| Sun 4 | | Baillon’s Crakes, Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoos
Bushel’s Lagoon |
| At least four cuckoos - suspect some were immature Horsefield’s but they did have me wondering whether they might be Black-eared for a moment. Once I get to my photos, if I confirm Black-eared I’ll update my eBird list. Three Baillon’s Crakes seen. All of these birds were in the circular pond at the end of the flooded ditch that runs away from the causeway on the left side of the path as you walk out - just before Farm 4 and the shed/gate. If you approach quietly and sit patiently, the cuckoos soon come back, and the crakes walk through and under the reeds. eBird checklist |
| Chris Rehberg - Sydney Birding 4/1 #272924 |
| | Aus Spotted Crake, Spotless Crake, Baillon’s Crake, Buff-banded Rail, Common Greenshank
Pitt Town Lagoon |
| Multiples of Spotted, Spotless and Rail, plus one each of Baillon’s and Greenshank - all on southern end of lagoon. Accessed via Lagoon Rd (not Church St) - birders are reminded to walk down hill beside fence (which is public access) and not across the field behind the house (which is private). You can then walk along the shore before the reeds. All these birds on southern shore - basically turn left, walk along dried mud and scan the base of the reeds where they’re close to water. Glossy Ibis reported here a week ago was not re-found. eBird checklist |
| Chris Rehberg - Sydney Birding 4/1 #272923 |
| Sat 3 | | Scarlet Robin
Londonderry Woodlands, Penrith LGA |
|
| An adult pair (1 M, 1 F) heard and seen in a patch of Castlereagh Scribbly Gum Woodland. Though not rare in the Cumberland county (Sydney) in the winter months, summer records are quite scarce as per Ebird. |
| Veeraj Sharma and Jarred Bof 3/1 #272921 |
| | Hardhead
Greenwich |
| Not very exciting, but the first Hardhead I've encountered anywhere along the [north] harbour shore in these parts since birding here in 1975.
One female, preening on the mudflats at the mouth of Gore Creek.
Other species of ducks have been absent from here in recent times, presumably because of good conditions inland and/or elsewhere. |
| Ted Nixon 3/1 #272920 |
| Fri 2 | | Gang Gang
Bowral, NSW |
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| Pair Gang Gangs (M&F) feeding in hedge. Corner of Ascot Rd & Sheffield Rd Bowral. eBird checklist |
| Neil Cox 3/1 #272919 |
| Thu 1 | | Latham’s Snipes, Red-kneed Dotterels, Black-fronted Dotterels
Narrabri Lake |
| Note: 6x Latham’s Snipes seen feeding were actually on 31 Dec, with 8x Red-kneed and 12x Black-fronted Dotterels seen feeding in same spot on 1 Jan. Southwest corner of lake - best seen from Pirate Park Playground, and looking off to the right into the flooded reed beds. eBird checklist |
| Chris Rehberg - Sydney Birding with Peter Stevens 4/1 #272925 |
| | Red Knot, Tawny Grassbird
Long Reef Aquatic Reserve |
| Red Knot feeding on the edge of the sandspit with the smaller waders a bit after low tide (approx 2:30pm) but was flushed to the far end by some non-birders and did not come back to the sandspit. Tawny Grassbird was first heard singing and then seen skulking in scruffy shrubs just up the hill from the access track before it starts climbing eBird checklist |
| Tom Wilson 1/1 #272916 |
| Wed 31 | | Magpie Goose, Cattle Egret, Australian White Ibis, Royal Spoonbill
Wetland along Big River Way, Clarenza |
|
| 10+ Geese loafing at the wetland today, small number seen on 30 December. Had not been present since October 30 when 5+ were present. Large numbers presumably still nesting at Coldstream Wetlands. 50+ active Cattle Egret nests a number with small to medium sized nestlings. 50-100 White Ibis and small number of Royal Spoonbills roosting in trees. |
| Greg Clancy 31/12 #272915 |
| Sun 28 |  | Great Knot
Lake Wollumboola east |
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| Single Great Knot amongst flock of 50 Red Knot feeding on east side of the lake. The whole flock came within 10 metres of me with a number giving low contact calls - very confiding & a real privilege to be so close to a species normally seen at much greater distances.
Also present - 78 Bar-tailed Godwit, c.5 Eastern Curlew, 3 Turnstone, 1 Red-necked Stint, c.165 Little Tern, 7 Caspian Tern (& 9 Whiskered Tern on 23/12), 3525 Black Swan and a pair of fishing Sea Eagles |
| michael ellison 29/12 #272914 |
| | Gang-gang Cockatoo
Buxton Rd Buxton. |
| Eight birds seen flying at the side of a private property. No records in the recent two years even though the species is bred on the property and calls can attract wild birds. Long-term records at this site can be found in eBird. eBird checklist |
| Ian Bailey 28/12 #272912 |
| Sat 27 | | Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus calidus
The Weir Rd Teralba |
| Weir Rd, Teralba, (Lake Macquarie). Was out looking at the birds in this known area. Took photos of what I assumed was a Peregrine Falcon (Australian species). One of my birding friends raised the issue when looking at my photo that it could be a different sub species. I put my photo on ABID and they confirmed Falco peregrinus calidus, The clear head markings were the distinctive difference. eBird checklist |
| Yvonne van Netten 28/12 #272913 |
| | Glossy Ibis
Pitt Town Lagooon |
|
| We were delighted to spot a Glossy Ibis at Pitt Town Lagoon this morning. It moved around several times from one end of the lagoon to the other. Water level quite low with lots of dead carp and exposed mud. Bird hide windows mostly obscured by vegetation. eBird checklist |
| Jenny & Rod Stiles 27/12 #272910 |
| Wed 24 | | Glossy Ibis
Blaikie Road Swamp, Penrith |
| Small ibis, glossy brown, bronze and green. Long down curved bill. Feeding on mud patch with swamphen. Smaller than white ibis. Watched for 5 minutes. No camera ... aargh@ Went home to get camera and it was gone. eBird checklist |
| Martin Snowball 24/12 #272909 |
| Fri 19 | | Freckled Duck
Dangars Lagoon, Uralla |
| Three Freckled Duck, visible from bird hide at the Lagoon this morning. |
| John Grant 19/12 #272907 |
| Tue 16 | | Pale-vented bush hen
Federal |
| Single bird calling 8.30 pm from dam on private block opposite the tennis courts |
| Ian Colvin 17/12 #272905 |
| | Blue-faced Honeyeater
Kissing Point Road, Dundas, West of the light rail underpass |
| Bumped against the window of our house, then sat in the frangipani for a while and looked at us while we looked at him. We'd never seen a bird like that before and looked it up, and it's not usually sighted in Sydney. Sorry, didn't get a photo. |
| Kylie Duke 16/12 #272903 |
| Mon 15 | | Gang-gang cockatoo
Braeside track, Blackheath |
| The largest flock I have seen in Blackheath in the past 12 years of 25+ birds, including a high proportion of juveniles |
| Mark Hocking 15/12 #272900 |
| Sat 13 | | Superb Lyrebird
Elgin Street, Gordon - east end |
| Startled a lyrebird while walking the dog along the east end of Elgin Street - it was on the northside where the land drops away and the bush comes up to the road. It flew up onto a branch which afforded a good view. eBird checklist |
| Anna Gillespie 13/12 #272899 |