Birds South East. Another successful Bangham Bird Monitoring weekend. Contents: Number 78 December 2016

Transcription

1 Number 78 December 2016 Another successful Bangham Bird Monitoring weekend The Bangham bird surveys have just been completed for the third year in a row and the weather was certainly a bit different this year. Last year we sweltered in 35 degree heat, whereas this year, we needed rubber boots to access some sites. I m told that Bryan and Jeff even went barefoot and waded through one of their sites. We surveyed 30 transects using the 2ha 20 minute methodology, which were all repeated three times so that s a whopping 90 individual surveys. White-fronted Honeyeater Dennis Kuhlmann A notable highlight for Bob was enjoying a peaceful cuppa after a long morning of surveying when a small flock of Red-tails flew directly overhead. We also enjoyed being entertained around the campsite by Purple-crowned lorikeets and Blackchinned Honeyeaters. A similar number of species were recorded as previous years (around 90 species), although this year there were some waterbirds around too. Preliminary results suggest that robin sightings were down a bit this year. This could be due to the drought of the last couple of years. White-browed and Masked Woodswallows were also noticeably absent - there must be better food elsewhere in Australia this year! Contents: Once again, we saw a great mix of birds. Highlights of the weekend included: Hooded Robin, Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Brown Treecreeper, White-fronted Honeyeater, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Sacred Kingfisher, Dusky Woodswallow and Restless Flycatcher. 1. Another successful Bangham Bird Monitoring weekend 2. Bush canaries in the SE 3. Thankyou Maureen 4. Shorebird Notes 5. Contacts

2 We recorded all eight species of parrot likely to be found in the area (Crimson Rosella, Eastern Rosella, Ringneck Parrot, Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet, Rainbow Lorikeet, Bluewinged Parrot and Red-rumped Parrot). The SA Blue Gums were still flowering and many of the lorikeets were feeding on the blossoms. On the Saturday night everyone enjoyed a BBQ dinner as a thank you for their hard work. A big thank you to Bryan, Bob, Angela and Jeff Davies who volunteered their time and have been at all three surveys so far. Without the support of Birdlife SE SA these surveys wouldn t happen. Cassie Hlava Eaglehawk list for the 4 7 November 2016 Wedge-tailed Eagle Welcome Swallow Black-chinned Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Brown Treecreeper New-Holland Honeyeater Restless Flycatcher Yellow-faced Honeyeater White-browed Babbler White-eared Honeyeater South-Eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Grey Shrike Thrush Red Wattlebird Australian Owlet-nightjar Red-rumped Parrot Southern Boobook White-throated Gerygone Australian Raven Willie Wagtail Little Raven Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Jacky Winter Purple-crowned Lorikeet Australian Magpie Musk Lorikeet Galah Wood Duck White winged Chough Crimson Rosella Laughing Kookaburra Eastern Rosella Striated Pardalote Rainbow Lorikeet White-throated Treecreeper Brown Thornbill Sacred Kingfisher Buff-rumped Thornbill Crested Pigeon Superb Fairy-wren Rufous Whistler Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Grey Fantail Dusky Woodswallow White-faced Heron 2 Birds South East White-throated Gerygone Luke Leddy

3 Bush canaries in the South East Whilst I was wandering around Eaglehawk Waterhole in November I heard an incredibly beautiful musical call that sounded vaguely familiar. I wracked my brains trying to think of what it could be and suddenly thought; perhaps it might be a White-throated Gerygone (see photo above). I listened to the call on my phone and sure enough - it was a match! It took me over 30 minutes to get a look at the tiny yellow and white bird, which flitted from tree to tree and was an expert at hiding amongst the leaves high up in the canopy. My patience was eventually rewarded and the Gerygone landed out in the open on a dead branch. A few weeks later, Luke Leddy photographed a White-throated Gerygone at Padthaway CP I wonder if it s the same bird. White-throated Gerygones are known colloquially as bush canary and if you ve ever heard their call you ll certainly know why. So if you hear a long descending musical call make sure you investigate. Cassie Hlava Thankyou Maureen Maureen Christie retired from the BirdLife South East committee in June this year, and also ended her Wader Notes for the BirdLife Newsletter. Maureen started a modest form of Wader Notes in the second edition of the local newsletter put out in February She reported on a catch of waders on February 2002 and a proposed Victorian Wader Study Group visit to the South East Coast later in the year. Since then Maureen has missed only one newsletter with the much expanded Wader Notes, nearly 15 years of field work and writing up. Her regular outings to catch and band waders on our local shores, and extended visits to work at the Broome Bird Observatory have equipped Maureen with an exhaustive knowledge of local waders and migratory species who visit each year. Many of us have enjoyed her enthusiasm, energy and knowledge. In recognition, Maureen was a 2007 Grant District Council Australia Day Award nominee. In 2014 she was awarded a Premier s Certificate of Recognition for outstanding volunteer service. In 2016 she was a finalist in the Conservation Council of South Australia Jill Hudson Award for Environmental Protection. Her role as Wader Notes contributor and BirdLife SE committee member has been taken over by Jeff Campbell. Thanks for your hard work Maureen your fellow committee members, and BirdLife members really appreciate your contribution. Shorebird Notes After many years of producing Wader Notes for the Birds South East, Maureen Christie has decided to take and has passed the baton over to me. I hope that I may be able to keep up the excellent standard she has produced. The only alteration which I envisage making is to change the title to Shorebird Notes, a title more in keeping with our group s name Friends of Shorebirds SE (FoSSE) and modern parlance. Much has been happening in the world of shorebirds since the last edition of Notes. The most important is the decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to largely upheld our appeal which was based on the fact that the original licence conditions did not protect migratory shorebirds until they depart on migration. The original seasonal closure to harvesting extended only until the end of March however we were able to show, through long term studies, that the majority of Ruddy Turnstone and Sanderling did not depart until late April or early May. The long term studies also showed that the later period was critically important for pre-migration weight gain for these species. The decision by the Appeals Tribunal means a number of things including: 1. That harvesting is now to be by hand, assisted by mechanical winch if required. The use of a grapple is no longer permitted. 2. No harvest is permitted within 100 metres of either side of any area where Hooded Plover are currently nesting and/or caring for dependent young. 3. Areas closed in the original Assessment remain closed and to this is added the area from Beachport Conservation Park through to approximately 1 km north of Blowhole Road. 4. Rather than Seasonally Closed Zones there are now areas best described as Managed Zones.

4 These zones are managed from 1 September to 15 May and harvesting is permitted in them on eight days per month. This means that in Managed Zones, harvest days have been reduced from 275 days to 176. Although FoSSE still has concerns about the expansion of this industry we believe that significant gains have been made. The original proposal allowed for harvest to be permitted in most of the licence area with a take rate of 75%. This was later reviewed and revised to allow for 100% take from 50% of the licence area with at least some protection given to Important Shorebird Areas. However, FoSSE considered the protection given to shorebirds was inadequate and resolved to challenge it through the AAT. The appeal was only successful because of the considerable efforts of a number of people including Maureen and our panel of voluntary experts. In other news the two Grey Plover caught and fitted with satellite transmitters by Maureen and crew have completed their northward journeys. One bird, flagged CYA, left Thompson Beach on 14 March and flew non-stop to Taiwan travelling 6,800 km in five days. The other bird, CYB, left on 24 March and flew non-stop to the Chinese coast travelling 7,200 km in five and a half days. Both birds then stopped at various locations over the next three months before arriving at their destination on Wrangel Island, off the Russian coast, on about 6 June. Given the minimal movements of the birds for some time after arriving they were assumed to be breeding there. Contact was lost with bird CYA on 7 August when it had travelled to mainland Siberia. Bird CYB however flew to Bohai Bay, China, then left there on 13 September and flew to West Arnhem in the Northern Territory and settled on a beach near Maningrida. It had then flown 11,592 km from the Wrangel Island breeding grounds. Since leaving Thompson Beach it has flown 25,187 km. On the local scene, the Hooded Plover fledged young survey carried out in May produced a fantastic result our highest ever numbers of both adult and fledged young birds. The total of 92 birds is exciting in itself, but the total of 18 fledged young is even more so. It is believed that at least 21 young reached fledgling age but some were not seen during the survey. Interestingly an article in The Advertiser (June 24) reports a similar increase in fledged young on the Fleurieu Peninsula. One of the adults which produced young this season was a bird with an orange leg flag engraved AH. This bird was caught and banded as a juvenile, at the Abalone farm near Port Fairy in Victoria. Weekly Outings: we try to go out every Wednesday. So you can be advised of when and where, please phone Maureen on Tuesday evening Jeff Campbell sarah.jeffcampbell@bigpond.com 4 Birds South East Hooded Plover Jeff Campbell

5 Contacts Convenor, Sightings Coordinator, Conservation Contact Bob Green (08) Secretary Sue Black PO Box 7, Glencoe, SA, 5291 Deputy Convenor/OH&S Wayne Bigg Treasurer/ IBA Liaison Bryan Haywood (08) Newsletter Editor Abigail Goodman Monitoring Officer Cassie Hlava Committee Members Jeff Campbell, Wendy Trudgen, Abigail Goodman, Cassie Hlava and Angela Jones DEADLINES FOR SIGHTINGS/ARTICLES IN OUR March 2017 NEWSLETTER March 17 th 2017 Program Dates for Port MacDonnell pelagic trip Cost is $130 a head and includes a BBQ lunch with coffee/tea etc. To book spot contact Colin Rogers and/or Stuart Hull at: twitchercolin@gmail.com The dates are as follows: February 12 March 19 April 30 May 14 May 28 June 18. Program to come shortly, keep an eye on and our Facebook Page.

6 Common Name Abundance Location Observer/s Arctic Tern 1 Kingston boat ramp Allan Lance Australasian Bittern 4 Pick Swamp B Green Australasian Bittern 5 Bool Lagoon GR Abigail Goodman Australasian Bittern 5 Pick Swamp, Piccaninnie Ponds area BirdLife South East SA outing Australasian Bittern 18 Bool Lagoon BirdLife South East SA outing Australasian Bittern 6 Pick Swamp & Piccaninnie Ponds BirdLife South East SA outing Australian Little Bittern 1 E of Wild Dog Bend, Glenelg River B & H Haywood Australian Pied Oystercatcher 100 Glenelg River Estuary J Campbell Australian Pied Oystercatcher 72 Glenelg River Estuary J Campbell Bar-tailed Godwit 2 Glenelg River Estuary J Campbell Black-Chinned Honeyeater 2 Boston's Reserve - Naracoorte Ben Kester Black-Chinned Honeyeater 2 Boston's Reserve - Naracoorte Ben Kester Blue-billed Duck 19 Robe Sewage Ponds Rosemary Miller Blue-billed Duck 3 Lake McIntyre, Millicent Peter &Linda Johns, Angela Jones,Sheila Boyle Brolga 3 Pick Swamp B Green Brolga 2 Piccaninnie Ponds Road J Campbell Brolga 2 Paddock opp. Pt Mac Caravan Park J Campbell Cattle Egret 1 31 Mile Lake, Coorong NP B Green & M Arney Chestnut Teal 2 Pick Swamp J Campbell Common Greenshank 9 Salt Creek estuary B Green & M Arney Common Greenshank 1 Glenelg River Estuary J Campbell Crested Shriketit 2 Corner Repeater Station Rd & Mahoney Rd Ben Kester Crested Shriketit 2 Boston's Reserve - Naracoorte Ben Kester Crested Shriketit 2 Boston's Reserve - Naracoorte Ben Kester Crested Shrike-tit 2 Valley Lake Conservation Area, Mt Gambier B Green Crested Tern 400 Glenelg River Estuary J Campbell Curlew Sandpiper 13 Stony Point J Campbell Curlew Sandpiper 30+ Stony Point J Campbell Fairy Tern 5 Stony Point J Campbell Gang-gang Cockatoo 1 PMR Caves B Green Golden Plover 5 French Point B Green Golden Plover 25 Stony Point B Green Great Crested Grebe 4(b) Lake McIntyre, Millicent Peter &Linda Johns, Angela Jones,Sheila Boyle Grey Plover 1 French Point B Green Grey-tailed Tattler 3 French Point B Green Grey-tailed Tattler 2 French Point J Campbell Grey-tailed Tattler 3 French Point B Green Hooded Plover 2 Pick Swamp B Green Hooded Plover 2 Eight Mile Creek J Campbell Hooded Plover 2 Woolwash Beach Pt MacDonnell J Campbell Hooded Robin 1 Mount Monster CP carpark P Tucker Intermediate Egret 1 30 Mile Lake, Coorong NP B Green & M Arney Lewin's Rail 1 Bool Lagoon B Green Little Egret 3 Salt Creek estuary B Green & M Arney Musk duck 1 Mullinger Swamp Ben Kester 6 Birds South East

7 Common Name Abundance Location Observer/s Musk Duck 4 Pick Swamp J Campbell Olive Whistler 1 Pick Swamp B Green Olive Whistler 1 PMR Caves B Green Pallid Cuckoo 1 Pick Swamp, Piccaninnie Ponds area B Green Pied Currawong 4 Gower CP Bob Green Rainbow Bee-eater 2 Nedrie Downs Private property west of Geegeela CP C Hlava Red Knot 1 French Point B Green Red-necked Stint 120 Eight Mile Creek J Campbell Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo 2 Messamurray Rd, Naracoorte Rosemary Miller Ruddy Turnstone 60 Eight Mile Creek J Campbell Shining Bronze-cuckoo 1 Ellerslie, Glencoe Sue Black Silver Gull c.200(b) 29 Mile Lake, Coorong NP B Green & M Arney Southern Boobook 1 Ellerslie, Glencoe Sue Black Southern Boobook 1 Grundie's Lane Wayne Bigg Spotless Crake 1 Bool Lagoon B Green Tawny Frogmouth 3 Grundie's Lane Wayne Bigg Tawny Frogmouth 1 Dismal Swamp Rd Wayne Bigg Tawny Frogmouth 1 Fairview CP J Campbell Varied Sitella Around 6 Tallageira Nature Reserve Ben Kester White-browed Woodswallow 3 Hender Scrub, Keith David Sando White-Fronted honeyeater 1 Amber Ridge cafe - Apsley VIC Ben Kester White-fronted Tern 40+ Port MacDonnell, western side breakwater J Campbell White-fronted Tern 25 Stony Point B Green White-fronted Tern 40+ Port MacDonnell breakwater B Green White-throated Gerygone 1 Eaglehawk Waterhole, Frances C Hlava White-winged Chough 3 Tallageira Nature Reserve Ben Kester White-winged Triller 1 Bool Lagoon BirdLife South East SA outing Abundance Code: A = 1-3, B = 4-10, C = 11-30, (h) = heard only, (b) = breeding, b/w = beach-washed Common Name code: ** = subject to SARDS review