters was already underway in early August and is still continuing. Usually slightly less spectacular than the autumn northward migration, it can nevertheless be an impressive sight at certain points along their return route. Good places to look for the spring migrating flocks are at the head of gullies on the northern side of the main Blue Mountains ridge. [Click here to read about the migrating honeyeater phenomenon.] Recent sightings: a summary of winter 2006
A funny thing about updating this page is that, the more time I spend "in the field", the less time I have to write about it. The last few weeks have been very busy for me and there's lots of bird news to report. (But as I get better at this web stuff I'm sure this page will be updated more promptly.) People sometimes imagine the mountains to be too cold in winter to see many birds, but this is far from the case. In fact it can be the best time to see many of the area's specials. But the seasons change and spring is now in the air. As I write this I can hear a Rose Robin calling, and the flowering plum across the road from my house contains at least 20 Red-whiskered Bulbuls poking about in the abundant flowers for nectar. Probably the most unexpected bird of recent weeks was the Square-tailed Kite we saw at Shipley Plateau on 28th August. It flew low over the heathland then disappeared to the east. This is only my second record of that species for the upper Blue Mountains, though I've heard of two other reports over the years (not including the lower mountains where they are more frequent). This winter has been a really good one for the flowering of banksias and consequently honeyeaters have descended onto the heathlands in droves. No less than 11 species of honeyeater have been frequenting one site at Shipley, including Yellow-tufted and Fuscous, species not often found in the upper mountains. On 5th August and again on the 28th, the numbers of Yellow-faced and White-naped had to be seen to be believed: constantly chasing each other, swirling around in little flocks and calling from deep within the banksia shrubs. White-eared and Brown-headed have also set up camp at this site. Narrow Neck peninsula near Katoomba is another recent hotspot with Crescent Honeyeaters adding to the activity. This has also been a very good year for the Petroica (red) robins. I'd been despairing at the decline of both Flame and Scarlet Robins as my sightings of these gorgeous birds seemed to get fewer and fewer over recent years. But this season I've been heartened to see them with more regularity. Memorable sightings over winter included a group of 7 male Flame Robins in the Megalong Valley on 10th August. On 7th July in the Capertee Valley, I had the great experience of seeing male Scarlet, Flame and Red-capped Robins all within a couple of minutes in the same paddock. In the last couple of weeks, Scarlet and Flame Robins have now returned to their breeding areas at Shipley where Scarlets were seen building a nest on the 28th. Despite what the books say, I most often encounter Pilotbirds in heathy clifftop areas, especially in winter when they come up out of the gullies more. (This could also have something to do with the fact that I tend to spend lots of time in winter on heathy clifftop areas! However the point is, they can certainly be found in this habitat.) At both Narrow Neck and Evans Lookout I've occasionally had Rockwarbler and Pilotbird together in the one binocular view. On 10th and 11th August I had the pleasure of guiding Nigel Marven of 'Prehistoric Park' fame. Nigel is a keen and competent birder and his first view of a Pilotbird was one which emerged, completely unexpectedly from the shrubs on Narrow Neck while we were looking at Crescent Honeyeaters. Another species Nigel wanted to see was Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, which we easily found displaying high above the heath at Mt Hay in its distinctive song-flight, before dropping to shrub level and posing in full view for us on an exposed branch.
Blue-billed Ducks are still at the Lithgow sewage ponds. They seem to have become entrenched there and I usually see between 3 and 6 on each visit. A pair of Grey Currawongs began nesting at Blackheath in the first week of August. On the 28th, a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike was an unusual sighting on Narrow Neck – the first time I've ever seen one this high up the mountains. It was travelling through no doubt. And on the 27th August at Murphy's Glen, the forest seemed to be alive with Shining Bronze-Cuckoos, all calling persistently and being chased by small birds. Spring has arrived. | |||||
August Regent Honeyeater survey results 
The August Regent Honeyeater surveys in the Capertee Valley were carried out on the 23rd and 24th by David Geering, Lynda Hyde and myself. Altogether we found 38 Regents on 4 of the 10 survey sites. Birds were seen nest-building or gathering nesting material at 3 of the survey sites. There is great promise for this season. At the moment the three most important nectar trees are flowering: White Box (flowering late), Yellow Box, and Mugga (just starting). The Needle-leaf Mistletoe in the River Casuarinas is also an important nectar source at this time of year. Apart from the Regents, the valley produced its characteristically great birding. Dusky Woodswallows have arrived in force. White-backed Swallows, Little and Musk Lorikeets, Turquoise Parrots and Plum-headed Finches were also seen. In the northern section a number of Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters were noteworthy. The Capertee Valley marks the eastern limit for this mostly inland species. Surveys are carried out monthly during the breeding season and are usually organised by various NSW birding clubs. Report from August tree planting in the Capertee ValleyPosted on Birding-Aus, 19th August 2006Last weekend (12-13 August) was the Capertee Valley tree planting weekend and although the number of volunteers was a little less than usual (around 40-50, plus a group of 30 uni students), we comfortably managed to get all 3000 trees into the ground on Saturday, leaving Sunday free for birding or relaxing. The conditions were perfect for planting as rain a couple of weeks earlier had made the soil moist, and we couldn't have asked for better weather.
While we worked on Saturday, the calls of Black-chinned Honeyeaters from the mature White Box trees provided a tantalising soundtrack throughout the day. A pair of Hooded Robins also hung around, as did Fuscous Honeyeaters and Brown Treecreepers, while Mistletoebirds and Little Lorikeets zapped around. A Wedge-tailed Eagle soared overhead and around lunchtime a flock of martins (both species) also flew over. A Jacky Winter had the honour of being the first bird to actually make use of the new planting site as it perched on the many bamboo stakes and flew down to grab insects along the rip-lines, before we'd even finished planting. Near Dominic and Kerry's house, a lone Rainbow Lorikeet was an unusual sighting for the valley. The Saturday night dinner at Glen Alice is always fantastic and is where Sunday's birding activities are planned and announced. From my most recent visits during the previous week, I knew that Regent Honeyeaters had turned up at one of their regular breeding sites at Glenowlan Bridge. And on Sunday morning we weren't disappointed as 3 pairs of Regents were seen by those who came along. For some of the volunteers it was their first view of the bird that they had put in so much effort to help. At the same site, a single Plum-headed Finch was seen resting at the top of a dead tree for less than a minute before it flew off. Later on Sunday afternoon at my place, Ricki Coughlan, Nic Bishop, Madeleine Murray and Orlando Murray called in for a cup of tea and a friendly visit and look around. Among other things we found Brown-headed Honeyeaters building a nest near the cabin, Striped Honeyeaters, and to top off a great weekend, a pair of Painted Button-quail strolling across the campsite by the main dam. They then proceeded to scratch around for ten minutes or so as we watched them creating their distinctive platelets (circular scrapes) — giving us a good view of the behaviour of these normally difficult to observe birds. The tree planting weekends are a great way to get introduced to this wonderful valley and participate in a very worthwhile and successful project. Another tree planting weekend will be held next autumn — watch this space for details as they come to hand. –Carol | |||||
Volunteers needed for tree planting weekend in the Capertee Valley, 12-13 August 2006
Accommodation is available in one of the cottages throughout the valley, or you can camp at Glen Davis or on one of the properties. The Saturday night dinner is always a great social event. Participating in the planting is a good way to see parts of this beautiful valley you wouldn't normally be able to access, not to mention the immense satisfaction you will gain from taking part in a really worthwhile project. And there's a fair chance you'll see the elusive Regent Honeyeaters. To register or for more information, please contact David Geering by email or phone Freecall 1800 621056. Gilbert's Whistler in Capertee ValleyOn 21st June, a male Gilbert's Whistler was seen by Win Filewood in the Capertee Valley, bathing in a puddle beside the road about halfway between the Crown Creek bridge and the Crown Station Road junction. Vegetation at the spot is mostly small twisted gums with callitris (native pine) and a few large ironbarks and it's near a "No Trespassing" sign.Normally a bird of much further west (e.g. from around Dubbo westwards), there have been a few records of Gilbert's Whistler in the valley since 2000. The first sighting was on 5th Aug 2000 by David Geering, and subsequent sightings have been made by Vicki Powys (a resident of the valley) on 25th Oct 2000, 14-15 Sept 2001, Sept-Oct 2002 and 13 Aug 2003. Vicki also recorded the song of the bird in Oct 2000. Perhaps there is a small population becoming established in the area. If you go looking for this bird, please remember to respect (i.e. keep out of) private property and park in a safe spot well off the road. Treecreeper feeding on nectar
Normally insectivorous, treecreepers do sometimes feed on banksia nectar as occasional past records show. For example on 16th June 2000, Jill Dark wrote the following from Hazelbrook: This morning I spent some time watching a White-throated Treecreeper feeding in a Banksia spinulosa. The bird appeared to be taking nectar rather than insects. It approached each flower by hopping along the underside of the branch then perched on the side of the flower and inserted its beak. This was repeated several times; each flower chosen was a fresh one which was likely to contain nectar. | |||||
|
CLICK HERE FOR EARLIER NEWS CLICK HERE FOR LATEST NEWS |
|
BIRDLISTS | GUIDING SERVICE | BIO | CONTACT | LINKS | CREDITS |
|
Website written and designed by Carol Probets. This page can be found at: http://www.bmbirding.com.au/news2.html © 2007 C. Probets. All rights reserved. Copyright of the photos and illustrations remains with the individual photographer or artist. 
|
