Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Monday, June 22, 2009
Regent Honeyeater
Howdy Folks,
Last Friday (when I should've been studying) took off up to Pelton near Cessnock to look for Regent Honeyeaters. Had some up to date info from Mick Roderick (you're a champion Mick) and with that and some google map prints, headed off into the bush. It was raining the whole time, and that road/track/trail is a shambles! It was super muddy the whole way, and really, really slippery. Anyway - success was had, birds were seen, and photos taken.
You can see the photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrtroy/
I've got my final exam for the semester this afternoon, so will be out and about heaps more over the next 4-5 weeks, before getting back into it.
Cheers
Last Friday (when I should've been studying) took off up to Pelton near Cessnock to look for Regent Honeyeaters. Had some up to date info from Mick Roderick (you're a champion Mick) and with that and some google map prints, headed off into the bush. It was raining the whole time, and that road/track/trail is a shambles! It was super muddy the whole way, and really, really slippery. Anyway - success was had, birds were seen, and photos taken.
You can see the photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrtroy/
I've got my final exam for the semester this afternoon, so will be out and about heaps more over the next 4-5 weeks, before getting back into it.
Cheers
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Campsie House list
3 posts in 2 days. I don't know what's going on.
Here's the house/street list for Campsie.
Chestnut Teal - Anas castanea
Northern Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos
Rock Dove* - Columba livia
Spotted Turtle-Dove* - Streptopelia chinensis
White-throated Needletail* - Hirundapus caudacutus
Fork-tailed Swift* - Apus pacificus
Australian Pelican* - Pelecanus conspicillatus
Eastern Great Egret - Ardea modesta
Nankeen Night-Heron - Nycticorax caledonicus
Australian White Ibis* - Threskiornis molucca
Dusky Moorhen - Gallinula tenebrosa
Masked Lapwing - Vanellus miles
Silver Gull* - Croicocephalus novaehollandiae
Galah* - Eolophus roseicapillus
Little Corella* - Cacatua sanguinea
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo* - Cacatua galerita
Rainbow Lorikeet* - Trichoglossus haematodus
Eastern Rosella* - Platycercus eximius
Red-rumped Parrot* - Psephotus haematonotus
Eastern Koel* - Eudynamys orientalis
Channel-billed Cuckoo* - Scythrops novaehollandiae
Superb Fairy-wren* - Malurus cyaneus
Spotted Pardalote* - Pardalotus punctatus
White-plumed Honeyeater* - Lichenostomus penicillatus
Noisy Miner* - Manorina melanocephala
Red Wattlebird* - Anthochaera carunculata
New Holland Honeyeater* - Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Australian Magpie* - Gymnorhina tibicen
Australian Raven* - Corvus coronoides
Silvereye* - Zosterops lateralis
Welcome Swallow* - Hirundo neoxena
Tree Martin - Petrochelidon nigricans
Red-whiskered Bulbul* - Pycnonotus jocosus
Common Blackbird* - Turdus merula
Common Starling* - Sturnus vulgaris
Common Myna* - Sturnus tristis
House Sparrow* - Passer domesticus
37 species for street
* = seen in/flying over backyard
Here's the house/street list for Campsie.
Chestnut Teal - Anas castanea
Northern Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos
Rock Dove* - Columba livia
Spotted Turtle-Dove* - Streptopelia chinensis
White-throated Needletail* - Hirundapus caudacutus
Fork-tailed Swift* - Apus pacificus
Australian Pelican* - Pelecanus conspicillatus
Eastern Great Egret - Ardea modesta
Nankeen Night-Heron - Nycticorax caledonicus
Australian White Ibis* - Threskiornis molucca
Dusky Moorhen - Gallinula tenebrosa
Masked Lapwing - Vanellus miles
Silver Gull* - Croicocephalus novaehollandiae
Galah* - Eolophus roseicapillus
Little Corella* - Cacatua sanguinea
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo* - Cacatua galerita
Rainbow Lorikeet* - Trichoglossus haematodus
Eastern Rosella* - Platycercus eximius
Red-rumped Parrot* - Psephotus haematonotus
Eastern Koel* - Eudynamys orientalis
Channel-billed Cuckoo* - Scythrops novaehollandiae
Superb Fairy-wren* - Malurus cyaneus
Spotted Pardalote* - Pardalotus punctatus
White-plumed Honeyeater* - Lichenostomus penicillatus
Noisy Miner* - Manorina melanocephala
Red Wattlebird* - Anthochaera carunculata
New Holland Honeyeater* - Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Australian Magpie* - Gymnorhina tibicen
Australian Raven* - Corvus coronoides
Silvereye* - Zosterops lateralis
Welcome Swallow* - Hirundo neoxena
Tree Martin - Petrochelidon nigricans
Red-whiskered Bulbul* - Pycnonotus jocosus
Common Blackbird* - Turdus merula
Common Starling* - Sturnus vulgaris
Common Myna* - Sturnus tristis
House Sparrow* - Passer domesticus
37 species for street
* = seen in/flying over backyard
Current Tallies etc
2 posts in 2 days. What's going on!
Here's my current tallies, ripped straight from Facebook.
Tallies as at 28/5/09
-----
Year: 253
Aus Life List: 461
-----
NSW List: 364
QLD List: 231
VIC List: 176
ACT List: 75
TAS List: 37
and here's a link to a google maps screen grab showing all the spots I've been to. This will get updated after major trips, not just showing new spots in Sydney etc. So, expect a newer version mid September after I get back from Brisbane, and possibly July if we end up going to Melbourne.
Here's my current tallies, ripped straight from Facebook.
Tallies as at 28/5/09
-----
Year: 253
Aus Life List: 461
-----
NSW List: 364
QLD List: 231
VIC List: 176
ACT List: 75
TAS List: 37
and here's a link to a google maps screen grab showing all the spots I've been to. This will get updated after major trips, not just showing new spots in Sydney etc. So, expect a newer version mid September after I get back from Brisbane, and possibly July if we end up going to Melbourne.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Since December, this blog should be called "Campsie-birder"
Have moved house. If I knew how to fix these things, this blog would now be called The Campsie-birder.
Some highlights of Sydney birding in the inner outer west.
* There's a Nankeen Night Heron in the Cooks River.
* The house list is at about 34 in 6 months, which absolutely shits over the 10 year Erskineville house list of 16 over 10 years.
* The cats have learnt not to attack the New Holland Honeyeaters - Bella (the young, smaller one) caught one, but I rescued and released it - it's all good. She spent the next 2 weeks indoors. She has not attempted to attack one since. woohoo.
At Erskineville - my spys tell me that Black Swans attempted, but failed, to breed at Sydney Park.
Some highlights of Sydney birding in the inner outer west.
* There's a Nankeen Night Heron in the Cooks River.
* The house list is at about 34 in 6 months, which absolutely shits over the 10 year Erskineville house list of 16 over 10 years.
* The cats have learnt not to attack the New Holland Honeyeaters - Bella (the young, smaller one) caught one, but I rescued and released it - it's all good. She spent the next 2 weeks indoors. She has not attempted to attack one since. woohoo.
At Erskineville - my spys tell me that Black Swans attempted, but failed, to breed at Sydney Park.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Crimson Chat at Sydney Park!! OMFG!!
Well, it's been nearly a year since I posted here, but I doubt anyone actually reads this anyway! :)
Anyhoo - there's a pair of Crimson Chat - yes, Crimson Chat - at Sydney Park atm. http://tinyurl.com/4nc6ln be the link, and some shots are here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrtroy/
Year list - around 250, life list, 407. Off to Cairns end of November, so that life list is gonna hit at least 500, and the year list will probably hit 450ish.
Anyhoo - there's a pair of Crimson Chat - yes, Crimson Chat - at Sydney Park atm. http://tinyurl.com/4nc6ln be the link, and some shots are here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrtroy/
Year list - around 250, life list, 407. Off to Cairns end of November, so that life list is gonna hit at least 500, and the year list will probably hit 450ish.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Photos
Oh yeah - I'm barring photobucket (those links below) in favour of flickr.com - just seems that you can do more, and with less restrictions at flickr.
the address to go to is...
http://flickr.com/photos/14457656@N08/sets/72157602224364249/
the address to go to is...
http://flickr.com/photos/14457656@N08/sets/72157602224364249/
So long 2007
Ok, end of 2007 - aimed to get to 400 for life, and fell short. Also aimed to see 200 for the year, which I made.
The tally for 2007 was:
Life list as at 31/12/07
374
Year list for 2007
270
so not a bad effort. Not great, but not bad.
Targets for 2008 - life list 450+, and year list of 400. That will also have the effect of sanitising my list by seeing most of the birds I saw up north in the early 90's, when I had more hair and was arguably better looking. I also didn't have binoculars or really know how to birdwatch, which is something I'm still learning to do.
2008 also sees me moving out of erko at some stage, so I suppose I should change the name of the blog, but that might confuse the thousands of visitors I don't have coming here.
hehe
Happy 2008
The tally for 2007 was:
Life list as at 31/12/07
374
Year list for 2007
270
so not a bad effort. Not great, but not bad.
Targets for 2008 - life list 450+, and year list of 400. That will also have the effect of sanitising my list by seeing most of the birds I saw up north in the early 90's, when I had more hair and was arguably better looking. I also didn't have binoculars or really know how to birdwatch, which is something I'm still learning to do.
2008 also sees me moving out of erko at some stage, so I suppose I should change the name of the blog, but that might confuse the thousands of visitors I don't have coming here.
hehe
Happy 2008
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Almost there
Almost at the end of the year... I'm at 374 birds for the life list, although re-analysing the actual species in my list against Clements sees me losing a couple. I guess I'll have to wait until the new Aus checklist comes out January-ish to get a definitive number there. Am on holidays at the moment and have been getting out and about quite a bit, despite the shockingly shithouse weather. Was up at the Capertee Valley for a couple of days earlier in the week, and am off down the coast for Waderfest 2007 - although the weather looks to be even worse than what we've been having, with the potential that the spit to Comerong Island may be closed due to increased flows of the Shoalhaven river, which will make the trip more Scrabblefest than Waderfest. Anyway - got a couple of days/nights there, so we'll see.
Anyhoot - I will post in about 2 weeks time so that the whole none of you who are reading this blog can see how I fared in the previous years twitching action. Next year will be bigger, as I'm going to drive to Cairns in November/December, and I would expect that I'm aiming for 100 new birds in that trip alone. So - all things going to plan - I'll be at around 500 birds for life come xmas next year, and i'll be at around 380ish by the end of this year.
Merry Merry and all that.
Anyhoot - I will post in about 2 weeks time so that the whole none of you who are reading this blog can see how I fared in the previous years twitching action. Next year will be bigger, as I'm going to drive to Cairns in November/December, and I would expect that I'm aiming for 100 new birds in that trip alone. So - all things going to plan - I'll be at around 500 birds for life come xmas next year, and i'll be at around 380ish by the end of this year.
Merry Merry and all that.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Lesser Yellowlegs
I did my (becoming) annual cross-state twitch last weekend when I went up to see the Lesser Yellowlegs at Jerseyville.
View Larger Map
It was in a swamp slightly to the west of that arrow, but thats basically the location.
Had a great trip, 107 birds for the 3 days I was away, and great views of a rarity.
Also have started a flickr account, and you can see my awesome pictures here.
View Larger Map
It was in a swamp slightly to the west of that arrow, but thats basically the location.
Had a great trip, 107 birds for the 3 days I was away, and great views of a rarity.
Also have started a flickr account, and you can see my awesome pictures here.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Quick update
Hi there,
Well it's certainly been a while since I've posted. Just got back from a work trip to Melbourne, complete with 3 days of birding to kick things off. Saw a tidy 103 Birds for the trip, which takes me to 236 for the year, and 362 for life. So only 38 off making 400 for life, and I've exceeded my target of 200 for the year. Have got another trip to Melbourne (hopefully) in December, which will include 3 days at Werribee, so if that goes exceptionally well, I should be on target to make 400. To be honest I'm not too fussed if I make that, I aimed modestly for 200 for the year and whipped it!
In local, Erko birding news, there is a pair of Figbirds about at the moment, although they are only turning up in the evenings, and a female Common Koel has been calling loudly outside our back window. The males have been calling off in the distance (at least 3 of them). They may be a bit late though, as the Wattlebirds which hosted the Koel chick next door have already bred, and there's 3 of them flying around now, whereas in Koel years there has usually only been 1. So unless they breed again, there may not be any Koel baby to wake me up early on Summer mornings. Damn. :)
SO yeah - taht's it. I've got bucketloads of assignments to do over the next 6 weeks, so I don't know how often I'll get out birding.
Watch this space.
ErkoBirder
Well it's certainly been a while since I've posted. Just got back from a work trip to Melbourne, complete with 3 days of birding to kick things off. Saw a tidy 103 Birds for the trip, which takes me to 236 for the year, and 362 for life. So only 38 off making 400 for life, and I've exceeded my target of 200 for the year. Have got another trip to Melbourne (hopefully) in December, which will include 3 days at Werribee, so if that goes exceptionally well, I should be on target to make 400. To be honest I'm not too fussed if I make that, I aimed modestly for 200 for the year and whipped it!
In local, Erko birding news, there is a pair of Figbirds about at the moment, although they are only turning up in the evenings, and a female Common Koel has been calling loudly outside our back window. The males have been calling off in the distance (at least 3 of them). They may be a bit late though, as the Wattlebirds which hosted the Koel chick next door have already bred, and there's 3 of them flying around now, whereas in Koel years there has usually only been 1. So unless they breed again, there may not be any Koel baby to wake me up early on Summer mornings. Damn. :)
SO yeah - taht's it. I've got bucketloads of assignments to do over the next 6 weeks, so I don't know how often I'll get out birding.
Watch this space.
ErkoBirder
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Rock Warbler
Had a trip out to Wattamolla Beach at the Royal National Park this morning, was pretty good indeed! One of the best moments was where I nearly stood on a Rock Warbler, a bird I've only seen once before. It was at the top picnic ground. Saw it first feeding in a clearing, and then it dropped over a ledge. I walked over to it with my camera at the ready and it popped up into a small bush and gave me plenty of opportunity to photograph it. It then got bored and flew off to lower ground. I picked up my scope (I'd gone there for a sea-watch, but the conditions weren't conducive to anything sea-birdy) and walked back, and then it was there again. Too good.
Year count is 169 and Life count is 345. So I'm well on target to get 200 for the year (my guestimate is that I should probably get to 230 without trying too hard), and depending on whether I go to Queensland and/or Melbourne, there's a good chance I'll get to 400 for life by the end of the year.
Monday, January 01, 2007
So long 2006
So, a new year, a new year list. In 2006 I clocked up 172 birds - not a huge tally in the scheme of things, but good enough for me. I wanted to get to 200, but I didn't quite get there. My life list is now at 318. My aim for 2007 is to get the life list up to 400, so i just need to find a lazy 82 new birds... Hopefully the first will be Regent Honeyeater - I'll be heading up to Capertee and surrounds next weekend to try and get that, and Hooded Robin, and anything else that's interesting. Have got into Uni @ Wagga, so I'll hopefully get onto Superb Parrot and a few other things. The drought could work in my favour, or against it.
Anyway - have a good year.
Anyway - have a good year.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
New photographic blogs
Just got a shiny new camera, so I'm taking lots of pictures from the spots I go birding at around Sydney. Bird photography - particularly of bush birds - is harder than I thought. There'll be some non-bird photos in there as well, mainly of other wildlife and plants. Anyway here they are. I'll add more photos and locations as time goes by.
Birds of Bicentennial Park
Birds of Eastlakes Golf Course
Birds of Erskineville
Birds of the Kurnell Peninsula
Birds of Maroubra
Birds of Penrhyn Estuary
Birds of Riverine Park Wetlands
Birds of the Royal Botanic Gardens
Birds of the Royal National Park
Birds of Sydney Park
Birds of Thirlmere Lakes
South Coast Trip, December 06
SouthWest Slopes and Riverina, Jan/Feb 07
Birds of Bicentennial Park
Birds of Eastlakes Golf Course
Birds of Erskineville
Birds of the Kurnell Peninsula
Birds of Maroubra
Birds of Penrhyn Estuary
Birds of Riverine Park Wetlands
Birds of the Royal Botanic Gardens
Birds of the Royal National Park
Birds of Sydney Park
Birds of Thirlmere Lakes
South Coast Trip, December 06
SouthWest Slopes and Riverina, Jan/Feb 07
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
"Complete" list of birds seen in Erskineville
I'll try to make a complete list of everything I've seen while living here. The area that I'll include as being in Erskineville for this purpose is basically Sydney Park as the southern boundary, to King Street as the western, the train line from MacDonaldtown Station to Newtown station as the northern and Mitchell Road as the eastern boundary. It's an area thats probably a couple of square km's, and has a variety of habitat.
Sydney Park has some scrubby bush, some stands of Eucalypt, lots of wide parkland, and most importantly, some wetland areas for birds to breed and feed. As a result, there's quite a variety of birdlife that you can find there.
Erskineville itself is also a reasonably leafy suburb, with several small parks in a pretty heavily built up location. Like most areas of Sydney, you will find a large amount of introduced species - Common Myna, Common Starling, Pigeon, and House Sparrows. But there is also a reasonable number of natives in the area. Anyway - here we go.
It is in taxonomic order and with names consistent with the Birds Australia Draft Working List of Birds of Australia and Australian Territories (10 September 2003). I will be adding to this over time. This is far from being an exhaustive list of every bird in the area - one day maybe, but not quite now.
Australian Wood Duck - Chenonetta jubata
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos
Pacific Black Duck - Anas supercilliosa - Pic 1 Pic 2
Grey Teal - Anas gracilis - Pic 1
Chestnut Teal - Anas castanea - Pic 1
Hardhead - Aythya australis - Pic 1
Australasian Grebe - Tachybaptus novaehollandiae - Pic 1
Hoary-headed Grebe - Poliocephalus poliocephalus
Little Pied Cormorant - Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
Little Black Cormorant - Phalacrocorax sulcirostris - Pic 1
Australian Pelican - Pelecanus conspicillatus - Pic 1
White-faced Heron - Ardea novaehollandiae - Pic 1
Australian White Ibis - Threskiornis aethiopica
Brown Falcon - Falxo berigora
Purple Swamphen - Porphyrio porhyrio - Pic 1
Dusky Moorhen - Gallinula tenebrosa - Pic 1
Eurasian Coot - Fulica atra - Pic 1
Red Knot - Calidris canutus
Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus
Double-banded Plover - Charadrius bicinctus
Black-fronted Dotterel - Elseyomis melanops - Pic 1
Masked Lapwing - Vanellus miles
Silver Gull - Larus novaehollandiae
Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) - Columba livia
Spotted Turtle-Dove - Streptopelia chinensis
Crested Pigeon - Ocyphaps lophotes
Galah - Cacatua roseicapilla
Little Corella - Cacatua pastinator
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - Cacatua galerita
Rainbow Lorikeet - Trichoglosses haematodus
Crimson Rosella - Platycercus elegans
Red-rumped Parrot - Psephotus haematonotus
Common Koel - Eudynamix scolopacea - Pic 1
Laughing Kookaburra - Dacelo novaeguineae
Superb Fairy-wren - Malurus cyaneus
Brown Thornbill - Acanthiza pusilla
Red Wattlebird - Anthochaera carunculata
Noisy Miner - Monorina melanocephala
White-plumed Honeyeater - Lichenostomus penicillatus
New Holland Honeyeater - Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Magpie-lark - Grallina cyanoleuca - Pic 1
Willy Wagtail - Rhipidura leucophrys - Pic 1
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike - Coracina novaehollandiae
Figbird - Sphecotheres viridis
Pied Butcherbird - Cracticus nigrogularis
Australian Magpie - Gymnorhina tibicen
Pied Currawong - Strepera graculina
Australian Raven - Corvus coronoides
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
Welcome Swallow - Hirundo neoxena - Pic 1
Fairy Martin - Hirundo ariel
Tawny Grassbird - Megalurus timoriensis
Red-whiskered Bulbul - Pyconotus jocosus
Silvereye - Zosterops lateralis
Common Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
Common Myna - Acridotheres tristis
Sydney Park has some scrubby bush, some stands of Eucalypt, lots of wide parkland, and most importantly, some wetland areas for birds to breed and feed. As a result, there's quite a variety of birdlife that you can find there.
Erskineville itself is also a reasonably leafy suburb, with several small parks in a pretty heavily built up location. Like most areas of Sydney, you will find a large amount of introduced species - Common Myna, Common Starling, Pigeon, and House Sparrows. But there is also a reasonable number of natives in the area. Anyway - here we go.
It is in taxonomic order and with names consistent with the Birds Australia Draft Working List of Birds of Australia and Australian Territories (10 September 2003). I will be adding to this over time. This is far from being an exhaustive list of every bird in the area - one day maybe, but not quite now.
Australian Wood Duck - Chenonetta jubata
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos
Pacific Black Duck - Anas supercilliosa - Pic 1 Pic 2
Grey Teal - Anas gracilis - Pic 1
Chestnut Teal - Anas castanea - Pic 1
Hardhead - Aythya australis - Pic 1
Australasian Grebe - Tachybaptus novaehollandiae - Pic 1
Hoary-headed Grebe - Poliocephalus poliocephalus
Little Pied Cormorant - Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
Little Black Cormorant - Phalacrocorax sulcirostris - Pic 1
Australian Pelican - Pelecanus conspicillatus - Pic 1
White-faced Heron - Ardea novaehollandiae - Pic 1
Australian White Ibis - Threskiornis aethiopica
Brown Falcon - Falxo berigora
Purple Swamphen - Porphyrio porhyrio - Pic 1
Dusky Moorhen - Gallinula tenebrosa - Pic 1
Eurasian Coot - Fulica atra - Pic 1
Red Knot - Calidris canutus
Black-winged Stilt - Himantopus himantopus
Double-banded Plover - Charadrius bicinctus
Black-fronted Dotterel - Elseyomis melanops - Pic 1
Masked Lapwing - Vanellus miles
Silver Gull - Larus novaehollandiae
Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) - Columba livia
Spotted Turtle-Dove - Streptopelia chinensis
Crested Pigeon - Ocyphaps lophotes
Galah - Cacatua roseicapilla
Little Corella - Cacatua pastinator
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - Cacatua galerita
Rainbow Lorikeet - Trichoglosses haematodus
Crimson Rosella - Platycercus elegans
Red-rumped Parrot - Psephotus haematonotus
Common Koel - Eudynamix scolopacea - Pic 1
Laughing Kookaburra - Dacelo novaeguineae
Superb Fairy-wren - Malurus cyaneus
Brown Thornbill - Acanthiza pusilla
Red Wattlebird - Anthochaera carunculata
Noisy Miner - Monorina melanocephala
White-plumed Honeyeater - Lichenostomus penicillatus
New Holland Honeyeater - Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Magpie-lark - Grallina cyanoleuca - Pic 1
Willy Wagtail - Rhipidura leucophrys - Pic 1
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike - Coracina novaehollandiae
Figbird - Sphecotheres viridis
Pied Butcherbird - Cracticus nigrogularis
Australian Magpie - Gymnorhina tibicen
Pied Currawong - Strepera graculina
Australian Raven - Corvus coronoides
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
Welcome Swallow - Hirundo neoxena - Pic 1
Fairy Martin - Hirundo ariel
Tawny Grassbird - Megalurus timoriensis
Red-whiskered Bulbul - Pyconotus jocosus
Silvereye - Zosterops lateralis
Common Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
Common Myna - Acridotheres tristis
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