A Regional Group of BirdLife WA since 2005 Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin

Issue 58 October 2019

Rufous Songlark, Burnside – Photo Steve Castan

CONTENTS Page Program 2 Hoodie Happenings 3 From the Editor’s Desk 3 Two Oceans Watch 4-5 Meelup Volunteer Group walk 6 Seabird Charter 7-8 Bird Week Excursion 9

Cape to Cape Chatter 10-11 Sightings 11 Birding beyond the Capes 12-14

Wherever you go there are birds to watch

● Meelup Volunteer Group walk ● Leeuwin Marine Charters – October Trip ● Bird Week – Aussie Backyard Bird Count

Photographs in this publication are the property of individual photographers or BirdLife Australia.

Permission is necessary to reproduce any photographs.

Cape to Cape Bird Group PROGRAM

Little Black Cormorant, Brookfield wetland – Photo Terry Scott

Saturday 14 December Morning Tea - End of Year Get Together

From 10:00am Terry and Marg Scott have invited members of our group

for morning tea at their home at 1 Coronation Street, Margaret River.

Drop in for a cuppa and a chat about birds of course.

Past Issues Visit ‘birdlife western australia publications’ Go to ‘Regional Group Newsletters’ - ‘Capes’ Website – http://birdlife.org.au/locations/ birdlife-western-australia/publications-wa

Note: All the local excursions/campouts/meetings are for BirdLife Australia members and the general public. The leader will always be present at the meeting place and will decide whether or not to proceed. In the event of threatening weather, those planning to attend an excursion (particularly if travelling some distance) are welcome to check conditions with the leader prior to the excursion (use individual mobile contact if given).

Convenor – Christine Wilder cwilderone@yahoo.com.au Acting Deputy – Jennifer Hunt

First Year Shy Albatross – Photo Blake Muller

Augusta town walk amongst the karri – Photo Christine Wilder

Cape to Cape Track BirdBlitz 2019

BirdBlitz Walk

23 November – Cosy Corner/Foul Bay

Meet at 8.30am at the end of the tar seal on Cosy Corner Road. Some may need to park a couple of hundred metres further on at Foul Bay car park.

We will walk up the Cape to Cape track to the Foul Bay lighthouse, and if time and energy permit, follow the track to the south of the road and back along Cosy Corner beach. Bring refreshments and seating.

Leader – Roger Crabtree

Ensure you are on the list for trips aboard LEEUWIN MARINE CHARTERS

Surveying seabirds summer trips may be from Hamelin

and west into the Margaret River Basin ● Usually early to mid-month ● Contact: cwilderone@yahoo.com.au

Shearwaters and albatross – Photo Blake Muller

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Hoodie Happenings

DBCA Hooded Plover Monitoring Project This month we farewell Christine Taylor, who will be on maternity leave from DBCA for twelve months. Best wishes and thank you Christine for showing such professionalism and leadership, not to mention passion for the Hoodies, for our group of enthusiastic volunteers over the past twelve months. I am sure everyone agrees it has been a pleasure working with you and we have all gained so much from the experience.

And we welcome Rebecca Kay, who will be taking over the Hoodie project while Christine is absent.

This is also an opportunity to thank others involved at the Parks and Wildlife Service, especially for placement of signage and fencing off breeding sites, when birds are reported on the BirdLife Beach Nesting Birds portal.

At the same time, we are saying goodbye to Steve Castan who is relocating to Victoria. Steve has been an enthusiastic follower of the Gnoocardup Hoodies and we have been able to enjoy his brilliant photographs of this pair together with his periodic reports on their progress. Thanks Steve and best wishes to you and your family. See Steve’s fantastic photos of a Rufous Songlark on the cover and page 10.

Christine Wilder In case it hasn’t been reported, I have sighted four Hooded Plovers at Eagle Bay at the west (towards Rocky Point) end of the shore. My last sighting and attempt at photographing them was on 4 October, and I will go back to see if they are still around after the extra onslaught of dogs and owners on school holidays.

Genevieve Bernadi

Three Hooded Plovers were seen at Prevelly Beach on 19 October.

Shapelle McNee.

If you see Hooded Plovers on any beach in the south west please check for leg bands – Two birds were released at Bob’s Hollow – One bird has a yellow BA flag, one with a blue BA flag. Blue flag was seen at Quinninup in July. If you notice these birds please report sightings to -

BirdLife WA at wa@birdlife.org.au or (08) 9383 7749 ____________________________________________________________

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From the Editor’s desk

One of the best experiences, happened recently at a school outing, when a parent came up to tell me their children are now so enthusiastic, after participating in one of our bird walks/talks, and very excited when they identify black-cockatoos or other birds in their backyard.

This month local members, supporters and families participated in the 2019 Aussie Backyard Bird Count (ABBC) during BirdLife’s National Bird Week. The final details of the count aren’t available as this issue goes out, but more than three million birds were counted throughout Australia. The Cape to Cape Bird Group is one of more than thirty volunteer-led BirdLife groups all over Australia, and as is usual each year, we had a fun morning contributing to the count (see report on page 9). Taking part in the ABBC is an amazing way for us to add to BirdLife Australia’s ongoing research. Our group of around 750 members is brimming with enthusiastic people who are passionate and knowledgeable about local birdlife within the capes. Wherever I go here, I meet up with volunteers who are excited to talk about their bird experiences and their participation in activities, events and projects including vital bird conservation work.

Christine Wilder

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Two Oceans Watch

Shy Albatross – Photo Ian Wiese

David Mills has confirmed that this is a Shy Albatross, taken on 9 October, at Pt Picquet, when the wind swung back from the east to the south west. There was also a whale washed up at Peppermint Beach and I have seen Shy Albatrosses previously in the vicinity of a washed-up whale – could be a coincidence.

I think there was also a Shy Albatross, taken on 10 October as the wind changed to the south and south west. A Blue Whale on 9 October and one on 11 October, with prominent backbone so perhaps needs a decent feed, and a humpback with unusual markings, the white patches really stood out.

The cormorant had no trouble swallowing this fish.

I was wondering what the seabirds were flying in from the Swan Wreck two kilometres out to sea – I didn’t expect Galahs!

Ian Wiese

Galahs at the northern cape – Photo Ian Wiese

Pied Cormorant and fish – Photos Ian Wiese

Gannet Rock on a swell day – Photo Ian Wiese

Crested Tern and tuna – Photo Ian Wiese

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A NW front came in Wednesday 30 October and brought a lot of seabirds, mostly Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses (hundreds), but also some skuas and shearwaters.

These were all at Pt Picquet. While I was waiting for the rain to ease a Blue Whale passed about fifty metres out! It is very predictable that whenever we have a NW blow, the first morning after it starts, we will see lots of seabirds such as these (also petrels and other similar birds) flying past Pt Picquet (and Cape Naturaliste) on their way out of the bay. Numbers drop off quickly often by 11:00am. If there has been a prolonged spell of southerly winds prior to the blow the numbers of birds will be larger.

Some Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses were very close in.

And shearwaters (according to David Mills they were mostly Flesh-footed, but there were a couple that may have been Wedge-tailed Shearwaters).

From David Mills - Adult dark phase/morph Arctic Skua that is still in breeding plumage (they breed in the Northern Hemisphere, in the Scottish islands and all around the Arctic Circle), wintering in the Southern Ocean.

A Shy Albatross?

All photos taken by Ian Wiese

BirdLife Australia’s ethical birding guidelines promote the welfare of birds and their environment, where observers are encouraged to practice minimum disturbance to nesting birds and birds in general, and be aware of the impact photography, camera flash and playing bird call apps can have on birds.

Opinions, statements or views in this newsletter are those of the Editor or individual contributors and may not be those of BirdLife Australia. Every effort has been made to check the accuracy of content. If you notice any errors or inaccuracies please contact the Editor.

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Some of the Meelup group before our walk – Photo Alfred Lau

It was a perfect morning for a bird walk when 22 of us set off at Meelup. We first checked the Eastern Osprey nest in the car park and at 9.30am we saw the top of the head of an osprey with one eye peering out from the nest. The bird called every so often too. After watching for some time, some photographs were taken, and later a bird was seen perched on the branch above the nest. Some of the group then saw the top of an osprey’s head just above the nest (female) and a second bird sitting on the branch above it (male). A pair of Galahs was seen guarding a hollow below the osprey nest. Meelup is such a great place for a walk, and on this particular morning ours followed the track to the Gannet Rock car park and return. Along the way we saw birds quite close to the track, including a Western Rosella, Brown Honeyeaters, Inland Thornbills, Silvereyes and Splendid Fairy-wrens. A Western Spinebill called from a flowering Bull Banksia and Striated Pardalotes were also heard. Three species of cormorants were perched on the rocks and two Crested Terns flew by. A total of 23 species was seen. Thanks to Kay Lehman of City of Busselton and the volunteers of the Meelup Regional Park for organising an enjoyable walk.

Christine Wilder

Osprey in Meelup nest – Photo Geoff Bull

Bird List – Meelup to Gannet Rock – 22 October

Pacific Black Duck 4 Laughing Dove 1 Crested Tern 2 Eastern Osprey 2 Little Pied Cormorant 10 Little Black Cormorant 1 Pied Cormorant 8 Galah 3 Western Rosella 2 Australian Ringneck 1 Splendid Fairy-wren 2 (M and F) Brown Honeyeater 6 New Holland Honeyeater 1 Western Spinebill 1 Red Wattlebird 6 Striated Pardalote 2 Western Gerygone 1 Spotted Scrubwren 1 Inland Thornbill 4 Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike 1 Australian Raven 3 Welcome Swallow 2 Silvereye 2

Ospreys at the nest – Photo Alfred Lau

Left – Eastern Osprey at Meelup – Photo Geoff Bull

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Excursion Report – 6 October LEEUWIN MARINE CHARTERS

around the St. Alouarn Island Group

Some of the group before boarding – Photo Mary Whittall

The weather for this trip out was too perfect, but participants were very happy about it.

With eleven of us on board, we headed towards St. Alouarn Island for a short stop to look at gulls and cormorants, then on to Flinders Island for the usual fur seals, roosting terns and Ruddy Turnstones. This time we didn’t traverse between Flinders and South East Rocks, instead carrying on to open ocean even further south than we have been previously.

As usual Blake and I were up the front, when a whale breached spectacularly ahead of us and shearwaters started flying in and circling the boat, followed by albatrosses. Most of the 37 shearwaters were Flesh-footed, with only a couple of Wedge-tailed. The first group of albatrosses were Black-browed (immatures and sub-adults), most with darker underwings and several showing the dirty yellow horn bill. A juvenile Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross sat on the water. A sub-adult Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross and a Shy Albatross circled the boat but wouldn’t come in closer, then a Brown Skua flew in, making a quick exit too, perhaps these birds weren’t comfortable being outnumbered by black-brows.

When two Pacific Gulls flew in, the shearwaters flew together for some distance in the opposite direction. I hadn’t considered there may be a pecking order between these two species. One gull gave its fabulous ‘mocking’ call with its head thrown back. It is an extraordinary experience watching seabirds. One Australasian Gannet flew past us.

Dave Muller experimented with a go pro camera on a short pole, taking an underwater video of the shearwaters and albatrosses. The birds kept their distance from the pole.

Thanks to Blake, Mary, Fran, Brad, Jane and Judy for taking hundreds of photographs, with some used to ensure positive id, and to Ian Wiese, David Mills and Dean McFaull for their comments.

I thank Dave Muller and Blake Muller for an exciting trip out once again.

Christine Wilder

The group before boarding – Photo Mary Whittall

Bird List – St. Alouarn Island Group – 6 October Sooty Oystercatcher 2 Ruddy Turnstone 10 Brown Skua 1 Silver Gull 3 Pacific Gull 4 Crested Tern 119 roosting on rocks Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross 2 (1 juv/1 sub-adult) Shy Albatross 1 Black-browed Albatross 5 (immatures/sub-adults) Flesh-footed Shearwater 35 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 2 Australasian Gannet 1 Pied Cormorant 12

Black-browed Albatrosses – Photos Brad Keyser

Little Corellas at Augusta Boat Harbour – Photo Judy Coles

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Two oceans – Photo Fran Jackson

Trip comments: ● Here are the photos of you all setting off. I bet it was a magic trip - couldn’t have asked for better weather. I’ve heard you saw heaps of birds, too. I’d be more than thrilled if Dave can use a photo for his promotion of the excellent service he’s offering. Mary ● Thanks, and yes it was fantastic ... so glad I could be there! Jane ● Thank you so much for organising such a great trip out on the boat. It was fantastic!! Jennifer ● A lovely memory. I agree it was a great trip. Amazing birds and excellent boat and skipper! Thanks for organising. Joan ● It was indeed a great trip, which I much enjoyed. Neil ● Thanks so much for the opportunity to join you on these trips, I am loving it. Fran

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross – Photo Blake Muller

Black-browed Albatross – Photo Fran Jackson

Black-browed Albatross – Photo Fran Jackson

Flesh-footed Shearwater – Photo Brad Keyser

Black-browed Albatrosses – Photo Jane Scott

Pacific Gull – Photo Brad Keyser

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Bird Week Excursion Report – 26 October Barrett Street Weir to the Perimeter Road

footbridge and return, Margaret River

Terry Scott making a dash for the timed photo – Photo Roger Crabtree

Group at the Barrett Street Weir – Photo Terry Scott

The Aussie Backyard Bird Count is always a fun morning and this day was no exception. Nine of us did eventually turn up for stages of the walk and despite a lot of talking, laughing and stopping for orchids and other plants, we did manage to see twenty bird species with good numbers of each recorded.

The results were later entered on the ABBC website, where the report was that Australia-wide more than three million birds had so far been counted during Bird Week.

At morning tea, Terry Scott was awarded best dressed birder (in his scooter outfit) and Helena Blom won the prize for photograph of the day (the birds weren’t co-operating for many photos, but a Laughing Kookaburra did pose nicely on a stag tree).

We didn’t see a Crested Shrike-tit or a Square-tailed Kite.

Christine Wilder

Laughing Kookaburra – Photo Helena Blom

Terry arrived on his scooter – Photo Christine Wilder

Bird List – Aussie Backyard Bird Count – 26 October (alphabetical order) Australian Raven 3 Australian Ringneck 5 Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo 7 Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike 1 Brown Honeyeater 3 Common Bronzewing 1 Grey Fantail 6 Grey Shrike-thrush 1 Inland Thornbill 3 Laughing Kookaburra 1 Musk Duck 1 Pacific Black Duck 1 adult + 4 ducklings Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo 1 Scarlet Robin 2 (Male and female) Shining Bronze-Cuckoo 2 Silvereye 2 Splendid Fairy-wren 1 Striated Pardalote 4 Western Gerygone 3 Western Whistler (Golden) 3

Along the track – Photo Christine Wilder

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Rufous Songlark in west Margaret River

22-23 October – Rufous Songlark at Burnside Road, west Margaret River.

Steve Castan

These great shots taken by Steve Castan

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Whimbrel at Quarry Bay

I did not see a Whimbrel last year but on 6 October when I took the relatives for a walk at Quarry Bay, we saw a solitary bird. I even managed to see the white triangle on the rump and back.

Jenny Kikeros

White-faced Heron in Augusta garden

12 October – Had a visitor at lunchtime, a White-faced Heron, not seen in our Augusta garden before, and seemed quite tame.

Roger Crabtree

Little Shearwater – Photos Mary Whittall

Little Shearwater at Flinders

24 October – Look what wandered into our place in Augusta! The bird, later identified as a Little Shearwater, marched up to Herbie, who picked it up and took it down to Flinders to a sheltered spot.

Mary Whittall

Hardy Inlet birdlife I am back in the boat and up the river doing bird counts again. The 29 October was an abundant day for bird varieties. It was very low tide from 10:30am to lunchtime. In amongst fishing I was able to see 23 different types of waterbirds. There was a mixed flock of fairy terns (35) and whiskered terns (8) fishing and flying between mud islands to sit and chat. Over 300 Black Swans and 60 Red-necked Avocet were busy feeding as there was plenty of low water and exposed mud. Of the shorebirds there were Red-capped Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Red-necked Stint (169), Red Knot, Curlew Sandpiper and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. It is such a joy to be back on the river again.

Dean McFaull

Rufous Songlark – Photo Steve Castan

● Sightings ●

Thank you for sending articles, photos, unusual/interesting sightings from the capes region (or beyond) for inclusion in newsletters. All contributions are acknowledged. To ensure megabytes are kept to a minimum when attaching to emails, please send photos as jpeg (NOT MORE THAN 1MB EACH), maximum three photos each email or if large numbers of photographs send via Dropbox. DON’T EMBED photos/articles in email but send as attachment, articles preferably in Word. Confirm photographer. Email to: cwilderone@yahoo.com.au

Christine Wilder - Editor

Here are the reported sightings: Emu Adult with three young chicks, Brockman Highway (near Stewart Road), 29/10/19 – Christine Wilder Magpielark 2 on fence alongside Bussell Highway, just north of Hadley Road, Forest Grove (not regularly recorded), 26/10/19 8am – Roger Crabtree and Helena Blom Square-tailed Kite 1 circling low over bush behind Augusta house (pigeons diving for cover), 27/10/19 9.45am – Roger Crabtree and Helena Blom Peregrine Falcon 1, cruising over paddock near ‘Boathaugh’, Brockman Highway, 29/10/19 – Christine Wilder 1, flying over Coronation Street, Margaret River, 30/10/19 – Terry Scott Banded Lapwing 8, Vasse village, 26/10/19 – David Novy Sanderling ~70 at Gnarabup, 25/10/19 – Jennifer Smith White-necked Heron 1, Olive farm Karridale, 10/10/19 – Christine Wilder 1, in wetlands behind Kmart, Busselton, 11/10/19 – Gillian Richmond 1, Margaret River perimeter road southern roundabout, 14/10/19 – Christine Wilder 1, Olive farm Karridale, 14/10/19 – Christine Wilder Rock Parrot 3 flying across road near Sarge Bay, Cape Leeuwin, 14/10/19 – Dave Muller

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BIRDING BEYOND THE CAPES Wherever you go there are birds to watch

Bremer Bay Here's a few photos taken at Bremer Bay – a young Pacific Gull with a snake, a couple of leggy stilts, an osprey on its nest aloft the communications tower in the middle of Bremer Bay town site and Whiskered Tern. My photos were taken from a considerable distance - shame they aren't sharp. The terns were constantly flying low, backward and forward over a mud section within the inlet, repeatably touching the sand with their beaks.

Terry Scott

All gull and snake shots by Terry Scott

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Pied Stilts, Eastern Osprey and Whiskered Tern

Bremer Bay – Photos Terry Scott

Australasian Darter, Bunbury – Photo Alfred Lau

Great Spotted Woodpecker – Photo Alfred Lau

JAPAN Here are two photos from our recent trip to Japan in September. We had a short trip mainly heading to Shiretoko, hoping to see some brown bears, and not really birding. However, as you said – wherever you go, there's birds around! And our first sighting of the Great Spotted Woodpecker was an interesting one. We were driving towards a town centre and stopped at the traffic light. Alfred heard some unusual sounds from the pedestrian path from his side. He was not sure what it was but thought it may be the wind making the sticks of the tree bounce together. He checked again and the breeze was quite calm. The red light was still on. Alfred turned his head and checked again, and spotted the woodpecker pecking the tree. No photo was taken at the time. Luckily the next day when we were visiting the Shiretokogo Lake we saw that bird again. The Great Spotted Woodpecker was pecking a hole in the tree and from time to time going inside and out of the hole to check the size, etc. The Red-crowned Crane was also an incidental sighting just along the drive. We also visited lovely Rausu, a small coastal town with lots of seabirds. We missed Kushiro Wetlands and were told later it's one of the best birding places in Hokkaido.

Hidi Lau

Red-crowned Crane – Photo Alfred Lau

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Cattle Egrets – Photos Alfred Lau

20 October – We saw Cattle Egrets with breeding plumage at Erskine Lake, Mandurah.

Hidi and Alfred Lau

Male and Female Rufous Whistlers, Bunbury – Photos Alfred Lau

Little Eagle – Photo Bernie Masters

LAKE CRONIN A Little Eagle visited us as we were at Lake Cronin Nature Reserve near Forrestania in the Great Western Woodlands east of Hyden, squawking at us for 30 or 40 seconds, annoyed that we were in its territory, and then flew off. Shortly before this sighting, I saw 4 or 5 parrots lazily fly overhead and disappear without stopping. Their body shape and size were similar to that of Regent (smoker) Parrots, but their colour was much too pale, so the best ID I can come up with is Princess Parrots. Lake Cronin is well to the west of their normal range. Unlike the regent which is a fast flying bird with rapid wing beats, these birds flew slowly and with very few wing beats over the 3 or 4 seconds I saw them. Sadly, I didn’t have time to take a photo. The distribution map suggests their range comes reasonably close to Lake Cronin.

Bernie Masters

Blue-billed Ducks, Albany – Photos Judy Coles

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