Birds South East Number 85 March 2019 Roseate Tern. Bob Green Recent visit to WA Last month I made a week-long visit to WA for a Contents family wedding but had time to do some exploring 1. Recent visit to WA and of course some birding. 3. Birding while at a Bug Conference Highlights for me were two lifers, I managed to get 6. Shorebird Notes 7. Birdlife South East (SA) 2018 Quiz Answers a single Roseate Tern on Rottnest Island where the 8. Unusual overnight visitor at Bryton Wood, Moorak day before researchers had let me know there were 9. Wanted-Australasian Bittern sightings and locations ten, so I was lucky. The other was a cracker, over 10.New Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Project Officer/ Leucism in Australian Magpie-now a regular gene the last few years up to three Oriental Honey 11.Eastern Yellow Wagtail at Balibirooroo Wetlands Buzzards have been frequenting the northern Perth 12.Vale John Berrgy (1944-2018) suburbs, and as they were mainly seen in the 13.Program/Contacts/Newsletter deadlines 14.Recent Sightings adjacent suburb to where I was staying the opportunity was too great to pass up. A local picked me up and along with three others we spent all morning sitting in “the big paddock” on Lake Joondalup where we ended up seeing ten raptor Birds South East species, including Square-tailed Kite and three White-bellied Sea-Eagles. Later in the morning, predicted by one of the observers as it started to warm up and after having checked every raptor closely with binoculars and scope a very distant bird was spotted showing all the right Bob speaking at the characteristics, but it was just too far away to be AGM . Tegan Douglas 100% certain. Just as we had packed up and started to leave I pointed to two raptors that had come up in the distance circling on thermals near a distant tower, quickly setting up again and getting the birds in the scope we had much better views and then one started its characteristic display flight (bingo- and tick), as luck has it that afternoon while at my sister’s house, outside while the BBQ was cooking a single Oriental Honey Buzzard cruised by not that far to the north, even closer than our morning sighting. My regular morning walk location while in Perth is a short stroll away from my sister’s house, it’s a part of the Yellagonga Regional Reserve and has some great birds, highlights this time were Red- capped Parrots, Western Gerygone, Blue-billed Duck, Pink-eared Duck. In the past I’ve had Red- tailed Black-Cockatoos flying over there as well. After four fantastic days in Margaret River for the wedding, a return to Perth on the Monday was in time to attend the BirdLife WA monthly meeting which I had organised previously to attend, as it happened it was also the AGM and a friend in Perth had asked me if I would be interested in being the guest speaker. I decided to give a talk on Pick Swamp, giving it the title “Pick” Swamp: From cow Paddock to Ramsar site”. It went down really well with lots of questions About the site, the onground works etc, it’s always good to spread the message about what has been a major success story. The WA birdos were very welcoming, we had dinner at a coastal pub prior to the meeting, picked me up for the Honey Buzzard twitch, and kept me posted on Rottnest Island sightings the day before my visit. Bob Green Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo. Bob Green 2 Birds South East Birds South East Birding while at a Bug Conference The following report is from a trip I made to the Grey-headed Honeyeater was a tick and they were all Australian Entomological Society Conference, which very friendly with the White-plumed Honeyeaters and was held from 23-26th September in Alice Springs. I Peaceful Doves, at a popular watering point. was fortunate enough to be accepted as a speaker Interestingly, I spotted a Mistletoebird and managed within the Conservation Symposium and prepared a a close up view but then wondered whether they presentation about the Silver Xenica translocation might have mistaken a parking bay fence wire for a NGT and NRSE commenced here in the South East good possie to deposit mistletoe seeds – lots of them. (of SA) March-April 2018. Not sure they’ll do much good there. I arrived on the Saturday (22nd Sept) in readiness for a pre-conference tour with Sand Drifter Tours. Mark, our guide, picked up a bus full of delegates from our respective motels and took us out into the East MacDonnell Ranges. What a treat this tour was! The weather was perfect and Mark gave us a fabulous look around. My favourite spot was Trephina Gorge where we heard Western Gerygone and Black- chinned Honeyeater, where eventually I managed a sneak peek. March 2019 3 Birds South East pour the region received (some 186 days previously). We also spotted Black-footed Rock Wallabies on the mountain slopes – binoculars essential, as they were well camouflaged. On the Monday, the conference began with a welcome to country in Arrernte language, followed by a presentation about the Alice Springs area and the relevance of the invertebrates especially caterpillars (or Hawk moths) to the local Indigenous people by Veronica Dobson and Fiona Walsh. Caterpillars of several species are an integral part of local Dreaming, and information features on numerous signs throughout the district, raising awareness of the significance of insects to Arrernte culture and well-being. The caterpillars are both creator ancestors that formed the mountain ranges that surround Mparntwe (or Alice Springs) and important food source (in the life stage when they are feeding on the vine bush). Yeperenye is the most important caterpillar ancestral being for the Arrernte people of Mparntwe. Later that day, the entire conference delegation was taken out to Simpson’s Gap in the West MacDonnell Ranges for a drumming welcome by the Drum Atweme group which involved some delegate participation. Photo taken of caterpillar dreaming sign in Botanical Gardens, Alice Springs For me personally, this trip to Alice Springs was difficult, as throughout most of my stay I felt like an ‘intruder’ - perhaps a good intruder as I live and breathe nature but nonetheless, two different worlds colliding was my greatest concern. Let’s hope the Indigenous ways can continue to flourish. The conference program continued with one presentation about ‘improving the conservation Photo courtesy of Phil Weinstein management of insects and allied invertebrates in Australia’, where Gary Taylor detailed how each After an amazing finger food dinner, we were treated region should aim to choose its own flagship species. It is intended that each flagship species will be an to a pair of Peregrine Falcons flying overhead and invertebrate that could engender public attention and landing up near the top of the cliffs. While we advocacy; they could be a threatened or iconic watched a lone Dusky Moorhen in the small (scientifically or socially important) species, and will waterhole that remained from the last major down- ultimately act as ambassadors to raise broader 4 Birds South East Birds South East awareness of the need for conservation action for invertebrates. Interestingly, all Australian states deal with invertebrate conservation and protection differently in the respective legislations. Unfortunately, South Australia doesn’t even acknowledge insects as being an animal, and therefore, insects are not part of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, or its threatened species schedules. So, there appears to be a major imbalance in SA needing urgent rectification to commence the long road of acceptance and acknowledgment of protection laws and/or conservation effort for invertebrates in our state. Several other speakers addressed the conference on lepidopteran conservation matters, from the Silver Xenica after translocation at Honan Native significance of roadside vegetation and butterfly Forest populations in southern Queensland; to a predation Reserve, April 2018 of Xenica butterflies by European wasps project in Tasmania; to the promotion of the ‘Butterflies Throughout the 6 day stay, the Pied Butcherbirds Australia Project’ addressing data deficiency in woke me every morning before dawn (uurrgh) with insects using citizen science; to conserving a their mournful but beautiful harmonic singing; the biodiversity hotspot in the monsoon tropics of Yellow-throated Miners were in abundance – so to Northern Australia. Black Kites in 3’s and 4’s wherever you went; and I then gave my presentation on the Silver Xenica then just down the road at the local Botanic Garden butterfly translocation project which outlined why we (which for the botanists is a must) were nesting needed to translocate adults and eggs from western Grey-crowned Babblers and Western Bowerbirds – Victoria to South Australia. Current State and what a treat. Commonwealth legislation does not list this butterfly as ‘at risk’ under any Act. However, based on available literature for the South East (SE) region of SA and local field data of no individuals recorded since 2007, the Silver Xenica is unofficially ‘critically endangered’, and nearing extinction in SA. Nature Glenelg Trust are aiming to prevent this from occurring by increasing the population through translocation, a priority action from the Swamp Gum Woodland Regional Action Plan. Interestingly, during and after my presentation the main question I received was not about the conservation of the butterfly but about the logistics and permits required to undertake a cross-border translocation. Maybe there might be a few more in the future!! If only we could add water to the whole situation and the red centre would be an outstanding birding destination – I didn’t have wheels so couldn’t trip out to the sewage ponds.