TWITTERINGS BRANCH OUTING LOCAL RESERVES. BirdLife Warranmbool Branch Newsletter AN INSTANCE OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM NORFOLK ISLAND 2018 LYNN BROWN

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1 TWITTERINGS BirdLife Warranmbool Branch Newsletter Volume 3 Number 10 June 2018 AN INSTANCE OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM NORFOLK ISLAND 2018 LYNN BROWN I was the only one from the Norfolk Island trip who missed getting a report to the editor for April s edition of Twitterings which highlighted our BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Expedition to Norfolk Island. This act of laziness however has a positive outcome, as my report is in relation to a very funny few moments that the group experienced, which subsequently becomes visually supported by a photo by Glenda Wilson shown on page 7 of that edition. So, open up the April edition and take another look at the photos of the Masked Boobies, especially the one on the very right, where you see the head and wings of one of them outside the fence on the edge of the cliff. (For those too lazy to look back, Glenda s photo is reproduced below. Editor) responses to animals, on went my I-phone video record button and the comments aligned with the bird s behaviour are hilarious. Firstly, as soon as our little tour bus stopped and we go out, the bird looked directly at us and madly flapped its wings, not taking its eyes off us. When we looked away to watch the other boobies nearby it flapped harder and harder, as if calling Look at me! to the visiting group. If it was practising for flight it was facing the wrong way. We guessed it was hanging on the side of the cliff and because it was so intent on showing us what it could do, it somehow lost the hang of maintaining its position and slipped sideways with a horizontal trajectory and we were recorded saying Uh, oh, oh, oh in distress as it passed out of view. But wait; flap, flap, flap, it was back up on the edge, with accompanying sighs of relief from the assembled observers, flapping those large ungainly wings again and looking at us with eyes in a face that only a booby can display. We had experienced a few moments of pure joy. BRANCH OUTING LOCAL RESERVES Saturday 7 April 2018 LYNN BROWN While a small crew of seven, including Cheryl from Colac, who found us from our web page, met at Flagstaff Hill to begin our day s birdwatching in some of Warrnambool s local reserves, our numbers attending this autumn outing were up on last year, perhaps due to the delightfully sunny day. This particular bird was likely a fledgling, which is a realistic explanation for the behaviour we observed, but as many of us succumb to anthropomorphic Our first stop for the day was Marrakai Wetlands, where the water level was relatively high. This probably accounted for the drop in numbers of species sighted when compared to the astonishing twentyeight different birds we observed here at the same

2 BRANCH OUTING LOCAL RESERVES Chestnut Teal time last year when water levels were down and muddy edges were exposed. As we did last year we then headed out to the Francis Tozer Reserve, which is located a few kilometres further along Wangoom Road. This reserve has no permanent water source and as was the case last year, relatively few species were sighted here. Making the most of the beautiful weather, we had lunch in the Warrnambool Botanical Gardens. Although beautifully managed, the gardens contain more exotic vegetation than native plants and as a lunch-time distraction, a prize was offered to anyone who located a bird other than feral domestic ducks, Australian Magpies or any of the other common species seen regularly in the gardens. Jock was the eagle-eyed winner, spotting a Whistling Kite flying overhead. BIRDLIST BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Outing Saturday 7 April 2018 WARRNAMBOOL RESERVES Black Swan, Pink-eared Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Chestnut Teal, Australasian Grebe, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Great Egret, White-faced Heron, Australian Pelican, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Brown Goshawk, Whistling Kite Australasian Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Masked Lapwing, Wood Sandpiper, Silver Gull, Kelp Gull, Nankeen Kestrel, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Long-billed Corella, Crimson Rosella, Superb Fairywren, Red Wattlebird, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Thornbill, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Australian Magpie, Australian Golden Whistler, Grey Shrikethrush, Willie Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Little Raven, Welcome Swallow, Australian Reed Warbler, Little Grassbird, Golden-headed Cisticola, Silvereye, Common Blackbird, House Sparrow (44 species) BRANCH OUTING PORTLAND Whistling Kite To finish off our day we visited Lake Pertobe and were pleased to find a good number of water birds, including the single Wood Sandpiper which had been there for a few weeks. While only a small group attended, our day proved rewarding from both the birding and social aspects. Saturday 5 May 2018 RHONDA BARRAND The weather cleared somewhat after a very wet Friday and fifteen members willing to run the gauntlet of occasional heavy showers arrived at the Portland Visitor Information Centre to start our outing. Our birdlist grew as we waited for everyone to roll up; Musk Duck and Hoary-headed Grebe were bobbing around in the harbour, a Pacific Gull joined the numerous Silver Gulls on the foreshore and a Brown Goshawk flashed across the car park twice; those who spotted it were alerted each time by the alarm calls of New Holland Honeyeaters. After collecting a key to the Australasian Gannet colony gate which had been left at the Visitor Centre, we headed out to Point Danger to view the birds at close quarters. There is a camera permanently mounted at the colony with a live feed to the Visitor Centre but the picture was rather fuzzy in the morning and Peter was asked to clean the camera lens. He 2 Twitterings June 2018

3 BRANCH OUTING - PORTLAND reported that the picture was crystal clear when he returned the key later in the day. Breeding season was almost over, only two young birds were yet to fledge, but with eighty to one hundred birds still in residence or taking a break from the weather, there was plenty of action for all to see, especially the photographers among our group, some of whom would have been happy to have been locked in with the Australasian Gannets for the day. Australasian Gannet colony, Point Danger, Portland From the gannet colony we headed to Thistle Road and the Portland Aluminium heathlands in search of the elusive Southern Emu-wren. We were very fortunate; just as we set off a torrential downpour arrived so we retreated to the vehicles until it passed over. The wind however did not abate and the Southern Emu-wrens kept themselves well hidden but some of our group were lucky to spot an Australasian Bittern on one of the wetlands. We then headed back to Nuns Beach and had lunch in the picnic shelter there. With the sounds of the sea, a good view of the ocean and lots of chat about our travels and places we had been since our last outing, it was a very pleasant break indeed. Lunch over, we moved on to Fawthrop Lagoon. Water levels were high and it was still very windy so small birds were conspicuously absent but we did add Australian Pelican and Royal Spoonbill to the birdlist before heading back to the Portland Aluminium wetlands where, as well as a number of waterbirds, we also observed Black-fronted Dotterels. Our tally at bird call was forty-nine species and at this point we decided that it was time for a coffee before heading for home, so it was back to town for more stories around the table. We hadn t finished birding either and we added Rainbow Lorikeet when a small flock flew past the coffee shop, taking our list to fifty species for the day. Portland Aluminium wetlands BIRDLIST BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Outing Saturday 5 May 2018 PORTLAND Black Swan, Maned Duck, Mallard, Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Musk Duck, Hoary-headed Grebe, Australian White Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Australasian Bittern, Great Egret, White-faced Heron, Australian Pelican, Australasian Gannet, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Brown Goshawk, Swamp Harrier, Australasian Swamphen, Eurasian Coot, Masked Lapwing, Black-fronted Dotterel Silver Gull, Pacific Gull, Greater Crested Tern, Rock Dove, Brush Bronzewing, Nankeen Kestrel, Galah Rainbow Lorikeet, White-throated Treecreeper, Superb Fairywren, New Holland Honeyeater, White-fronted Chat, Little Wattlebird, Red Wattlebird, Singing Honeyeater, Australian Magpie, Willie Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Magpie-lark, Little Raven, Eastern Yellow Robin, Welcome Swallow, Little Grassbird, Silvereye, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Red-browed Finch (50 species) Australasian Gannets Twitterings June

4 BRANCH OUTING TOWER HILL STATE GAME RESERVE Crake and a variety of ducks. The reflections off the water were amazing and kept the photographers busy capturing the beauty of the moment. Chris and Wally joined us as we wandered back along the track where a flock of Silvereyes proved to be very hard to identify on the mudflats because the brilliant sunshine dazzled the observers. Werner s excellent hearing picked up a low coo along the track, but identification was uncertain. Saturday 2 June 2018 JUDY BALLARD The weather for our June outing to Tower Hill was magical; the winter sun was bright and the air was still and fresh. A very mild breeze sprang up later in the morning to just ruffle the surface of the lakes. Ten of us met at the carpark off the highway where Black Swans and Long-billed Corellas were the first sightings for the day. We welcomed a newcomer, Denise, who had been told about our group by Emmy. Denise is a keen bird photographer who acquired a love of birds from her time farming in the local area. As we wound our way down into the volcano, Heather spotted an Australian Shelduck perched above us on a cliff, seemingly casting a commanding eye over the whole reserve. Our first stop was at the very first track going off to the left along the entrance road. This was a different path to the one we d walked on previous outings and took us out to a point where we had a clear view of the biggest expanse of the Tower Hill Lake. We saw a good number of both bush and water birds along this track. A raptor soaring above generated quite a bit of speculation. Jock suggested it might be a Brown Goshawk, which proved to be correct after examination of Graham s photo. Emu On returning to our vehicles we drove down to the main picnic area and enjoyed lunch with each other, a variety of bush birds, a koala and the very bold resident Emus. After lunch Heather gave us free time and we had an enjoyable wander around the picnic area before reassembling at the start of the Lava Tongue Boardwalk. Pied Stilt A wallaby and a very large kangaroo were seen in this area, as well as Pied Stilt, Eurasian Coot, Australian Brown Thornbill 4 Twitterings June 2018

5 BRANCH OUTING TOWER HILL The stroll along this 1.6 km walking track was very pleasant and took us through high reeds and the forest on Fairy Island. Here we were able to add Australian Golden Whistler and Swamp Harrier to our birdlist. Some of us also played an enjoyable game of Where s Wally?, and Werner?. A highlight occurred at the end of the boardwalk when Jim pointed to movement in the undergrowth on the other side of the road. It was a Buff-banded Rail, dashing from bush to bush with its head held low in an effort to hide. It was fast, but we were close and had excellent views of this secretive bird. Another interesting sighting was of a flock of Rednecked Avocet on our way out at the end of the day. What looked like a flock of Silver Gulls without the aid of the scope, turned out to be the much more handsome and very elegant Red-necked Avocets. Many thanks go to Heather and Graeme for organising such an interesting day and providing the perfect weather for a winter bird outing. Superb Fairywren BIRDLIST BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Outing Saturday 5 May 2018 TOWER HILL STATE GAME RESERVE Emu, Black Swan, Australian Shelduck, Pacific Black Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Hoary-headed Grebe, Straw-necked Ibis, White-necked Heron, Brown Goshawk, Swamp Harrier, Buff-banded Rail, Australian Crake, Australasian Swamphen, Eurasian Coot, Pied Stilt, Red-necked Avocet, Masked Lapwing, Long-billed Corella, Crimson Rosella, Superb Fairywren, Eastern Spinebill, New Holland Honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Singing Honeyeater, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Thornbill, Striated Thornbill, Australian Magpie, Australian Golden Whistler, Willie Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Magpie-lark, Little Raven, Welcome Swallow, Silvereye, Common Blackbird, Red-browed Finch (40 species) TWITCHING? WHO, ME? Friday 13 April 2018 Lynn Brown I have not, as yet, seen a Rose Robin, so when BirdLife Hamilton members reported seeing them during their outing to Cobboboonee National Park near Portland just a week earlier, I asked via our Warrnambool Google Group for volunteers to come and help look for them. Six of us headed to the walk from the Surrey Ridge Picnic Area where the Rose Robins had been seen. I had done a little homework, noting that these little robins are the most acrobatic of the red robin genus with a darting, tumbling flight, and forage higher up in the tree canopy. I scanned the tree tops in hope, but without luck; only a week had passed but there was no sign of the birds. We moved on to the Jackass Fern Gully Picnic and Camping Area. We were driving through the forest and had pulled up at an intersection to check our map when I looked at my steering wheel and crawling towards my hands was a huge leech. I couldn t find where it had eaten me and wondered how it got there. It s a weird world, as when Rhonda arrived home she found that her leg had been attacked by a leech. Funny thing is she had been nowhere near my car! But back to the robins; we searched Jackass Fern Gully, stopped for lunch and still no luck; not a Rose Robin to be found. Peter said that they had probably gone north; winter was its way and despite the mild weather we had been having, it was likely that the robins had commenced their northward migration. Always wanting to fill gaps in my knowledge bank, I had just read about animals and their ability to sense electromagnetic fields and changes in them and I wondered if the wild weather forecast for the following day had somehow been sensed in advance by the robins, initiating their migration. A long bow maybe? Twitterings June

6 INTERESTING SIGHTINGS GRAHAM & HELEN DIXON 23 March 2018 A single Wood Sandpiper observed at Lake Pertobe, Warrnambool along with Royal Spoonbill, Great Egret and Pink-eared Duck. 9 April 2018 An Australian Pied Cormorant observed with nesting Black-faced Cormorants at the Merri River mouth. JIM & PAULINE HANRAHAN 10 APRIL 2018 Ten Rainbow Lorikeets observed feeding in their apple tree. Also a Grey Shrikethrush; a first for their garden. WERNER SINCLAIR & KARIEN JORDAAN 1 May 2018 An immature Nankeen Night Heron observed under the road bridge on the Merri River, Harris Street, Warrnambool. PATRICIA SCOTT 23 May 2018 An Australasian Darter observed and photographed at Cobden. Australian Pied Cormorant & Black-faced Cormorants CHARLES HEATHCOTE 9 April 2018 Charles captured a Brown Goshawk eating a bird in his back yard on webcam. He has been blaming cats for the feathers scattered about the yard but now knows the true identity of the culprit. Australasian Darter IAN & JUDY BARRAND Photo Patricia Scott 27 May 2018 A Buff-banded Rail found deceased after flying into house window, Racecourse Road, Terang. Buff-banded Rail Photo Judy Barrand Brown Goshawk Photo Charles Heathcote WALLY & CHRIS BARBER 10 June 2018 Six Pied Stilt, a Black-shouldered Kite, Golden-headed Cisticola and Striated Fieldwren observed in Merri river wetlands between Landmann and Wellington Streets, Warrnambool. 6 Twitterings June 2018

7 TRIVIA MARCH S ANSWER Known colloquially as the Barkbird, I am the largest member of my genus. What bird am I and what is my range in Australia? I am the Strong-billed Honeyeater, restricted in range to Tasmania, King Island and the Furneaux Group in Bass Strait. BIRDLIFE WARRNAMBOOL 2018 BRANCH OUTINGS Saturday 7 July 2018 TIMBOON Meet at Timboon Railway Shed Distillery at am Leader: Judy Ballard or We will have lunch at the Timboon Hotel Please advise leader if you are attending. Thursday 26 July 2018 GREEN LINE SURVEY Meet at public toilets / picnic area Penshurst-Warrnambool Road, Hawkesdale 9.00 am Organiser: Peter Barrand Saturday 4 August 2018 DUNKELD Meet outside Visitor Information Centre at am Leaders: Graham & Helen Dixon Saturday 1 September 2018 PORT CAMPBELL NATIONAL PARK Meet at amenities block Irvine Street, Peterborough at am Leaders: Graeme & Heather Saunders Friday 28 September Monday 1 October 2018 CROSS BORDER CAMPOUT Organisers: BirdLife Nhill Branch Event will be held at Little Desert Nature Lodge 1457 Nhill-Harrow Rd, Little Desert VIC 3418 Phone: Information and registration details have been sent out If you have any questions please contact the Cross Border Campout Coordinator: Cindy McDonald (6 Webb Street Kaniva Vic 3419) Phone: cindymcd@live.com.au Saturday 6 October 2018 LAKE CONDAH Meet at Heywood Post Office at am Leaders: Peter & Rhonda Barrand Saturday 3 Sunday 4 November 2018 WESTERN TREATMENT PLANT & YOU YANGS REGIONAL PARK For those people who are attending this weekend excursion and wish to stay as a group, arrangements have been made with Discovery Parks BIG4 Geelong. When booking please advise that you are part of the BirdLife Warrnambool Group to receive a discount. Discovery Parks BIG4 Geelong 59 Barrabool Road, Belmont, Geelong 3216 Phone: (03) geelong@discoveryparks.com.au Website: As this is the weekend before the Melbourne Cup, which many people get as a 4-day weekend, it would be advisable to book early. Please advise leaders if you are attending, as Melbourne Water need to know numbers. Contact leaders by phone or by gsau6485@bigpond.net.au Leaders: Graeme & Heather Saunders Thursday 8 November 2018 GREEN LINE SURVEY Meet at public toilets / picnic area Penshurst-Warrnambool Road, Hawkesdale 9.00 am Organiser: Peter Barrand Tuesday 20 November - Tuesday 4 December 2018 BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Expedition CHRISTMAS & COCOS KEELING ISLANDS (FULLY BOOKED) Organisers: Peter & Rhonda Barrand Thursday 6 December 2018 CHALLENGE BIRD COUNT & XMAS BBQ Meet at Lake Pertobe, Warrnambool at pm (Bird count over any 24 hours from 1 December) Organisers: Peter & Rhonda Barrand Twitterings June

8 TRIVIA JUNE S QUESTION I am one of 21 currently accepted subspecies of a species that extends from China through south-eastern Asia to the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Australia and am Australia s only representative of a family of birds comprising 144 species in 16 genera. I am found in tropical coastal lowlands from Cape York south to about Gladstone on the east coast. LYNN BROWN I am? PICKING UP RUBBISH Victoria Park is a gem right in the middle of Warrnambool; about thirty-five acres, mostly grass with some small plantation areas, it generally gets ignored by Council except for mowing the grass. There are long term plans to get additional planting happening to encourage more birds in the pipeline and for a start I have had help from other BirdLife Warrnambool members to assist with baseline bird surveys, some input and advice from Dr Kerryn Herman from National Office during a visit to the site and more recently, support from Warrnambool Coastcare-Landcare Group with the aim of applying for funding from a community grant to draw up a master plan for the park. One of the annoying problems for the park is the flyaway rubbish from the Statewide Recycling Services Pty Ltd depot across the road. Previous discussions with council about the problem have not always been fruitful in dealing with the matter, so I wrote directly to Statewide advising of the rubbish caught in plantations and offered to pick it up for a donation of $300 to BirdLife. Statewide replied immediately, stating that while not only would they remove the rubbish and would be happy for me to assist, they would also make a $300 donation to BirdLife. Voila! INTERESTING SIGHTING TWITCHING? YES, ME! PETER BARRAND Late on Sunday 27 May, I received a phone call from a Port Fairy resident who reported that he had seen six Australian Bustards along the Hamilton-Port Fairy Road earlier in the day. I quizzed him on his identification and he advised that he had previously seen Australian Bustards at Serendip Sanctuary at Lara and in the wild in south central Queensland. Early Monday morning Rhonda and I were on the road to check out the report and we arrived in the area soon after dawn. After driving slowly towards Port Fairy scanning the paddocks on both sides of the road and not locating anything of interest, we turned around and headed back towards Hamilton, still checking the roadside paddocks as we drove north. As we reached the area where the birds were seen on Sunday, I spotted the silhouette of a bird standing with its neck outstretched and bill pointing skywards in the long grass at the top of a rise. The light wasn t great and maybe, just maybe, it was the head and neck of an Australian Bustard poking out of the grass. Out came the telescope and the close-up view revealed the head and neck of not an Australian Bustard but that of a White-necked Heron. We continued to scan the area and eventually located a total of five White-necked Herons in the long dry grass. It seemed that these were the Bustards seen the previous day which had been misidentified and while we didn t get to twitch a rare vagrant to our corner of the state, it was good to confirm the true identity of the birds. We need to encourage the reporting of unusual sightings and be prepared to assist in confirming or correcting identifications. WALLY & CHRIS BARBER 26 June A male Eastern Spinebill visited our birdbath in the native garden just outside our kitchen window. (Wally & Chris live near Lyndoch in Warrnambool) White-necked Heron Photo Patricia Scott 8 Twitterings June 2018

9 A GLIMPSE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA BIRDS RAY SCHULZ On our first morning in Papua New Guinea I woke early to listen to a new dawn chorus. I waited, but unfortunately the choristers had a day off; perhaps after a heavy night? Of the few that did turn up, only one or two ventured a brief solo, one a Willie Wagtail. On the following mornings I also listened but always there were only a few choristers greeting the new day. The locals for most of the time are enforced vegetarians, hence the desire for protein, which includes birds. At the local market two chicken-sized fluffy raptor chicks were for sale; buy now, fatten up and eat later. Hanna had borrowed a book, Birds of the Aiyura Valley (1981), put out by the Aiyura Valley Bird Society, with sketches of birds. This was most helpful as not only did it restrict the possibilities of PNG birds for this area, but also illustrated some species only described in Birds of New Guinea (Coates/Peckover). She also found a keen birder, Bennie, who with his sharp eye and powerful camera was able to detect and sometimes take several shots of birds before I found them. Ornate Honeyeater Photo by Bennie We were in Ukarumpa, the Bible translators (SIL) headquarters, to visit our linguist daughter, Hanna. This guarded community of about seven hundred people is in the Aiyura Valley, at about 5000 feet, with an annual rainfall of 2000 mm. Habitat was excellent; sited next to a tree lined river, with small patches of forest, large areas of grassland containing the people s gardens, while the village itself was planted with both native and introduced trees and bushes, yet there were relatively few birds. Papuan Harrier Photo by Bennie The most common birds I saw (using Birds of New Guinea names and in order of sighting) were: Willie Wagtail, Sacred Kingfisher, Pacific Swallow, Black Kite, Grey Shrike-thrush, Yellow-breasted Bowerbird, Rainbow Lorikeet, Papuan Harrier, Black-capped Shrike, Ornate Honeyeater, Helmeted Friarbird, New Guinea White-eye, Hooded Mannikin, House Sparrow, Scrub White-eared Honeyeater, Singing Starling, Pied Chat (female), White-throated Needletail, Variable Goshawk, Brahminy Kite, Black-headed Whistler, Glossy Swiftlet and Black-shouldered Kite. Note that there are no water birds on the list, although I did hear a raucous squawk from a heavily vegetated swamp. Comments on some the birds I recorded: Sacred Kingfisher: Common here at this time of year. Does it come specifically to this community for a Silent Retreat? I didn t hear them call. Grey Shrike-thrush: This bird had many calls in additional to those I d previously heard. On one occasion about six birds put on a Pipes and Whistles performance that even impressed non-birders. Rainbow Lorikeet: Lacking scientific data I was drawn into the species-subspecies controversy. It seemed smaller, had different colour shadings, colour Twitterings June

10 A GLIMPSE OF PNG BIRDS arrangement was slightly different and seemed to call at a higher pitch than our birds. The Latin name Trichoglossus moluccanus micropteryx (small wing) suggests the possibility of a different species. (Ray is on the ball; New Guinea birds are now the Coconut Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus. Ed.) I thought I heard a Shining Bronze Cuckoo (likely, as they winter in New Guinea) and am still trying to identify an Imperial Pigeon of some sort. A birdwatching trip to Papua New Guinea would need careful planning. SOME GOOD NEWS Great news for the endangered population of Redtailed Black Cockatoos in western Victoria: The Glenelg Shire, a stronghold of the species in the state s south west, recently approved an amendment to its local planning laws. Though it just sounds like bureaucratic procedure, it s a big deal for the cockies, and it s on the ground where it will make a real difference. This amendment will greatly improve protection of trees in critical Red-tail feeding and nesting habitat across the entire range of the subspecies within the Shire. Coconut Lorikeet Photo by Bennie Helmeted Friarbird: Locals claimed this was a more recent arrival in the valley, now common, but not listed in Scrub White-eared Honeyeater: Only Bennie s photo made identification of this honeyeater, so similar to others, possible. Singing Starling: From what I heard, this bird needs singing lessons to expand its repertoire; its Latin name Aplonis cantoroides (song family) surely demands it. Pied Chat: I saw only females, which are mostly dark brown. Variable Goshawk: (A relative of our Grey Goshawk) Again there is an issue of species or subspecies. It looked more like a Christmas Island Goshawk or Chinese Sparrowhawk, but I didn t see white on the throat. The retention of both live and dead trees with hollows has now been prioritised, as has the protection of Brown Stringybark and Desert Stringybark trees within the bird s known feeding areas. Numbers of Red-tails has declined dramatically in the past on the back of widespread clearance of its habitat, made all the worse by its quite specific habitat requirements. Any move to conserve these vital natural resources is a great development for the cockies. It s hoped that other shires will follow suit. The result is a just reward for the tireless efforts of the South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Recovery Team, BirdLife Australia and Environmental Justice Australia, as well as the many people who selflessly volunteer their time to monitor the birds. 10 Twitterings June 2018