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Mornington Peninsula Birdlife Mornington Peninsula Birdlife Volume 9 Number 3 September 2020 Blue-winged Parrots, photographed in salt marsh on French Island by Andrew Browne LOOK OUT FOR ORANGE-BELLIED PARROTS Moonlit Sanctuary has been in touch to ask all Western Port surveyors [and other birders] to pay extra attention to any For more information on the identification of Neophema neophema parrots you see around Western Port. The parrots, a brochure is available online at: Sanctuary has released twelve Orange-bellied Parrots this http://www.birdlife.org.au/documents/OBP-idbrochure.pdf autumn, made up of four juveniles and five adults. Seven have been fitted with radio transmitters. The release site was Andrew Silcocks, BirdLife Australia Birdata Project Manager in the northern part of the bay, but some of the birds aren’t being recorded regularly, which suggests they may be moving around a fair bit. In addition to the twelve autumn release birds, an excellent breeding season at Melaleuca means that there should be Contents good numbers of Orange-bellied Parrots migrating to Victoria this winter, so you may be lucky enough to see one of those 1. Branch news birds. Getting the band combinations is crucial as the whole 4. Outings population carries a unique combination of bands (colour on one leg, colour and letter on the other leg). 7. Refugees from Croajingolong? If you are lucky enough to see an Orange-bellied Parrot, 8. Birding in Boodjamulla National Park please report the sighting to Ash Herrod (0408 661 286) and 10. Eastern Treatment Plant wetland surveys Jon Fallaw (0439 825 872). They’d be interested in all confirmed, probable or even possible sightings, as they’ll be 13. Our trip to Southern Africa 2019 keen to follow up. They have requested you don’t post any Orange-bellied Parrot records on social media at this stage. 14. Observations Branch news CONVENORS REPORT The year continues to be plagued by the COVID-19 virus and our bird activities have been limited to our local areas and gardens. The committee called for projects we can fund and two have emerged as possibilities. We plan to approach local reserves managers with a view to install nest boxes to improve the breeding potential for our hollow nesting birds. The second project is looking at reviewing and subsequently reprinting our book “Where to Find Birds around Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula”; this book is still popular in its current form. The committee is not meeting at this stage but is still working behind the scenes for the benefit of our beautiful birdlife. Max Burrows Penny at Tullamarine Airport, 2019; Gemsbok at Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana, 2019 MEMBER PROFILE National Park in Queensland. That night I heard, but could not find, the Marbled Frogmouths. We will be back. Northern Penny Gillespie Territory birding is also great. Lives at Bittern Overseas, Southern Africa holds a special place for me. It’s so easy to see so many wonderful birds such as the How did I start birding? Secretary Bird or the many brightly coloured finches and the flocks of beautiful Glossy Starlings. Good question. I’ve always loved birds, wanting a pet budgie at about age seven. My grandfather was an amateur Memorable birding moments conservationist and we were very close. He and my mother taught me to listen to the magpie’s chorus very young. A Forty-seven Crowned Cranes in Liuwa Plain National Park, teacher started a Gould League club at primary school when I Zambia, last year. I think that is the first and only time I’ve was eight. Mum encouraged us to look at the birds in our been speechless with wonder. garden in Murrumbeena. Back in the 1970s I remember we The Olive-backed Oriole pair that migrates to our place every had Red Wattlebirds, Little Ravens, White-plumed year, using and renovating the same nest, only to lose their Honeyeaters, Silvereyes, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes, as well chicks to Laughing Kookaburras or Noisy Miners, successfully as blackbirds, doves and Common Mynas living in our giant raised one in 2018. liquid amber trees. We had the early Readers Digest book of birds and I used to read that book cover to cover regularly Birding ambitions and copy the pictures with my Derwent pencils. I got my first I plan to travel to some great bird spots in the next few budgie when I was 10, then started to breed them a few years such as the Galapagos Islands to see the boobies and years later, a hobby that continued into my twenties when Iceland to see puffins. I hope that by doing my small bit in travel and then babies took over. supporting the BirdLife Mornington Peninsula Branch I can I got my first binoculars for my 21st birthday from my help raise awareness of the plight of birds especially in university friends; I was a casual birder, just having a look. young people, and the need for habitat conservation. I didn’t really start keeping records until I lived in South Other interests Africa in the early 2000s where species diversity abounds. I I’ve never lost my love of budgies, and their colour genetics. remember once in Kwa Zulu Natal recording eight species of I currently have about 120. I’m also an avid gardener, with a small birds in a shrub less than a metre round. I was big veggie patch and small orchard and a labrador that loves amazed. I had a great mentor there and when I returned to to eat the lot. My husband and I love travelling in Australia Australia I got right into it here. and to the less touristed wild places overseas: last year a Peninsula birding spots six-week solo African safari, this year (now next year maybe) Canada. Any bushland reserve, including my 2 acres of manna/ peppermint woodland. Walking in Devilbend Reserve or Coolart you can see so many different species, and so many of them. Balbirooroo wetlands is wonderful. Surprisingly, the Newsletter hard copy Hastings Foreshore is often a good place to see a range of water birds at low tide as well as woodland birds. If you want a quarterly hard copy of this newsletter this financial year, please follow the instructions in the June Other favourite spots newsletter. Everyone will receive a link to the online version via their emailed E newsletter. If paying by bank At the Kingston on Murray camp ground you can camp right transfer please ensure that you put your name on any next to the river and feel you are in amongst the water birds. bank deposits so we can add your details to the mailing The local winery also has a wonderful walk. list. On an eight-week trip to Cape York in 2016 I recorded over Penny Gillespie, Treasurer 50 species in one hour sitting by our tent in Lakefield 2 Mornington Peninsula Birdlife Branch news STORM BIRD Conservation Report: Devilbend Reservoir KBA Thermal long-johns under jeans, a wheat pack on my lap to thaw my fingers between slurps of soup. The bay window, newly mended, leaks anew. Hail hammers on the glass, bursting to come in. Last night our heater died of exposure. No repairers to be had in this record-breaking visit from Antarctica. Everyone at home, hiding from the plague finding heaters ailing. A Crested Pigeon that raised her chick in our garden is tumbled by squalls. But somehow lands on our birdbath Occurrence of Hoary-headed Grebe, Great Crested Grebe and Australasian Grebe at Devilbend Reservoir KBA from May 2004 till May 2020 rocking wildly for a moment --- that see-saw bum-in-the air that pigeons do. Here we are in June and after some autumn rain, the water level at Devilbend and Bittern Reservoirs is pretty good. It is The next squall barrels in, Black Swan breeding season so their numbers are down as But under tree and over water, you might expect. Eurasian Coot numbers are high. But what the bird endures, has interested me recently is the low numbers of grebes of Leunig topknot and pink-blue breast unruffled. all three species relatively to the earlier monthly counts. Red feet grip warm against the cold. Topaz eyes survey her kingdom, Occurrence of Hoary-headed Grebe, Great Crested Grebe emeralds and amethysts lie quiet along her wing. and Australasian Grebe at Devilbend Reservoir KBA from May Our dove of peace inside the storm. 2004 till May 2020. Gillian Barnett, Dromana Hoary-headed Grebe: The highest number recorded was 550, averaging 300 between June 2012 and January 2013. Numbers varied greatly throughout the recording period, but Jenny and Brian Thomas were lowest in the periods 2009 – April 2010 and 2015 till present 2020. High number peaks occurred in any month as Best wishes on your retirement from all at BirdLife did low numbers. Mornington Peninsula. You have always looked after our Great Crested Grebe: The highest numbers recorded were 34 branch, with any of our requirements always met with a smile and co-operation. As members of our branch we really in Jan 2008 and 32 in Dec 2006. Great Crested Grebe numbers did not vary significantly from May 2004 till Sept appreciated the interest and knowledge you imparted on our members. The flora and fauna at Coolart have benefited 2009 averaging 14 birds during this period. The average between Oct 2009 and April 2016 was 5 birds. There have hugely from your influence and dedicated service. Have a long happy and healthy retirement; we will miss been no Great Crested Grebes recorded since April 2016 your presence at Coolart.
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