Pages

Showing posts with label Sydney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sydney. Show all posts

HSC - Hardly Saw Coot...... let alone anything else!

Well, that's a lie. My schooling career officially ended today with the conclusion of the Biology HSC Exam, and I am a free man! I realised today that for this whole year, I have only made 4 blog posts, which is very bad (Max has made none! haha). So here's a quick summary - my survival guide for "How to bird successfully during Year 12" - I'm looking at you, Nathan/Henry/Simon/Julian!

1) DON'T MAKE EXCUSES, GO BIRDING!
Whilst a lot of time must be spent on schoolwork, there are always ways to fit in birding around it. Isn't that right Ashwin? ;)

2) GO ON PELAGICS, THE FRESH SEA AIR IS GOOD FOR YOU
I've been on a few pelagics this year, as they are very good single day breaks from study! I was on both the March and April Sydney Pelagics (in the vain hope of "twitching" New Zealand Storm Petrel, which has been sighted at that time of year over the last few years). No NZSP showed itself, however the April Pelagic was the day before Nathan's and Max's birthday, so I made an obligatory birdday cake which was well received on board.

An Edible (but not Tickable) New Zealand Storm Petrel
Little Penguin
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Wedge-tailed Shearwater

It is with great sadness that we learnt last month that the Halicat has been sold, and this era of Sydney Pelagics has come to an end, with a new arrangement needing to be organised at some point in the near future. Thankyou to Hal, Roger, Steve, Nikolas, and all the birders I have enjoyed my time with on board over the last few years - you kickstarted my love of ocean birding, and I hope to see you on the wide blue expanse again some other time!

Indeed, my last year of Halicatting held some fantastic experiences. My last bird tick was the March White-tailed Tropicbird, and while the April Pelagic netted me no new birds, we spotted pods of both Long-snouted Spinner Dolphins and Pantropical Spotted Dolphins, the former one of the first Sydney records, well out of range in the unusually warm Sydney waters. Soon after, we found a huge mass of floating pumice, with a whole marine ecosystem living off it. Steve dove in to grab some samples, and although I have no photos of this once-in-a-lifetime event, we were amazed by the display of spheroid orange, lime and spotted pufferfish, fluoro blue-striped slugs, pelagic sea snails, barnacles, and surface-dwelling crabs.

This is not a Tropicbird, but a White Tern, seen soon 
after the White-tailed Tropicbird disappeared

After a sudden influx of Common Diving Petrel sightings in June, (see SEAWATCHING) and a Blue Petrel of Wollongong, Max, Ashwin and myself quickly booked on an impromptu Swansea Pelagic, which was subsequently cancelled 5 minutes before we left home. A backup July Wollongong SOSSA Pelagic the next week was a milestone for me, first pelagic without a lifer! However we had a great day, with some great views of Buller's Albatross.

Buller's Albatross

3) SEAWATCHING... IT CAN BE ALRIGHT I GUESS
What a terrible idea. Who ever invented this? I've spent a fair few hours on North Head this year in perfect conditions (read raining, windy and cold), with very little to show for it. However, after the influx of Common Diving Petrels off the NSW coast, I decided to try my luck, and for the first time, I actually had some fantastic luck whilst seawatching! After only an hour, I saw a tiny bird right underneath me drop out of the sky and plunge into the water. After a tense minute, I finally relocated it, and had great views of Common Diving Petrel! Throughout the afternoon, I had 5 sightings,  at one point, 3 sitting an diving on the water right in front of me!

Double Common Diving Petrel

4) SYDNEY TICKING - EASIER THAN LIFERS
Max, Ashwin and myself spent a lot of effort this year on getting Sydney ticks, some of the highlights over our various trips to western Sydney being (in chronological order):

Great-crested Grebe
Square-tailed Kite (finally getting my bogey! Circing overhead as we quickly pulled over in Richmond)
Striated Pardalote (everywhere in Sydney this year)
Freckled Duck (everywhere all over Australia this year, with us counting 30 at Pitt Town in April)
Scarlet Robin*
White-naped Honeyeater*
Swift Parrot* (these last three on an exceptional morning at Mulgoa Nature Reserve in winter)
Eastern Barn Owl
Pallid Cuckoo
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Whiskered Tern

With a number of notable dips too, namely Australasian Bittern at Pitt Town Lagoon (double dip, one of which involved me wading through muddy thigh-deep water for an hour and bashing through almost impenetrable reeds) and Sooty Owl at Royal with Nathan Ruser, Henry Coleman, and disappointed visiting British birder Ben Jobson! We did get unbeatable views of four Freckled Ducks at Eastlakes though, and found some very cool glowworm colonies off southern Lady Carrington Drive.

Freckled Ducks at Eastlakes

5) TWITCHING AS STUDY BREAKS
One of my favourite pass-times this year was chasing rare birds which turned up at convenient times when I was burnt out from study. I already made a blog post about the Barking Owl, but I also twitched a Satin Flycatcher pair at Sydney Olympic Park with Simon Gorta the week before the HSC began, and a pair of Oriental Plovers at Long Reef with Max during the first week of the HSC (getting very confused by a dodgy Pacific Golden Plover in the process!). But not stopping there, Max and I were at it again two weeks later as we headed out to Pitt Town to twitch Painted Honeyeater and Pectoral Sandpiper, finding two Ruff instead (see previous blog post)!

Barking Owl, Satin Flycatcher, Oriental Plover (and dodgy PGP), Ruff






Also made a trip up to the Central Coast to meet with Alan Morris for a great tour of Pioneer Dairy Wetlands just after my HSC Trials in September, and successfully twitched Pectoral Sandpiper (of course since then, they've shown up everywhere, including the Pitt Town Lagoon birds!), though a host of other great birds were around including Australian Owlet Nightjar peeking out of a nest box.

Pectoral Sandpiper Hiding
Sleepy Afternoon Australian Owlet Nightjar

6) IT'S NOT JUST THE BIRDS
Have also made a few herping/frogging attempts with Nathan Ruser this year around the Northern Beaches, with one particular night being quite successful, with some great frogs, reptile (singular) and insects observed, plus a Tawny Frogmouth. We plan to spend a few more nights getting some more species later this year.

Eastern Stone Gecko
Common Ringtail Possum 
 Eudocima materna
Hemicloea major (Flat Rock or Major Pancake Spider)
Spotted Marsh Frog
Tawny Frogmouth

Also found this Threatening Jumping Spider Helpis minitabunda (I think that ID is correct, not 100%) in my backyard frogpond the other day, which is slowly filling with Striped Marsh Frogs, much to annoyance of the neighbors...

Threatening Jumping Spider

7) LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FOUR MONTHS OF FREEDOM!
I've spent a lot of time this year organising my post-HSC movements, with three great trips coming up. Lake Cargelligo and Round Hill Nature Reserve with Ashwin and Lachlan Hall in December (it will be extremely hot, but we're looking for reptiles too!), and a month in Borneo with Max starting in late January.

I have had to cancel my previous plans with Max and Ashwin to bird in Northern NSW for schoolies, but only because my next stop is the wide, blue, cold, and windy Southern Ocean, with a huge thanks to Enderby Trust, Rodney Russ, and Heritage Expeditions for awarding me an Enderby Trust Scholarship to participate in the "Birding Down Under" expedition - Macquarie Island here I come!!! 9 days and counting...

____________________________

Furthermore, 15,000 blog views and counting, we're going pretty well!!!
Thanks for reading guys

Heading out for a night of celebration,
Joshua Bergmark
Well, that's a lie. My schooling career officially ended today with the conclusion of the Biology HSC Exam, and I am a free man! I realised today that for this whole year, I have only made 4 blog posts, which is very bad (Max has made none! haha). So here's a quick summary - my survival guide for "How to bird successfully during Year 12" - I'm looking at you, Nathan/Henry/Simon/Julian!

1) DON'T MAKE EXCUSES, GO BIRDING!
Whilst a lot of time must be spent on schoolwork, there are always ways to fit in birding around it. Isn't that right Ashwin? ;)

2) GO ON PELAGICS, THE FRESH SEA AIR IS GOOD FOR YOU
I've been on a few pelagics this year, as they are very good single day breaks from study! I was on both the March and April Sydney Pelagics (in the vain hope of "twitching" New Zealand Storm Petrel, which has been sighted at that time of year over the last few years). No NZSP showed itself, however the April Pelagic was the day before Nathan's and Max's birthday, so I made an obligatory birdday cake which was well received on board.

An Edible (but not Tickable) New Zealand Storm Petrel
Little Penguin
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Wedge-tailed Shearwater

It is with great sadness that we learnt last month that the Halicat has been sold, and this era of Sydney Pelagics has come to an end, with a new arrangement needing to be organised at some point in the near future. Thankyou to Hal, Roger, Steve, Nikolas, and all the birders I have enjoyed my time with on board over the last few years - you kickstarted my love of ocean birding, and I hope to see you on the wide blue expanse again some other time!

Indeed, my last year of Halicatting held some fantastic experiences. My last bird tick was the March White-tailed Tropicbird, and while the April Pelagic netted me no new birds, we spotted pods of both Long-snouted Spinner Dolphins and Pantropical Spotted Dolphins, the former one of the first Sydney records, well out of range in the unusually warm Sydney waters. Soon after, we found a huge mass of floating pumice, with a whole marine ecosystem living off it. Steve dove in to grab some samples, and although I have no photos of this once-in-a-lifetime event, we were amazed by the display of spheroid orange, lime and spotted pufferfish, fluoro blue-striped slugs, pelagic sea snails, barnacles, and surface-dwelling crabs.

This is not a Tropicbird, but a White Tern, seen soon 
after the White-tailed Tropicbird disappeared

After a sudden influx of Common Diving Petrel sightings in June, (see SEAWATCHING) and a Blue Petrel of Wollongong, Max, Ashwin and myself quickly booked on an impromptu Swansea Pelagic, which was subsequently cancelled 5 minutes before we left home. A backup July Wollongong SOSSA Pelagic the next week was a milestone for me, first pelagic without a lifer! However we had a great day, with some great views of Buller's Albatross.

Buller's Albatross

3) SEAWATCHING... IT CAN BE ALRIGHT I GUESS
What a terrible idea. Who ever invented this? I've spent a fair few hours on North Head this year in perfect conditions (read raining, windy and cold), with very little to show for it. However, after the influx of Common Diving Petrels off the NSW coast, I decided to try my luck, and for the first time, I actually had some fantastic luck whilst seawatching! After only an hour, I saw a tiny bird right underneath me drop out of the sky and plunge into the water. After a tense minute, I finally relocated it, and had great views of Common Diving Petrel! Throughout the afternoon, I had 5 sightings,  at one point, 3 sitting an diving on the water right in front of me!

Double Common Diving Petrel

4) SYDNEY TICKING - EASIER THAN LIFERS
Max, Ashwin and myself spent a lot of effort this year on getting Sydney ticks, some of the highlights over our various trips to western Sydney being (in chronological order):

Great-crested Grebe
Square-tailed Kite (finally getting my bogey! Circing overhead as we quickly pulled over in Richmond)
Striated Pardalote (everywhere in Sydney this year)
Freckled Duck (everywhere all over Australia this year, with us counting 30 at Pitt Town in April)
Scarlet Robin*
White-naped Honeyeater*
Swift Parrot* (these last three on an exceptional morning at Mulgoa Nature Reserve in winter)
Eastern Barn Owl
Pallid Cuckoo
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Whiskered Tern

With a number of notable dips too, namely Australasian Bittern at Pitt Town Lagoon (double dip, one of which involved me wading through muddy thigh-deep water for an hour and bashing through almost impenetrable reeds) and Sooty Owl at Royal with Nathan Ruser, Henry Coleman, and disappointed visiting British birder Ben Jobson! We did get unbeatable views of four Freckled Ducks at Eastlakes though, and found some very cool glowworm colonies off southern Lady Carrington Drive.

Freckled Ducks at Eastlakes

5) TWITCHING AS STUDY BREAKS
One of my favourite pass-times this year was chasing rare birds which turned up at convenient times when I was burnt out from study. I already made a blog post about the Barking Owl, but I also twitched a Satin Flycatcher pair at Sydney Olympic Park with Simon Gorta the week before the HSC began, and a pair of Oriental Plovers at Long Reef with Max during the first week of the HSC (getting very confused by a dodgy Pacific Golden Plover in the process!). But not stopping there, Max and I were at it again two weeks later as we headed out to Pitt Town to twitch Painted Honeyeater and Pectoral Sandpiper, finding two Ruff instead (see previous blog post)!

Barking Owl, Satin Flycatcher, Oriental Plover (and dodgy PGP), Ruff






Also made a trip up to the Central Coast to meet with Alan Morris for a great tour of Pioneer Dairy Wetlands just after my HSC Trials in September, and successfully twitched Pectoral Sandpiper (of course since then, they've shown up everywhere, including the Pitt Town Lagoon birds!), though a host of other great birds were around including Australian Owlet Nightjar peeking out of a nest box.

Pectoral Sandpiper Hiding
Sleepy Afternoon Australian Owlet Nightjar

6) IT'S NOT JUST THE BIRDS
Have also made a few herping/frogging attempts with Nathan Ruser this year around the Northern Beaches, with one particular night being quite successful, with some great frogs, reptile (singular) and insects observed, plus a Tawny Frogmouth. We plan to spend a few more nights getting some more species later this year.

Eastern Stone Gecko
Common Ringtail Possum 
 Eudocima materna
Hemicloea major (Flat Rock or Major Pancake Spider)
Spotted Marsh Frog
Tawny Frogmouth

Also found this Threatening Jumping Spider Helpis minitabunda (I think that ID is correct, not 100%) in my backyard frogpond the other day, which is slowly filling with Striped Marsh Frogs, much to annoyance of the neighbors...

Threatening Jumping Spider

7) LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FOUR MONTHS OF FREEDOM!
I've spent a lot of time this year organising my post-HSC movements, with three great trips coming up. Lake Cargelligo and Round Hill Nature Reserve with Ashwin and Lachlan Hall in December (it will be extremely hot, but we're looking for reptiles too!), and a month in Borneo with Max starting in late January.

I have had to cancel my previous plans with Max and Ashwin to bird in Northern NSW for schoolies, but only because my next stop is the wide, blue, cold, and windy Southern Ocean, with a huge thanks to Enderby Trust, Rodney Russ, and Heritage Expeditions for awarding me an Enderby Trust Scholarship to participate in the "Birding Down Under" expedition - Macquarie Island here I come!!! 9 days and counting...

____________________________

Furthermore, 15,000 blog views and counting, we're going pretty well!!!
Thanks for reading guys

Heading out for a night of celebration,
Joshua Bergmark
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Ruff Ruff!

Headed out with Max to Pitt Town Lagoon on Friday to have a look for some recently reported rarities (Painted Honeyeater and Pectoral Sandpiper). We found neither, but instead located our own rarities, in the form of two Ruff and two Marsh Sandpipers. On finding the first Ruff, I sprinted back to the car to grab the camera leaving Max to keep track of the Ruff. On my return as I took photos, he scanned the shoreline and we had to triple check when he spotted a second Ruff 70m further on!

Pitt Town was positively booming, with our list at 68 species in only 2 hours. Other highlights included 15 Glossy Ibis, 5 Red-kneed Dotterel, a large mixed flock of Chestnut-breasted and Scaly-breasted Munia/Mannikin, Double-barred Finch, Whiskered Tern and hundreds of Sharpies.

A few hours at Scheyville National Park and the Turf Farms were not quite as fantastic, but some great birds including Zebra Finches and Trillers galore (Turf Farms), and at Scheyville, Pallid Cuckoos, Jacky Winter, White-throated Gerygone, Restless Flycatcher, White-browed Woodswallows, Crested Shrike-tit, Scarlet Honeyeater, Bar-shouldered Dove and Little Lorikeet.

Frustratingly the Pectoral Sandpipers and Painted Honeyeater were resighted over the next two days, so another trip is in order as soon as I finish these damn exams on Monday!

 Ruff #1
 Ruff #2
Marsh Sandpiper #1 and #2
Headed out with Max to Pitt Town Lagoon on Friday to have a look for some recently reported rarities (Painted Honeyeater and Pectoral Sandpiper). We found neither, but instead located our own rarities, in the form of two Ruff and two Marsh Sandpipers. On finding the first Ruff, I sprinted back to the car to grab the camera leaving Max to keep track of the Ruff. On my return as I took photos, he scanned the shoreline and we had to triple check when he spotted a second Ruff 70m further on!

Pitt Town was positively booming, with our list at 68 species in only 2 hours. Other highlights included 15 Glossy Ibis, 5 Red-kneed Dotterel, a large mixed flock of Chestnut-breasted and Scaly-breasted Munia/Mannikin, Double-barred Finch, Whiskered Tern and hundreds of Sharpies.

A few hours at Scheyville National Park and the Turf Farms were not quite as fantastic, but some great birds including Zebra Finches and Trillers galore (Turf Farms), and at Scheyville, Pallid Cuckoos, Jacky Winter, White-throated Gerygone, Restless Flycatcher, White-browed Woodswallows, Crested Shrike-tit, Scarlet Honeyeater, Bar-shouldered Dove and Little Lorikeet.

Frustratingly the Pectoral Sandpipers and Painted Honeyeater were resighted over the next two days, so another trip is in order as soon as I finish these damn exams on Monday!

 Ruff #1
 Ruff #2
Marsh Sandpiper #1 and #2
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Woof Woof!




This Barking Owl has been eluding me ever since it turned up at Warriewood Wetlands over January. I've been searching for it at least six times over the last few months, including yesterday when I followed up on a roost site  at Jamieson Park but couldn't locate the bird - turns out I was in the wrong spot! So I went back today (thank-you Jenny Stiles!) and there he was, calling his heart out (probably very lonely, quite possible the only Barking Owl in the Sydney basin). What a fantastic bird! I texted Max as I was looking at it, and he managed to find it a few hours later. Great way to spend the last day before my Trial English Exam Paper #2... bring on the HSC!!!



This Barking Owl has been eluding me ever since it turned up at Warriewood Wetlands over January. I've been searching for it at least six times over the last few months, including yesterday when I followed up on a roost site  at Jamieson Park but couldn't locate the bird - turns out I was in the wrong spot! So I went back today (thank-you Jenny Stiles!) and there he was, calling his heart out (probably very lonely, quite possible the only Barking Owl in the Sydney basin). What a fantastic bird! I texted Max as I was looking at it, and he managed to find it a few hours later. Great way to spend the last day before my Trial English Exam Paper #2... bring on the HSC!!!
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Royal Record


With a nice early start, I was just pulling up to Max’s house at 5:30 when a small flock of Topknot Pigeons flew in front of the car. A good start to the day! After picking up Simon and Ashwin, we headed straight to Audley in the Royal National Park. Our hopes for the day were high, and the plan was to beat the Eremaea “day list record” of 62. On arrival at the northern end of Lady Carrington Drive, we quickly ticked off a number of species, but unfortunately only heard a Cicadabird, which we decided was not worth the bush-bash up the steep side of a hill to the ridgeline. By walking a few kilometres of LCD, we recorded some interesting birds such as Green Catbird (Sydney tick for Max and I), Leaden Flycatcher, heard an Australian Owlet Nightjar, Brown Cuckoo Dove, many a Superb Lyrebird, Black-faced Monarch, Satin Bowerbirds, etc, etc. Unfortunately (as we expected), we missed our target, the elusive Logrunner.

We arrived back at the car (not before spotting an Azure Kingfisher whiz past) then drove over to Wattle Flat. A white bird flew onto a branch, which Ashwin dismissed as a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. I wasn’t so sure, and quickly rectified his mistake by pointing out that it was actually a stunning Grey Goshawk perched not 4 metres away. Of course it took flight straight away, but a lovely sighting none the less. The next surprise came as few minutes later, when from across the Hacking River, we heard the unmistakeable “Guinea-a-week” call of a Pilotbird – an exceptional bird to see in Sydney! Alas, we could not get eyes on it, it did not call again, and we were not able to be sure the call didn’t come from a very skilled lyrebird (which had just recently done an impressive White-throated Nightjar impersonation).

With a total of about 55 species, we headed to Wattamolla to mop up a few more birds which we all needed to see for our 2012 year lists (unfortunately the possible Beautiful Firetail which flew across the road remained unidentified). A Red-whiskered Bulbul surprised us, as did a female Spotted Pardalote (both unexpected birds for the Wattamollan-Heathland), but we were all very happy when Simon spotted target #1, a Tawny-crowned Honeyeater. Before it had even disappeared from view, I saw an interesting bird in a small bush, which subsequently flew revealing that it was indeed a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren! We all got great views of this shy species (Ashwin even got a photo), and I was extremely happy to have finally seen one without having to use callback! Back over near the cliff, we sat down for a few minutes, and were rewarded with target #2, Rockwarbler. A Nankeen Kestrel hiding under a ledge saw us off, and we left the national park with a grand total of 74 species (a very nice new “site record”, but definitely no unbeatable, as we were only there for a few hours, and didn’t even visit the southern end of the park).

Off to Ashwin’s Pied Oystercatcher site next, Metromix Swamp. He confidently assured us that he had never missed them, and stupidly made the comment in jest that it was a “dead cert”. Due to the utterance of those two fateful words… Well… No Pied Oystercatchers for us. Luckily, we did see some nice birds – namely White-bellied Sea Eagle, Osprey, Little Tern and Great Egret.

The next stop was Quibray Bay, which provided us with nice views of three waders species which are difficult to find in Sydney: Red-capped Plover, Whimbrel and Eastern Curlew. Boat Harbour followed (after an exuberant $25 entry fee), but the tide was too low, and the birds were hiding on an inaccessible rock platform. With the aid of a scope, we picked out the usual species, but nothing exciting. Just before we left, I decided to do a quick sweep of the area. I was looking at a Great Cormorant when I noticed a large grey bird flying in. A Reef Egret! While we were still more than 30m away, it flushed... And proceeded to fly out to sea in the direction of New Zealand until we lost sight of it. An excellent bird (not quite making up for the $25), but a good end to the day, over which we recorded a little over 100 species, quite respectable considering we had only used up half the day.

I have no photos from the day, because they were all terrible ;) The sunburnt neck (with obligatory pale binocular strap line) was well worth it however, and in Ashwin’s words, “excellent company goes a long way to seeing more, and making those long treks in the sun go by so much quicker” – birding with friends is always the best way to do it!

With a nice early start, I was just pulling up to Max’s house at 5:30 when a small flock of Topknot Pigeons flew in front of the car. A good start to the day! After picking up Simon and Ashwin, we headed straight to Audley in the Royal National Park. Our hopes for the day were high, and the plan was to beat the Eremaea “day list record” of 62. On arrival at the northern end of Lady Carrington Drive, we quickly ticked off a number of species, but unfortunately only heard a Cicadabird, which we decided was not worth the bush-bash up the steep side of a hill to the ridgeline. By walking a few kilometres of LCD, we recorded some interesting birds such as Green Catbird (Sydney tick for Max and I), Leaden Flycatcher, heard an Australian Owlet Nightjar, Brown Cuckoo Dove, many a Superb Lyrebird, Black-faced Monarch, Satin Bowerbirds, etc, etc. Unfortunately (as we expected), we missed our target, the elusive Logrunner.

We arrived back at the car (not before spotting an Azure Kingfisher whiz past) then drove over to Wattle Flat. A white bird flew onto a branch, which Ashwin dismissed as a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. I wasn’t so sure, and quickly rectified his mistake by pointing out that it was actually a stunning Grey Goshawk perched not 4 metres away. Of course it took flight straight away, but a lovely sighting none the less. The next surprise came as few minutes later, when from across the Hacking River, we heard the unmistakeable “Guinea-a-week” call of a Pilotbird – an exceptional bird to see in Sydney! Alas, we could not get eyes on it, it did not call again, and we were not able to be sure the call didn’t come from a very skilled lyrebird (which had just recently done an impressive White-throated Nightjar impersonation).

With a total of about 55 species, we headed to Wattamolla to mop up a few more birds which we all needed to see for our 2012 year lists (unfortunately the possible Beautiful Firetail which flew across the road remained unidentified). A Red-whiskered Bulbul surprised us, as did a female Spotted Pardalote (both unexpected birds for the Wattamollan-Heathland), but we were all very happy when Simon spotted target #1, a Tawny-crowned Honeyeater. Before it had even disappeared from view, I saw an interesting bird in a small bush, which subsequently flew revealing that it was indeed a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren! We all got great views of this shy species (Ashwin even got a photo), and I was extremely happy to have finally seen one without having to use callback! Back over near the cliff, we sat down for a few minutes, and were rewarded with target #2, Rockwarbler. A Nankeen Kestrel hiding under a ledge saw us off, and we left the national park with a grand total of 74 species (a very nice new “site record”, but definitely no unbeatable, as we were only there for a few hours, and didn’t even visit the southern end of the park).

Off to Ashwin’s Pied Oystercatcher site next, Metromix Swamp. He confidently assured us that he had never missed them, and stupidly made the comment in jest that it was a “dead cert”. Due to the utterance of those two fateful words… Well… No Pied Oystercatchers for us. Luckily, we did see some nice birds – namely White-bellied Sea Eagle, Osprey, Little Tern and Great Egret.

The next stop was Quibray Bay, which provided us with nice views of three waders species which are difficult to find in Sydney: Red-capped Plover, Whimbrel and Eastern Curlew. Boat Harbour followed (after an exuberant $25 entry fee), but the tide was too low, and the birds were hiding on an inaccessible rock platform. With the aid of a scope, we picked out the usual species, but nothing exciting. Just before we left, I decided to do a quick sweep of the area. I was looking at a Great Cormorant when I noticed a large grey bird flying in. A Reef Egret! While we were still more than 30m away, it flushed... And proceeded to fly out to sea in the direction of New Zealand until we lost sight of it. An excellent bird (not quite making up for the $25), but a good end to the day, over which we recorded a little over 100 species, quite respectable considering we had only used up half the day.

I have no photos from the day, because they were all terrible ;) The sunburnt neck (with obligatory pale binocular strap line) was well worth it however, and in Ashwin’s words, “excellent company goes a long way to seeing more, and making those long treks in the sun go by so much quicker” – birding with friends is always the best way to do it!
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Happy Pelagic


It was Happy Birthday to Ashwin on the day of the December Sydney Pelagic, and I decided to join him.

It was a fairly calm day, and the highlight for me was probably the large pod of False Killer Whales which graced us with their presence briefly. We also had a few flying fish, at least 5 Sunfish (Mola ramsayi).

Birdwise, I had 2 lifers: Wilson’s Storm-Petrel and White-chinned Petrel (which tried hard to convince us that it was the sought after Black Petrel).

We also had a few Wandering, Shy, Black-browned and Campbell Albatross, the usual Wedge-tailed, Flesh-footed, a single Huttons, and Short-tailed Shearwaters. Hundreds of Grey-faced Petrel was a sight to behold, and one late Providence Petrel was an nice surprise. All three Jaegar species (though I didn't tick the Long-tailed we saw from a km away) and a Sooty Tern rounded off the day. A possible Arctic Tern remains unidentified... :(

 White-chinned Petrel

 Gulp - Wandering Albatross

 Wandering Albatross

The Jesus Bird - Wilson's Storm Petrel

It was Happy Birthday to Ashwin on the day of the December Sydney Pelagic, and I decided to join him.

It was a fairly calm day, and the highlight for me was probably the large pod of False Killer Whales which graced us with their presence briefly. We also had a few flying fish, at least 5 Sunfish (Mola ramsayi).

Birdwise, I had 2 lifers: Wilson’s Storm-Petrel and White-chinned Petrel (which tried hard to convince us that it was the sought after Black Petrel).

We also had a few Wandering, Shy, Black-browned and Campbell Albatross, the usual Wedge-tailed, Flesh-footed, a single Huttons, and Short-tailed Shearwaters. Hundreds of Grey-faced Petrel was a sight to behold, and one late Providence Petrel was an nice surprise. All three Jaegar species (though I didn't tick the Long-tailed we saw from a km away) and a Sooty Tern rounded off the day. A possible Arctic Tern remains unidentified... :(

 White-chinned Petrel

 Gulp - Wandering Albatross

 Wandering Albatross

The Jesus Bird - Wilson's Storm Petrel
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Fore! Four Rallidae at Eastlakes

A nice and early 5am start saw me meet Ashwin at Eastlakes Golf Course at 6:00. The primary aim today was to spot some crakes and rails. No golfers had arrived yet, so we staked out a small pond (which was really more of a muddy rubbish-filled depression in the ground) and waited. In no time at all, we had great views of a single Australian Spotted Crake, and brief views of a single Spotless Crake, disappearing into the reeds as quickly as it had appeared. A possible Lewin's Rail seen for less than a second was frustrating, but a Buff-banded Rail on the green was nice (and a Sydney tick for Ashwin). Max arrived at 7, and we showed him the Spotted Crake before moving on. A male White-winged Triller reinforced the fact that spring is in the air, and Ashwin was the only one to see a Lewin's Rail flush across a pond. A Latham's Snipe and two superb Baillon's Crakes were excellent nonetheless!

Australian Spotted Crake
\
Baillon's Crake
The same Baillon's Crake

Heading back to the cars, we heard a Skylark calling, which would be a Sydney tick for everyone, so we headed over to have a look (trying to not interfere with the golfers using the green at the time!). Before we found the Skylark, another buzzing call was heard, and out of a pine tree flies a lovely Common Greenfinch - a really beautiful bird (despite being feral!), and a tick for me! We saw the Skylark doing a display flight, and then headed off, not before flushing a Brown Quail next to the path.

Pretty Feral: Greenfinch

In all, 71 species here, an excellent morning, only marred by my muddy pants from stepping into a knee-deep patch of gunk which had looked like solid sand, and the lack of Lewin's Rail for Max and I. Even so, "fore" other Rallidae (Spotted, Spotless, Baillon's Crakes plus Buff-banded Rail) made the day well worth it indeed! A quick trip to Mistral Point was comparatively fruitless, although we did enjoy seeing the migration of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on their way south, and the amazing spectacle of a pair of humpbacks breaching and playing around really close to shore.

A nice and early 5am start saw me meet Ashwin at Eastlakes Golf Course at 6:00. The primary aim today was to spot some crakes and rails. No golfers had arrived yet, so we staked out a small pond (which was really more of a muddy rubbish-filled depression in the ground) and waited. In no time at all, we had great views of a single Australian Spotted Crake, and brief views of a single Spotless Crake, disappearing into the reeds as quickly as it had appeared. A possible Lewin's Rail seen for less than a second was frustrating, but a Buff-banded Rail on the green was nice (and a Sydney tick for Ashwin). Max arrived at 7, and we showed him the Spotted Crake before moving on. A male White-winged Triller reinforced the fact that spring is in the air, and Ashwin was the only one to see a Lewin's Rail flush across a pond. A Latham's Snipe and two superb Baillon's Crakes were excellent nonetheless!

Australian Spotted Crake
\
Baillon's Crake
The same Baillon's Crake

Heading back to the cars, we heard a Skylark calling, which would be a Sydney tick for everyone, so we headed over to have a look (trying to not interfere with the golfers using the green at the time!). Before we found the Skylark, another buzzing call was heard, and out of a pine tree flies a lovely Common Greenfinch - a really beautiful bird (despite being feral!), and a tick for me! We saw the Skylark doing a display flight, and then headed off, not before flushing a Brown Quail next to the path.

Pretty Feral: Greenfinch

In all, 71 species here, an excellent morning, only marred by my muddy pants from stepping into a knee-deep patch of gunk which had looked like solid sand, and the lack of Lewin's Rail for Max and I. Even so, "fore" other Rallidae (Spotted, Spotless, Baillon's Crakes plus Buff-banded Rail) made the day well worth it indeed! A quick trip to Mistral Point was comparatively fruitless, although we did enjoy seeing the migration of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on their way south, and the amazing spectacle of a pair of humpbacks breaching and playing around really close to shore.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Not so Noisy Pitta

With a report for a Noisy Pitta at Warriewood Wetlands on Thursday, I used my new Provisional 1 Licence to get up early (5:40), and head up there for a look. I arrived around 6:15, and I went straight to the small waterfall, just off the main path at the end of Irrawong Road where it had been reported from. I was dismayed to see all the Lewin's Rail habitat (in the lantana) had been weeded, so they've now probalby moved somewhere else. After attampting to whistle the pitta out for a few minutes, I decided to head up to the main falls to see what was around there.

The whole reserve has undergone a major facelift - and the paths have all been upgraded, with new steps, and almost all of the weeds have been cleared. To my surprise, at the main falls just over the new wooden bridge, I got eyes onto a Bassian Thrush. It then flew down to the ground, and started feeding next to a second one! It was good to see them here, as I haven't seen one at Warriwood for two years.

On the way back to the small waterfall, I mistook another (!) Bassian Thrush forgaing in the leaflitter for the pitta, and I heard the resident lyrebirds calling. Some Brush Turkeys have also started a large mound just off the track.

As I walked towards the small waterfall, I kept whistling the characteristic pitta call of "walk-to-work", which didn't seem to be working until, from a metre to my right, a large bird flew up from the ground with a wirr or wingbeats. And then it was gone.

I thought that was it. There wasn't much else that could have been apart from the pitta, and it surely wouldn't come back after being flushed. I walked around to the other side of the vegetation, and did a bit more whistling, and to my surprise, I heard some rustling. Then I caught a green-blob move through a gap in the foliage out of the corner of my eye. And then, what pops into view but a beautful Noisy Pitta!!! What an amazing bird!!! After heading back to get the camera from the car, I relocated it, and spent an amazing few minutes with it foraging within 5 metres of me, almost completely ignorant of my presence. Unfortunately, I ruined my best photo when the pitta sat in the sun on a log for about 10 seconds, as the camera didn't fire! It seemed to not take much notice of my whistling, and didn't make a noise once throughout the entire morning.

Other interesting sightings included a leucistic Pacific Black Duck (probably a Mallard-cross) on the pond with the fountain in it (see photo), four Hardheads, a party of Variegated Fairy Wrens, a White-cheeked Honeyeater, and a lyrebird running accross the track briefly, as well as a large number of other species. Definitely the best morning I've ever had at Warriewood!





With a report for a Noisy Pitta at Warriewood Wetlands on Thursday, I used my new Provisional 1 Licence to get up early (5:40), and head up there for a look. I arrived around 6:15, and I went straight to the small waterfall, just off the main path at the end of Irrawong Road where it had been reported from. I was dismayed to see all the Lewin's Rail habitat (in the lantana) had been weeded, so they've now probalby moved somewhere else. After attampting to whistle the pitta out for a few minutes, I decided to head up to the main falls to see what was around there.

The whole reserve has undergone a major facelift - and the paths have all been upgraded, with new steps, and almost all of the weeds have been cleared. To my surprise, at the main falls just over the new wooden bridge, I got eyes onto a Bassian Thrush. It then flew down to the ground, and started feeding next to a second one! It was good to see them here, as I haven't seen one at Warriwood for two years.

On the way back to the small waterfall, I mistook another (!) Bassian Thrush forgaing in the leaflitter for the pitta, and I heard the resident lyrebirds calling. Some Brush Turkeys have also started a large mound just off the track.

As I walked towards the small waterfall, I kept whistling the characteristic pitta call of "walk-to-work", which didn't seem to be working until, from a metre to my right, a large bird flew up from the ground with a wirr or wingbeats. And then it was gone.

I thought that was it. There wasn't much else that could have been apart from the pitta, and it surely wouldn't come back after being flushed. I walked around to the other side of the vegetation, and did a bit more whistling, and to my surprise, I heard some rustling. Then I caught a green-blob move through a gap in the foliage out of the corner of my eye. And then, what pops into view but a beautful Noisy Pitta!!! What an amazing bird!!! After heading back to get the camera from the car, I relocated it, and spent an amazing few minutes with it foraging within 5 metres of me, almost completely ignorant of my presence. Unfortunately, I ruined my best photo when the pitta sat in the sun on a log for about 10 seconds, as the camera didn't fire! It seemed to not take much notice of my whistling, and didn't make a noise once throughout the entire morning.

Other interesting sightings included a leucistic Pacific Black Duck (probably a Mallard-cross) on the pond with the fountain in it (see photo), four Hardheads, a party of Variegated Fairy Wrens, a White-cheeked Honeyeater, and a lyrebird running accross the track briefly, as well as a large number of other species. Definitely the best morning I've ever had at Warriewood!





reade more... Résuméabuiyad

North Head - Seawatching Trial

After the horrible weather over the last week, Max and I decided it was time to try a bit of seawatching - something the neither of us have really attempted before (excluding short 30 minute coincidental sightings off various Sydney headlands). We headed up to North Head at about 3:30, and spent 2 hours standing in the wind (thankfully no rain), trying to ID the various black-dots-with-wings that happened to fly past. Overall, we were quite successful, and were pleased with our first attempt at this grueling type of birding.

In 2 hours, we managed to see and ID:

Black-browed Albatross 20 (4) - one possible Campbells
Southern Giant Petrel 1 (1)
Northern Giant Petrel 1 (1)
Australasian Gannet 30+ (6)
Silver Gull 50+ (25)
Crested Tern 3 (1)

Also, a possible Great-winged Petrel, a few distant Shearwaters (plus a White-fronted Tern seen in the same place on Saturday).

We also managed to get onto a "Shy type"Albatross just before we left. We originally thought it might have been Salvin's, but a post on Birding-Aus clarified that is was indeed just a juvenile White-capped Albatross. Thanks to Nikolas Haass, Brook Whylie, John Graff and Steve Davidson for helping out!

So, adding to the above list:
White-capped (Shy) Albatross 1 (1)

Cheers,
Josh

 Northern Giant Petrel
Southern Giant Petrel


White-capped Albatross #1
White-capped Albatross #2
White-capped Albatross #3
After the horrible weather over the last week, Max and I decided it was time to try a bit of seawatching - something the neither of us have really attempted before (excluding short 30 minute coincidental sightings off various Sydney headlands). We headed up to North Head at about 3:30, and spent 2 hours standing in the wind (thankfully no rain), trying to ID the various black-dots-with-wings that happened to fly past. Overall, we were quite successful, and were pleased with our first attempt at this grueling type of birding.

In 2 hours, we managed to see and ID:

Black-browed Albatross 20 (4) - one possible Campbells
Southern Giant Petrel 1 (1)
Northern Giant Petrel 1 (1)
Australasian Gannet 30+ (6)
Silver Gull 50+ (25)
Crested Tern 3 (1)

Also, a possible Great-winged Petrel, a few distant Shearwaters (plus a White-fronted Tern seen in the same place on Saturday).

We also managed to get onto a "Shy type"Albatross just before we left. We originally thought it might have been Salvin's, but a post on Birding-Aus clarified that is was indeed just a juvenile White-capped Albatross. Thanks to Nikolas Haass, Brook Whylie, John Graff and Steve Davidson for helping out!

So, adding to the above list:
White-capped (Shy) Albatross 1 (1)

Cheers,
Josh

 Northern Giant Petrel
Southern Giant Petrel


White-capped Albatross #1
White-capped Albatross #2
White-capped Albatross #3
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Whales, Whales, Whales, oh, and Some Birds.

It was a cool, clear and calm morning on Sydney Harbour as the Halicat departed Mosman Wharf with Josh, myself and several others on board. The boat soon became a little crowded as we picked up the rest of the day's passengers at Rose Bay.

The conditions during the week leading up to, and during, the July Sydney Pelagic were, well... Unfavourable, to say the least. Stiff westerly, to north-westerly winds had been blowing all week and although the sun was out for our pelagic, the poor conditions were the primary factor contributing to our average bird numbers/diversity for the day. Nonetheless, we had an enjoyable day on the water, encountering several high quality cetaceans and both of us were able to net lifers.

Exiting Sydney Heads, we came across several Little Penguins, Australasian Gannets, Silver Gulls and Black-browed Albatross. Our first highlight of the day materialised - an individual Southern Right Whale. A particularly uncommon whale off eastern NSW with about 2 - 3 seen each season, equivalent to about 1:1000 Right Whales to Humpback Whales. We followed it for a few minutes, until we decided to leave it alone rather than push it into the harbour.

Southern Right Whale
Young Australasian Gannet

We started the long haul across the 'Abysmal Plain' between the coast and the shelf. Along the way we encountered several small (<20) flocks of Fluttering Shearwaters and singles/trios of Fairy Prions. It was good to see moderate numbers of prions and they were pretty much a fixture throughout the day.

Fluttering Shearwater (the first time we've seen them close to the boat)
Fairy Prion (also the first time we've seen them close to the boat)

Just before the shelf we came across our first Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, Crested Tern and a pod of False Killer Whales seen pretty briefly and only by some, but confidently identified. At the shelf we began our slick, chucking burley over board to attract the birds. It took time, but eventually we had a trail of over 30 yellow-noses, several black-brows (one juvenile trying very hard to convince us it was a Grey-headed Albatross), a few Wandering Albatross, several Providence Petrels (always pretty distant), heaps of Fairy Prions and a single WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL (lifer for moi). A large Mako Shark feeding on burley right next to the boat and taking occasional snaps at the albatross was also a highlight.

Providence Petrel
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross wanting some fish
Wandering Albatross
No, you're not a Grey-headed Albatross, go away
Shortfin Mako

Eventually we headed off. It was a slow, rough trip back pushing into the head wind. The return trip was punctuated by excellent views of a Dwarf Minke Whale cruising lazily around the boat, to the enjoyment of all on board. Next, was a VERY quick fly-by of a LITTLE SHEARWATER which I missed, but Josh got, just! It's identification was later confirmed after photos were checked. My long overdue tick of BROWN SKUA finally eventuated and that was the final new bird for the day.

Dwarf Minke Whale
Brown Skua

We briefly trailed an adult Humpback Whale and it's calf just outside the heads before returning to the calm waters of the harbour.

A nice day out, but a shame about the lack of birds. In future we have decided only to book pelagics a couple of weeks in advance depending on conditions, rather than several months ahead!
It was a cool, clear and calm morning on Sydney Harbour as the Halicat departed Mosman Wharf with Josh, myself and several others on board. The boat soon became a little crowded as we picked up the rest of the day's passengers at Rose Bay.

The conditions during the week leading up to, and during, the July Sydney Pelagic were, well... Unfavourable, to say the least. Stiff westerly, to north-westerly winds had been blowing all week and although the sun was out for our pelagic, the poor conditions were the primary factor contributing to our average bird numbers/diversity for the day. Nonetheless, we had an enjoyable day on the water, encountering several high quality cetaceans and both of us were able to net lifers.

Exiting Sydney Heads, we came across several Little Penguins, Australasian Gannets, Silver Gulls and Black-browed Albatross. Our first highlight of the day materialised - an individual Southern Right Whale. A particularly uncommon whale off eastern NSW with about 2 - 3 seen each season, equivalent to about 1:1000 Right Whales to Humpback Whales. We followed it for a few minutes, until we decided to leave it alone rather than push it into the harbour.

Southern Right Whale
Young Australasian Gannet

We started the long haul across the 'Abysmal Plain' between the coast and the shelf. Along the way we encountered several small (<20) flocks of Fluttering Shearwaters and singles/trios of Fairy Prions. It was good to see moderate numbers of prions and they were pretty much a fixture throughout the day.

Fluttering Shearwater (the first time we've seen them close to the boat)
Fairy Prion (also the first time we've seen them close to the boat)

Just before the shelf we came across our first Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross, Crested Tern and a pod of False Killer Whales seen pretty briefly and only by some, but confidently identified. At the shelf we began our slick, chucking burley over board to attract the birds. It took time, but eventually we had a trail of over 30 yellow-noses, several black-brows (one juvenile trying very hard to convince us it was a Grey-headed Albatross), a few Wandering Albatross, several Providence Petrels (always pretty distant), heaps of Fairy Prions and a single WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL (lifer for moi). A large Mako Shark feeding on burley right next to the boat and taking occasional snaps at the albatross was also a highlight.

Providence Petrel
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross wanting some fish
Wandering Albatross
No, you're not a Grey-headed Albatross, go away
Shortfin Mako

Eventually we headed off. It was a slow, rough trip back pushing into the head wind. The return trip was punctuated by excellent views of a Dwarf Minke Whale cruising lazily around the boat, to the enjoyment of all on board. Next, was a VERY quick fly-by of a LITTLE SHEARWATER which I missed, but Josh got, just! It's identification was later confirmed after photos were checked. My long overdue tick of BROWN SKUA finally eventuated and that was the final new bird for the day.

Dwarf Minke Whale
Brown Skua

We briefly trailed an adult Humpback Whale and it's calf just outside the heads before returning to the calm waters of the harbour.

A nice day out, but a shame about the lack of birds. In future we have decided only to book pelagics a couple of weeks in advance depending on conditions, rather than several months ahead!
reade more... Résuméabuiyad