Birds South East

Number 91 August 2020

Photo: Bob Green

Pick Swamp outing - 11 July 2020 - Bob Green Contents 1. Pick Swamp outing – 11 July 2020 In what was a very welcome return to our field program, 4. Northern south Australia Trip

11 people turned up on what was a glorious day 7. A Day at Penola Conservation Park weatherwise with very little wind. A very keen Graham 8. A Neophema Weekend Moore had contacted me prior to the outing to see if he could make the trip down from the Adelaide Hills to join in 10. A Chestnut Teal with a visible tumour on our outing, he had a few birds he would love to see that 11. Shorebird Notes were a chance at Pick Swamp with people who knew the 12. Quiz/Contacts/Program/Deadline for material site and where to find the birds. We started off while 13. Recent Sightings gathered at the cars parked near the shearing shed checking out the swamp with binoculars and scopes scopes when Angela spotted an Australasian Bittern in flight (a bird Graham desperately wanted), a brief glimpse Birds South East when Angela spotted an Australasian Bittern in flight (a bird Graham desperately wanted), a brief glimpse but a great start to the day. We made our way around the swamp, stopping at one particular spot when another bittern went up close by, an even better look for Graham and the others present. We travelled around to the fishway where we wandered along the levee bank constantly expecting something to flush from the reedbeds, approaching the North end we had been hearing distant Olive Whistlers for a short while but then two were close by, so we froze and tried to get a look at these very difficult Golden-headed Cisticola birds to get good looks at, we knew they were close and you could see movement but not a view. A few people Sarah Campbell lingered slightly longer and were rewarded with clear albeit brief views. Near the drain outlet Jeff heard a Rufous Bristlebird call Australasian Bittern Australasian Pipit briefly from the western side of the drain, and Southern Australasian Shoveler Australian Hobby Emu-wrens could be heard but weren’t proving easy to get Australian Magpie Australian Shelduck a look at, heading back towards the shearing shed we Australian Spotted Crake Australian Spotted Crake stopped at a few spots for better looks over the wetland. Australian White Ibis Beautiful Firetail Black Swan Blue-winged Parrot Lunch was had in a nice patch of sunshine, then we took a Brolga Brown Thornbill walk through the reveg on the northern side of the swamp Common Blackbird Common Bronzewing adding a range of bush birds to our days list. Common Starling Crested Pigeon Crimson Rosella Eastern Yellow Robin Graham who had travelled from Adelaide was very happy Elegant Parrot Eurasian Coot with the days list with some new and much wanted birds European Goldfinch Forest Raven gained, he sent me the following and asked that I pass it Galah Golden-headed Cisticola along, so I have included it here. Great Cormorant Great Egret Travelled down to the South East on the weekend to spend Grey Currawong Grey Fantail an amazing day doing good old fashioned birding led by Grey Shrike-thrush Grey Teal Bob Green and held at Pick Swamp. A group of about a Hoary-headed Grebe Little Black Cormorant dozen braved what turned out to be a perfect day (no rain). Little Grassbird Little Pied Cormorant To be honest for the first time in quite a while I basically Little Raven Little Wattlebird put the camera aside and used my binoculars, BRILLIANT, Magpie Goose Magpie-lark due to the fact that things happened quite quickly it meant Masked Lapwing Musk Duck you at least got a good look at the bird. The main reason I New Holland Honeyeater Olive Whistler went was to hopefully see an Australasian Bittern, Bob Pacific Black Duck Pied Cormorant came through with flying colours—13 sightings (my first), Pied Stilt Purple Swamphen another first for me was Striated Fieldwren. I did manage a Red Wattlebird Rufous Bristlebird couple of long distance pics for the record (very average), Silver Gull Silvereye didn’t matter. It’s good sometimes to get back and just Singing Honeyeater Southern Emu-wren enjoy what most of us are there for, being there and the Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Straw-necked Ibis birds. Thanks Bob for reminding me. For the record other Striated Fieldwren Superb Fairy-wren birds of note were Southern Emu-wren, Brolga, Magpie Swamp Harrier Welcome Swallow Goose, Beautiful Firetail. Well worth the trip and a great Whistling Kite White-browed Scrubwren group and very easy going. Thanks again to you Bob and White-faced Heron Willie Wagtail the group.

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Striated Fieldwren Pick Swamp Sarah Campbell

Beautiful Firetail Beautful Firetail. Pick Swamp Pick Swamp Sarah Campbell Sarah Campbell

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NORTHERN AUSTRALIA TRIP having a grand old time foraging in the loose bark of a tree not far from our van. LYNETTE EDWARDS Because of Covid-19 interstate travel was cancelled for this year Jeff and I decided that we would go for a short trip up North in SA to ‘buy’ some sunny weather. We left home on 23rd May and our first stop was at Pinnaroo, so cold there that day and I did not go hunting for birds but took the time to catch up with a fellow orchid lover, so nothing bird wise to report for the first day.

Next camp spot was at Hogwash Bend near Waikerie, where went for numerous walks into the National Park and up towards Caudo Winery, the target bird there being Regent Parrots, well, it’s possible we did see some, but couldn’t be 100% sure, we did see lots of Yellow Rosellas though, but only jagged a few far off shots. Australian Pelicans were in plentiful supply, as they usually are around the Murray River.

A few days later we moved on to the Peterborough area to stock up on groceries as the supermarkets in the far north of SA are scarce, and after we left Peterborough, we did a two night camp at a dry Our next stop was at a creek crossing on the creek-bed just past Carrieton. Nothing much in the Blinman/Arkaroola Road, which was an unsealed way of birds there though, but we did enjoy our stretch of 150 km and in some spots very stony, so time there and was able to light a fire in our fire I was hoping and praying that the rather expensive drum so took advantage of that and cooked a camp spring upgrade we had done was paying its way. oven stew, with enough left over to have Jaffles for This spot was just beautiful, a big wide creek lined breakfast. Only saw the odd Magpie, a butcherbird, with River Red gums, but, as before, a distinct lack and a few Crimson Rosellas, oh, and the ever of birds, until on our second day there we saw an constant little Willie Wagtail. Also saw the odd Elegant Parrot perched way up on a dead branch, so Wedge-tailed Eagle soaring the thermals. I thought I had better get a photo of it as this was a lifer for me. She sat there for at least half an hour and we were convinced she had flown from far away and was exhausted. The next morning we noticed her there again, so this time I walked closer and she flew to where i couldn’t see her, then upon hearing a parrot call and another gurgling mumble I looked up through the lens into this huge River Red Gum and saw she was feeding a fluffy, downy babe. Happy plus. Now we realised why she sat up for so long the previous day....she was processing the seed she had eaten to get it to baby food consistency.

We stayed at Hawker for three nights in the caravan park and apart from the usual town dwelling birds, there were a few White-browed Babblers there

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saw a family of Zebra Finches. It was great to see that in such dry times that some of the birds are

still able to breed and raise chicks.

After Copley we only drove out of town a few km and saw a gravel scrape so pulled in there for the night, even though it was early afternoon. Jeff went for a walk over to a dam which is actually the Retention dam for the now defunct Leigh Creek coal mines. This is where I saw a pair of Red-capped Plovers, which was a bit of a surprise, and hundreds of Black Swans and dozens of Australian Pelicans. Next stop was the old derelict township of Farina, this old town was established in the late 1800’s and the last person left in 1963. It was originally declared a town site when the railway line to Alice Springs was being built and was a very busy Station, with loading of wheat, Sidney Kidman’s’ north bred cattle and some sheep, as well as bringing in supplies for the people of Farina and outlying Station properties. To complicate things at Farina Railway station, that is where the Narrow gauge and Standard lines met, so everything going A few inquisitive Emus wandered by our camp both north of there had to be unloaded and reloaded onto days and that was about it for birds at Bendioota another train to continue on its way north. So many Creek. It is so dry up there and just not much beautiful hand built stone buildings there. Some of around really. them are being restored, but this year, unfortunately the volunteers are not there, so the Next stop was only about 50kms up the road for a famous old underground bakery is not operational. two night camp at Chambers Gorge, again, not much alive around there, not even kangaroos or goats. Even the gum trees are dead and dying. Very interesting Aboriginal carvings up at the end of the Gorge though.

Two days later and we were on our way again (you can tell we are retired nomads; no great rush and plans are subject to change without warning) but only did around 30km when we did another overnight stop beside the huge, wide and dry Moro Creek.

So after five nights camping and covering the 150km to Arkaroola, we had arrived. There is not much in the way of vegetation alive there either and as we had been there before, we just soaked up the sun, although almost every night since we had left home, we had had freezing cold nights. Thank god for another upgrade... a diesel heater in the van.

No birds at Arkaroola, although I will admit that we Witchelina Nature Reserve is also shut for this year. did not go out hunting for them either. From the campground we did see a Brown Falcon a

couple of times, dozens of Zebra Finches, lots of Leaving Arkaroola we drove across towards Copley, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters and some Superb but spotted a good looking camp site beside a creek Fairywrens. most of these smaller birds were bed (dry) where at last I did see a few birds, male congregating around a leaking hose which comes and female Hooded Robin, a fast flying raptor, (no from the well there. idea what it was) a Mulga Parrot (muffed the photo of that) Rufous Whistlers and the next morning I

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Marree was completely devoid of anything birdlike, Back to Hawker for two nights and then down well in the township it was. But it was nice and towards Quorn, not far from Hawker we stopped off sunny and warm there, we even got our shorts and at a ruin called Wilson, another left to die township t-shirts on there. when the railway was re-routed elsewhere. I made the obligatory cuppa and walked around the back of So as Marree was the last stop north, we turned the van to read the information board, looked up around to head back to Farina for a couple of more and there was a Southern Whiteface (a lifer) in a days there and then down to Lyndhurst, where I did dead shrub, a mad rush back into the van to change quiz the publican there about the location of the the lens on the camera, back out to where I had Letter-winged Kites out on the Strezlecki Track, but seen it, but it had flown to another tree, following he really didn’t know where, and anyway I was a bit along behind it I fired off a couple of shots, had a over unsealed roads after the Blinman to Arkaroola quick look at them and was bitterly disappointed to Road. see that I had easy exposure turned on and it had crept up to + 4. So following him along I saw We drove the 10km off the Bitumen to go out to another one as well. These two played chasey on Beltana, another almost deserted old railway town, top of the old ruin for a few seconds, the flew over although some people, in recent years have the wall. Around the back to see where it was and purchased blocks of land there to build a home on. after a few seconds I saw a White-winged Fairywren, another lifer. Unfortunately, no photo of At the BBQ area in the main part of the town there this one, they were too quick for me. is a solar powered windmill which pumps water to a trough where we saw Pied Honeyeaters, both male When we got to Quorn, we went out to Warren and female, White-plumed Honeyeaters, Ringneck Gorge for three nights, where we did see quite a Parrots, and two Budgerigars. Also lots of House few little birds, Inland Thornbill (lifer) Apostlebirds Sparrows there. (how crazy are they) a juvenile Red-capped Robin and a few Rufous Whistlers.

While out at Warren Gorge we went for a drive out Buckaringa Gorge way, but discovered that you cannot get in there nowadays, so we did the loop out to Simmonston Ruins. On the way back to Quorn we saw at least four Australian Kestrels.

After leaving Quorn and going through Burra we went out to Redbanks Conservation Park for one night, not much in the way of birds out there, it was very quiet actually, but a remarkable looking place and I do know that a lot of people go birding there.

Three nights at Morgan Caravan park, where I was very lazy and did not even try to photograph the resident Whistling Kite who circles over the river almost constantly.

So after being away for almost six weeks we drove from Morgan to home in one day.

Photos: Lynette Edwards

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A DAY AT PENOLA CONSERVATION The highlight of the afternoon’s walk for us, was the PARK sighting of several Southern Emu-wrens. We first came across a pair out feeding, and although they would not sit still for very long, we did manage to ROSY POUNSETT get a couple of photos. Thinking that was the highlight of the day, we were even more thrilled to On a calm and sunny Sunday in April, Stewie and I see another small group of them flitting across the decided to break out of the house and venture to firebreak track and foraging in the thick bushes. We the wonderful Penola Conservation Park. watched them for a short while before they also moved on. The lovely weather must have been enticing as we came across a young family with dad trying to control the enthusiasm of two young boys, while mum was bringing up the rear pushing a pram with a sleeping baby on board. When we arrived back at the carpark there was another vehicle there as well. A very busy day for the park!

There was much twittering and chirping in the tree- tops, coming mainly from New Holland Honeyeaters, Grey Fantails, and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. There were the usual resident White-throated Treecreepers, Crimson Rosellas and White-cheeked Honeyeaters. Both Striated and Spotted Pardalote were spotted, but the only one to come within camera range was a Spotted one.

Southern Emu-wren

Stewie Pounsett

Spotted Pardalote Stewie Pounsett

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A NEOPHEMA WEEKEND Goolwa, arriving in time for a wood fired pizza pickup, and across the bridge to have dinner at Wyndgate, my base for the weekend. BOB GREEN

A free Friday on the June Long Weekend and the chance to spend four days looking for parrots along the coast beckoned. I had arranged to stay on Hindmarsh Island, so set off early on Friday morning to check some sites on the way up through the Coorong. This year Covid restrictions have played havoc with the availability of volunteers to search for Orange-bellied Parrots in a season when over 100 OBPs left the breeding grounds in Tasmania, so I was determined to get out and cover a number of sites in hope.

Starting off with some regular survey sites in the Coorong proved fruitful straight up with 54 Blue- winged Parrots at one of my hotspots, along with a flock of 100+ Banded Stilt in the nearby lake working their way along the shoreline. Stopping in Elegant Parrot at Salt Creek is always good for a peak at the Bob Green Nankeen Night-Herons, and a lone Wedge-tailed Eagle was cruising over. Heading up the road towards Messent with the surrounding paddocks can An early start checking a few roadsides out on the be fruitful but not on this occasion but a surprise way to the Murray Mouth was successful with was a flock of at least 250 Yellow-tailed Black- Elegant Parrots in a number of spots, then from the Cockatoos flying South out of Messent CP where lookout at the Murray Mouth I did the walk out to presumably they had been tucking into some Bird Island on pretty soft sand, another seven Banksia cones. Taking the longer drive up Kartoo Elegant Parrots, more Pied Stilts. Rufous Bristlebirds Track up the western shore of the Narrung could be heard calling all the way over on the Peninsula is a great drive if you haven’t done it Younghusband Peninsula and a White-bellied Sea- (4WD required), checking likely looking areas I hit Eagle made its was slowly down the line of dunes. the jackpot about 5km South of Mark Point where Very few shorebirds were present which is unusual the track crosses a large saltmarsh. A search of this for this spot. The rest of Saturday and Sunday was area produced 67 Elegant Parrots, this was the spent exploring just about every piece of road on location of three OBPs some years ago found by the island and a few areas of reveg that surround Colin Rogers and John Cox. Heading on past Mark saltmarsh on the island with good numbers of Point there were the usual assortment of waterbirds Elegant Parrots found. I have never had the on offer but over one patch 15 Whistling Kites were opportunity to explore the island in this detail and it wheeling around and swooping down, but it was has made me realise I need to go back to do it impossible to determine what they were after. From again sometime. Finding and photographing a Pelican Point I took some back roads flushing an banded Australian Pied Oystercatcher at the Murray occasional Elegant Parrot off the roadside on the Mouth with a few of its bands missing I contacted way through to Narrung Wetlands, it was pretty Maureen to see if she could shed light on this bird, quiet there with the best on offer 23 Pied Stilts. she put me in touch with a local who spends a lot of After that it’s across the ferry near Australia’s only time monitoring them, so I got in touch and we inland lighthouse and up to Wellington to another caught up for a coffee at the in demand bakery in ferry and then across the top edge of the lake to Goolwa, shortly after I had ordered our coffees the

8 Birds South East Birds South East line-up stretched for about 150m back to the main If you haven’t done much birding in these areas, street. there is a lot on offer and the birding is pretty easy. Tolderol is birding by car essentially with a few Monday morning after packing up I headed off back scope stops, and Hindmarsh Island has a good mix through Goolwa to drop in to Tolderol Game of roadside birding and exploration of the massive Reserve ( one of our November camp destinations), amounts of reveg in the Lawari CP. Definitely worth flushing an Elegant Parrot off the roadside going in, the time for a visit. it was relatively quiet at Tolderol with very few waders, but enough activity to keep it interesting, highlights were eight Australian Spotted Crakes, a Lewin’s Rail, and four Elegant Parrots.

Elegant Parrot. Bob Green

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A CHESTNUT TEAL WITH A VISIBLE TUMOUR

JEFF CAMPBELL

On 27 June 2020 while conducting the annual Although the bird seemed to be coping with what Winter Shorebird Count from Green Point to Port was apparently a soft tissue growth or a papilloma MacDonnell, I noticed a duck with what appeared to lesion, the longer term outlook is probably not be a reddish crest flying over the sea past the rocky great. Any animal which ‘stands out from the pack’ headland at Stony Point. The bird alighted on the is obviously more vulnerable to predation and in water before moving on to a smaller rocky spit. addition if the growth becomes larger it will Once the bird, a female Chestnut Teal, was on the presumably eventually impede the birds vision. rocks it could be seen that it was not a crest, but in fact a rather large pinkish/red mushroom shaped protuberance on the top right side of its head. Apart from the rather gruesome looking growth on its head the bird appeared to be in a good general condition, and by its flight and movement and it appeared that its vision was not greatly impaired.

Photos: Sarah Campbell

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SHOREBIRD NOTES completed and overnight. Thanks to Anne and Steve for a very well organised survey. JEFF CAMPBELL. FRIENDS OF We have also had what would appear to be an early start to the resident shorebird breeding activities. A SHOREBIRDS SE report from Bob was the first when he had Red- capped Plovers performing the ‘broken-wing’ act at Lake Eliza; Sarah and I observed a pair of Australian Pied Oystercatchers copulating at Danger Point in late July and a Red-capped Plover nest with Despite the limitations brought about by the Covid- two eggs was found at Lake Bonney during the 19 restrictions things have once again been fairly Winter Shorebird Count in early August. Pairs of busy for Friends of Shorebirds SE members. We Hooded Plovers, which had disappeared from their have carried out our usual coastal Winter Shorebird usual haunts over winter, are reappearing in their Counts in the Carpenter Rocks and Port MacDonnell breeding areas so it may not be long before they areas. Numbers of Double-banded Plovers were few too start nesting. and far between this year. This species undertakes an east west migration from the southern island of With the Covid-19 restrictions in place making face New Zealand. It is the only shorebird in the world to face meetings with participants from far and wide known to make such a migration and contrary to all impossible Maureen and I have taken part in a the other migratory shorebirds which inhabit our number of Zoom meetings in recent weeks. coastal shores and lakes arrives here during our Although these meetings are not the same as winter rather than our summer. We have also getting together with others, they are an easy way conducted shorebird counts of Lake George and for participants from various States to discuss Lake Bonney and at the later found a moderately matters without the need for expensive and time large flock of 214 Double-banded Plover on one of consuming travel and accommodation. the off-shore islands.

I also took part in the BirdLife Coorong Winter Shorebird Count, spending a couple of days camped at Cantara. On day one I travelled up the inside of the Younghusband Peninsula from Pelican Point to the Murray mouth on a fishing boat skippered by Garry, along with fellow volunteers Josie and Tania. Although I did not see huge numbers of shorebirds in the count areas I covered, we did see small numbers of six species including Red-necked Avocet, Pied Stilt, Red-necked Stint, and Australian Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers. The numbers of waterbirds were staggering, in particular the massive numbers of Hoary-headed Grebes in enormous rafts of up to 1000 birds, accompanied by Silver Gulls and diving Crested Terns, obviously following schools of small fish. Also very evident was the numbers of cormorants, particularly on the barrages, with hundreds perched on the barrage Double-banded Plovers railings. Day two involved walking and driving to Sarah Campbell survey the mainland side of the lagoon. It was here, near Policeman Point, that Jim and I spotted a leucistic Australian Shelduck. The bird, one of a pair, was mainly very pale dull white with a few dull chestnut patches. The weather gods were with us for the count, as although it was very cold, the only rain each day was mainly after counting was

August 2020 11 Birds South East

QUIZ CONTACTS

1.What bird could be "short sighted royalty"? Convenor, Sightings Coordinator, Conservation Contact Bob Green

2.What is a Fish Hawk? [email protected] 0407 649909

3.A very clean swamp dweller? Deputy Convenor, Wayne Bigg [email protected]

4.In "Dotterel" by Judith Wright how does the dotterel run? Secretary, Angela Jones [email protected] (08) 8733 4840 5.Which bird is this? - o - - o - - e - - Treasurer, Bryan Haywood [email protected] 6. Name a bird using all the letters. (08) 8726 8112

L C I Newsletter Editor, Jeff Campbell A T S [email protected] T O C (08) 8725 9493

Answers to last quiz: Committee Members 1. 380/2 190 Sue Black, Jeff Campbell, Abigail Goodman, 2. +3 +4 +5 +6 = 26 Cassie Hlava, Karen Hunt 3. Dunrobin 4. Red-backed Fairy-wren 5. Doris Brett 6. Cassowary DEADLINES FOR NEWSLETTER

MATERIAL PROGRAM 1 November, 1 March, 1 May, 1 August Material for inclusion is always welcome

Our next outing is next Saturday 22 August 8am start We will be going to Glen Roy CP, and may visit Bool Lagoon as well (time dependant) Please register your interest in attending with Bob Green on 0407 649 909 or [email protected] to receive notification of meeting point etc.

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