HASTINGS BIRDWATCHERS NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2019 FEBRUARY 2019 Volume 26 Issue 3 25 years 1993 2018 President: Ted Giblin 6582 0580 /0487 690439 [email protected] Vice President: Ian Kerr 6585 6693/0408254487 Conservation Officer: Sue Proust [email protected] 0265597506/0412 743 883 Secretary: Jenny Lester 0458 550087 [email protected] [email protected] Treasurer: Beth Gabriel: 65852364/0447510163 [email protected] Committee: Membership Secretary: Stacie Bassett: 0417378921 Peter West 0265597506/0406 940408 [email protected] [email protected] Recorder: Louise Earnshaw 5508 7140/0414194453 Ken Monson: 0435 566 390 [email protected] [email protected] Publicity Officer: Ted Giblin 6582 0580 /0487 690439 Les Mitchell 0431758032 [email protected] [email protected] Editor: Fran Smith: 0410 335 930/65827810 [email protected] Webmaster: Clive Meadows: 5508 7140 /0400 475185 [email protected] Hastings Birdwatchers Inc. is now affiliated with Birdlife Australia C A L E N D A R 2019 Innes Ruins: 3rd Thursday of each month. Members only. Meet at the gates. Woregore N .R. (Pelican Island): Varies with the tides. Information from Dave Whitfield 6581 2156/0447871350 Bryce Taylor 65845158/0400272633 Sea Acres: 3rd Wednesday per quarter. Members only and information from Peter West, 0265597506/0406 940408 Field Trips: Meet 8:30 a.m. First Friday Winter. [Otherwise 8 a.m.] Outings will proceed irrespective of the weather. Sunday Field Trips will be held on the third Sunday unless otherwise advised. Leaders will always turn up, even if no one else does, except for venues at risk during high fire danger warnings. If in doubt, telephone the listed leader, or Jenny on 0458 550087 or check www.hastingsbirdwatchers.org.au For those members who are new or have not been on many field trips, below is a description of what we do on these occasions and what to bring to enable you to have an enjoyable day. Meeting time is 8.00am at the designated meeting site (8.30 in the winter). Wear good walking shoes and bring morning tea, lunch, water, bug spray, a chair and, of course, binoculars, as well as a hat and sun screen in summer months. We normally finish up after a bird count at about 1:30-2:00 p.m. Please remember to check our website www.hastingsbirdwatchers.org.au for any late changes to the above programme. It is updated regularly HASTINGS BIRDWATCHERS – 2019 ACTIVITY CALENDAR The Complete 2019 Activity Calendar is attached at the end of this report. FIELD TRIP LEADERS Discussion was held at our recent Committee Meeting about the shortage of Field Trip Leaders. Please remember that we hold 18 Field Trips per year, along with regular monthly or quarterly surveys at Innes Ruins, Pelican Island and Sea Acres. Depending on availability we endeavor to carry out annual surveys of Regent Honeyeaters and Swift Parrots as well as Rufous Scrub Birds and, yet to be done, Bitterns. As you can imagine this amount of activity relies on many people volunteering each year. It is not necessary, or the sole responsibility of Committee members to lead and/or organize each of these events. If you have not undertaken leading a Field Trip yet, it is also not necessary that you know and can identify all the birds seen or heard. What is required is that you know where and at what time to meet, have a basic plan of where to go, where to have morning tea/lunch and where toilet facilities can be found. As we often return to a number of sites, all this information is readily available. The Committee would like all members to give serious consideration to putting your hand up to lead or at least, assist, a Field Outing. You will notice in the 2019 Activity Calendar included with this Newsletter, that there are still a number of Field Trips without leaders at this time so an opportunity could be there for you. COMMITTEE MATTERS At a recent meeting it was decided to invite members to attend Committee Meetings from time to time to observe how your Club operates. Visitors would be able to speak but not have voting rights. If you would like to attend such a meeting at any time, please contact any member of the Committee. FIELD TRIPS FIELD TRIP – DECEMBER 4 2018 – GOOGIK TRACK Our field trip on December 4 was to the Googik Track where a small number met in Lake Road to take a walk along the Googik Track prior to our scheduled Christmas Celebration at Abundance Café. It was a hot morning and fairly quiet along the track but with lovely Christmas Bells blooming along the way. After walking for an hour or so with not a lot of birds on our list we returned to the cars and made our way to Shelley Beach for morning tea before doing some personal “beautification” prior to meeting for lunch at Abundance where over 40 of our members enjoyed a lovely afternoon. The highlight of the day was the presentation to Maureen McGrath of a Life Membership Certificate and Badge by President Ted. Congratulations to Maureen who has been presented with this Award in recognition of her long and faithful service to the Club. Maureen has held several Committee positions in the past and was Secretary for a number of years. Maureen now joins the select group of Lifetime Members of Hastings Birdwatchers Inc and the Committee and Members thank her for her long service, her knowledge and her happy smile. FIELD TRIP TO SWANS CROSSING 16.12.18 Due to rainy/cloudy weather the final field trip for this year saw only eight birdwatchers meeting at the Kew Information Centre. We did wait for an extra ten minutes but this was the total that we were to have for this outing. Peter Coxon arrived especially to offer his apologies for not attending and also to wish all a Merry Christmas. He brought news of Marion who has a hard time of it with poor health this year and she sends her thanks to all who had wished her well. 3 The forest around the Info Centre was inhabited by a rich variety of our local birds. The first call was from that melodic little songbird, the White-throated Gerygone; an amazing contrast to the male and female Koels who shattered the morning quietness. Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets flew overhead while Bar-shouldered Doves, Torresian Crows, Magpies, Whipbirds, a Dollarbird, a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Lewins Honeyeaters, Peewees, Spotted Doves and a House Sparrow looking for relief at the toilets added to the cacophony. On the road to Swans Crossing close to Kew we sighted about a dozen different birds from the four vehicles which were our transport for the day. A Pied Butcherbird and a Brown Cuckoo-dove were among the forest birds while a White-faced Heron and a Purple Swamp Hen were seen near a farm dam. As we travelled along the dirt road near Cold Knob we saw/heard a Sacred Kingfisher, a Fig Bird, a Yellow-faced and a White-naped Honeyeater, along with the usual Grey Fantail, Eastern Yellow Robin, Pied Currawong and not to omit the small group of Galahs. Once at Swans Crossing we walked around the bush near the reserve finding Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, more Pied Currawongs, Satin Bowerbirds, and many King Parrots. Peter Hudd was annoyed that Julia sighted a Collared Sparrowhawk that he missed while Jessa with her quick eyes saw a Crimson Rosella before it disappeared into the forest where Brown Gerygones and Noisy Friarbirds were calling. Peter Hudd saw a Russet-tailed Thrush which he later found once more for the rest of the group. A male Regent Bowerbird and a Channel-billed cuckoo were also seen. At lunch medical attention was given to Julia who had the world’s smallest leech attempting to bore its way into her neck. On the way back to Kendall a Lyrebird was heard on the Longworth Tramway Track along with the sighting of a Pale Yellow Robin, and a Rufous Fantail added to the total. Our thanks went to our esteemed leader, Ted, for a pleasant and profitable outing for a total of 57 birds sighted by the eight of us. Terry and Elaine McCarthy Photo Terry McCarthy 4 HASTINGS QUEST 2019 Divisions Hastings Quest (Including Land and Pelagic Sightings) Hastings Quest – Land Only Champagne Quest Hastings Quest 2019 Participants to submit two lists 1. LAND LIST = all sightings on or from land 2. PELAGIC LIST = all species seen from a boat i.e. on a Pelagic trip. Hastings Quest Winner – will be the person(s) with the most species on their combined Land and Pelagic Lists. To get the overall total – add together the totals of the Land and Pelagic Lists and remove any duplicates. I.e. If you saw a Shy Albatross on a Pelagic trip and also from Tacking Point, this species should only be counted once for your overall total. Hastings Quest 2019 – Land Only Participants to submit a list for all sightings on or from Land. Land List: Questers record all species seen on or from land on the standard Quest list as in previous years. Note: The list should include sea birds which you have seen from land e.g. Shy Albatross seen from Tacking Point. LAND Quest Winner – will be the person(s) with the most species on their Quest Land List. Champagne Quest – No change from 2018 Record all species seen in your own nominated area For example - your property; Wauchope area only; within 10 km of home etc.