Eremaea Birdlines
Interesting and unusual bird observations
Birdline New South Wales

Birdline NSW is a site for the reporting of rare or unusual birds outside their normal range, unusually high or low numbers, early or late arrivals or departures for migrant species and interesting behaviour or unusual habitat usage. We may also consider publishing unusually-plumaged birds (e.g. albinistic/leucistic/melanistic) if they are considered interesting or are uncommonly seen.

Birdline New South Wales is supported by Birding NSW, Birdlife Southern NSW and Cumberland Bird Observers Club and moderated by Alan Morris, Liam Murphy, Mick Roderick and Simon Blanchflower.

We support ethical birding .

28/11/2021

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.

Recent Sightings

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Reports published in the past 30 hours.

highlightHighlightmegamegaMega
April 2025
Mon 28highlightMasked 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 26Crescent 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 24Singing 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 23Spotted 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
highlightFlame 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 22highlightEastern 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
megamegaWhite 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
highlightRoseate 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 21Barking 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 20Spotted Harrier
Mangrove Mountain
Spotted Harrier observed flying low over paddocks on Ironbark Rd, Mangrove Mountain.
Andrew Robinson and Guy Dutson 20/4 #272457
Sat 19Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
Cremorne Point
A lone YTBC flew over the Cremorne Point track yesterday morning, heading NE.
Ted Nixon 20/4 #272458
Mon 14highlightRegent 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 13Brown 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 12Barn 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 11Beach 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 9Turquoise 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 6Spotted 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 4Pink-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 3Bush 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
highlightRegent 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
Tue 1Black-necked Stork
Lismore airport
Pair overflying the airport. Also observed several Common Mynas perching on the back of grazing cattle nearby (also cattle egrets) - don’t know if this is a known behaviour (Moderator's Note: Yes it is a known behavior for both species! AKM).
Ian Colvin 3/4 #272421
highlightWandering Albatross (likely juvenile)
Sydney Harbour National Park North Head,Manly
Highlight of a seawatch this afternoon was a likely juvenile Wandering Albatross; brown all over except for white underwings and a white face. Also there were 3 Black-browed Albatross; 2 juveniles and 1 adult.
Michael Ronan 1/4 #272419
Pacific Emerald Dove
Irrawong Reserve, Warriewood, Sydney
Seen walking along the track near the Waterfall. According to eBird the last record at this location was in 2017. Very skittish so only a dodgy phone shot attached.
Paul Johnstone 1/4 #272418
Report
Outside normal range
Early arrival; late departure
Interesting behaviour
Threatened
Hard to see
Unusual habitat
Uncommon in area
Highlight
Rare
Endangered
Vagrant
Irruption
Unusual numbers
Mega
Rare vagrant
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