The Golden Whistler. Volume 6 Number 4 April The BirdLife Hamilton monthly newsletter a branch of BirdLife Australia

Transcription

1 The Golden Whistler Volume 6 Number 4 April 2017 PRESIDENT'S REPORT What a wonderful weekend we had at Chiltern. I am so proud to be President of such a caring and friendly group of people. Many thanks must go to Sue and Neville for doing the ground work in contacting DWELP and organising for us to volunteer at the Regent Honeyeater Release. It was such a great experience for all of us. I really don t know that I was a great deal of help as one needed very good eyesight to read the leg bands of the released birds even with extra good binos and they were very hard to see at the top of very tall Ironbark Trees. It was lovely to welcome friends from other clubs and even a stray birdo or two who just happened along. A weekend to remember. DATE: Saturday 27 th May NEXT OUTING VENUE: Nth Cavendish, Wongaburra/Buandik MEET: Cavendish Public Toilets TIME: 900am BRING: Morning tea, lunch & chair CONTACT: Sally Purnell or ozsal66@hotmail.com Frank, Robyn and I continued our journey with three nights at Glenrowan, which must be the best camp ground in Victoria for birds, then on to Gunbower and home via Hopetoun, 15 nights in all. We went twitching the Letter-winged Kite at Terricks, but along with quite a few others we did not see it. We had fun looking though. Other highlights were on Gunbower Island where we saw Azure Kingfisher and a little flock of Diamond Firetails who didn t go away and just hopped around to be photographed. Near Hopetoun we had good sightings of Blue Bonnets which are often hard to capture as they are very flighty. I hope you all enjoyed the Chiltern experience as much as I did, that you are all safely home and ready for our next outing. Charlotte CONTENTS: 1. Chiltern Camp report 2. Camp report continues and bird list 3. Sightings & Reports 4. Activities & Quiz 5. Regent Honeyeater Release Report 6. Open Day at Pallisters Reserve 7. Regent Honeyeater ID Poster The BirdLife Hamilton monthly newsletter a branch of BirdLife Australia

2 Outing Report CHILTERN CAMPOUT A bumper crowd of Hamilton members plus two Birdlife members from Hervey Bay and one from Warrnambool all travelled to enjoy the very special bird watching available around Chiltern. This year we were to be involved in the Regent Honeyeater release that occurs biannually in conjunction with the Taronga Park Zoo, Birdlife Australia and Victorian National Parks. Most participants arrived on the Thursday and enjoyed birding before gathering for Happy Hour at 5pm to be prepped for the coming days. Friday we woke to dismal weather, which soon cleared and we headed off to Cyanide Dam (Honeyeater Picnic Grounds) for some morning viewing before enjoying lunch and then heading to the release point for some information and an early peep at some Regent Honeyeater. I can only report on my group's experience. It took 1.5 hrs of walking through the bush on a very circuitous route before we FINALLY found our first bird. According to the hand-held GPS we had walked over 6 kilometres to the tree. If we had taken a direct route from the release point it would have been 1.3 kilometres!! Well, it was good to know that we had been tracking a very healthy bird!! We then found another bird along with two of the other groups that had also converged on the same bird. During the morning all but two transmitted birds were found, along with several banded birds. Result!! Several members decided to stay and continue tracking via car but the rest of us, after a meal, headed back to the caravan park and more localised birding. Tracking groups converged S Greiner Glen Johnson with the stunt honeyeater S Mason The first release was on Saturday the 15 th but due to some environmental difficulties it had been decided to delay the second release of about 50 birds. Most of us had our first sighting of these very pretty birds in the pouring rain looking through a foggy plastic window but it was enough to whet the appetite for the coming days. The rest of the afternoon was inclement!! Sunday morning we spent at Bartley Block (bird highlights of Flame Robin and Speckled Warbler) before heading to Dam No1 and then Dam No2 for lunch before farewelling Dot, Neil and Chris for their long drive home to Dunkeld. The mornings highlight was the sighting of two groups of Crested Shrike-tits, both of around 6/7 birds. They were chasing and playing in the sunshine immediately adjacent to the walking track. Radio tracking 101 with Dave Nichols S Greiner Saturday morning we gathered at the release point and were inducted into the specifics of radio tracking with hand-held antennas. After a very comprehensive talk about the entire programme by Glen Johnson from the Wodonga Parks office, we were allocated groups with a Recovery Team Members as leader. We then went off to track our first Regent Honeyeaters. Various groups had various successes! Crested Shrike-tit S Mason Sunday afternoon was designated Free Time for rest or further bird watching. Most of us were loathe to give up valuable sunny weather to sleep and so went to various spots to try and increase our sightings and photo opportunities. This was interrupted by a sudden severe hailstorm at about 3.30pm!! 2 April 2017

3 Outing Report Continued & Bird Lists CHILTERN CAMP continued Monday dawned sunny again and we farewelled Lynne, Warrnambool BirdLife, and the rest of us headed back for more tracking. Most of us had a different leader so it was interesting to chat to someone different and gather bits of local knowledge. We were allocated two birds and found one whilst the other had already been located by another group so we decided to head back. As on Saturday other members continued on or left which meant goodbyes to Pete and Jean, and Annie and Jenny. The lunch crowd Saturday R Logan Monday afternoon was free-wheeling again and I spent a couple of hours at Green Hill Rd dam enjoying the honeyeaters and other birds enjoying a bath. Highlights were the male and female Golden Whistler, Crested Shrike-tit and Grey Fantail. Final bird count was held on the Monday evening and it was wonderful to hear that we had gotten to three figures! That was thanks to a timely sighting of a Whitenecked Heron and several members reporting a wakeful perviouis night listening to the Woof-Woof of a Barking Owl. Once again Chiltern proved its worth as a birding destination and thanks to all who participated. Yellow-footed Antechinus S Mason Post script: On Friday the 28th a further 59 Regent Honeyeaters were released into the Chiltern forest. Don and Irene, Peter and Jean and we were available for this wonderful event, which may be the last captive release at Chiltern, but was also the largest number of Regents to ever be released at once. It was a privilege to be allowed to see this. Thank you to everyone that enabled this to happen and a special thank you to Jean for a very sincere and appropriate address on behalf of Birdlife Hamilton. Susan Mason Regent Honeyeater D Sturt BIRDS SEEN AND HEARD OVER FOUR DAYS Australian Wood Duck Pacific Black Duck Australasian Shoveler Grey Teal Australasian Grebe Australian White Ibis Straw-necked Ibis Yellow-billed Spoonbill White-necked Heron Great Egret White-faced Heron Little Pied Cormorant Australasian Darter Brown Goshawk Wedge-tailed Eagle Nankeen Kestrel Purple Swamphen Dusky Moorhen Eurasian Coot Painted Button-quail Black-winged Stilt Masked Lapwing Red-kneed Dotterel Black-fronted Dotterel Crested Pigeon Peaceful Dove Gang-gang Cockatoo Galah Little Corella Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Little Lorikeet Crimson Rosella Eastern Rosella Red-rumped Parrot Turquoise Parrot Barking Owl Laughing Kookaburra Sacred Kingfisher Azure Kingfisher White-throated Treecreeper Brown Treecreeper Superb Fairy-wren Yellow-faced Honeyeater White-eared Honeyeater Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Fuscous Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Noisy Miner Blue-faced Honeyeater Black-chinned Honeyeater Brown-headed Honeyeater White-naped Honeyeater Little Friarbird Noisy Friarbird Red Wattlebird Regent Honeyeater Eastern Spinebill Spotted Pardalote Striated Pardalote Speckled Warbler White-browed Scrubwren Weebill Brown Thornbill Buff-rumped Thornbill Yellow Thornbill Striated Thornbill White-browed Babbler Grey Butcherbird Australian Magpie Pied Currawong White-breasted Woodswallow Dusky Woodswallow Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Varied Sittella Crested Shrike-tit Golden Whistler Rufous Whistler Grey Shrike-Thrush Olive-backed Oriole Willie Wagtail Grey Fantail Magpie-lark Restless Flycatcher Australian Raven White-winged Chough Eastern Yellow Robin Flame Robin Scarlet Robin Red-capped Robin Welcome Swallow Tree Martin Silvereye Common Myna Common Starling Common Blackbird Mistletoebird House Sparrow Diamond Firetail Red-browed Finch 100 species for weekend April

4 Sightings & Reports Pauline Brooks White Ibis, Crimson Rosella, Red-browed Finch Flock, and a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, , Portland Samantha Greiner King-parrot, Turquoise Parrot, Crested Shriketit, Scarlet Robin & Jacky Winter, Glenrowan Tourist Park (base of Warby Rangers) 19 & 20 April Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Arborline Nursery, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, nature strip, Church Hill, Hamilton, Murray Gunn & Family Elsey, Hensley Park Rd, Hamilton Tawny Frogmouth , 1 White-browed Scrubwren & 2 on , 1 Crested Shrike-tit & heard , Flame Robin female seen with Yellow-rumped Thornbills & again , Rose Robin male , Red-capped Robin ANZAC weekend Wyperfeld NP Redthroat male , 3 Blue Bonnet , Pied Butcherbird , Chestnutbacked Quailthrush , Variegated Fairywren & Southern Scrub-robin Jigsaw Farms Olive-backed Oriole immature, Hensley Park Jean & Peter Humphries Turquoise Parrots, Glenrowan Caravan Park, A Scarlet Honeyeater was reported at the second release of Regent Honeyeaters, & 1 Brown Quail flushed as we searched for Regent Honeyeaters, Chiltern NP, Yellow-tufted & Fuscous Honeyeaters sharing a quiet pool with Brown Treecreeper, Eastern Yellow and Scarlet Robins in woodland, Honeyeater Picnic Area, Chiltern NP Larry Storer 1 Crested Shrike-tit, Hensley Park Rd, Hamilton, Glen Johnson Senior Biodiversity Officer Hume Region A quick update to confirm that we've passed the critical day four post the 2 nd release and can report that all is going well. No deaths recorded from release cohort #2 22 transmitter wearing birds are being observed (almost daily). Note: Several transmitter birds appear to have moved outside of the roughly 7,500ha area that we are actively tracking within and some transmitters are faulty Good numbers of banded only birds (over 30) have also been recorded alive and well in the last week. These are obviously harder to locate compared to the transmitter wearing birds. More interesting news from the class of 2015 Both 2015 birds reported in the last update are actively interacting with 2017 birds (from both release cohorts). In fact one has already established a strong pair bond with a 2017 release female. Further wild news A wild (no leg bands) male was recorded recently. It too has already formed a pair bond with a 2017 female (within four days of that bird's release!) REGENT HONEYEATER WEEKEND After previous visits to Chiltern Mt Pilot National Park we were familiar with the area that Birdlife Hamilton was to visit over the ANZAC weekend. This visit was by far the most informative. How fortunate we were to get so up close and personal with the Regent Honeyeaters that were bred in captivity but were now ready to be released into the wild. Our first encounter on the first morning was not only dampened by the misty morning, but also by the sad news that up to 12 Regents had perished after their release on the 12 th April This meant the second release was being delayed until nectar production in the flowering Box woodlands had kicked in. How disheartening for the Taronga Zoo team after two years of dedication and commitment in the breeding of this endangered species. The regional conservation team, and their volunteers, also felt the loss and disappointment. We also felt the disappointment after travelling so far from home. But our patience paid off; see Susan's report on how well the weekend turned out. After the BirdLife camp at Chiltern we had planned to have the rest of the week with our family at Wangaratta. But after receiving the news that the second release would happen early on the Friday morning (28 th April), we made the return visit to share the joy of the seeing the second group of 59 birds released. This was the highlight of our trip. We had learnt so much about these birds from the experts who had put in so much dedication and commitment during the past two years of their program. Congratulations to each and every one of them. May they continue to have success as they monitor the birds in their natural environment. Jean & Peter Humphries 4 April 2017

5 Birding Activities & Quiz BIRDLIFE HAMILTON LOCAL ACTIVITIES June 24 TH Saturday Local Waterfalls Charlotte Davis or July 22 nd Saturday Indoor TBA August 26 th Saturday Devils Garden/Lake Fyans Samantha Greiner or BIRDLIFE WARRNAMBOOL June 3 rd Saturday Timboon Rail Trail Meet Timboon Railway Shed Distillery at am Judy Ballard ) July 1 st Saturday Camperdown Lunch: Lake Edge Cafe, Lake Purrumbete Meet: Camperdown Visitor Information Centre, 179 Manifold Street at am Heather Saunders August 5 th Saturday Peterborough Meet at tennis courts, Irvine Street at am Graham & Helen Dixon BIRDLIFE HORSHAM JUNE 7 th Sunday Glenlee and road reserves July 2 nd Sunday Wyperfeld North Casuarina August 6 th Sunday Duchembegarra/Mt Arapiles Meet at Horsham library 7.30am Bring: sensible outdoor attire, morning tea, lunch, snacks, water, sun protection, 4wd advisable, we do car-pool. For more info call Deidre Andrews BIRDSWING BIRDING & WILDLIFE TOURS PORT FAIRY PELAGIC TOURS 2017 Tour Cost: $ per person Taking bookings now: Sunday 18 th June Sunday 9 th July Sunday 13 th August Number of Passengers: 18 Morning tea available on board & Proper toilet fitted Light BBQ lunch included in the cost of the tour. Contact Neil Macumber Web: birdswing@bigpond.com Mobile: BRAIN TEASER OF THE MONTH This Month s Question: Neville W Canley's 1958 edition of 'What Bird is That?' has 700 species of Australian birds listed. Can you guess (or do you know) how many species have been listed in the newest field book 'The Australian Bird Guide'? Last Month's Answer: there are six subspecies of Striated Pardalotes that are recignised in Australia. Subspecies and Distribution; All appear to be ornatus except for the centre one with the wide wing stripe being substriatus D Callander P. s. uropygialis Gould, 1840 N Western Australia E to N Queensland (Cape York Peninsula). P. s. melvillensis Mathews, 1912 Tiwi Is (off Northern Territory), in N Australia. P. s. melanocephalus Gould, 1838 Black-headed Pardalote NE Australia from NC Queensland (foot of Cape York Peninsula) S to NE New South Wales. P. s. substriatus Mathews, 1912 Striated Pardalote much of W & C Australia (except N parts, deserts and Nullarbor Plain); Kangaroo I, off SE South Australia. P. s. ornatus Temminck, 1826 Eastern Pardalote SE Australia. P. s. striatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) Yellow-tipped Pardalote Bass Strait islands and Tasmania; nonbreeding E & SE Australia. April

6 Regent Honeyeater Captive Release Project 2017 Day 2 post release Into the wild: Over 100 privileged participants plus assembled media on Wednesday, , viewed another awe inspiring sight plumes of gold & black 'jewels of the bush' alighting on mass into the wild. Fifty Regents were released with more due to be released later. 101 new Regents a significant injection into this critically endangered species population. Congratulations: To the dedicated Taronga Zoo team and all other participating Zoo's across Australia (all the tremendous bird keepers, vets, other specialists and managers) for producing the largest cohort to date of 'fit for freedom' birds. It takes one to find one: Within hours of the release regular volunteers Linda & Bill Hayes radioed in that they had found our first "really wild" Regent busily interacting with two released birds. This is our first wild bird record for the season the value of great volunteers and the release program demonstrated yet again. Monitoring: is back in full swing We are obviously now keen to confirm the ongoing survival of all remaining birds. The project team, in accordance with Animal Ethics Committee amended permit recommendations, fitted transmitters to 17 of the 2nd release bird cohort. That is 17 birds met revised selection criteria i.e. older (more than one year of age) and heavier birds over a threshold weight. Accordingly there are now 26 birds to track and many many more banded only birds out there to record i.e. there's heaps of opportunities for volunteers to assist in the monitoring. An enthusiastic group of Hamilton BirdLife Australia members recently did just that helping to monitor over the Anzac Day long weekend So far so good: All 24 birds with transmitters were recorded safe and well by the end of day 2 ( ) and many of the remaining birds (with no transmitters - but wearing their unique coloured leg bands) were also confirmed today. Day 17 post release Three Cheers: 2 nd cohort now on the wing! the remaining 59 birds (including nine recaptured and retained for bird welfare checks post the first release) were released yesterday ( l). Multiple project team and independent assessments undertaken in the intervening period have demonstrated (as anticipated) significantly improved flowering abundance and nectar availability conditions now prevail. Among the key indicators measured was a significantly increased abundance of other key honeyeater species. And importantly ongoing daily monitoring since the 16 April documented no further deaths with all nine remaining 1 st release birds wearing transmitters (within a detectable range) are alive and foraging well amongst a host of other insectivores. The class of 2015 revisited! In exciting news we have recorded not one but two birds from the 2015 release release birds have a master Orange band over Metal band (on either left or right leg) then two unique colour bands on their other leg. Whereas all the class of 2015 birds have Red over Metal on their right leg. 585 days have elapsed since a male 'Green/Black Red/Metal' was last seen alive. This observation means we've now confirmed eight (>10%) birds at least 12 months post their 2015 release date (not bad given the highly nomadic nature and difficulty of detection especially down to definitive leg band combination ID of this species) Whereas it's been 229 days since we last recorded another male 'White/Mauve Red/Metal'. Both birds were recorded interacting with six 2017 (1 st ) release birds (with only two of those wearing transmitters this demonstrating the value of accurately recording/photographing band combinations) Interestingly all eight birds were recorded in an area 4km from the release site that was burnt during the Dec wildfire that sliced through part of the Chiltern Mt. Pilot NP. Please Liz Wemyss Elizabeth.Wemyss@delwp.vic.gov.au to register your interest. Please ensure you provide your full name, address, mobile phone number. (Liz will provide essential information including links to free phone apps that must be undertaken/downloaded prior to arriving on site). Note: we have spare phones with apps already installed that are available for volunteers that have old, dodgy or no phone or we can team you up with others that have appropriate smart phones. Thanks & farewell Taronga crew: We acknowledge once again the contributions of all participating Zoo's involved in the Regent Honeyeater conservation & breeding program and especially thank Taronga Zoo Michael & his bird keeper team who adjusted rosters (& family ties) to manage an extra, unanticipated two weeks on site looking after the postponed 2 nd release birds Spot a Regent in the meantime?: Please let us know ASAP if you spot any or hear of Regents observations (so we can help follow-up to check for further birds etc). Remember to check for bands with binoculars and take & forward photos where possible. Please contact us if you have any queries, or would like an additional person added to the list. Cheers Glen, Dean, Liz, Gem, David & Renee (2017 Regent Honeyeater Community Monitoring Project Coordinating Team) Glen Johnson Senior Biodiversity Officer Hume Region 6 April 2017

7 Trust For Nature Open Day April

8 Regent Honeyeater Poster 8 April 2017