NSW Sep 2010 Dave Torr

Sep 24th to 29th 2010

Dave Torr

I set off on September 24th - accompanied by my friends Joan (who also wanted Rock Warbler) and Christine (who also wanted Eastern Bristlebird and Pilotbird) - for my fourth attempt to get Rufous Scrub-bird. My first attempt was a long, wet and leechy walk at O'Reilly's for no bird, the second was a similar experience (even more leeches) at Binna Burra and the third was an attempt at Gloucester Tops - again in heavy rain but with the added difficulty of the road in being closed by fire.

Day 1 was a long drive to Bathurst with no birding on the way.

Day 2 found us checking some sites in the Blue Mountains - Mount York (where I had seen my first Rock Warblers), Pulpit Rock and King's Heathlands. Lots of nice habitat but very strong winds and no birds! Abandoned the search at lunchtime and headed off to Gloucester (picking up Koel, Coucal and Scarlet Honeyeater on the way) where we met my friend Dick.

Day 3 found us up early for the slow drive into Gloucester Tops with Dick as our guide. As we came near the end of the road in we heard the Scrub-bird call to our left and headed off into the bush - only a matter of 50m or so. Within 15 minutes Christine and I were rewarded by sights of the bird running along a log, although Joan was looking the wrong way. However, the bird kept circling us and it eventually flew into a tree-fern, where she had good views of it. The rest of the day was spent birding the area, hearing 3 more Scrub-birds and seeing Olive Whistler, Black-faced Monarch, Rose Robin, Wonga Pigeon and Brown Cuckoo-dove as well as hearing Noisy Pitta. We stayed till dark to try and get Sooty Owl but no joy.

Day 4 found us heading south (stopping in Gloucester for Tawny Grass-bird) and navigating to the unlikely-looking spot of Ingleburn Reserve - rated highly on Eremaea for Rock- warbler. We found a track from the car park that led down to the river and as soon as we got to the bottom we were rewarded with views of a small group of Rock Warblers. Two targets down, two to go. On to overnight at Kiama.

Day 5. Up in the morning and on to Barren Grounds, where the heathland was full of bloom. Eastern Bristlebird takes a bit of luck and patience - last time I got them easily. This time we had to wait a while before one came out and ran around on the track on the way to Flying Fox Pass.

Could we add Pilotbird? Alas – not even a call. We saw a few more good birds - a family of Southern Emu-wrens, a Grey Goshawk from above as we looked into the valley, a small flock of Topknot Pigeons and some Gang-gangs, then we went on to Yass for the night via the Macquarie Pass NP for a final (unsuccessful) look for Pilotbird. Unfortunately, Yass was full and we had to go to Gundagai for the night. We headed home the next day, having seen 3 of our 4 targets (and the 4th, of course, can be seen much nearer to Melbourne!)

Trip Birds (NSW only)

 Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami)  Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)  Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata)  Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea)  Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa)  Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)  Rock Dove (Columba livia)  Spotted Dove (Stigmatopelia chinensis)  Brown Cuckoo-Dove (Macropygia amboinensis)  Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes)  Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida)  Bar-shouldered Dove (Geopelia humeralis)  Wonga Pigeon (Leucosarcia melanoleuca)  Topknot Pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus)  Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos)  Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)  Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)  Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)  White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica)  Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta)  Cattle Egret (Bubulcus coromandus)  Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)  White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)  Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca)  Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis)  Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris)  Black Kite (Milvus migrans)  Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus)  Grey Goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae)  Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)  Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)  Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)  Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)  Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa)  Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus)  Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)  Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii)  Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)  Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus)  Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum)  Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)  Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris)  Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)  Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)  Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus)  Australian King-Parrot (Alisterus scapularis)  Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)  Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)  Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius)  Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)  Pheasant Coucal (Centropus phasianinus)  Eastern Koel (Eudynamys orientalis)  Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis)  Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook)  Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)  Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)  Noisy Pitta (Pitta versicolor)  Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)  Rufous Scrub-bird (Atrichornis rufescens)  White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaea)  Red-browed Treecreeper (Climacteris erythrops)  Satin Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)  Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus)  Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus)  Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus)  Rockwarbler (Origma solitaria)  Yellow-throated Scrubwren (Sericornis citreogularis)  White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis)  Brown Gerygone (Gerygone mouki)  White-throated Gerygone (Gerygone olivacea)  Striated Thornbill (Acanthiza lineata)  Yellow Thornbill (Acanthiza nana)  Yellow-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa)  Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla)  Spotted Pardalote (Pardalotus punctatus)  Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)  Lewin's Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii)  Yellow-faced Honeyeater (Lichenostomus chrysops)  White-eared Honeyeater (Lichenostomus leucotis)  Bell Miner (Manorina melanophrys)  Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala)  Yellow-throated Miner (Manorina flavigula)  Little Wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera)  Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata)  Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta)  Crescent Honeyeater (Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus)  New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)  White-naped Honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus)  Blue-faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis)  Noisy Friarbird (Philemon corniculatus)  Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)  Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae)  Olive Whistler (Pachycephala olivacea)  Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)  Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris)  Grey Shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica)  Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus)  White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)  Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)  Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis)  Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen)  Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina)  Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa)  Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)  Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides)  Black-faced Monarch (Monarcha melanopsis)  Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca)  White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos)  Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea)  Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii)  Rose Robin (Petroica rosea)  Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis)  Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis)  Australian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus australis)  Tawny Grassbird (Megalurus timoriensis)  Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)  Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)  Tree Martin (Petrochelidon nigricans)  Russet-tailed Thrush (Zoothera heinei)  Common Blackbird (Turdus merula)  Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)  Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis)  House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)