TWITTERINGS - BirdLife · TWITTERINGS BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Newsletter Volume 12 Number 12 January 2016 BRANCH CAMPOUT It was actually a cold, grey day but this did not WESTERN

TWITTERINGS BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Newsletter Volume 12 Number 12 January 2016

BRANCH CAMPOUT

WESTERN TREATMENT PLANT, WERRIBEE

Saturday 21 November 2015

HEATHER SAUNDERS

With twenty-four people attending, our weekend

campout, based in Geelong, exceeded expectations

and was a very successful outing. Apart from our

BirdLife Warrnambool members, we had participants

from the Riverland Field Naturalists, BirdLife Hamilton

and a couple of staff members from the University of

New England, who were interested in seeing birds in

different habitats.

I was a little worried for a while, hoping that the group

did not expect me to be expert in the area of

identifying waders and I was also keeping my fingers

crossed that the weather would be kind. The Western

Treatment Plant is closed on days of total fire ban and

rain and strong winds make for very uncomfortable

birding. As it turned out my fears were unfounded; the

weather was perfect and everyone pitched in and

shared their knowledge, making for a very successful

weekend.

Leading a convoy of seven cars can be problematic; by

the time the last car reaches a spot, the front car is

ready to move on. However, we decided it was best to

stay as one group, so thank-you to everyone for their

patience. Apart from the excellent birding, it was great

to meet so many new people.

SUE NETTLEFOLD

On Saturday 21November 2015, twenty-four birding

enthusiasts visited the Western Treatment Plant at

Werribee.

Ably lead by Heather and Graeme Saunders from

Warrnambool, the group consisted of birdwatchers

from BirdLife Warrnambool, BirdLife Hamilton,

Riverland Field Naturalists and two staff members from

the University of New England.

It was actually a cold, grey day but this did not

dampen the enthusiasm of the group who birded

solidly all day, with an enjoyable interlude for a picnic

lunch.

We had a good look at all the areas in the Plant open

to special permit holders and overall we would have

travelled about forty kilometres around the ponds.

There were big groups of Red-necked Stint, some in

breeding plumage; Sharp-tailed Sandpipers as well as

Curlew Sandpipers were common and Bar-tailed

Godwits were seen on the beach from the bird hide.

Flocks of Whiskered Terns were constantly wheeling

and diving above the ponds, challenging the

photographers among us to get the perfect shot and in

one large flock huddling together on the ground there

were a few much smaller terns. After some discussion

and checking of photographs, it was decided, but by no

means unanimously, that the smaller birds were Little

Terns.

Whiskered Tern Photo Chris Lill

Golden-headed Cisticolas were heard and seen flying

above the reeds and Superb Fairywrens were spotted

amongst the roadside bushes.

Good numbers of larger water birds were present;

Black Swan, Australian White Ibis and Straw-necked

Ibis, Australian Pelican, Yellow-billed Spoonbill and

BirdLife Warrnambool

2 Twitterings January 2016

BRANCH CAMPOUT

Royal Spoonbill in breeding plumage. Later in the day

a group of four Brolga were spotted and Common

Greenshank and Red-capped Plover were also

observed.

Brolga Photo Chris Lill

Not having visited this area before, I was amazed at

the scale of the plant and the numbers of birds that it

attracts and supports.

On behalf of the group, I extend our thanks to Heather

and Graeme for being prepared to lead the outing and

making our day a really memorable one.

Curlew Sandpiper & Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Photo Chris Lill

SERENDIP SANCTUARY & YOU YANGS REGIONAL PARK

Sunday 22 November 2015

DON & CHRIS LILL

On Sunday morning, after a great day on Saturday at

Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant, we went

to Serendip Sanctuary near Lara, where we saw a

good range of bush birds and also spotted Eurasian

Tree Sparrows as well as a large range of birds in the

enclosures.

Sunday afternoon saw us visit the You Yangs

Conservation Park. Again we saw a good range of bush

birds, particularly on the lower walk near the Rangers’

Station; Rufous Whistler, White-throated Treecreeper,

Spotted Pardalote were all observed as well as many

other species.

What a great day to cap off a really great weekend.

Thanks particularly to Heather and Graeme Saunders

for their excellent organisation and thanks also to the

BirdLife Warrnambool Branch for allowing us to join

their campout.

CHARLOTTE DAVIS

The second day of our Werribee weekend saw us

gathering again in the car park opposite the Riverview

Caravan Park in Belmont at 9.00am. Then it was out to

the ring road, around to the Bacchus Marsh exit and,

after a few turns towards the north, we arrived at our

first destination of the day, Serendip Sanctuary at

Lara.

We were so lucky to have mild and pleasant weather

once again.

The research centre building is looking rather tired and

in need of some TLC, or perhaps it is funding they

need; however the birds and other creatures were all

well cared for.

The dominant birds around the place are the Magpie

Geese which have really made themselves at home,

along with Black-fronted Dotterel, Cape Barren Geese

and various species of duck. All these birds are free to

come and go.

I was really chuffed when a Crested Shriketit posed for

me in one of the trees outside the hide, from where we

observed Emus grazing and White-headed Stilt in the

wetland.

The captive species gave us a great opportunity to

observe up close the feathering of some usually hard

to see birds. Buff-banded Rails appear to have bred

and a number of young ones showed off their beauty

as did the Scarlet-chested Parrots feeding their young.

Other highlights were Tawny Frogmouth, Bush Stone-

curlew and Australian Masked Owl. We checked out all

the sparrows and eventually located the Eurasian Tree

Sparrow with its brown head.

After a pleasant picnic lunch, some “thank-you”

speeches were delivered. It really was a great

weekend, sharing with birders from other places such

as the South Australian Riverland and Armadale in New

South Wales where some participants had travelled

from; I am sure they thought the long journey worth

while. Hamilton and Warrnambool are close enough

that our Branches should share outings more often; it

certainly adds to the enjoyment.

Following lunch a number of attendees drifted off

towards home and the remainder headed further up

the road to the You Yangs Regional Park.


Twitterings January 2016 3

BRANCH CAMPOUT

It was very dry up there, but never the less some

interesting observations were made; a Common

Bronzewing sitting on a nest of twigs under the air

conditioner of the park headquarters and a pair of

Willie Wagtails feeding two babies in a nest nearby

gave us hope that the birds think the season is going

to improve.

Many thanks go to Heather and the Warrnambool folk

who organised this great weekend.

Hoary-headed Grebe Photo Chris Lill

BIRDLISTS

BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Campout

WESTERN TREATMENT PLANT,

WERRIBEE


Cape Barren Goose, Black Swan, Freckled Duck,

Australian Shelduck, Pink-eared Duck,

Pacific Black Duck, Australasian Shoveler, Grey Teal,

Chestnut Teal, Hardhead, Blue-billed Duck, Musk Duck,

Brown Quail, Australasian Grebe, Hoary-headed Grebe,

Great Crested Grebe, Australian White Ibis,

Straw-necked Ibis, Royal Spoonbill,

Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Great Egret,

White-faced Heron, Australian Pelican,

Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant,

Australian Pied Cormorant, Great Cormorant,

Black-shouldered Kite, Swamp Harrier, Black Kite,

Whistling Kite, White-bellied Sea Eagle,

Australasian Swamphen,Dusky Moorhen,

Eurasian Coot, Brolga, Pied Oystercatcher,

White-headed Stilt, Banded Stilt, Red-necked Avocet,

Masked Lapwing, Red-capped Plover,

Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Greenshank,

Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper,

Curlew Sandpiper, Silver Gull, Greater Crested Tern,

Little Tern, Whiskered Tern, Crested Pigeon,

Australian Hobby, Galah, Superb Fairywren,

White-fronted Chat, Striated Fieldwren,

Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Australian Magpie,

Willie Wagtail, Magpie-lark, Little Raven,

Welcome Swallow, Fairy Martin, Tree Martin,

Australian Reed Warbler, Little Grassbird,

Golden-headed Cisticola, Common Starling,

House Sparrow, Australian Pipit, European Goldfinch

(72 species)

SERENDIP SANCTUARY

& YOU YANGS REGIONAL PARK

Sunday 22 November 2015

Emu, Magpie Goose, Cape Barren Goose, Black Swan,

Australian Shelduck, Maned Duck, Pacific Black Duck,

Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Hardhead, Musk Duck,

Hoary-headed Grebe, Australian White Ibis,

Straw-necked Ibis, Yellow-billed Spoonbill,

White-faced Heron, Australian Pelican, Black Kite,

Whistling Kite, Australasian Swamphen,

Dusky Moorhen, Black-tailed Nativehen, Eurasian Coot,

White-headed Stilt, Masked Lapwing,

Red-kneed Dotterel, Black-fronted Dotterel,

Common Bronzewing, Crested Pigeon,

Tawny Frogmouth,Nankeen Kestrel, Brown Falcon,

Galah, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Musk Lorikeet,

Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Eastern Rosella,

Red-rumped Parrot, White-throated Treecreeper,

Superb Fairywren, New Holland Honeyeater,

Black-chinned Honeyeater, Red Wattlebird,

White-plumed Honeyeater, Spotted Pardalote,

Striated Pardalote, Buff-rumped Thornbill,

Australian Magpie, Black-faced Cuckooshrike,

Crested Shriketit, Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrikethrush,

Willie Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Magpie-lark,

Restless Flycatcher, Little Raven,

White-winged Chough, Eastern Yellow Robin,

Welcome Swallow, Tree Martin, Silvereye,

Common Myna, Common Starling, Common Blackbird,

House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow,

Red-browed Finch, European Goldfinch

(69 species)

INTERESTING SIGHTINGS

HELEN DIXON & JUDY BALLARD

19 December 2015 – A visit to Marakai Wetlands,

Warrnambool produced sightings of Baillon's Crake,

Latham's Snipe and Buff-banded Rail.



BRANCH EXPEDITION

COCOS KEELING & CHRISTMAS ISLANDS

Saturday 21 November -

Saturday 5 December 2015

LORRAINE CLAYTON

What a great experience I had, heading off with eleven

birdwatchers to the remote tropical locations of Cocos

Keeling and Christmas Islands, looking for a variety of

birds.

Not being a fully-fledged birdwatcher myself, I was

fascinated by the telescopes, binoculars and especially

the cameras with magnificent lenses that these avid

and very patient adults lugged around with them;

some amazing photos resulted from their efforts.

We visited rubbish dumps, airport fringes, swamps,

beaches and tropical wetlands in our pursuit of the

birdlife.

Apart from this, we also had lots of fun canoeing,

snorkelling and exploring local areas. Red crabs and

Robber crabs, just to mention two of the many crab

species observed, always got out attention.

Our trip to the “Pink House” on Christmas Island,

which is now a captive breeding centre for two

critically endangered endemic reptile species; Lister’s

Gecko and Blue-tailed Skink, was very interesting and

informative.

Blue-tailed Skink Photo Peter Barrand

Breakfast time introduced me to Roti and poured tea,

yum; lunch, spring rolls and milkshakes, yum again;

the evening bought “Bird Call”, with a drink or two and

shared nibbles, double yum, after which we usually

enjoyed a hearty dinner from the buffet or a Chinese-

Malay menu or dined on BBQ fish on the beach.

I would like to thank Peter and Rhonda for making me

feel most welcome and everyone else with whom I had

lots of fun.

Happy birding wishes to you all in this great amazing

country of ours.

Bechat Besar, Cocos Keeling Islands Photo Lorraine Clayton

ELISA BELL & GUNTER MAY

So, a week back from the trip and what are the

overriding images that come to mind?

Firstly, Cocos Islands:

How glorious to find ourselves on a tropical coral atoll,

where you trundle your luggage across the road from

the airport and straight into your hotel room, then

walk out the opposite door to the beach and within an

hour of our arrival we had found a Chinese Pond Heron

on the airstrip; so we had sun, surf and birds. Heaven!

Chinese Pond Heron Photo Peter Barrand



BRANCH EXPEDITION

The week went on from there; we alternated birding

with boat trips to deserted islands for snorkelling and

swimming, a brilliant day in canoes both birdwatching

and snorkelling and there was always the eating and

snoozing.

The birdwatching was most successful, with thirty-

seven species seen, of which sixteen were Australian

ticks for us and included six mega-rarities and one

mega-mega-rarity!

We spent a day on Direction Island where we watered

the feral chickens in the vain hope of luring the

endemic subspecies of Buff-banded Rail into the open

and our canoe trip resulted in ten Saunders’s Terns

being sighted, but we had to wade in mud to view

them and Jean nearly disappeared in that mud at one

stage.

Stuck in the mud, South Island Photo Elisa Bell

We even caught the locals celebrating “Movember” in

the Club and helped their cause to some degree.

But the best two memories of Cocos Islands are the

White Terns circling and wheeling and the fact that

there is no crime; to the point where we never locked

our hotel door, and sometimes didn’t even close it, and

we would leave scopes lying in the back of the ute for

the afternoon bird trip; this was a revelation and a

long-forgotten sense of security from our childhoods.

White Tern Photo Carole O’Neill

And then, Christmas Island:

We had an interesting arrival as the plane pulled up

suddenly from a near-landing and went around again,

a common occurrence apparently, but a little startling.

There is far more settlement here than on Cocos; more

infrastructure and buildings and also more birds.

Suddenly, after a week with not high numbers of birds

around and no small ones that chirp and tweet, there

were Eurasian Tree Sparrows, Christmas White-eyes,

Island Thrushes, plus the ever-present frigatebirds

circling above, sometimes looking a little too much like

vultures.

Island Thrush Photo Peter Barrand

And, of course, the crabs; red ones, black ones,

coloured ones, robber ones and spider ones. Luckily for

us, we caught the very start of this year’s famous Red

crab migration and saw roads closed and coated with

crabs all moving slowly but inexorably towards the

coast.

We snorkelled every afternoon straight off the beach in

Flying Fish Cove; some of the best snorkelling we have

ever experienced. We drove to blowholes and

waterfalls and beaches and forests, seeing all the

endemics on the Island and some blow-ins as well but

we were unable to locate the introduced Java Sparrow

in the very dry conditions.

Our first bird on the Island was a Christmas Island

Goshawk, which was waiting obligingly for us as we

drove onto the main road from the airport and that

same night we saw our first Christmas Boobook, eyes

gleaming orange in the torchlight.

The Golden Bosuns (White-tailed Tropicbirds) were a

beautiful sight as they swooped by and we saw fluffy

juvenile Boobies everywhere we went.

What to say about our group? We all got on so well

and so easily, despite diverse and varied backgrounds

and interests. It may have felt like “herding cats” to

the wonderful Peter and Rhonda but these cats were

always happy.



BRANCH EXPEDITION

JENNY LODGE

Why would anyone want to travel thousands of

kilometres across land and sea to the middle of the

Indian Ocean to an atoll and an island?

Why?

Well, I’ll tell you.

The atoll is what dreams are made of; palm trees,

white sand, blue-green waters, no crime, lovely

people, warmth plus air conditioning and BIRDS.

The island is also tropical; up and down, a rugged

coastline, fantastic coral, a few good beaches, good

eateries and BIRDS.

That’s why ten of us joined our wonderful leaders for

two weeks of spectacular birding.

Apart from sighting an Australian first, my lasting

pictures of the islands will be the water at Direction

Island on Cocos Keeling and the Golden Bosun on

Christmas Island.

What an adventure!

Christmas Boobook Photo Peter Barrand

CAROLE O’NEILL

What remains in one’s mind on returning from Cocos

Keeling and Christmas Islands is the vividness of the

island environment.

The variety and intensity of colours were exceptional,

from the white sparkling sands, the dense greens of

the rainforest, the hues of the coral reef and the

colourful clothing of the people.

Some of the birds and animals reflected spectacular

hues, but many cunningly practised camouflage, hiding

expertly amongst the island scenery.

Some of my most spectacular memories are:

• Golden Bosuns gliding above the town, their long tails

streaming behind.

• Red-tailed Tropicbirds, recognised by their striking

tail feathers.

• Red-footed Boobies, both white and brown in body,

very obvious with their large red webbed feet clutching

the tree branches.

• Frigatebirds with their long wings and forked tails

soaring on updrafts.

• Common Emerald Doves, iridescent feathers

glistening on the forest floor.

• White Terns soaring on high, the bright sunlight

making their wings seemingly transparent.

• Christmas Island Swiftlets rapidly scooping insects

• Christmas Imperial Pigeons foraging for fruit among

the branches of the introduced Japanese Cherry

• And even at night comes colour with the Christmas

Boobook silently staring with large glowing eyes

through the darkness

And yet I haven't mentioned the other birds that stand

out because of their unique beauty ; the seemingly

tame Island Thrush, Christmas Island Goshawk,

Chinese Pond Heron, White -breasted Waterhen, Green

Jungle Fowl, a common bird on West Island in the

Cocos Keeling Islands and the Oriental Pratincole;

what a feast for the eyes!

Green Junglefowl Photo Peter Barrand

If I had time I would elaborate more on the animals

we observed; the shimmering colours of the Blue-

tailed Skink, the butterflyfishes renowned for their

striking colours, the flittering, always restless

butterflies, clams glowing with a myriad of colours, the

glossy coat of the Christmas Island Flying-fox and

what about the crabs? Red ones, blue ones, white and

grey ones, mottled with greens and browns and

blacks; small ones, big ones and giant ones; there

were millions of crabs and all a kaleidoscope of colour.



BRANCH EXPEDITION

LAGOON WADERS

SAMANTHA GREINER

Day two of our time on Cocos Keeling was our out-

rigger motorised canoeing tour. This took in West and

South Islands plus some of the smaller islands

between them.

Ash and Kylie, along with Fiona, were our guides for

the day and they introduced us to the natural wonders

of the islands.

Our first leg of the canoe tour saw us cross the lagoon

from West Island to land on South Island where we

walked along a trail cut by Ash across the island

through the coconut palms to the lagoon.

It was low tide for our walk across the lagoon to a

sandbar where Ash assured us the Saunders's Tern

would be, but when we got there it was empty.

Looking east we saw another sandbar that had a few

shorebirds on it which we could just see with Peter &

Elisa’s telescopes. A few of us decided to walk towards

this speck to see if we could identify the waders.

As we got closer the water started to deepen with the

return of the tide, particularly when we crossed a

couple of channels! We were consoled by Ash telling us

that there were no crocodiles, stingers or big sharks,

so we just enjoyed the lovely warm lagoon water. By

now it was shin deep; we had started in ankle deep

water, but the closer we got the more details we were

picking out and recognised Whimbrels and Bar-tailed

Godwits.

On our third stop I spotted some birds flying in to the

sandbar and when Peter got onto them he identified

them as Saunders's Terns. Now we really had to get

closer as they had landed on the west point of the

sandbar.

After three more stops, scoping and checking the

birds, we where close enough to get some good views

through both scopes and our binoculars.

Saunders’s Tern & Ruddy Turnstone Photo Peter Barrand

As well as the ten Saunders’s Terns, we also identified

Greater Sand Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler and Ruddy

Turnstone; all of which looked large when compared to

the Saunders’s Terns. Sanderling and Red-necked Stint

were also located.

Satisfied with our adventure and collection of new

birds for the day, we set off back toward the island

through water that was now well over our knees!

It took us a good fifteen minutes, the water eventually

thigh-deep, to reach the shelter of the coconut palms

on South Island. We were all really looking forward to

lunch after the exercise of walking through such deep

water and those in the group who had stayed behind

where happy to be out of the unpredictable sink holes

in the mud of the lagoon.

Lagoon waders Photo Samantha Greiner

After lunch we spent time travelling around the small

islands between South and West Island, swimming and

snorkelling.

For some on the trip this was their first experience

snorkelling and this has now become a requirement for

any future holiday plans.

PETER & RHONDA BARRAND

Every trip to these far-flung Australian outposts in the

Indian Ocean is a totally different experience and we

will remember BirdLife Warrnambool’s 2015 Expedition

for the number of flight changes thrust upon us.

Firstly, the Federal Government decided to alter the

flight schedule to the islands, necessitating a complete

rebooking of the entire tour and cost us the chance to

attend our Werribee weekend, then our internal flights

were altered without notice and we had to rebook our

return flight from Perth, while runway works at Perth

airport resulted in a further three changes to our flight

times and eventually had us at the airport at 3.30am

for our departure to Cocos Keeling.

However, a great group of eager participants, the best

birding, in terms of vagrant numbers, we have



BRANCH EXPEDITION

experienced in over a decade of visiting the islands,

with a new bird for Australia (subject to BARC

acceptance) thrown in and a last-minute Red crab

migration on Christmas Island, more than

compensated for the inconveniences.

Grey-streaked Flycatcher Photo Peter Barrand

Cocos Keeling was a hotbed of rarities; we observed a

Chinese Pond Heron on the airport runway soon after

we arrived, Australia’s second occurrence of Common

Moorhen (we found the first birds in 2009) at Bechat

Besar along with the long-staying female Eurasian

Teal, two Common Kingfishers on West Island, ten

Saunders’s Terns on South Island and two Old World

Flycatchers, Grey-streaked and Blue-and-white, on

Home Island; brilliant birding with a supporting cast of

Pied Heron, Western Reef Egret, Common Redshank,

Oriental Pratincole and Grey Wagtail, but the icing on

the cake was Australia’s first Slaty-breasted Rail on

West Island.

We were lucky enough to see the bird twice; the

second time it just managed to evade a feral cat and

whether it survived by departing the island or became

cat food is the great unknown as it was not seen

again.

Christmas Island was the driest we have ever seen it;

we couldn’t locate the introduced Java Sparrow, the

only resident species we missed, but a couple of

uncommon migrant species in the form of a male and

female Asian Koel and up to five Asian House Martins

were great additions to our birdlist.

Snorkelling for many in the group was a highlight of

the trip; the coral and reef fish are as exciting as the

birdlife and rain from the south on the last two days of

our tour triggered the Red crab migration, allowing us

to once again witness this incredible spectacle.

Lesser Frigatebird (female) Photo Elisa Bell

BIRDISTS

BirdLife Warrnambool Expedition

COCOS KEELING ISLANDS

21 November – 28 November 2015

Pacific Black Duck, Eurasian Teal, Green Junglefowl,

Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Nankeen Night Heron,

Striated Heron, Chinese Pond Heron, Great Egret,

Pied Heron, Western Reef Heron, Pacific Reef Heron,

Great Frigatebird, Lesser Frigatebird,

Red-footed Booby, Slaty-breasted Rail,

White-breasted Waterhen, Common Moorhen,

Pacific Golden Plover, Greater Sand Plover,

Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Common Redshank,

Common Greenshank, Grey-tailed Tattler,

Common Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling,

Red-necked Stint, Oriental Pratincole, Brown Noddy,

White Tern, Saunders’s Tern, Common Kingfisher,

Barn Swallow, Grey-streaked Flycatcher,

Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Grey Wagtail

(37 species)

(Also seen - Feral Chicken and Feral Domestic Pigeon)

CHRISTMAS ISLAND

28 November 2015 - 5 December 2015

Feral Chicken, Red-tailed Tropicbird,

White-tailed Tropicbird, Great Egret,

Pacific Reef Heron, Christmas Frigatebird,

Great Frigatebird, Lesser Frigatebird, Abbott’s Booby,

Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby,

Christmas Island Goshawk, White-breasted Waterhen,

Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, Brown Noddy,

Common Emerald Dove, Christmas Imperial Pigeon,

Asian Koel, Oriental Cuckoo, Christmas Boobook,

Christmas Island Swiftlet, Nankeen Kestrel,

Barn Swallow, Asian House Martin,

Christmas White-eye, Island Thrush,

Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Eastern Yellow Wagtail

(29 species)



CHALLENGE BIRD COUNT & BBQ

Wednesday 9 December 2015

GRAHAM DIXON

Traditionally this is always our last event for the year.

It was a pleasant day for a BBQ at Lake Pertobe with

ten people attending. It seemed like a long time since

a regular get-together, mainly because it has been;

previous months were dominated by the Tasmania

Tag-along and the Geelong Camp-out. It is always fun

to catch up and exchange stories.

Prior to the BBQ members participated in the

Challenge Bird Count. The results of this are always

interesting especially when seen over a period of

years. Participation was down this year so I shall make

a greater effort to promote it next year. The two teams

that did venture out and count spotted 61 species and

1945 individual birds; a great effort in less than ideal

conditions.

See you all at our first outing for 2016 to Tower Hill on

Saturday 6 February.

BIRDLIFE WARRNAMBOOL BRANCH OUTINGS 2016

Saturday 6 February 2016

2.00pm Tower Hill State Game Reserve

Meet in Princes Highway Car Park

Leaders: Heather & Graeme Saunders 5562 4349

Saturday 6 February 2016

6.00pm Annual General Meeting

Dinner at the Allansford Hotel followed by Branch AGM

and member presentations

Saturday 5 March 2016

Rutledge Cutting

Meet: Tower Hill Car Park, Princes Highway 10.00am

Leaders: Ray Schulz 5561 4303 & Jim Hanrahan

55624869

Saturday 2 April 2016

Naringal area

Meet: Allansford Recreation Reserve at 10.00am

Leaders: Michael & Jan Stone 5562 9383

BIRDLIFE WARRNAMBOOL BRANCH OUTINGS 2016

Friday 22 – Friday 29 April 2016

BRANCH EXPEDITION - LORD HOWE ISLAND

Organiser: Helen Dixon 5562 2185

Saturday 7 May 2016

Chatsworth (Private Property)

Meet at Chatsworth Fire Station,

Caramut-Chatsworth Road at 10.00am

Leader: Lynn Brown 0407 844 485

Saturday 4 June 2016

Hamilton Wetlands

Leaders: Peter & Rhonda Barrand 55271712

Saturday 2 July 2016

Port Fairy

Morning birdwatching followed by a pub meal

Meet at Griffiths Island carpark at 10.00am

Saturday 6 August 2016

Mount Eccles National Park


Saturday 3 September 2016

“Bimbadeen” (Private Property)

Saturday 1 October 2016

Peterborough area


Friday 21 – Monday 24 October 2016

Branch Campout – Port MacDonnell SA

Leader: Lynn Brown 0407 844 485


“Quamby” & Fitzroy River estuary

Leader: Jock Bromell 5568 1327

Wednesday 7 December 2016

Challenge Bird Count & Christmas BBQ

Organisers: Peter & Rhonda Barrand 5527 1712



INTERESTING SIGHTING

Philip Du Guesclin

“Home-sweet-home” Photo Philip Du Guesclin

6 October 2015 – A rather innovative Tawny

Frogmouth which has used some very interesting

nesting materials.

CROSS BORDER CAMP OUT 2016

BirdLife Hamilton will be hosting this year’s biennial

Cross Border Camp Out over the weekend of Friday 23

to Monday 26 September 2016 and they will be

showcasing their favourite birding spots.

The Lake Hamilton Motor Village & Caravan Park has

been booked as the Camp venue. Get in early if you

require accommodation.

A Camp Out Committee comprising BirdLife Hamilton

members Jane Hayes, Susan Mason, Sally Purnell and

Charlotte Davis has been formed

More details will be advised closer to the date when

the itinerary has been finalised.

SAFETY ALERT

DAVID COUTTS

A volunteer member of the BirdLife Family recently

suffered heat exhaustion while assisting with bird

banding, requiring an ambulance to be called and

hospitalisation.

It is a timely reminder to keep ourselves hydrated

before starting outdoor activities, particularly at this

time of year. It can be too late to start taking in fluids

after working for a period in warm conditions. The

extreme weather conditions we are experiencing

require more vigilance. Remember to monitor your

own health and those around you when undertaking

any BirdLife Activity.

Remember, it is every member of the BirdLife Family’s

responsibility to work safely.

Documents

TWITTERINGS - BirdLife · TWITTERINGS BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Newsletter Volume 12 Number 12 January 2016 BRANCH CAMPOUT It was actually a cold, grey day but this did not WESTERN