Mornington Peninsula Birdlife
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Mornington Peninsula Birdlife Volume 6 Number 1 March 2017 Satin Flycatcher, female, photographed at Devilbend by Mark Lethlean PRESIDENT’S REPORT Always check beachcast birds for bands A Crested Tern found dead at Merricks Beach on 3 December Welcome to the New Year of BirdLife Mornington Peninsula. I 2016 carried a band which indicated that it had been banded hope you all had a great Christmas/New Year break. on Mud Islands, Port Phillip Bay by The Victorian Wader Study Group on 13 December 2001. Information provided by We started the year with a function at The Briars sponsored the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme (ABBBS). by the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery who at this For more information and reporting of bands: time have an exhibition of bird art at their Mornington https://www.environment.gov.au/science/bird-and-bat- gallery. The Briars event entitled “Birds of a Feather” banding featured BirdLife’s Sean Dooley who spoke on the beautiful peninsula birdlife and their history. Dennis Gosper, Balnarring We now have over 300 members in our branch. This is very pleasing for our committee who have worked very hard to provide a meaningful outings program and a sense of Contents belonging in the community in support of our birdlife. 1. Branch news We received a grant of $500 from the Bendigo Bank to 4. Habitat for wildlife support the newsletter production. The cheque was presented to us at a Dromana Life Saving Club function, and 5. Outings program and reports their support is much appreciated. 9. Roosting cockatoo experiences In conclusion I hope to see you at our outings this year; we have a good selection of birding sites to visit. 10. Eastern Treatment Plant wetland surveys Max Burrows 12. A quetzal quest 13. Observations Branch news Fight or Flight The increased rarity of some birds across the Mornington Peninsula has occurred in relatively recent times. We have lost the grey-crowned babbler from our region, this bird was widely distributed in earlier times, however it became lost around the turn of the century. Three robins have recently become very scarce, these iconic Australian flycatchers once thrived in our midst but sadly now they are rarely recorded. One of our tiniest birds the southern emu-wren now only exists in small isolated localities clinging on to survival by a thread. The well-publicised beach bird the hooded plover is vulnerable because of human beach usage and now has a very strong protection group that monitors the breeding cycle. This bird is the subject of a long term study by BirdLife Australia and Friends of the Hooded Plover Group to try to secure a long term future for this beautiful little bird. Danny Vits and Sean Dooley at opening of Birds exhibition. Some birds are very secretive in their habits and therefore Photo by Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery are hard to evaluate. One of these is the Bassian thrush, a bird similar in appearance to the well-known English thrush, this bird is rarely recorded and due to its habits could American visitors disappear without us even realising. One of our members, Graeme Horskins, brought an One reason for these rarities is the loss of habitat. Most of American couple, Gregg and Kellie from Minnesota to the these birds mentioned require natural bush and will not Devilbend outing. An excellent morning's birding was had adapt to human development methods and once the bush and Kellie was the one who spotted the Crested Shrike-tit. has gone so are they. These birds are sometimes pushed into So many new birds for them. smaller and smaller tracts of bush causing conflict with more aggressive species and thus they struggle to survive. After a lunch by the reservoir, I took them to The Briars and we had a walk in the woodland area then a tour of the Max Burrows, President, BirdLife Mornington Peninsula, The homestead and its connection with Napoleon. I have just Warbler, MPRG exhibition liftout received a card from Gregg and Kellie (via Graeme) and they got ten "lifers" just at The Briars (including an eyeball-to- eyeball meeting with an Emu). They really enjoyed the day and thank all of us for a great A great resource day and for our friendliness Just been reading the Mornington Peninsula Birdlife David Ap-Thomas, Mt Eliza newsletter and wished to say that it's been a great resource for Geoff Lacey and I in researching the peninsula's birds. We've been compiling a paper on the (terrestrial) birds of Who am I French Island and your group’s information is the only recently published resource we can really compare the Thanks to all who responded to my request for thoughts on islands birds against. the baby bird on page 7 of the December newsletter. We aim to publish our paper in Australian Field Ornithology Samantha Greiner, Newsletter Editor BirdLife Hamilton sometime next year. I'll keep Mornington Peninsula birdlife emailed: “Kirsty has rescued a Rock Dove! We had one advised. handed into us in 1999 as a squab, just funny down feathers. He passed away this year aged 17.” As they say 'keep up the great work!’ Martin O'Brien, Executive Officer Flora and Fauna Guarantee Scientific Advisory Committee, Biodiversity Division Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning Newsletter contributions Thanks for your fantastic articles and photos. Keep sharing your sightings, observations, bird photos, daily birding activities, surveys, tips on bird identification and birding while travelling stories. Contacting BirdLife Mornington Peninsula The newsletter is available on the BirdLife website a President Max Burrows; 9789 0224 month before hard copies are posted. 21 Moorhen Cres, Carrum Downs, Vic 3201 Send to Val Ford; 5981 1445 & [email protected] [email protected] Deadline for June edition: 1 May 2017 www.birdlife.org.au/locations/birdlife-mornington-peninsula Earlier articles appreciated. 2 Mornington Peninsula Birdlife Branch news MEMBER PROFILE Celia Browne How I started birding In early 1977, with both boys at school, I was casting around for a hobby which would occupy my mind but leave me available for a son with medical problems. The local paper advertised two courses: “Creative Writing” and “Suburban Bird Study”. The bird course with Ellen McCulloch started first and the rest is history. Ellen introduced us to birding and to amazing locations in the suburbs - Yarran Dheran, Blackburn Lake, Wattle Park, Sherbrook Forest, Maranoa Gardens, and Churchill National Park. Then further afield; Yellingbo searching for Helmeted Honeyeaters, camps at Wilsons Prom and the Little Desert. Howard Jarman opened up the wonderful world of Banyule Camps and trips Flats on the Yarra. To sit overlooking the swamp on a spring Purchasing a tent enabled me to camp with members at morning, watching through the scope, Latham’s Snipe on far exciting camps all over Victoria. Going further afield meant a muddy edges, is my idea of heaven. growing list of Victorian birds and memorable experiences. Joining the Bird Observers Club led to many volunteering My first experience of outback Australia was in 1986, the roles in the shop at Nunawading. Much later to celebrate the Great Victoria Desert Trip led by wonderful Kevin Coate. A Bird Observers Club Centenary I organised “plant a forest”. Square-tailed Kite was enjoyed early one morning as we In May 2005, in cooperation with Banyule City Council, “walked on”, Cinnamon Quail-thrushes were identified, as Melbourne branch members planted 312 eucalypts, acacias, were Crimson Chats, Red-throats and both Pied and Black tree violets, red gums alongside a creek at Banyule Flats, Honeyeaters, and my first White-winged Fairy-wren. We thus forming a “flyway” from the swamp to the Yarra. searched unsuccessfully for Princess Parrots in the Valley of Survey organisation and coordination the Winds, but did find Dusky Grasswrens at Simpson’s Gap. Rabbit bait/Bird survey, in conjunction with Hans Brunner of At Kakadu and the Coburg Peninsula with Alan Mulder in the Vermin & Noxious Weeds Destruction Board. At four sites 1988 we marvelled at Mangrove Gerygones and loved on the divide at Glenburn Whipbirds were commonly seen as Lemon-bellied Flycatchers. were Yellow Robins, Red-browed Finches, Blue Wrens, In 1992 after an evening careering around a Hay paddock Crimson Rosellas, Olive Whistlers, and Grey Shrike-thrushes. with Phil Maher of Inland Bird Tours, eventually finding a Victorian Japanese Snipe Survey in conjunction with Fisheries Plains Wanderer, we travelled the Strzelecki Track with Phil & Wildlife. My team (June Elmer, Joan Peters, Ted Tinning & and Trisha, enjoying Letter-winged Kites, Australian me) visited Banyule Flats every three weeks, plodding Pratincole and Thick-billed Grasswrens. Then in 1995 The through mud and briars, between cows, avoiding snakes, Canning Stock Route and the Kimberley with Phil beckoned. from the native garden in the north towards the billabong in We found Princess Parrots near Lake Tobin and Black the south, flushing snipe ahead of us. Sometimes as many as Grasswrens at the Mitchell Falls. thirty-five were tallied. With Kevin Coate, in 1998 it was the Anne Beadell Highway Other projects included the monthly survey of the birds of and in 1999 the Rudall River, both producing more bird “Yarrabridge” in the Yarra Valley 1983-85; survey of the encounters in the outback. Then in 2001 Lord Howe Island Birds of Koonung Creek, North Balwyn, and the three year where the list expanded yet again and I attempted to climb survey of the birds of Yarra Bend/Studley Park. Mount Gower! Birdwatching outings Klaus Uhlenhut was another guide with whom I travelled several times. To Iron Range in 2004 for Red-bellied Pitta, I ran the Weekday Outings for five years.