Moderators' Note

Birders are encouraged to post lists to eBird Australia, where sightings are incorporated into the BirdLife Australia Atlas. To do this you need to register with eBird Australia then login. All Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot reports should be forwarded to Mick Roderick to assist in the recovery of these severely declining species: mick.roderick@birdlife.org.au. Note we will not be publishing reports of Accipiter raptors (Collared Sparrowhawk, Grey/Brown Goshawks) or Square-tailed Kites unless they are in unusual locations or are seen with unusual prey etc.

• Reports
• Criteria

May 2025

Thu 1		Silvereye (nominate) Toorale National Park, north-west of Louth
		Three nominate (Tasmanian) Silvereyes found and photographed on the eastern boundary fire trail in Toorale NP today. A very westerly record for Silvereyes generally, though not surprisingly it's of the strongly migratory nominate race.
		May Whittall et al per Mick Roderick 1/5 #272477
		Pallid Cuckoo Crawford Rd, Cooranbong
		Had an immature Pallid around this morning, quite active in moving around the trees. Calling with a very truncated call which threw me to start with. Also had a Wedge Tail and then one of the resident Sea-eagles use the thermals over the house and shed to soar from 20m to out of sight within 15 minutes of each other - don't usually see them as close as this. (Moderator's Note: This is an unusual report as Pallid Cuckoos are rarely reported in coastal areas in mid-autumn. AKM)
		Paul Schofield 1/5 #272476

April 2025

Mon 28		Masked Owl Kings Langley
		About twenty Noisy Miners were very agitated and I then located several Australian Ravens attacking a Masked Owl, trying to peck at its eyes. eBird checklist
		Michael Rutkowski 28/4 #272474
Sat 26		Crescent Honeyeater Werakata National Park - Stanford Merthyr section
		Female Crescent Honeyeater originally found by Steph Owen and Kerrie Bradley feeding on Banksia oblongifolia and Lambertia formosa blossom in the Stanford Merthyr section of Werakata NP (just off Leggetts Drive). Very rare visitor to any lowlands in the Hunter Valley and the first record of a CRHO in the Kurri-Cessnock woodlands.
		Mick Roderick 28/4 #272473
Thu 24		Singing Honeyeater Warkworth (near Singleton)
		I saw at least 3 Singing Honeyeaters foraging in the flowering Mugga Ironbarks with Spiny-cheeked and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters outside the United Wambo Colliery beside the Golden Highway. I am aware of previous sightings of Singing Honeyeaters in nearby areas and I only found them after hearing one call while I was forced to wait at the temporary traffic lights for a "mine blast" otherwise I would not have thought about stopping there and find them.
		Edwin Vella 28/4 #272475
Wed 23		Spotted Quail-Thrush Blue Mountains National Park--The Rock Lookout
		A male and female seen about 150m from the car park along Fairlight Road. Only 4th record for Penrith LGA. Previous sightings in Penrith LGA are 2016, 2009 and 1970 in eBird. eBird checklist
		Martin Snowball 23/4 #272470
		Flame Robin Bushells Lagoon
		Female adult feeding on neighbouring farmland. Rare winter migrant to this location. Photo on ebird list. eBird checklist
		Michael Rutkowski 23/4 #272467
Tue 22		Eastern Yellow Wagtails Hexham Swamp Nature Reserve--Old Pipeline Track
		Two breeding-plumaged Eastern Yellow Wagtails seen and photographed yesterday along the old pipeline track. This is the first report there for nearly six weeks and obviously it's impossible to tell if they are part of the cohort of up to 7 birds first located there on the 27th Jan. The yellowish throat, pure yellow chest and hint of a greenish nape on the male are indicative of a possible 'similina' bird. eBird checklist
		Paul Fuller per Mick Roderick 23/4 #272469
		White Wagtail Terrigal Haven
		Amanda Ward-Collins photographed an adult White Wagtail (ssp. leucopsis) yesterday morning (22/4) on the rocks around from (south of) Terrigal Haven / Point - roughly below the middle lookout. The bird was subsequently briefly seen this morning (23/4) at about 7:30am before it flew strongly (while vocalising) towards Terrigal CBD. Nearby playing fields, bowling greens and other likely locations were then inspected, but the bird has not been seen again. Cracking record and photos Amanda! (Moderator's Note: Cracking on both fronts indeed. This is the first NSW report since a bird was seen briefly at Newry Bar in Dec 2013 and before that the well-known, one-legged [ssp. lugens] bird that inhabited a car park at Glendale Shopping Centre for a week in April 1998. One report from Narran Lake in November 1997 was not accepted by BARC due to the observer not having dismissed Black-backed Wagtail [lugens] which was a separate species at the time and is considered a legitimate claim of White Wagtail (per NSW Atlas Vol 3). This report will be subject to a BARC submission, though hopefully the bird is re-found before that happens! MR).
		Amanda Ward-Collins, Andrew Robinson, Guy Dutson 23/4 #272468
		Roseate Tern Flat Rock (Ballina)
		Roseate Tern seen resting on Flat Rock this afternoon. (Moderator's Note: Roseate Tern is on the NSW ORAC Review List. MR)
		Steven McBride 22/4 #272464
Mon 21		Barking Owl Condobolin
		Was out this evening sitting around a fire at a BBQ and heard a Barking Owl calling from close by. Called for about five minutes and was heard again about an hour later. Bird was right in town not far from the high school.
		Warren Chad 21/4 #272462
		White-breasted Woodswallow Hornsby Hights.
		Seen 10+ White-breasted Woodswallows flying high traveling north over Hornsby Hights looked like they were on migration never seen them around Hornsby before.
		Michael Ronan 21/4 #272460
Sun 20		Spotted Harrier Mangrove Mountain
		Spotted Harrier observed flying low over paddocks on Ironbark Rd, Mangrove Mountain.
		Andrew Robinson and Guy Dutson 20/4 #272457
Sat 19		Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo Cremorne Point
		A lone YTBC flew over the Cremorne Point track yesterday morning, heading NE.
		Ted Nixon 20/4 #272458
Mon 14		Regent Honeyeater Pilliga Nature Reserve, Dandry Road near Pilliga Pottery
		Our good friend Julie Squire has located a Regent Honeyeater in Pilliga NR, along Dandry Road near Pilliga Pottery on the 130425. John and I were able to get out there early morning of the 140425 and also observed it and managed to get a few sketchy photos. The lone bird was seen feeding in an isolated flowering White Box on the edge of the Dandry Road only a few hundred metres from Pilliga Pottery. Julie originally spotted it the day before (130425) morning almost by accident, she was just checking to see if there was much White Box flowering going on, and her attention was drawn to a bird being hassled by some White-plumed Honeyeaters. Lots of budding in other white box trees, could be another good flowering event for 2025. The exact spot has yielded Swift Parrots in 2023, and Painted Honeyeaters (2024).
		Julie Squire, May and John Whittall 15/4 #272449
Sun 13		Brown Booby, Streaked Shearwater, Wilson's Storm-petrel (130+) Offshore--Port Stephens pelagic
		The highlights of today's Port Stephens pelagic were a female Brown Booby that was amongst a throng of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters at the start of our third drift in deep water. Numbers of Wilson's Stormies were another highlight with ~70 birds being the maximum count visible at the same time and an overall estimate of 130 birds minimum (including at least five birds feeding with Wedgies, Fleshies and at least two Streaked Shears <5 miles from the heads on the return leg). Brown Booby photo by Steph Owen.
		Mick Roderick and all aboard M.V. Reel Contagious 13/4 #272440
		Wilson's Storm-petrel Long Reef Aquatic Reserve
		There were four Wilson's Storm-petrels feeding in front of the Island off Long Reef this morning.
		Michael Ronan 13/4 #272439
Sat 12		Barn Owl Sydney Park
		Awesome to see. Found by other birders before 7am. The first Barn Owl record at SP since 2013 according to eBird. Species #113 for my Park list!
		Lorne Johnson 12/4 #272438
Fri 11		Beach Stone Curlew Broadwater National Park
		A single bird found. Very friendly and came up towards me and also following me around. No tag on the Bird. I got the feeling it is a young bird. It's the first Curlew I have spotted on this beach in 10 of visiting BNP.
		Angela Powell 11/4 #272435
Wed 9		Turquoise Parrot Helensburgh
		Immature male, based on the small amount of red shoulderpatch. At about 4pm I unexpectedly flushed this neophema parrot off the trail (-34.158385, 150.980514) as I rounded a bend, and it dissappeared from view in the thick trackside scrub. I quickly backtracked and waited. Thankfully, it eventually flew back onto the track to continue feeding, enabling the opportunity to get some record shots. Western end of the Cawleys Road Trail, access from the Princes Highway. eBird checklist
		Paul Lynch 10/4 #272431
Sun 6		Spotted Harrier Munmorah State Conservation Area
		Adult Spotted Harrier photographed adjacent the coast. Rare visitor to the Central Coast and several years since the last record from memory. Photo Jamie Cannon.
		Jamie Cannon (pers comm. Andrew Robinson) 10/4 #272434
		Spotted Harrier Sydney Airport
		A Spotted Harrier was initially located mid afternoon at the southern end of the main runway and later located mid-field (and visible from Shep's Mound, the plane spotting location under the new air traffic control tower). They are quite a rare record for Sydney Airport, being only the 3rd sighting I'm aware of in the past 26 years that I've been on the airfield. If past records are anything to go by, the bird may hang around for a few days.
		Nigel Coghlan 6/4 #272428
Fri 4		Pink-eared and Wandering Whistling Ducks, Little Friarbird, Shoveler Seales Road Swamp, Belmore River
		Heavy rains in March followed by rains from Tropical Cyclone Archie, and then more rain last week have filled these Belmore River wetlands, and there are hundreds of pairs of Black Swans feeding in these wetlands and seemingly getting ready to breed. Among all the waterfowl seen from two visits this week were 62 Australian Shovelers (a big number for the Mid North Coast), 5 Wandering Whistling Ducks & 2 Pink-ears. There is extensive flowering of Broad-leafed Paperbarks at the western end of the Swamps, where a group of 12 Little Friarbirds were found feeding in the flowers. Little Friarbirds have been very scarce on the Mid-north Coast in recent years. eBird checklist Further information
		Ed Loey & Alan Morris 5/4 #272426
		Topknot Pigeon Mason Park Wetland
		Five Topknot Pigeons flying over Mason Park Wetland this morning eBird checklist
		Gerard Duane 4/4 #272424
Thu 3		Bush Stone Curlew Magenta Shores
		A Bush Stone Curlew was photographed by David McManus on the golf course a few weeks back. A rare species in the former Wyong LGA. (Moderator's Note: A Bush Stone-curlew was first reported at Magenta in February and on 1/3/2025, there were two birds present. However there have been few sightings since so it is good to know that one bird is still present. AKM)
		David McManus pers comm. Andrew Robinson 15/4 #272448
		Litte Friarbird Ku-rin-gai Chase National Park, Chiltern Trail, Chiltern Road end.
		Sighted with several Noisy Friarbirds.
		Neil Fifer 4/4 #272425
		Blue-winged Parrot Private property, south of the Mid Western Hwy, Gunbar
		What appeared to be a mixed aged flock of 12 Blue-winged Parrots. The birds were feed on grasses before I startled them..
		Bruce Mullins 4/4 #272423
		Regent Honeyeater Hunter Wetlands Centre (Newcastle)
		An unbanded Regent Honeyeater was photographed by Ted Elks this morning at about 10:30am west of the egret tower and not far from the end of Mort Street. Follow-up searches this afternoon failed to find the bird. This is the first report of a Regent Honeyeater in Newcastle LGA since the mid 1980's. The whereabouts of any other Regents are not known at the time of writing. Photo by Ted Elks. eBird checklist
		Ted Elks per Mick Roderick 3/4 #272422