The Musk

Volume 4 Number 14 September 2015

Raptors and the Art of Martin Scuffins Martins Painting of a Gyr Falcon

UPCOMING EVENTS The Committee Outing September 27 Clarkesdale President Tim Sandiford 0467632484 leader David Coutts

Secretary Graham Dent 5368 1929 Meeting October 13 Sean Dooley

Treasurer Colin Johnson 5330 1559 Outing October 25 Lake Wendouree Leader Murray Grant Conservation Officer John Gregurke 53394993 Meeting November 10 Birgita Hansen Vice President Ian Ashton 5345 6198 Woodland Breeding in Modified Landscapes.

Outing November 22 Creswick Forest

Leader Ken Hammond

Challenge Bird Count December 6 Ian Ashton Articals and photos (1mb or less) for inclusion in our newsletter the Musk Duck Please contact Ian Ashton by Meeting December 8 Members night email at [email protected] My most memorable Birding Experience

There are NO Field trips on days of total fire ban

Ned’s Corner Camp All views covered! Amanda Ashton Gilbrt’s Whistler Graham Dent

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The 2015 Chalenge Bird Count

This years count will take place on Sunday 6th December. The last few years counts have been well supported by members and it would be great to continue this. If you would like to take part please contact me. Teams of four people are ideal as they can just use one vehicle, the exception is lake Wendouree where the more the better the coverage.

Meeting June 9 Boigu Island:Tropical Island Paradise Chris Doughty Chris has had remarkable experience in birdwatching. Having spotted 7600 , including every family of , he is said to have 12th ranking worldwide for species seen. His business, Peregrine Bird Tours, assists with his quest as he can organise small group trips to unusual destinations seeking extra species. So, in late January 2013, he led a small group to Boigu Island, part of but only 4 km from mainland New Guinea. Small, edged with white sandy beaches and largely covered with mangrove swamp, it had been battered by Cyclone Oswald’s just days before.

His informative and well illustrated talk included the best viewing areas and the group’s very numerous sightings. The most notable species (which he described in detail) were as follows:

Airport: Pacific Swallow, Black-faced Monarch and Spotted Whistling Duck (which was travelling back and forth from the mainland, where it’s endemic, though it’s now spreading into Cape York). Desalination Plant: among very many migratory shorebirds, the Pectoral Sandpiper (mostly in Nth America, some travel to Boigu from the Bering Strait). Rubbish Dump: Oriental Cuckoo (less common in Australia, as it usually stops its migration in Asia) and Uniform Swiftlet (seen in large numbers every day). Mangrove area near Cemetery: Shining Flycatcher (male and more beautiful female) and Black-collared Imperial-pigeon (large and beautiful, up to 3 were seen in flight each day). Near Settlement: Singing Starling (with communal nests). Edge of Large Swamp: Red-capped Flower-pecker. Shirley Faull

Spotted Whistling north of Cairns 2011 Ian Ashton Outing Newstead June 28 2015 Leaders Geoff Park and John Alexander A relatively mild winter’s morning in Ballarat greeted us as we headed off to meet up in Newstead with Geoff & John and the northern members of Birdlife Ballarat. We headed straight to Spring Hill, through the bush where initially the birdlife was shy to show itself until the Restless Flycatchers tantalised us before the sun appeared and with it the Honeyeaters, white winged choughs and a Crested Bellbird. Geoff shared his wide knowledge & experience of the area including his tips for bird watching & cricket listening at ‘his’ dam. Continuing on to the Mia Mia Track we observed a predominance of black & white bird species including white-browed Babblers.

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Next stop Gully Track where we were treated to a Robin display with Hooded, Flame, Scarlet and Yellow Robins along with Jacky Winters flaunting themselves for the cameras, what a joy. Lunch was at the Newstead Rotunda and the birds were plentiful here, Annette bird spotting & disturbing Ian’s lunch. How can you eat with Black-chinned & Brown-headed Honeyeaters in the tree above you? Not to mention the yellow Thornbills and friends. A brief adventure along the Loddon River in a hopeful but unsuccessful search for Powerful Owls and then a delightful visit to the Tullaroop Reservoir. The Eucalypts were abuzz with Purple-crowned & Musk Lorikeets providing fantastic viewing. Several raptors were seen and 5 Yellow-billed Spoonbills were busy feeding together in the shallows.

John Alexander Geoff Park Purple-crowned Lorikeet Photos Jenny Garley It was a truly delightful day with many highlights for all, the only controversy being no morning tea! That wouldn’t happen on Helen’s watch. A special thank you to Geoff & John. Jenny Garley

Meeting July 14 Raptors and the Art of Martin Scuffins Martin Scuffins’ fascination for raptors began as a child, following close encounters with a Black- shouldered Kite and a Collared Sparrowhawk. For some years he has been rehabilitating injured raptors at his property, the Leigh Creek Hawk and Owl Sanctuary. The opportunity for close observation there has also contributed to his production of detailed artworks, a sideline which provides extra income for this place. He gave quite a full account of the common physiology of these birds, highlighting a number of features which assist in hunting (including exceptional eyesight, strong and versatile talons, and very fast flight manoeuvring on light and silent wings). These birds have a long and varied relation with many cultures – though farming interests in Australia saw them labelled as pests, with bounties encouraging extensive hunting. Now fully protected, they still fall victim to cars, barbed wire, power lines, prickly pear spines and even the occasional bullet. Martin’s work can range from the sensitive rearing of orphans (avoiding imprinting), to retraining injured birds back to hunting using aerial lures, and rebuilding lost wing by attaching “transplants”. Many have recovered to be successfully released into the wild. Martin is also licensed to keep some “rejects” for educational display. Thus, we were fortunate to meet Min Min, the Barn Owl, whose previously cranky personality led it to lose an eye while fighting. Now docile, he devoured several mice, flew a little - and provided a fascinating opportunity for us to look very closely, and even to touch those incredibly soft, light and subtly coloured feathers. Shirley Faull

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For more info on Martins Art - [email protected] or [email protected] Outing Avoca 25th July 2015 Leader Colin Johnson Nine hardy souls on a brisk morning headed north from Ballarat. At approximately 10 km north of Avoca taking the Moonabel to Stawell road we turned off at Tanwood road where a pine plantation stands and is a known site to look for Powerful owls, alas not in residence. Long billed corella’s, Sulphur crested cockatoos and Galah a plenty in the fields. Returning to Avoca observing rubber white swans and pink flamingo’s in gardens (not counted by Helen) we crossed over the river closely observed by a White necked heron then on into the Pyreness State Forest following the Ebling track. Scarlet and Eastern Yellow robins, Buff rumped and Brown thornbills, Superb Fairy Wrens, Laughing Kookaburra, White throated tree creepers and Eastern spinebill Lunch at the Waterfall picnic area then stopping at the junction of the Schmidt and Waterfall track Jacky winters on the fence, Musk lorikeet’s , Spotted pardalote, Brown tree creepers, Grey shrike thrush. Returning to the river at the back of Avoca township Pacific black and Australian wood ducks, Purple swamphen, New Holland , Brown –headed, White faced and White napped honeyeaters, Golden whistler and Australian magpie A visit to the Pie shop before heading towards home with our last stop the Lamplough Reservoir Australasian Grebe, Grey teal, Hardhead, Little pied , Yellow tufted honeyeaters. Australian Shelduck, Yellow-faced, White plumed, honeyeater, Red wattlebird, Wedge – tailed eagle, Brown falcon, Masked lapwing, Grey fantail, White winged chough , Welcome swallow, Willie wagtail, Little raven and Crimson and Eastern Rosella’s. Louise Humble Meeting August 11 Birding in PNG Graham Dent Working in PNG from 1964 to 1977, our branch secretary Graham Dent saw much of the country and was able to observe many extraordinary birds. High altitude mountain ranges, extensive river valleys, thick vegetation and widespread islands combine to create isolated areas with a huge diversity of habitat. The result is around 740 species, with 77 endemics – but birding is difficult. Such thick and tall vegetation make for frustrations, with bird calls resonating but barely a glimpse available. Graham demonstrated this by playing the striking sounds of the glorious Greater Bird of Paradise – and showing several indistinct and distant images in a wall of trees. No field guides appeared until the early 1950s, and study by (often expatriate) enthusiasts and experts spread slowly from the same time. (Graham himself assisted with banding and netting, and followed up interesting species.) Recent use of DNA is still clarifying identification. It was quite a treat to be shown numerous images of magnificently coloured birds with elegant markings, sometimes with their unusual calls.

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Local people have a close association with their birds, particularly in the traditional use of spectacular feathers in ceremonial headdresses. While birdlife has spared the onslaught of introduced feral predator species, habitat loss (from illegal logging) now presents a significant danger . Shirley Faull

Outing Ned’s Corner Camp leader John Gregurke This years camp saw 21 members travel to N.W. Victoria and enjoy birding opportunities quite different to those around Ballarat, We recorded 60 species on Ned’s Corner and a total of 88 over the weekend. Excursions around the property and further afield to Lindsey Island and the Yarrara Flora reserve enabled us to appreciate the diversity of this part of Victoria. Graham Dent not only took responsibility of much of the organisation for the weekend, he also had a significant birthday. Some of the species seen during the camp included Mallee Ringneck, Blue Bonnets,Mulga Parrot,Chestnut- crowned Babbler, Black-faced Woodswallows, Spiney-cheeked and Striped Honeyeaters, Splendid and Varigated Fairy Wrens, Southern Whiteface, Brown Songlark, Red-capped Robin, White-browed Treecreeper, Pied Butcherbird and Gilbert’s Whistler Following the official camp nine members travelled on to BirdLife Gluepot and spent varying lengths of stay fom just one night up to seven. A full report will be available on our web site – soon Ian

Wedge-tailed Eagle Jenny Garly Old Red Gum Jenny Sedgwick This next article was suggested by Murray Grant, clever of him to know we would see this species on our camp!

Gilbert and his Whistler

The Man

John Gilbert (1812-1845) was born in England, he was an explorer, naturalist and taxidermist. Gilbert is probably remembered mostly as being Gould’s principal collector of Birds, he also collected and plants. According to “Australian Bird Names” about 8% of all Australian bird and mammal type specimens were collected by Gilbert. During Leichhardt’s expedition to Port Essington in 1845 he was speared to death by Aborigines in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

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The Name The species was named by Gould as Pachycephala Gilbertii, after Gilbert’s death. Gould however had already named it Inornata previously, it is this name we still use today, so sadly Gilbertii was not used. Pachycephala is made up from the Greek pakhus thick and the Latin cephala head. Inornata is Latin for plain or unadorned. The type specimen was a female/ immature male which of course does not have the males red throat. Other names are Gilbert’s Pachycephala, Gilberts Thickhead and Black-lored Whistler.

The Bird

This is not a common species and is confined to dry forest across the southern part of Australia from the Warrumbungle’s in NSW to about Northam in WA. Gilberts Whistler is not a Ballarat bird. We have recorded this species on an outing to Maryborough but it is not common, Terrick Terrick is a good place to look for it.

Gilbert’s Whistler By Jenny Sedgwick taken on the Ned’s Corner Camp