Manning Great Lakes Birdwatchers Inc February 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 17/03 Wallis Lake Cruise - 11:00am departure on the Free Spirit. Meet at the Waterline Boathouse, The Annual General Meeting of the Manning Great th Little Street Forster (opp. Helen Street) Lakes Birdwatchers Inc. held on the 15 July 2017 elected the following Office Bearers: 05/04 Mt George / Rocks Crossing / Caffreys Flat – meet at Mt George General Store President Brian McCauley 0431 878 395 21/04 Mooral Creek (Nick & Kate Vale’s property – Vice President Shirley Henry 6556 7109 1136 Mooral Creek Road) – meet at intersection of Comboyne and Mooral Creek Secretary Janis Cossill 0405 054 930 Treasurer Sheila Perrottet 6554 3032 Roads approximately 5km from Wingham Activities Officer Brian McCauley 0431 878 395 Records Officer Ashley Carlson 6557 5393 th Publicity Officer Tony Bennett 6559 2897 Killabakh - 18 November 2017 Public Officer Liz McCauley 0431 878 395 By Yvonne Baker Archives Officer Lyn Davis 0401 865 784 Librarian Lyn Davis 0401 865 784 We gathered outside Judy Homewood's property on a Newsletter Editor Ashley Carlson 6557 5393 cool, cloudy morning, awaiting the arrival of members. Committee Helen Kershaw 0400 130 486 Here we saw Purple Swamphen beside the road ahead, Simon Lemon 6559 3331 Wood Duck and Magpie near a dam opposite, Olive- backed Oriole and Rainbow Lorrikeet high up in a Items for the newsletter can be sent direct to the eucalyptus tree. Inside Judy's property, we walked editor to either along the wooded perimeter of a paddock and Email: [email protected] Post: PO Box 4074 Forster NSW 2428 observed Scarlet Honeyeater, Golden Whistler, Silvereye, Pied Butcherbird and Noisy Miner. All other correspondence should be forwarded to the club address: PO Box 281 Forster NSW 2428 Later we all piled into four-wheeled drive vehicles to drive up a hill to the edge of the forest. Walking along the forest track we were surrounded by birdsong, dominated by the resounding ‘e-chong’ of the Rufous From The Editor Whistler. Being overcast meant that we had to listen carefully to identify the birds by their calls which caused Welcome to the New Year and I trust everyone had a amusement when members tried to mimic them. With wonderful festive period. I also hope that everyone that these conditions and the birds being high up in the was able to had a bo-peep at the celebrities (Aleutian canopy, it became very difficult for us to see the birds. Tern) at Farquhar Inlet. So with necks craning, we had to concentrate on the shape of silhouettes which had some members This newsletter acknowledges the passing of one our referring to apps on their mobile phones. old members, Joan Bosward. Despite these difficult conditions we did manage to For those heading off to Lithgow, travel safely and observe many species. A juvenile Fan-tailed Cuckoo sat enjoy the birding. obligingly for a photo. Other cuckoos sighted were the Brush, Horsfield Bronze and a pair of Channel-billed Cuckoo flew overhead calling raucously. King-Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Eastern Rosella, Grey Shrike-Thrush, Calendar of Outings Leaden Flycatcher, Rufous Fantail, Grey Fantail, White- throated Gerygone, Striped Honeyeater and Sacred 01/03 Celito Beach / Sandbar / Pacific Palms – meet Kingfisher are just a few that were seen, plus what at the corner of The Lakes Way and Sandbar Ashley described as the trifecta of Fairy-wrens, the Road Superb, Variegated and Red-backed. By mid-morning it began to rain lightly and Judy announced that it would be a good time to return to her house for morning tea on her verandah. On the It did not take long to motor under the bridge and past way back to the house a Straw Necked Ibis and Coocumbac Island away from the high octane boats Pheasant Coucal were sighted. On the verandah, we tuning their engines. The river follows a large were treated to home-made chocolate cake, and a horseshoe bend past Tinonee and then west Taree delicious apple-berry cake. Thank you Judy, it was most before heading generally west past farmland not appreciated. usually seen from the main roads traversing the area. After morning tea, we walked to the creek where we Birding from the boat was quite but the conversation had to seek shelter under trees as it started to rain was nothing but. We enjoyed a selection of entrees, heavily and it was decided that we would call it a day, before the main meal was served and most managed as it looked like the rainy weather was going to set in. to squeeze a dessert in also. It was a great way to recap the years’ event and ponder what is in store for 2018. It was a most enjoyable day and the forest a magical place for birdwatching. Other things of interest found that day, two wallabies, Bottle-brush Grass Tree in th flower and a glorious Cymbidium Suave orchid in full Ding o Tops - 19 January 201 8 bloom. By Ashley Carlson Bird List - Pacific Black Duck, Australian Wood Duck, Brown There was a cast of thousands, well not quite, for our Quail, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Wonga Pigeon, Bar-shouldered first outing of the year. With such a large convoy we Dove, Pheasant Coucal, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Horsfield's headed straight to the tops, rather than trying to find a Bronze-Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Brush Cuckoo, Purple place to get so many vehicles off the road. Once we all Swamphen, Masked Lapwing, Cattle Egret, Straw-necked Ibis, Dollarbird, Sacred Kingfisher, Laughing Kookaburra, Galah, arrived, we split into two groups with one small party Little Corella, Australian King-Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Eastern heading onto Rowley’s Rock Lookout and the other Rosella, Rainbow Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Green completing the short loop walk at the picnic area. From Catbird, Satin Bowerbird, White-throated Treecreeper, the lookout we were about to look down on White- Variegated Fairy-wren, Superb Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy- throated Needletail hawking through the valley below. wren, Scarlet Honeyeater, Striped Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, There were also numerous butterflies flittering about Eastern Spinebill, Lewin's Honeyeater, Little Wattlebird, the flora, distracting us from the view back to the coast. Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Brown Gerygone, White-throated Gerygone, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Thornbill, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Rufous Whistler, Golden Several vehicles departed for home following morning Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Eastern Whipbird, Australasian tea, while the rest made a decision to head back down Figbird, Olive-backed Oriole, Pied Currawong, Australian to Potaroo Falls. Parking was at a premium at the falls Magpie, Pied Butcherbird, Grey Butcherbird, Rufous Fantail, carpark with numerous groups making the most of the Grey Fantail, Torresian Crow, Leaden Flycatcher, Magpie-lark, cool pool for swimming. During lunch, distractions Eastern Yellow Robin, Red-browed Finch, Tawny Grassbird, included Eastern Yellow Robin, Lewin’s Honeyeater and Welcome Swallow, Silvereye Spectacle Monarch. With another group departing after lunch, six of us ambled towards the falls. Not more than 50m along the track, we spent 15 minutes watching a th Pale-yellow Robin flitting between and propping on Manning River Cruise - 09 December 2017 trees providing numerous photo opportunities. We also By Ashley Carlson recorded a trifecta of scrubwren’s during the walk. While noting observations back at the car, preparing to The carpark at the Manning sailing club was busy with leave, a Noisy Pitta called twice. powerboats preparing for a morning of racing and our more sedate mode of transport arrived at the wharf ready for us to board. This Christmas cruise was heading upriver towards Wingham, rather than our previous trips which have been downstream to the river mouth. Pale-yellow Robin - Photo: N Thompson Bird List - Australian Wood Duck, Australian Brush-turkey, White-headed Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Wonga Pigeon, Crested Pigeon, Topknot Pigeon, Pheasant Coucal, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, White-throated Needletail, Masked Lapwing, Australian Pelican, Cattle Egret, White-necked Heron, Great Egret, White-faced Heron, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Laughing Kookaburra, Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Enjoying the Christmas Cruise - Photo: A Carlson Galah, Crimson Rosella, Noisy Pitta, Satin Bowerbird, White- throated Treecreeper, Eastern Spinebill, Lewin's Honeyeater, Manning Great Lakes Birdwatchers Inc. – February 2018 Page 2 of 8 Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Bell Miner, Noisy Miner, Brown Making our way back we spotted a Striated Heron Gerygone, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, White-browed crouching on the rocks near the Marine Rescue Scrubwren, Large-billed Scrubwren, Brown Thornbill, Golden catching small fish as they were washed through a gap Whistler, Grey Shrike-thrush, Eastern Whipbird, Olive-backed in the sea wall. Oriole, Pied Currawong, Australian Magpie, Pied Butcherbird, Willie Wagtail, Rufous Fantail, Grey Fantail, Leaden Flycatcher, Magpie-lark, Spectacled Monarch, Black-faced Monarch, Eastern Yellow Robin, Pale-yellow Robin, Red-browed Finch, Welcome Swallow, Common Myna, Bassian Thrush Har rington - 01 st February 201 8 By Brian McCauley As indicated by the new meeting site, the Marine Rescue parking lot, the littoral rainforest walk was not on the agenda for today’s outing. By 8:08 ten members and one visitor were gathered together and prepared to set out for a walk north along the breakwall to gain access to the beach. It was very windy, overcast with Striated Heron - Photo: B McCauley rain threatening and the seas very rough. Morning tea was taken in the picnic area at the back of the Rescue building to the melodious warbling of several Magpie, singing for some supper.