Exploring Sydney - and further afield. (5 Viewers)

[MKinHK]

Thanks Ian - I'm really pleased with the Cormorant shot and owe a big thank you to Veeraj for both the Logrunner and the Speckled Warblers, which were among my top targets in Sydney birding. Personally I generally prefer the in-habitat shots to the "bird on a plain bokeh background", but the challenge of achieving that with a small sensor camera is interesting. I feel like the Sooty Oystercatcher pix especially would have benefited from the increased image quality that a larger sensor would offer, and I continue to think about upgrading. Dreams, dreams ...

Kuring-gai Chase National Park - Bobbin Head & Gibberagong Track
27 April 2024

Since then my birding has continued to focus on Willoughby and Long Reef. I did make an abortive visit to Bobbin Head in Kuring-gai Chase National Park to get better pix of Rockwarbler and Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, and despite an enjoyable day out I failed on both counts, which was most eloquently illustrated by the fact that the highlight of the day was a couple of rather tame Cunningham's Skinks. I've seen one here before, on an epic day for herps and my first ever Echidna but this sunny morning I ended up seeing seven of them on the rocky promontory just across the bridge at the beginning of the Gibberagong Track.


I did also get my best shots so far of Large-billed Scrubwren, which was working hard at finding a way in to some sort of little egg chamber stuck between a couple of leaves. I also got within a few feet of a loudly singing Superb Lyrebird that remained stubbornly incognito in the bush while cycling through his repertoire of local songbirds. The eBird checklist is here.




Cheers
Mike

 

[MKinHK]

Dee Why and Long Reef Golf Course
25 April 2024

Thursday 25th April was a public holiday in Australia, andI took advantage of the midweek break to chase down a Yellow-billed Spoonbill at Dee Why Lagoon, which was just the fifth record of the Northern Beaches. Unfortunately it kept itself to the far side of the lagoon, but I did also pick up a few other good birds, including a pair of Black-fronted Dotterels and a Double-banded Plover ( both my first records for this site), plus Little and Plumed Egrets and the Pied Oystercatcher that had for once come to my side of the lagoon. On a decent morning I managed 41 species (eBird list here), with other highlights including a Brown Goshawk and a couple of Musk Lorikeets, New Holland and White-cheeked Honeyeaters in the trees in the southern corner.

Long Reef Golf Course continued to host my Musk Duck friend on her usual pond, along with a coupe of Little Grassbirds while the highlight was a Great Egret that drifted in from the north and landed in the cormorant roost alongside a couple of White-faced Herons. The Little Corellas were up to their usual mischief - breaking off from foraging on the airways to squabble and wrestle on the grass. Osprey and White-bellied Sea Eagle flew over, but there was again no sign of the Red-tailed Tropicbird I'd been hoping for.




I have a theory that one of the ways to distinguish Plumed from Great Egrets is that the Kees fall level with eh tip of the tail on Great Egret and with the base of the tail on Plumed Egret. Interested to hear any thoughts.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Owene]

Love those skinks

 

[MKinHK]

Thanks Owen - I did enjoy them, even if they were mere lizards!

Patch Gold Photospot: Pacific Baza at Mowbray Park
2 May 2024

A Thursday morning dog walk at Mowbray Park last week not only delivered my highest ever single site score in Willoughby , but gave me my best patch tick of the year in the form of a pair of Pacific Bazas that were foraging in the trees above the meadow at the north end of Reid Drive. They were patch tick no. 105 and one of the highest placed birds on my "most wanted" list as my neighbour across the valley sees them every year in Sailor's Bay Creek.





Other good birds on an eventful day that included losing about a pint of blood to mosquitoes, a briefly lost dog, a suspected Bull Shark in the river and a total of 37 species included a pair of Galahs checking out a nesting hole, just my second Crimson Rosella and third Australasian Darter on the patch.

Seeing the Bazas also provoked my to explore on eBird what my prospects for new birds in Willoughby are. Only one - Bell Miner has a more than 1% probability. I tried unsuccessfully in the most regular site yesterday, which also holds Nankeen Night Herons, and Peregrine is next ...

Cheers
Mike

 

[foresttwitcher]

Pacific Bazas - what stunning birds...

 

[MKinHK]

They are indeed Pete. It was odd watching a raptor scrambling about in the upper foliage looking for katydids and stick insects!

Other good patch birds recently have included a fine male Rose Robin in a flock of foraging passerines at Scott's Creek (below the north edge of Middle Cove) that also included a Grey Fantail. I have high hopes that the extensive mangroves here (or indeed at Mowbray Park) might one day produce a Mangrove Gerygone or a Nankeen Night Heron.


Cheers
Mike

 

[MKinHK]

Northern Beaches: Manly Reservoir
5 May 2024



This was a long wet walk around the largest body of fresh water on the Northern Beaches. The reservoir runs roughly southeast to northwest away from the dam (1) tapering into a creek bed. It's surrounded by the typical sandstone bushland that's found all over Sydney. Coming right in the middle of a period of daily rain meant that the path on the southern side was more watercourse than track for most of the way and as the video clip shows the waterfalls were on good form.

Birds out on the lake included (in descending size) a pair of Black Swans, an adult Australasian Darter on the waterskiing ramp, 4 Pacific Black Ducks and 3 Maned Ducks plus a dozen or so Coots and a couple of Dusky Moorhens were hanging around the picnic site, where we also found a Swamp Wallaby , which contemplated us for a while with its mouth full of grass, before thumping off into the bush. A White-faced Heron, Australian Swamphen and Australasian Grebe foraged in a small lily-filled inlet (2). The only other water-dependent species - an Azure Kingfisher that perched briefly a short way up the creek (3) was the best bird of the day for being my first on the Northern Beaches, or indeed anywhere in eastern Sydney.

Woodland birds seemed thin on the ground so I'm honestly surprised I finished with 40 species (eBird list), but I did pish in groups of Brown Thornbills, Grey Fantail, White-browed Scrubwren and Eastern Yellow Robin, Red-browed Firetail, and a couple of Golden Whistlers, while there was a smattering of Little and Red Wattlebirds plus New Holland and White-cheeked Honeyeaters. A stop at the top of the trail on the northern side (4) was well timed as a family party of Black-faced Cuckooshrikes dropped into the trees above me.

My personal highlight was the pair of wonderfully confiding White-cheeked Honeyeaters that I think were feeding young in a concealed nest low down by th path in a grassy creek bed (5). They seemed very amped up, calling vigorously from a couple of metres as we passed, and then pishing in to within my minimum focusing distance. Right now they are leading the pack as my favourite honeyeater as I see them all round Sydney and they are both showy and cheerful.





The outstanding lowlight of the day was discovering that my dogs were not at all happy about the gaps in the metal walkway across the dam (6). While the larger one, Poncho was just about willing to walk across, three legged Tilly was having none of it and I ended up having to carry all her 20-plus kilos across the 250m length of the dam while dragging a less than thrilled Poncho behind us without letting go of the lead. Next time we come there will be a different plan.

Cheers
Mike

 

[MKinHK]

Seawatching: Shelly Beach Carpark, Manly
1 May 2024



In a period with lots of new patch I somehow managed to miss out on a seawatching session at Manly when I added an Aussie and NSW tick, as well as an additional seawatching patch tick. In ideal late afternoon conditions with fresh southerlies, light showers and after sorting out the size of the default Australian Gannets the light behind I picked up four Black-browed Albatrosses, my first land-based Campbell Albatross, an adult bird which I was happy to confirm from my dodgy digiscoped video by the 'hairy armpit' dark underwings.

A smattering of one Hutton's/Fluttering Shearwater, three Short-tailed one Wedge-tailed Shearwater gave me the confidence to claim my first Sooty Shearwater (Aussie tick no 372 and NSW tick no 263), which looked different - larger and longer-winged and as big an underwing flash as I've ever seen, as well as a subtle, but distinctive flex at the top of the shear. This was my first time to see Sooty Shearwaters since my first - from the Scillonian in September 1989. For a relatively common bird it's been a long time coming. It was nice to add a Pacific Ocean record, where the ID challenge is much more interesting.


Cheers
Mike

 

[MKinHK]

Dee Why & Long Reef Golf Course and Aquatic Reserve
4 May 2024



The last report to catch up on the mess of out of order posts of the last few weeks. I've also experimented with the trip report function in eBird to bring the lists for Dee Why Lagoon and Long Reef Golf Course and Reserve all together in a single list.

On a blustery day Dee Why Lagoon was most notable for the gathering of 800-odd Silver Gulls, which is presumably a factor of the changing seasons, and a record count for me of 193 Eurasian Coot. The Yellow-billed Spoonbill had been replaced by a Royal Spoonbill that had the good manners to be loafing in the nearest corner of the lagoon close to the pod of Coot in the picture above. Coming in the midst of a rainy period the lawns next to the lagoon had several large pools of standing water and the Pacific Black Ducks, Laughing Kookaburras and Australian Ibises had come off the lagoon to take full advantage and three White-faced Herons stalked the shallows. I was delighted to find a Buff-banded Rail cautiously emerge behind them and work its way along the pool closest to the undergrowth.



Moving on to Long Reef a Grey Butcherbird posed on the fence as I walked up along the edge of the golf course as I arrived at Long Reef. On the way out I enjoyed this unlikely couple a sharing a puddle on one of the waterlogged fairways. Nearby the latter the Musk Duck was still present in its usual pond, as were the pair of Little Grassbirds that responded well to my pishing, bouncing in close without ever offering an open shot.



I was surprised to find a gang of Red-browed Firetails zooming around the bushes below the watchpoint, strongly suggesting a migrant flock. it would be interesting to know if they are seasonal or weather based migrants.



Out on the rock platform a Ruddy Turnstone perched on a rock showed nicely, one of the diminishing flock of Red-necked Stint came close, and two of my personal record of seven Double-banded Plovers followed close behind.




A trio of Great, Pied and Little Black Cormorants allowed an unusually close approach and I filled my boots, particularly with this young Great Cormorant. Being common and globally widespread they don't get much attention, but I have plenty of appreciation for any bird I that will give me the chance for frame-filling shots.




Cheers
Mike

 

[MKinHK]

Now I've caught up for early May I can continue with my next posts for Long Reef and Willoughby. I'll do Long Reef first.

Top bird was the uvenile Kelp Gull that flew in from the north, dropped onto the rocks above the gull and tern roost and then headed of to loiter offshore with a flock of Silver Gulls that was foraging a kilometre or so to the southeast.