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Manning Great Lakes Birdwatchers Inc August 201 8 Newsletter Field Outings - are held on the first Thursday and third Saturday of each month (except January and December) and commence at 8am unless shown otherwise Calendar of Outings The Annual General Meeting of the Manning Great st Lakes Birdwatchers Inc. held on the 21 July 2018 elected the following Office Bearers: 06/09 Saltwater Reserve / Old Bar Airstrip / Mudbishops’s Point - meet at the Saltwater President Brian McCauley 0431 878 395 reserve last parking bays on left Vice President Shirley Henry 0429 338 241 15/09 Firefly - (Gay Sargent’s property) meet at corner of Wallanbah Road & Mobb’s Lane Secretary Brian McCauley 0431 878 395 Treasurer Sheila Perrottet 6554 3032 (take Nabiac exit from Pacific Highway into Activities Officer Liz McCauley 0431 878 395 Wallanbah Road, travel 16km through Dyers Records Officer Ashley Carlson 6557 5393 Crossing then turn right into Mobb’s Lane) Publicity Officer Tony Bennett 0429 188 842 04/10 Oxley Island / Manning Point - (Ashley Public Officer Liz McCauley 0431 878 395 Furner’s property) meet at Oxley Island Public Archives Officer Lyn Davis 0401 865 784 School Librarian Lyn Davis 0401 865 784 14-20 Spring Campout @ Armidale - based at the Newsletter Editor Ashley Carlson 6557 5393 Armidale Tourist Park 39 Grafton Road / Committee Simon Lemon 0439 689 339 Waterfall Way, Armidale. Ph 1800 355 578 or Janis Cossill 0405 054 930 02 6772 6470 and mention the Birdwatchers Also check www.armidaletouristpark.com.au Items for the newsletter can be sent direct to the 01/11 Lake Cathie - meet at carpark just north of the editor to either bridge Email: [email protected] Post: PO Box 4074 Forster NSW 2428 17/11 Falls Forest Retreat - (318 Isaacs Lane, Johns River) take the Johns River exit from Pacific All other correspondence should be forwarded to Highway and meet at corner of Stewarts River the club address: PO Box 281 Forster NSW 2428 Road 08/12 Christmas Party - Mondrook Garden Café and Gallery 699 Tinonee Road, Mondrook. Price will be $30 per head. Contact Liz McCauley From The Editor 0431 878 395 with name and numbers This edition of our newsletter was delayed by one week to allow Australia Post to deliver some exciting news to eal Rocks - 19 th May 2018 three of our members. Turn to page 5 to find out why! S By Tony Bennett The spring campout will be held at Armidale during October. Those wishing to attend should refer to the Thirteen of us gathered at the meeting point, opposite details listed in the calendar of outings or contact Liz the entrance to the Seal Rocks Caravan Park on a clear, McCauley for further details. As a result of the campout dry day. In the absence of Brian, Ashley took the helm, being held in October, the previously listed outing to with help from Barry who had recent results to share Firefly has been brought forward to September (15 th ). with us. At the meeting point we had time to observe a Whistling Kite flying to and from its nest behind the van The Christmas party will be held at Mondrook Gardens, park. Once we were all assembled and signed in, the a crowd favourite, on the 08 th of December. No specific convoy took off for the car park at the entrance to the menu is available to date but will be made available Myall Lakes National Park and the road to the Sugarloaf shortly. Point Lighthouse. For those who have renewed their membership the We soon realised that this time was going to be very club thanks you. For those that have not done so to different from our last visit when we found a wild party date, Sheila would appreciate your due consideration of rosella, figbird and friarbird gorging on nectar from to it. the trees surrounding the car park. Blossom was the missing ingredient at this point, so we had to adjust our minds and eyes to find less obvious birds. It was good Lorikeet and Kookaburra. We then moved onto the to see that a winter migrants, the Spangled Drongo, large dam on Coopernook Forest Way owned by had already returned to the area in good numbers. Bangalow Creek Warmbloods and observed Jacky Musk Lorikeet parties were also seen moving in fast, Winter, Australasian Grebe, Hardhead, Grey Fantail and small groups in the canopy. Those who climbed up to Red-browed Finch. After that much excitement, Tony the Lighthouse were rewarded with a couple of tail- and Nicky then departed to greener pastures, leaving slapping whales in addition to Australasian Gannet and five to press on to Lansdowne Nature Reserve. a pair of Osprey. As it turned out, despite the deteriorating weather this Before leaving Seal Rocks we followed Barry’s lead to a location provided quite a few highlights. Two Rose spot a few hundred metres along Thomas Road, where Robin, two Shining-bronze Cuckoo, Eastern Yellow he called in (as promised), a couple of Red-browed Robin, Brown Cuckoo Dove and on the way out, Treecreeper. We then popped in to the camping area Nankeen Kestrel and Black-shouldered Kite. After lunch on Neranie Road, and walked and drove around for and with the arrival of rain it was decided to pull the half-an-hour adding a few sightings, including a Bar- plug. Shouldered Dove, White-cheeked Honeyeater and Yellow-faced Honeyeater. Those remaining then drove down Horse Point Road to an unused property where we noted a pair of Striated Thornbill and Red-browed Finch as we finished our outing with a well-earned lunch break. In all, 48 bird species were seen today. Bird List - Australian Wood Duck, Australian Brush-turkey, Crested Pigeon, Bar-shouldered Dove, Topknot Pigeon, Sooty Oystercatcher, Masked Lapwing, Silver Gull, Crested Tern, Australian Pelican, Great Egret, Eastern Reef Egret, Straw- necked Ibis, Australasian Gannet, Great Cormorant, Osprey, Whistling Kite, Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Musk Lorikeet, Rainbow Lorikeet, White-throated Treecreeper, Red-browed Treecreeper, Variegated Fairy-wren, Superb Fairy-wren, Noisy Friarbird, New Holland Honeyeater, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill, Lewin's Honeyeater, Little Wattlebird, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Spotted Pardalote, Brown Gerygone, Striated Thornbill, Brown Thornbill, Golden Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Eastern Whipbird, Pied Nankeen Kestrel - Photo: P Goonan Currawong, Australian Magpie, Spangled Drongo, Willie Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Australian Raven, Eastern Yellow Robin, Bird List - Black Swan, Hardhead, Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Red-browed Finch, Welcome Swallow, Silvereye Chestnut Teal, Australian Wood Duck, Helmeted Guineafowl, Australasian Grebe, White-headed Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Crested Pigeon, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot, Masked Lapwing, Cattle Egret, White-necked Heron, White-faced Heron, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Black- Coopernook Wetlands and State Forest shouldered Kite, Brahminy Kite, Laughing Kookaburra, 07th June 201 8 - By Barry Ralley Nankeen Kestrel, Galah, Australian King-Parrot, Eastern Rosella, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Superb Seven members gathered at the meeting point at Fairy-wren, Striped Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, Brown Coopernook Wetlands on a dull and cool morning. The Honeyeater, Lewin's Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Brown Gerygone, White-browed Scrubwren, Yellow Thornbill, Black- wetlands have received a decent amount of rain and faced Cuckoo-shrike, Golden Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, were as full as I have ever seen them. This seemed to Eastern Whipbird, Pied Currawong, Australian Magpie, Pied account for the absence of the usually present two Butcherbird, Grey Butcherbird, Spangled Drongo, Willie species of dotterel’s. Tony set about exploring the Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Torresian Crow, Magpie-lark, Rose northern wetland for dotterel’s and on the way an Robin, Jacky Winter, Eastern Yellow Robin, Red-browed Finch, unidentified call attracted four of those present. After Welcome Swallow, Common Myna much straining of the eyes, it was finally identified as a Brown Honeyeater. Other species seen were Black Swan, Black Duck and Grey and Chestnut Teal’s. Lyn managed to hear Striped Honeyeater in the th surrounding swamp woodlands. Cattai Wetlands - 16 June 201 8 By Lyn Davis Moving on to Coopernook State Forest, we arrived to the deafening sound of silence. The highlight, not On a chilly 6˚ morning, 15 club members huddled counting morning tea, was the disused nests of the together putting on more layers, to start our walk Square-tailed Kite. This species apparently breeds here around the Wetlands. We headed for the sunny side of on a yearly basis. Upon taking morning tea we were the walk and soon we were seeing Rose Robin, Brown joined by Grey Butcherbird, Noisy Miner, Scaly-breasted Gerygone, Eastern Yellow Robin and Yellow-faced Manning Great Lakes Birdwatchers Inc. – August 2018 Page 2 of 6 Honeyeater. Some of the eucalyptus trees were in Australasian Grebe, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Bar-shouldered flower, or just about to burst into flower, and the Dove, Purple Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, mistletoe was in full bloom, attracting lots of Comb-crested Jacana, Australian Pelican, White-necked Mistletoebird. Scarlet Honeyeater were calling from the Heron, White-faced Heron, Little Pied Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Australasian Darter, Swamp Harrier, White-bellied tops of the trees and Striped Honeyeater were heard Sea-Eagle, Whistling Kite, Azure Kingfisher, Laughing and later seen. Kookaburra, Australian Hobby, Eastern Rosella, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, White-throated Treecreeper,