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The Babbler
Number 51 November 2019
Occasional newsletter of Birdlife Australia Murray Goulburn Branch
Birdlife Murray Goulburn
President: Pat Feehan
Ph 0437 354088 Email: [email protected]
Secretary: Denise Feehan
Ph 0484 195698 Email: [email protected]
Forthcoming activities
Wed 5 February 2020
Winton Wetlands quarterly bird survey. Meet 8.45am
for 9am start at Boat Ramp, Lake Mokoan Rd.
Sat 15 February 2020
Girgarre evaporation basin and Corop wetlands. Meet
9am at Stanhope’s new toilets on C348
Sat 21 March 2020
Reedy Swamp Shepparton and AGM. Meet 9am at
Feehans, Balaclava Rd Shepparton
Sat 18 April 2020
Strathbogie Creek walk. Meet 9am at Strathbogie
Recreation Reserve, Spring Creek Rd.
Birdlife Murray Goulbourn on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/birdlifemg/
Queries about our online sites to Graham Boast
CRIMSON CHATS EXCITE LOCAL BIRDERS
Male Crimson Chat at Tungamah. Photo Marg Clarke
With dry conditions in NSW and Queensland, we have
seen an irruption of nomadic birds to northern Victoria.
The Crimson Chat is a very rare visitor bird to our
area, but it has been seen by our local Birdlife
members at Winton Wetlands, Warby Ranges,
Tungamah, St James, Chiltern and further west at
Lake Cooper, Corop and Terrick Terrick National Park.
The Tungamah chats have been feeding in canola
crops 3km north of the town, and been seen by many
birders since they were first recorded on 15 September
2019. They were still present on 3 November, so may
have been breeding there.
BLMG’s quarterly bird survey at Winton Wetlands on 6
November 2019 recorded Crimson Chats at Ashmeads
Swamp, Bill Friday and Greens Hill.
White-winged Trillers
A regular migrant to Victoria, White-winged Trillers
appeared in much larger numbers than usual in the
region. They have been observed by BLMG members
at Ulupna Island, Killawarra Forest, Lake Cooper near
Corop, Winton Wetlands, Gemmill’s Swamp, Reef Hills
and Mangalore. A large flock of 60 was also seen at
Nason Springs in the Warby Ranges.
Contents p. 1-2. Crimson Chats excite local birders
p. 2-4. Meet a member Val La May
p. 4-5. Raptor deaths in Earlston
p. 5. Swallow high-rise nests
p. 5-7. Winton Wetland bird data review
p. 7. Babbler newsletter archived by National Library
p.7-8. Strathbogie bird survey
p. 8-10. Camp at Neds Corner September 2019
p. 10-12. Reports of outings
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2 The Babbler No 51
Cockatiels
Cockatiels were heard at Humphries Hill during our
November survey at Winton Wetlands, and had
previously been seen by 3 of our members near the
old dam wall. Our members have also recorded them
at Nason Springs in the Warby Ranges, Cosgrove
South, Numurkah and Benalla.
Cockatiel. Photo Marg Clarke
Budgerigars. Photo Marg Clarke
Budgerigars
Budgerigars are rare visitors to the region. Karan
Balfour saw a flock of at least twenty Budgerigars at
Cosgrove South on 17 October, and they were still
present on 16 November. Budgerigars were also seen
at Greens Hill and near the old Yacht Club building at
Winton Wetlands in late October.
Black Honeyeaters
Occasionally recorded in northern Victoria, there have
been a few sightings this spring from the Warby
Ranges
White-browed and Masked Woodswallows
Many in the region: Mangalore, Killawarra, Tungamah,
Gemmill’s Swamp, Reef Hills, Warby Ranges and
Winton Wetlands.
MEET A MEMBER – VAL LA MAY
Val served as Secretary of our branch from 2012 -
2017, and now manages our bird data records. She
has helped organise Winton Wetland surveys since
they began in 2013. Here is her story.
How did I start birdwatching?
I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t interested in the
Great Outdoors. Growing up in a cash-strapped family
of five children, most of our recreation involved being
outdoors: picnics, camping or just exploring.
We usually headed ‘up in the hills’ i.e. the foothills of
the Rocky Mountains, which were a short drive from
home. At our camps, we kids ran wild. Many years
later, when I was a proper birdwatcher, I returned to
those forests of my youth. I was astonished to
recognise individual bird calls from what had been a
constant soundtrack of those camps. That sound is a
Nuthatch; that haunting call is the Swainson’s Warbler
(all too rare these days); those calls are from
woodpeckers; and so on. (Postscript: these forests are
now severely degraded due to frequent fires, drying
climate and insect plagues.)
Val at Winton Wetlands. Photo Kathy Jones
Birdwatching in Australia
The Bird Observers Club in the ‘70s was not a
welcoming place for inexperienced birders. If you
asked a ‘stupid’ question, due to your ignorance of
Australian birds, most BOC members would look down
their noses and deign a haughty reply. I privately
described such people as ‘birdier than thou.’ We are
The Babbler
November 2019 3
fortunate to bird in a much more welcoming
organisation these days.
However there were some helpful birdos who were my
mentors from the 1970s on. Mostly female as it turns
out. Hardly anyone is alive who remembers Nicolette
Hooper. Without binoculars, from a speeding bus, she
would declaim ‘there goes an x in eclipse plumage.’
Nico taught me a great deal about birding, especially
in the Outback. For instance, in the Outback, if you see
a Magpie Lark, you know you are close to water. Meg
Cameron was also especially welcoming to newcomers,
as was the late Fred Smith.
Birding in Australia is much easier than in the US.
Here, birds don’t move away until you get to a
reasonable viewing distance; in the US birds are much
more wary—they dive into dense vegetation well
before you get a good look. It didn’t help that I didn’t
own binoculars until I lived in Australia!
Val and Don celebrate a new bird in FNQ. Photo Graham
Boast
Ornithological interests
Much of my interest in birds centres on food. What do
birds eat? How do they capture their food? Does their
diet change when they are raising young? Even the
humble House Sparrow eats lots of insects when
raising young. They hawk from tall shrubs in my
neighbourhood. (‘Hawking’ means that the bird flies up
into the air, capturing insects in flight.). This topic has
been the subject of several of my articles published in
Australian Field Ornithology and The Bird Observer.
The evolution of birds fascinates me. It is marvellous
that dinosaurs did not go extinct but are among us
today, in the form of birds.
Birding travels
Birdwatching is a great excuse for travel, if an excuse
is needed. Some of my most wonderful birding
memories are from overseas trips:
• Seeing a Wallcreeper in central China, from a rickety
wood platform halfway up a cliff on the way to
Buddhist caves.
• On my last stop in Costa Rica, on the slopes of the
volcano Rincon de la Vieja, spotting the wonderful
Pale-billed Woodpecker. Also in Costa Rica, the many
hummingbirds, one of which pooped on my head!
Pale-headed Woodpecker. Photo Jorge Dangel, eBird library
• In Colombia, after a gruelling gum-booted hike in
tropical humidity, watching two male Guianan Cock of
the Rocks slowly performing their head-turning
display. And what a head they have!
Guianan Cock of the Rock. Photo Ray Wershler, eBird library
• On the Elevala River in western Papua New Guinea,
seeing a pair of the enormous Sclaters Crowned
Pigeons (they weigh 2 kg.) with their outlandish
feather crown. Also in PNG, a good look at the lustrous
Nicobar Pigeon.
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4 The Babbler No 51
Nicobar Pigeon. Photo Shailesh Pinto. eBird library
The future of birding
Sadly, I am not optimistic about the future of
birdwatching. It seems that these days there are more
people chasing fewer birds. Take Cape York for an
example. In the 1980s hardly a soul could be seen at
Iron Range. Now, it is like Bourke Street with birders
everywhere. So many birders, from different parts of
the country, are remarking on how few birds they see
now, especially small birds such as thornbills, etc.
After a recent night’s star-gazing, the thought occurred
to me that I could substitute star-gazing for
birdwatching if need be. Star-gazing has none of the
ethical dilemmas of birding; there is no way your
activity can adversely affect the stars. Also the stars
are not going to diminish with climate change, other
than by being less visible in smoky skies. I am at least
half-serious in these thoughts!
Acknowledgement – We have a Published
Writer in BLMG
Lorna Ward
Once again it has been a pleasure to work with one of
our members to highlight interests and involvement
with birds and bird-watching. You will enjoy reading,
and be enlightened by, Val La May’s ‘Meet A Member’
piece.
I have also been afforded the privilege of reading
some of Val’s publications in several bird magazines
and journals. She impressed me with her critical
observation skills, her fluid, informed, researched
writing, along with her quirky sense of humour on
occasions.
After some persuasion Val has made her articles
available to us all. You can access the articles on our
Facebook page, or email Val and have her send them
to you. Some members can use their BLMG Dropbox.
Articles:
Skinks and burrowing crayfish as prey items of the
Eastern Yellow Robin
The Misnamed Black Duck
Ground-Feeding Pardalotes and Weebills
Black and White Birds – an additional hypothesis
A Five-Star Arvo at the Hide
A Flying Starling Trap
Christmas Island Goshawk predation on a juvenile
Tropicbird
Great Cormorant eats Great Eel
Land of the Hummingbird – Travels in Costa Rica
Multiple matings by a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets
The mimicking magpie sings for its supper
This Silvereye was not camera-shy
RAPTOR DEATHS IN EARLSTON
Mike Kerr
As a resident of the Earlston/Upotipotpon
neighbourhood, I feel a few words from myself in
relation to the recent news of Raptor poisoning in
Earlston are in order.
Because this issue is subject to legal proceedings in
the hope that a conviction can be made, I do not wish
to say anything beyond what has already appeared in
the press. Rather, I simply offer a summarised version
for the benefit of readers from outside the area and
who may not be familiar with the story to date.
For about a decade, people in our area have made
random discoveries of dead Wedge-tailed Eagles and
Whistling Kites which appeared to have been poisoned.
In late July 2019, several dead eagles were found on
the Trust for Nature property at Earlston which will be
familiar to many members because we have had BLMG
and Broken Creek Field Nats outings there over the
years. This discovery finally spurred DELWP into action
and a search of certain local properties was conducted.
In late August it was reported that over 70 Wedge-
tailed Eagles and a total of 120 native raptors had
been found dead and the search was continuing. By
early September this figure had risen to 89 eagles and
we learned that a warrant had been issued to conduct
a more detailed search. By early October, it was
confirmed that an agricultural chemical had been found
in the carcasses and that other evidence in the form of
bait and carcasses in freezers suggested that this was
far from accidental poisoning. The tally then stood at
150+ birds.
The Babbler
November 2019 5
In the 25 years since we procured our property at
Upotipotpon, we have often been reminded of the
disregard that some of our local farmers have for our
wildlife. The blatant misuse of chemicals and deliberate
off-permit destruction of wildlife still happens and
news such as that pertaining to the destruction of
hundreds of eagles in east Gippsland has obviously
done nothing to deter this illegal behaviour. I suspect
the main reason for this is that the incredibly lenient
penalties have not proven to be a satisfactory
deterrent.
There has been precious little public outcry over the
Earlston eagle deaths despite the scale of the impact.
As this story continues to unfold in the media, I hope
that more of our club members feel compelled to add
their voice by writing to their local papers - so that the
wider community begin to realise the extent of the
groundswell of opinion against the destruction of our
native wildlife. Speaking out will become increasingly
important if the authorities begin to back-pedal on a
conviction or if another lenient penalty is imposed.
SWALLOWS UNDETERRED BY TENNIS BALLS
Mike Kerr
Another Spring heralds a fresh battle with our resident
and inappropriately named "Welcome" Swallows. We
are now under constant bombardment and have
freshly white-washed walls, spattered roofs and
bonnets on our previously white vehicles and the pool
looks like it is being used for dam-buster training. We
have been draping queen sized sheets over the cars in
a vain attempt to protect them from enemy fire but
the little blighters have incredible aim and know where
any unprotected patch of duco can be found.
At my wits end, I recently tried the recommended
practice of placing a tennis ball in the nest in the hope
that this would discourage further use of the nest.
Unfortunately, our Swallows have not read this advice
and simply used the tennis ball as novel support for a
newer, stronger nest....
So it would appear that our dear little Swallows remain
undeterred, while we poor suffering humans remain
"under turd"!!
Swallow nest in the carport 21 Oct 2019. Photo Mike Kerr
Swallow nest 10 days later is now a successful high-rise.
Photo Mike Kerr
WINTON WETLAND BIRD DATA REVIEW 2013 TO 2018
Summary report by Pat Feehan
BirdLife Murray Goulburn (BLMG) members have
undertaken quarterly bird surveys at Winton Wetlands
since 2013. The objectives of the surveys are to:
Provide a longitudinal survey of bird diversity and
abundance
Provide data for Winton Wetlands Committee of
Management
Provide for information about birds in the wetland
Inform the Winton monitoring plan.
The Babbler
6 The Babbler No 51
Pat Feehan has undertaken a review of the data
covering the period 2013 to 2018. The full report has
been presented to the Winton Wetlands Committee of
Management and their Scientific Advisory Panel.
Results were also presented to the annual Winton
Wetlands Restoration Science Forum in 2019.
This is a very short summary of the report. Contact Pat
Feehan if you would like the full report.
BLMG surveys
BLMG surveys are undertaken at 11 or 12 sites
(depending on access) on a quarterly basis with teams
of 3-4 BLMG members undertaking bird surveys at
sites. Survey data is entered into eBird (and also
makes its way to Birdata and other bird databases).
The data set comprised about 5396 rows of data with
each row representing a bird observation, date,
location and other relevant information.
Results - Overview
Table S1 Data Summary
Number of species 164
Conservation status
Least concern 155
Near threatened 2
Waterbirds 54
Woodland (bush) birds 103
Introduced 7
The cumulative number of species recorded over the
period 2013 to 2018 seems to have levelled off,
perhaps indicating there aren’t too many more species
to be sighted at the locations and times we currently
survey.
27 species have been recorded in one year only, while
75 species have been recorded in every year the
surveys have been undertaken.
Annual patterns
Numerically, waterbirds outnumber bush birds, but
bush bird species richness (number of different
species) is far greater than that of waterbirds.
Waterbird numbers vary enormously, presumably as a
result of the presence of water in the wetlands
(especially 2014 and 2018). More water equals more
waterbirds.
Bush bird abundance, on the other hand, is relatively
constant. Bush bird richness has remained fairly
constant since 2013.
Waterbird richness
Waterbird richness has varied a little over time.
Richness in 2017 was highest with 48 species while the
preceding year, 2016, had the lowest richness of 31
species. Presumably this is highly influenced by
climatic conditions.
Bird abundance by site
For wetland birds:
The Spit has high abundance
The Duck Pond also has high abundance
Sites close to water have high abundance (The Spit,
Duck Pond, Dam Wall).
For bush birds, abundance is much more even.
On abundance per visit basis, the Dam Wall, Duck
Pond, The Spit and the Yacht Club area have high
wetland bird abundance. High bush bird per visit sites
include Ashmeads Swamp, Dam Wall, Duck Pond,
Greens Hill, the Spit and the Boat Ramp area.
The bush bird to waterbird ratio indicates that sites
such as 11 Mile Creek Woodland, Greens Hill and
Humphries Hill have an overwhelmingly bush bird
fauna while the Dam Wall, Duck Pond and The Spit are
overwhelmingly waterbird sites. Other sites have a
mixture of bush and waterbirds.
Raptors
A feature of visits to Winton Wetlands is the presence
of an abundance of raptors. Thirteen raptors can be
found; Brown Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel, Wedge-tailed
Eagle and Whistling Kites are common. There do not
appear to be any annual trends in abundance. The
continued presence of White-bellied Sea-Eagles is
significant.
“Gainers” and “losers”
A cursory eye-balling of the species abundance by year
data suggests there may be species that have gained
abundance (gainers) over time and others that have
lost abundance (losers) over time.
Gainers include introduced species of Common
Starling, House Sparrow and Noisy Miner, in addition
to Eastern Rosella and Great Egret.
It is likely the increase in Great Egret numbers is due
to favourable wetland conditions (ie. plenty of water in
the wetlands). Numbers might be expected to decline
during dry conditions.
Losers include Diamond Firetail, Red-capped Plover
and Scarlet Robin.
The Babbler
November 2019 7
Introduced birds
There are a number of introduced birds at Winton
Wetlands. Numbers of these birds seem to be
increasing. Ashmeads Swamp, Bill Friday Swamp, the
Dam Wall and The Spit have high numbers of
introduced species. Numbers are dominated by
Common Starling, with lesser numbers of Common
Mynah and House Sparrow.
Comparison with benchmarks
Comparison of Winton Wetland bush bird abundance
and richness against a number of other studies
suggests that overall Winton Wetland bush bird
richness is very high.
Waterbirds richness and abundance is highly variable,
depending on seasonal conditions.
Comparison with full eBird Winton data set
The full eBird data set for Winton Wetlands includes
survey results from BLMG and other eBird contributors
over a long period of time and indicates the presence
of 191 species. Of the 191 species, there are 33
species not recorded by BLMG during the quarterly
surveys, but seen by others.
It is unlikely that all of these species will ever be
recorded by BLMG quarterly surveys since some are
nocturnal, have specific habitat requirements not
present at BLMG sites or are extremely rare or locally
extinct.
Conclusion
The BLMG bird surveys are useful and can provide
valuable information about birds at Winton.
BLMG bird surveys provide a useful source of data to
assess ecological function at Winton Wetlands
Winton Wetlands are an important bird site – both
waterbirds and bush birds.
Tawny Frogmouth family
Photo taken by Lorna Ward at home
STRATHBOGIE BIRD SURVEY
Jenny Wilson, at Goulburn Broken CMA, has again
shared some useful bird information. This time it is a
summary of a bird survey of the Strathbogie Ranges.
The survey was undertaken by Chris Tzaros in autumn
2019.
The Project aims were to:
record baseline data for birds at a variety of
different sites across the project area
record birds using different habitat types
record birds using different habitat
configuration/condition
identify important areas for birds throughout
the study area
Overall, 73 survey sites were established throughout
the project area with roughly equal number of sites
spread over 8 major Ecological Vegetation Classes.
Sites were selected on basis of:
varying habitat types (Ecological Vegetation
Types –EVCs) (e.g. Creekline Grassy
Woodland)
varying structure/site context (e.g. Large
remnants, Patches within farmland,
Revegetation)
In total, 58 species were recorded on the 73 surveys.
Bird assemblages are dominated by species adapted to
southern Australian cooler climates. Many species are
characteristic of the temperate forests and woodlands
of south-eastern Australia
Most common species recorded included:
Species Number of individual birds Number of sites present
Crimson Rosella 231 52
Brown Thornbill 120 46
Grey Shrike-thrush 60 46
Striated Thornbill 194 44
Superb Fairy-wren 195 40
Australian Magpie 96 38
White-browed Scrubwren 116 35
White-throated Treecreeper 44 33
Laughing Kookaburra 47 24
Weebill 91 24
56% of the birds recorded on the surveys are primarily
insect-eaters (33 species)
22% of the birds recorded are primarily seed-eaters
(13 species)
The Babbler
8 The Babbler No 51
7% of birds recorded are primarily nectar/fruit-eaters
(4 species)
22% of birds recorded are hollow-dependant for either
nesting or shelter (13 species)
The richest bird sites had 14-16 species.
The results of this monitoring clearly show:
The importance of revegetation; prioritise
revegetation around paddock trees, along gullies
and creeklines, along roadsides and between
remnants
The need to protect mature, hollow-bearing trees –
they are the mega-important building blocks for
habitat restoration
Mistletoe is extremely important as a food source
and nesting site
Shrubs in particular are extremely important in
revegetated areas
Fallen timber is an incredibly important resource
for ground-foraging and/or nesting species.
A Powerpoint report can be found at
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bbglb8ap3dhzpxp/Strathbogie%20bird%20monitoring%20Euroa%202019%20smaller.pdf?dl=0
THE BABBLER ARCHIVED
All 50 previous editions of The Babbler have been
deposited electronically with the National edeposit. The
impetus for this came from discussions about archiving
Branch records. Archiving The Babbler was a logical
place to start since electronic (PDF) copies of all
editions already exist. These electronic copies are on
our closed Facebook page, but having them in the
National archives makes them much more accessible.
They can be accessed via www.trove.nla.gov.au and
searching for The Babbler (look at the search results
under Journals, articles).
Our newsletter’s official title is “The Babbler :
Occasional newsletter of Birdlife Australia Murray
Goulburn Branch”. I haven’t figured out how to search
for specific key words but I am sure this will be
possible. New editions of The Babbler will be added to
the archive as they become available.
BLMG TRIP TO NEDS CORNER AND GLUEPOT, 1 – 7 SEPTEMBER 2019
Pat Feehan
At the start of September twenty-four people gathered
at Neds Corner Station, in the far north-west of
Victoria, for our first BLMG visit to the area. Most of us
spent 3 nights camping on the banks of the Murray
River, before fourteen of us travelled on to Gluepot,
north of Waikerie, in South Australia. Some others
stayed on at Neds for a few extra days. For our Mallee
outings we spent three days birding across a range of
habitats and locations and were capably led by Rae
and Len Jeffers.
On Sunday, after setting up camp, a short walk from
our river bank campsites to the mouth of
Potawalkagee Creek yielded a flock of Pied Cormorants
fishing, along with numerous other water birds.
Pied and Little Black Cormorants on Potawalkagee Creek.
Photo Pat Feehan
Dust in the Mallee. Photo Pat Feehan
The northern Mallee is experiencing severe drought;
Neds Corner has recorded less than 50 mm of rainfall
for the year to date, and I am sure this affected the
The Babbler
November 2019 9
local bird population. Even so, on our first full day at
Neds, we managed to sight 69 bird species.
Next day we travelled to Mulcra Island and Lock 8,
passing over environmental watering infrastructure on
Potawalkagee Creek. Here, the Black Box woodland
was very dry, but we still managed a reasonable array
of woodland birds including a Red-capped Robin,
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters and Thornbills. The action
was on the river, where Little Black Cormorants lined
up to fish below the Lock.
Saltbush plains at Neds Corner contrast with adjacent dry
paddock. Photo Pat Feehan
We gained access to a locked, securely-fenced area on
Neds Corner Station that afternoon and while the Black
Box was very quiet, the short drive to the revegetated
sand hills changed the birds completely. Here we
sighted Crimson Chats, White-winged and Purple-
backed Fairy-wrens, White-fronted, Spiny-cheeked,
Striped and Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters and Chestnut-
crowned Babblers amongst other things. The
revegetation works have made a huge difference to
the local ecology and bird populations.
Birding in the saltbush. Photo Pat Feehan
White-fronted Honeyeater. Photo Russ Jones
We travelled further afield on the Tuesday, first visiting
a site on Ned’s Corner – a patch of Black Box on the
saltbush plains east of the Neds Corner Road - and
then driving into the Millewa (northern Mallee) to the
Mallanbool and Meringur Flora and Fauna Reserves.
Mallanbool is a 520 ha block of (mostly) Belah and
Meringur covers about 380 ha. These reserves (as well
as the nearby Yarrara reserve) owe their existence to
the presence of timber that was suitable for fence
posts and hence they were not allowed to be cleared.
One sighting of note on the drive, apart from the bare
paddocks, was a large mob (~70) of Emus in an
adjacent paddock. There seemed to be plenty of birds
at Mallambool but they were well hidden amongst the
bush. We did better at Meringur.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Colleen Barnes, from Neds
Corner Station gave us an illustrated talk on activities
on the Station and how it has changed (and improved)
since it became a Trust for Nature property. Colleen
gave a good insight into management issues.
Wednesday was pack up and move day for some of us
as we made our way successfully through the South
Australian fruit-fly check point (no fines on us) and on
to Gluepot. Here we set up in the Babbler
campground. A late evening walk along the nearby
walking track provided many frustrations with many
birds heard, but few seen.
On our first full day we walked the Airstrip which, after
a slow start, provided many birds, especially on the
low hills to the south. Here we found Striated
Pardalotes, Spiny-cheeked, Yellow-plumed, Singing
and Brown-headed Honeyeaters, along with Chestnut-
rumped Thornbills and two Hooded Robins.
The Babbler
10 The Babbler No 51
Brown-headed Honeyeater. Photo Russ Jones
From the Airstrip we moved onto the Froggy Dam bird
hide where we were entertained for some time by
numerous Spiny-checked and Yellow-plumed
Honeyeaters drinking at the elevated water trough.
After this we concentrated our observing at the bird
hides and water troughs because that was where the
birds were.
Yellow-plumed and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters. Photo Pat
Feehan
Friday started off windy and got windier. The trip will
be memorable for this wild, windy, weather. We were
still able to find some birds, including a Shy
Heathwren, plus Malleefowl tracks, but by lunchtime
the winds had strengthened to such a degree that
some decided to pack up and head to Renmark. Those
who had stayed on at Neds Corner also experienced
these extremely strong winds.
Birding at Gluepot was probably also affected by
drought, but bird hides, and associated water troughs,
made viewing easier for us.
Overall BLMG got 1 new species for our Life list: the
Regent Parrot, seen at Mulcra Island on 3 September.
In total, across both locations, we recorded 105
species. Many people recorded 5 or 6 new birds.
There were some memorable observations; for
example, the three emus seen swimming across the
Murray River.
Thanks to Len and Rae Jeffers, who capably guided us
around the northern Mallee.
REPORTS OF OUTINGS
Greta West, in the Lurg Hills
Saturday 17 August 2019
BLMG members assembled at the Benalla Rose
Gardens to travel in convoy to private property in
Greta West (east of Glenrowan). In all, 24 members
enjoyed a glorious day on the 107 ha (265 acres)
property. (I'm not sure how Kathy Costello organises
the weather - she is developing a good record for fine
days!) The Trust for Nature property boasts good
native vegetation, including some nice old Ironbarks, a
mix of other Eucalypts and wattles, and plenty of
Grevillea alpina.
Woodland at Greta West. Photo Marg Clarke
We last visited the property in September 2014 when
57 species were recorded. This time we managed 37
species, in total.
Our morning was spent on the northern part of the
property and after lunch we inspected an area near the
southern boundary. Lunch was taken on the bank of a
dam where we were serenaded by a cacophony of calls
of Plains and Common Froglets.
Highlights included:
3 cuckoo species – Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo, Pallid
Cuckoo and Fan-tailed Cuckoo
1 Turquoise Parrot (heard)
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November 2019 11
Numerous Superb Fairy-wrens, Yellow-tufted
Honeyeaters and Buff-rumped Thornbills
Groups of White-browed Babblers
A quintet of Robins - Jacky Winter, Flame, Scarlet,
Hooded and Eastern Yellow Robins
There was evidence of Painted Button Quail (fresh
platelets) but none were sighted.
Compared with our previous visit, raptors species were
well down (1 vs 6), as were honeyeaters (4 vs 9), and
we saw no Willy Wagtails and only 2 magpies. Perhaps
this is due to the on-going dry conditions.
Pat Feehan
Fan-tailed Cuckoo. Photo Marg Clarke
Crosbie Nature Conservation Reserve,
Toolleen
Saturday 21 September 2019
A group of about 35 people gathered at Toolleen for
our monthly outing. This was a joint outing with the
BirdLife Echuca branch, hence the high numbers.
Despite cool, overcast, gloomy, occasionally wet,
conditions and our leader, Don Roberts, being unable
to attend due to a back complaint, we managed to find
a total of 64 species for the day.
In Don's absence, Russ Jones was able to step into the
breach and lead us to locations he and Don had
checked the week before. This was our fifth visit to this
area. We previously visited in 1999, 1995, 1992, and
1991. For many, it was a "new" site.
The Crosbie Nature Conservation Reserve is a large
(2060 ha) patch of forest located west, and south
west, of Toolleen on the Northern Highway. Vegetation
comprises Red Ironbark, Red Box, White Box, and
Grey Box with the odd Red Stringybark. It has been
heavily cutover in the past and large hollow bearing
trees are hard to find. There was a fair bit of eucalypt
flowering and orchids were prevalent in places.
We spent the morning in the southern part of the
reserve and after lunch we checked out an area of
forest just west of Toolleen. Although there were a lot
of bird calls to be heard we thought birds were hard to
find and it was a pleasant surprise to find that bird call
recorded 56 species.
After lunch, a few waterbirds were added to the list.
These were seen on a nearby farm dam.
Highlights included:
Cuckoos - Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, Shining Bronze-
Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Honeyeaters - Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (Yellow-
tufted), White-plumed Honeyeater, Fuscous
Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Brown-headed
Honeyeater, Black-chinned Honeyeater
Thornbills - Buff-rumped Thornbill, Yellow-rumped
Thornbill, Yellow Thornbill, Striated Thornbill
Robins - Jacky Winter, Scarlet Robin, Red-capped
Robin, Hooded Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin
A small flock of Goldfinch (not really a highlight, but
of interest!)
Pat Feehan
Ulupna Island
19 October 2019
The 26 attendees at our October outing to Ulupna
Island gathered at Strathmerton where they were able
to sample the delights of the local Bakery before we
headed off in convoy to Ulupna Island.
Our original plan had been to visit the eastern end of
Barmah Forest (and National Park) but this was
thwarted by high Murray River water levels that
caused access tracks to be closed.
So instead, we visited the Ulupna Island section of the
National Park. Ulupna Island is just upstream of
Barmah Forest and is bounded by the Murray River
and Ulupna Creek, which is an anabranch of the
The Babbler
12 The Babbler No 51
Murray (that is, the creek flows out of the Murray and
returns to the Murray downstream).
Vegetation on Ulupna Island is a mix of River Red Gum
and Grey Box (and a lot of Paterson’s Curse) and the
thing that struck us most was the large size of some of
the trees and the number of hollows they contained.
The forest is very dry due to low rainfall and lack of
overbank flooding.
Our first stop was just inside the Park adjacent to
Ulupna Creek. Here we found a range of bush birds
with the highlight being good views of White-winged
Trillers and 4 Koalas.
Koalas. Photo Marg Clarke
Later in the morning we moved on to an area closer to
the Murray, where we found more Trillers, Sacred
Kingfishers, numerous Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and
a mix of Thornbills amongst other things (plus 4 more
Koalas). White-winged Choughs were common at both
locations.
Female Rufous Whistler with nesting material. Photo Catarina
Gregson
Lunch beside the Murray River. Photo Marg Clarke
Overall we recorded 42 bird species and 386 individual
birds. This was quite a good result given the dry
conditions.
Pat Feehan
