The Golden Whistler

Volume 8 Number 7 July 2019

PRESIDENT'S REPORT NEXT OUTING Birdwatching can be so much fun. Camped on a DATE: Saturday 24th August river bank we were alerted by a cacophony of LOCATION: Southern Grampians squawking that soon showed itself as four Grey- crowned Babblers. Babblers as most of you know MET: Dunkeld Tourist Info Centre are very aptly named but this noise was rather TIME: 9am extraordinary. What on earth were they up to? BRING: BYO drinks, snacks, lunch and chair Creeping along, camera in hand, we soon found the problem. The next camp over was a kombi/camper CONTACT: Sally Purnell 0407 864 545 vehicle with very clean hubcaps. You can picture what was up. Outings will be cancelled on days of Total Fire Ban, Extreme Heat and other Hazadous Weather conditions

All four birds were convinced that they were being attacked by unknown babblers and were very loudly defending their territory. One bird seemed to have a bit more 'bird brain' than the others and would sometimes circle around the tyre looking for the intruders but then would return and attack the Striated Fieldwren © Kevin Williams hubcap even more crossly. We stood and watched for a long time and then left them to it. It was a delightful interlude that left us with grins on our faces. CONTENTS: Happy Birding 2. Outing report & bird list Susan 3. Prehistoric bird 4. Sightings 5. Local activities & Quiz 6. Up Coming Event

BirdLife Hamilton monthly newsletter, Editor Samantha Greiner 0428 395 773

Outing Report

PANYYABYR LANDCARE & WALKER SWAMP BIRD HIDE TOWER OPENING Our winter indoor meeting started in Dunkeld at the Glenelg Nature Trust, Hamilton Field Naturalists and Off the Rails community art centre. Dot and Paul Glenelg Hopkins CMA have put an enormous had arrived early to set up seating and decorate amount of time and energy into making Walkers with some of Dot's lovely bird photography prints in Swamp function as a near natural ecosystem again. the repurposed old railway station building. We could see these efforts are starting to pay off from the number of bird species we recorded on the Once the seating was rearranged to accommodate day. As if by prior arrangement a pair of Brolga flew the data projector, Craig Oliver from the Panyyabyr into the wetland. Well done and thank you for Land Care Group gave us a very entertaining and stepping in to fill Greg Kerr's absence Bryan, Lucie informative talk. Some key projects they have and Nicole, from NGT. undertaken are Trees to River, planting native vegetation back into the landscape, (along the Samantha Wannon River covering 350ha or 860 acres over nine years and ongoing), and the fox control under the Grampian Ark program in conjunction with Parks Victoria and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority. The best program though has been the partnership with BirdLife Hamilton and the Woodland Bird surveys Dave Nichols initiated. Started five years ago, Woodland Birds generated a large amount of interest from many sectors of the Community, bringing many new people to Landcare functions in the local area.

After Craig we had Dave Nichols give us a talk on Walker Swamp carpark and bird hide tower © S Greiner the Glenelg Hopkins CMA perspective of the joint Walker Swamp Fresh Water Lake activities both groups participated in. This involved some instructive pictures of the Landcare Group and Emu Pacific Black Duck BirdLife members demonstrating the correct Australian Shelduck White-faced Heron procedures, equipment and techniques for Australian Wood Duck Whistling Kite successful bird watching. Australasian Shoveler Rainbow Lorikeet Grey Teal Crimson Rosella Pacific Black Duck Laughing Kookaburra Hardhead White-throated Treecreeper Wedge-tailed Eagle Superb Fairy-wren Little Eagle White-browed Scrubwren Brolga Striated Thornbill Masked Lapwing Brown Thornbill

Silver Gull Spotted Pardalote Panyyabyr Landcare & BirdLife Hamilton members demonstrating Long-billed Corella Yellow-faced Honeyeater advanced bird watching skills © D Nichol Crimson Rosella White-eared Honeyeater After a lovely morning tea and a big thank you to all Laughing Kookaburra Red Wattlebird who brought something along to share, we followed Bryan Haywood from Glenelg Nature Trust out to Striated Thornbill New Holland Honeyeater Walkers Swamp. Found on the floodplain of the Red Wattlebird Brown-headed Honeyeater Wannon River, this wetland has recently been Grey Shrike-thrush Australian Magpie restored after being drained in an attempt to open Australian Magpie Grey Currawong up the floodplain for agricultural land use, and more recently as a failed Blue Gum forestry plantation. Forest Raven Scarlet Robin We had been invited to celebrate the opening of the Eurasian Skylark Red-browed Finch refurbished tower bird hide and to contribute to the Welcome Swallow 21 species ongoing list of bird species found at the swamp. Tree Martin Total 40 species for day 23 species

2 July 2019 Media Report

SQUAWKZILLA THE METRE-TALL PARROT ATE NUTS, BERRIES - AND OTHER PARROTS

By Liam Mannix August 7, 2019

It was a parrot half as tall as a human. Using its Nowadays the region is hilly, with streams cutting huge, sharp beak it ate other parrots and nuts and through it and is a rich source of fossils. A team of berries. It was too fat to fly. They call it palaeontologists from Flinders and several other "Squawkzilla". universities have been working the area for the past 20 years. It is, scientists announced on Wednesday, the largest parrot ever discovered. Squawkzilla’s bones were found while the team were digging into mudstone in the side of a hill. A volunteer took dirt and mud from the dig down to a stream and washed it in a sieve. The cold waters washed the dirt away – leaving behind two enormous leg bones, broken into five pieces. Initially, Professor Worthy thought they were probably eagle bones, so they were placed in a drawer and ignored. But later, when he got them back out and inspected them, he realised that wasn’t quite right. Bones have specific marks where the muscles and ligaments are attached. These bones did not have the right attachment marks for an eagle. An artist's impression of Heracles inexpectatus.Credit:Brian Choo, Flinders University The team checked the attachment mark pattern against every other known species of bird. Only one Trevor Worthy was so surprised when he discovered ended up fitting: the parrot. its fossilised remains he called it Heracles inexpectatus. Unexpected Hercules. It’s not known why Heracles inexpectatus died out, but there were major changes to New Zealand’s "Because it’s unexpected," he says, "to find a giant climate about 12 million years ago. parrot." The bird lived during the Mid-Miocene Climatic Squawkzilla lived in New Zealand about 19 million Optimum, a period when New Zealand was warm, years ago. wet and rich in life. The South Island’s lack of predators for several The earth then went through a 200,000-year period million years allowed evolution to experiment with a of cooling known as the Middle Miocene disruption. variety of enormous birds, such as the now-extinct New Zealand most likely would have lost many of Moa, an emu-like bird which stood about two the trees in the forests that fed Squawkzilla, and metres tall and weighed more than 250 kilograms, the bird would have died off. and Squawkzilla. The creature roamed the undergrowth, feeding off nuts and berries that fell from trees. Its huge beak meant it probably also ate any small animals or birds that were unlucky enough cross its path. Squawkzilla’s bones were found at a site near St Bathans in Central Otago. Associate Professor Burns' team announced in Biology Letters they were from a giant parrot. Millions of years ago the area was covered in a deep lake. Squawkzilla probably died on the shores of the lake, where water would have washed sediment over its body, preserving it.

One big parrot, Paul Scofield, Canterbury Museum

July 2019 3 Sightings

Rod Bird Arborline Nursery, Hamilton Shorebirds 2020 winter surveys: Heard first spring Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo, 29.07.19 120 Double-banded Plover at Killarney Beach, Rutledge Cutting, 18.07.19 8 Varied Sittella in boundary pine trees, 31.07.19

155 Double-banded Plover, 47 Red-capped Jean & Peter Humphries Plover & 15 Red-necked Stint on the east beach, Lake Linlithgow, Croxton East, 19.07.19 Highlights from June visit to NT 104 Double-banded Plover, 36 Red-capped Blue-winged Kookaburra at Leaning Tree Lagoon Plover and 1 Red-necked Stint, The Green Double-barred Finch, Comb-crested Jacana, Swamp Wildlife Reserve, Glenthompson, 25.07.19 Lemon-bellied Flyrobin & Torresian Crow at

Mamukala Wetlands Annie Carmichael Olive Backed Oriole, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Brown Falcon, Eulo, Qld, 24.06.19 White-winged Triller (family) and Red-winged Parrot at Mary River Holiday Resort

Kevin Wood Farm Glenelg Hwy, Mountajup in last 2 months The Singing Honeyeater returned, 3 pairs of Flame Robin over 100 Tree Martin returned after wintering in the north, White-faced Heron are nesting in the old Pine Tree and male Superb Fairy-wren have put on their bold blue breeding colours.

Kay & Kevin Williams

Charlotte Davis 1 White-bellied Sea-eagle, Lake Hamilton, 22.07.19 1 Swamp Harrier Flax Mill Swamp, Strathkellar, 27.07.19

CALL FOR NEOPHEMA PARROTS SIGHTINGS Rob Drummond Wanted all sightings of Orange-bellied & Blue-wing 1 Grey (White) Goshawk on the corner of Eddy Parrot sightings from South West Victoria. Please and Fenton Streets, chasing unidentified birds into include location, date and number of birds seen. one of the trees behind the buildings, Hamilton, 02.08.19 Nicole is particularly interested in Blue-wings sightings after the recent Winter OBP surveys Samantha Greiner showed a large fall in sighting of these birds. 4 Australian Wood Duck on chimney pots and in Please forward your sightings to regional Lemon Scented Gum, spent a good 2-3 hrs trying to coordinator Nicole Mojonnier at Nature Glenelg find good nest site, Church Hill, Hamilton, 04.08.19 Trust. Ph: 08 8797 8596 or Mob: 0414 778 309 Email: [email protected] Web: www.natureglenelg.org.au Postal: PO Box 2177, MT GAMBIER, SA 5290

4 July 2019 Activities & Quiz

BIRDLIFE HAMILTON BRAIN TEASER OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER THIS MONTH’S QUESTION: name the other bird PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATES in the picture with Heracles inexpectatus. 28nd NOW Saturday 21st NORTHERN GRAMPIANS Chris & Neil Scott 0417 823 749 THIS MONTH’S ANSWER: the three bird groups Week of 28th changed to week of 16th which evolved in Australia are Parrots, Pigeons and PFO BIRDS IN PLANTATION SURVEYS Passerine or perching birds (songbirds). Samantha Greiner 0428 395 773 all interested volunteers welcome OCTOBER 5th or 12th SPRING WOODLAND BIRD SURVEYS Panyyabyr Landcare Dave Nichols 0407 321 747

Tag-a-long tour with Masons to Port Clinton cancelled

25th - 27th Camp WILKEN COTTAGE, STRATHDOWNIE Annie Carmichael M 0488 912 112 & Jenny Lodge Purple-crowned Lorikeet © S Mason, Spinifex Pigeon © S Greiner & Eastern Yellow Robin © J Humphries

BIRDLIFE WARRNAMBOOL

SEPTEMBER BIRDSWING BIRDING & WILDLIFE TOURS Saturday 7th MOUNT ECCLES (BUDJ BIM) NATIONAL PARK PORT FAIRY PELAGIC TOURS 2019 National Park car park at 10.00am Lynn Brown 0407 844 485 Pelagic Dates for 2019 are: th OCTOBER September 8 th Saturday 5th October 20 PORTLAND November 17th Visitor Information Centre, Lee Breakwater Rd December 15th Portland at 10.00am Chris Connelly 0438 703 757 Cost is $180-00 if the boat is full it is $170-00

BIRDLIFE HORSHAM MERIMBULA & INTO VICTORIAN WATERS SEPTEMBER PELAGIC Sunday 1st BLACK RANGE, MT TALBOT, RED ROCK RESERVE Sunday 24 November 2019 Taking bookings OCTOBER Tour Cost: $260AUD per person 5-6th Camp MILDURA & REGION Number of Passengers: 40 This is the end of the Vic Spring School holidays. As a Facilities: Tea/Coffee available on board. Proper result I am notifying you all know that if you intend on toilet fitted. attending you may wish to book early. Accommodation: Additional to cost of tour. A few of us, have already booked cabins at Golden River Big4 caravan park; arriving Fri 4/10 and leave Mon 7/10. Merimbula has plenty of accommodation please If you aren't able to book in here, don't fret there are contact the local visitor information centre for more other alternatives around town and also 7km up the road details on 1800 150 457. at Buronga Caravan Park. Meals: All meals on boat provided as part of the Accommodation booking is up to you, but please let me cost of the tour – dietary requirements to be know if you are going to be coming along. advised at time of paying deposit. Contact Deidre Andrews M 0402 317 142

Please meet at the Horsham Library, 28 McLachlan St, at 8:30am unless otherwise informed; bring morning tea and lunch, binoculars and wear appropriate outdoor gear. Please note subject to change due to seasonal variability.

July 2019 5 News From BirdLife Australia

NATIONAL TWITCHATHON WESTERN VICTORIAN HOODED PLOVERS To all BirdLife branches in Victoria. Hooded Plovers are renowned as coastal birds, occurring on wild ocean beaches. Nevertheless, in I've again volunteered to coordinate teams in southern parts of Western Australia, there is a Victoria for BirdLife Australia's National marked seasonal movement, with many birds Twitchathon. heading inland from the beach to congregate on Last year, in South Australia and Victoria, we raised salt lakes — sometimes in their hundreds. In south- $6,146 for the project to help secure the future of eastern Australia, though, they are strictly a coastal the Mallee Emu-wren. We had thirteen teams racing bird, but that doesn’t mean that they always occur to spot the most birds in Victoria, mostly in the 12- on the beach. Indeed, some near-coastal wetlands hour 'Big Day' event. Nationally, the event was a (on the landward side of the sand dunes) regularly huge success, raising over $40,000 for various see small flocks of hoodies form in the autumn and BirdLife projects in Australia. winter months, after the breeding season has finished. One lagoon in south-western Victoria has In 2019, it's proposed that Twitchathon teams in attracted exceptional numbers this winter. Victoria will raise funds for Chris Purnell's project to study alternative materials for shorebird floating John Hargreaves, from Friends of the Hooded roosts - let's call it "Liferafts for Shorebirds"! Plover Far West Victoria, observed the usual gathering of 20 or so Hoodies on the dry bed of a I'm very happy to get behind this project. Extending local estuarine lagoon after the breeding season into 2020, the aim is to investigate the use of had concluded, but within a few weeks this number traditional materials in order to cut back on the use has swelled to an impressive 70 birds, and a month of polluting plastics in the creation of artificial or so later, there were 102 Hooded Plovers shorebird roosts. The roosts could help provide vital congregated on the lakebed, foraging and preening resting areas along the East Asian-Australasian along the bank. Flyway, where birds have lost habitat as a result of inappropriate development. A number of the birds were wearing leg flags which identify individual birds, so, like all good Hooded For BirdLife branches in Victoria I'd welcome to hear Plover volunteers, John took note of the leg flags. your thoughts on the selection of this project as a Over the weeks and months, he saw that a few beneficiary of the 2019 Twitchathon. Hooded Plovers were nearly always present in the But, crucially I hope I can count on your support to flock, but many were recorded only intermittently promote the Twitchathon event to potential racers, and some were seen just once, so it quickly became and to potential donors. clear that he was recording a different mix of flagged birds at each visit. The exceptionally large The 2019 National Twitchathon will be held on the size of the flock (by eastern Australian standards) weekend of October 26-27. Teams and their was well in excess of the local population, indicating supporters can get more information at that it comprised many more than just Hoodies birdlifetwitchathon.org.au (new website to launch from the nearby beaches. This was borne out when soon!) one of the birds was recognised (from its leg flag) Thanks! as having been banded at Aireys Inlet, about 250 kilometres of coastline away. Matthew Crawford, Media Maker mobile: +61 425 133 604 It’s a perfect illustration of how something that web: www.media-maker.net happens in your local area can have far-reaching email: [email protected] ripple effects in distant places and habitats as well

6 November 2017