The Babbler

Number 39 May 2015

Occasional newsletter of Birdlife Australia Murray Goulburn Branch

Birdlife Murray Goulburn

President: Mike Kerr

Ph 5763 3349 Email: kerrm4947@gmail.com

Secretary: Val La May

Ph 5799 2135 Email: vlamay3@gmail.com

Change of date for September outing

New date: Sunday 13 September 2015

Please update your calendar

Forthcoming outings for 2015

Sunday 19 July – Dookie Bushland Reserve, Univ.

Melbourne Dookie Campus, 10am

Vic Roads 33 D8. Leader Kathy Costello

Saturday 15 August – Yea Wetlands. Meet at Yea

Info Centre, old Railway Station 10am. Vic Roads 681

S9. Leader Bob Tate

Sunday 13 September – Mt Meg area, TFN property

Meet at property entrance, Amery Rd South, 10am

Vic Roads 34 C7. Leader Property Owner

Fri 16 to Mon 19 October – CAMP: Carboor area,

private property. MUST BOOK WITH SECRETARY

Vic Roads 49 A3. Leader Geoff Barrow

PECTORAL SANDPIPERS AT SHEPPARTON

by Kathy Costello

Three Pectoral Sandpipers were observed at

Shepparton Wastewater Treatment Plant on 25 March

2015 by Murray Goulburn birders Peter Laws and Don

Roberts. They were surprised to find one bird still

present in mid April.

Pectoral Sandpipers are uncommon visitors to

Australia. They breed in the Arctic tundras of Siberia

and North America during the northern hemisphere

summer. While most of the population flies to southern

South America to escape the northern winter, a small

number of Siberian birds migrate to south eastern

Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.

In addition to the Pectoral Sandpipers, a number of

other northern hemisphere shorebirds were feeding in

the shallow ponds at the treatment plant. On 14 April

Don recorded one Wood Sandpiper, 8 Marsh

Sandpipers, 50 Red-necked Stints and 70 Sharp-tailed

Sandpipers. There were 6 Double-banded Plovers

visiting from their breeding grounds in New Zealand.

Pectoral Sandpiper with Red-kneed Dotterels at Shepparton.

Photo Peter Laws

Contents 1. Forthcoming outings. Pectoral Sandpipers at

Shepparton

2-4. Birds of Winton Wetlands

4. Misplaced Little Wattlebird.

5. Collared Sparrowhawk at Seymour

6. Regent Honeyeater monitoring at Chiltern

6 - 8. Reports of outings and activities, including AGM

The Babbler

2 The Babbler

Pectoral Sandpiper at Shepparton. Photo Peter Laws

From Peter’s photos you can see the sharply

demarcated streaked breast and yellow legs which help

identify this species. It is interesting that Peter and

Don saw more waders at the treatment plant in April

than were there on 25 March. Most birds start leaving

Victoria for their Arctic breeding grounds in March,

although young Red-necked Stints tend to overwinter

in Australia.

Double-banded Plover at Shepparton. Photo Peter Laws

Local species were also present in good numbers –

Red-necked Avocets, Red-capped Plovers, Red-kneed

and Black-fronted Dotterels and Black-winged Stilts.

Don estimated there were 3,000 Pink-eared Ducks on

the ponds, plus about 80 Australian Shovelers, a

vulnerable species in Victoria.

Please note that the treatment plant at

Shepparton is not open to the public. You must

apply for a permit to visit the plant, and you must

book in advance for each visit you make.

A GUIDE TO BIRDING AT WINTON WETLANDS

by Kathy Costello

Where is Winton Wetlands?

The Winton Wetlands Reserve is located about 15

kilometres north east of Benalla. It was re-established

as a wetland in 2009 after the former Lake Mokoan

was decommissioned. The seven kilometre long dam

wall was opened at the outlet channel to create a more

natural wetland process, so that water levels are

determined by rainfall and streamflow events in the

catchment. Water levels are constantly changing. The

wetlands overflowed late in 2009, and during the last

two summers they have dried completely.

The reserve is 8,750 hectares and lies in a wide valley

surrounded by the Chesney Hills to the north-west, the

southern end of the Warby Ranges at Mt Glenrowan,

and the Lurg Hills to the south-east. Wetlands take up

43% of this huge area, and the remaining land is a mix

of grasslands, and box or red gum woodlands. Nearly

2000 hectares is managed by controlled grazing.

Facilities for visitors

The Winton Wetlands Committee of Management is

responsible for managing the reserve, and has been

constantly improving facilities for visitors. The road

network has been upgraded, information boards

installed and walking tracks created. Plans for a bike

path and bush camping area are well underway. By the

time you read this, the newly constructed Mokoan Hub

visitors’ centre will be open, providing café and other

facilities at weekends and some weekdays. The Hub is

located near the old yacht club and boat ramp area at

652 Lake Mokoan Road, Winton North. A program of

events can be viewed on the Winton Wetlands website

at www.wintonwetlands.org.au or you can ring the

office on 035762 1192 for more information.

Bird surveys

Over the past 2½ years Birdlife Murray Goulburn has

conducted 10 quarterly bird surveys at Winton

Wetlands, covering eleven different sites. In that time

we have recorded 138 bird species. When added to

records provided by our members outside survey

periods, and the records of other birdwatchers, the

numbers rise to 188 species. For the past 8 surveys we

have divided into 4 teams to survey our eleven sites.

Eight sites are accessible to all visitors. They are Duck

Pond, Green’s Hill, Humphries Hill, Ashmead’s Swamp,

Bill Friday Swamp, The Spit, the north shore woodland

just beyond Lakeside Drive, and the visitor area

The Babbler

Number 39 May 2015 3

stretching from the car park at the boat ramp to the

new Mokoan Hub. Access to The Spit is via a walking

track that leads off North Winton Road.

Waterbirds

Waterbirds are highly mobile and their numbers

fluctuate enormously. We counted 2000 Australian

Pelicans at the wetlands in February 2013, but by

November 2013 their numbers had dwindled to 25.

The muddy edges and shallow waters attracted large

numbers of Yellow-billed Spoonbills in February

2015. We saw 240 of them feeding in groups of 30 to

40 birds along the foreshore of the visitors’ area. This

survey was also the first time we recorded Red-

necked Avocets at Winton – 62 birds. Grey Teal

respond quickly to changing conditions and with good

autumn and winter rains in 2014, they arrived in huge

numbers. We counted 10,251 Grey Teal on 6 August

2014, the highest count of any species we have had

throughout the survey period. In August 2014 we

counted 437 Black Swans at 5 survey sites. A

number of nests could be seen in the shallow areas.

The endangered Freckled Duck has been recorded

during 5 of our surveys. By far the largest count was

50 birds at Duck Pond in August 2014. In November

2014, there were a thousand Black-winged Stilt

feeding in the shallows at The Spit.

Waterbirds that are regularly recorded include Black-

fronted Dotterel, Masked Lapwing, Hoary-headed

Grebe, Eurasian Coot, White-faced and White-necked

Herons, Straw-necked Ibis and Australian Shelduck.

The easiest locations to see waterbirds are at Duck

Pond and at Ashmead’s Swamp. Duck Pond is at the

far north east end of Lake Mokoan Road, nearly to

Glenrown-Boweya Road. Enter through the pedestrian

gate and walk 100 metres to another pedestrian gate

for close views of waterbirds in this usually reliable

wetland. In our May 2015 survey, the water level was

the lowest we have seen, but we still recorded 30

species, including Grey Teal, Pink-eared Duck, Yellow-

billed Spoonbill, Australian Shelduck, White-browed

Babbler, White-winged Chough, Crested Shrike-tit and

Brown Treecreeper.

Ashmead’s Swamp is located south east of Winton

North Road on the Hume Freeway side of the reserve.

It holds water for a longer period than some of the

other wetlands in the reserve, and there is good

visibility into the swamp from Ashmead’s Swamp

Road. On a visit to this wetland in September 2014

(not a survey date), there were hundreds of

Hardheads in the swamp and a number of nesting

Black Swans. In May 2015 we recorded a pair of

White-breasted Sea-Eagles at this site.

Woodland Birds

The most extensive woodlands are located along Lake

Mokoan Road. A short woodland walk heads south

west from the boat ramp carpark. Other areas to

investigate include Green’s Hill, where there is a car

park, visitor shelter and a short woodland walk.

Humphries Hill and Humphries Lane are also worth

checking. Resident birds that may be seen in any of

these locations include Brown Treecreeper, Restless

Flycatcher, Red-rumped Parrot, Black-faced Cuckoo-

shrike, White-plumed Honeyeater, White-winged

Chough and Grey-shrike Thrush. Look for White-

browed Babblers along Lake Mokoan Road. They are

sometimes around the visitor centre. Crested Shrike-tit

and Peaceful Dove are less common residents of the

reserve.

In spring and summer you may see visiting migratory

birds such as Rufous Whistler, Rainbow Bee-eater and

Sacred Kingfisher in the woodlands. Winter visitors

include Golden Whistler and Flame Robins. Green’s Hill

often has good numbers of Tree Martins and White-

breasted Woodswallows circling overhead.

Sacred Kingfisher. Photo Peter Laws

For those who would like a longer walk, the walking

track to The Spit provides good bush birding. It is the

only area we have recorded Red-capped Robin, White-

bellied Cuckoo-shrike and some of the small thornbills.

In summer, Western Gerygone and White-winged

Triller have also been seen there.

Grassland Birds

The wide expanses of grassland support a surprising

number of bird species. Winton Wetlands Reserve is a

good place to find Golden-headed Cisticola, particularly

in the long grasses on the foreshore of the visitors’

area, and along Boggy Bridge Road. These areas are

also home to many groups of Superb Fairy-wrens. The

visitors’ area is also a good spot to look for Jacky

Winter and Yellow-rumped Thornbills.

The Babbler

4 The Babbler

Male Red-rumped Parrot. Photo Peter Laws

In May 2015 we recorded over 60 Zebra Finches at

various locations. They are often found in small groups

along roadsides. The reserve is usually a reliable

location for Diamond Firetails, although only two were

recorded on our most recent survey. Bill Friday Swamp

is one place to look. We have also recorded them in

good numbers along Lake Mokoan Road, particularly if

the roadside grasses are seeding. In summer look for

Rufous Songlarks and Singing Bushlarks, particularly

along Winton North Road. This is also a good place for

pipits and you might find a group of White-fronted

Chats and a Brown Songlark or two.

Birds of Prey

One of the pleasures of the wide open spaces of the

reserve is the number of raptors that can be seen

there. Brown Falcons, Nankeen Kestrels and Black-

shouldered Kites are birds of the grasslands. We have

sometimes had wonderful views of Spotted Harriers in

the warmer months. Other raptors recorded include

Wedge-tailed Eagle, White-breasted Sea-Eagle,

Whistling Kite, Black Kite, Little Eagle and Swamp

Harrier. You may also be lucky to spot an Australian

Hobby, Black Falcon or Peregrine Falcon. In May

2015, there was a small controlled burn at the corner

of Boggy Bridge Road and Winton North Road and we

counted a number of Brown Falcons in the area, as

well as a pair of Black Falcons.

Shorebirds

Migratory waders or shorebirds are sometimes found

at Winton wetlands in the summer months. A

substantial influx of these birds was recorded on the

few remaining shallow wetland areas by Doug

Robinson, Ian Davidson and Sally Mann on 4 January

2015. Five species that breed in the northern

hemisphere were identified – about 1000 Sharp-tailed

Sandpipers, as well as small numbers of Greenshank,

Marsh Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint and Curlew

Sandpiper. (Birdline Victoria website) These birds are

very difficult to identify, even with a good spotting

scope, as they are small grey birds in non-breeding

plumage that are usually seen at some distance.

Nevertheless, wetlands such as those at Winton are

essential to the survival of these long distance

travellers who visit our shores each summer.

If you spend a few hours at Winton Wetlands Reserve,

you will be surprised by the number of bird species

present. Our surveys usually identify 75 to 90 species.

I think the main reasons for this are that the reserve

covers a huge area, it has a variety of habitats, and

much of it is largely undisturbed.

THE ‘MISPLACED’ LITTLE WATTLEBIRD

by Val La May

One should always check the facts before one makes

an assertion. This is a lesson I learnt recently.

Eight Murray Goulburn Branch members attended the

BirdLife Australia post-Easter camp at Snape Reserve,

just west of Dimboola. The reserve is a well-vegetated

enclave that borders the Little Desert.

On the afternoon Sunday 19th of April a group from the

camp walked along tracks south from the camping

area. In an area with large banksias and cypress-pines

Cheryl from Melbourne said she saw a Little

Wattlebird. ‘Oh no’, yours truly asserted, ‘that’s a

coastal bird; you must have seen an immature Red

Wattlebird.’

Little Wattlebird at Snape Reserve. Photo Val La May

Blow me down, a few minutes later we saw two Little

Wattlebirds flying into a large Murray/Slender Cypress

Pine (Callitris gracilis). Cypress-pines are so dense that

birds nearly vanish from view when they perch in

The Babbler

Number 39 May 2015 5

these trees. But I did manage to get some photos. (Oh

yes, Little Wattlebirds are on the Reserve’s bird list.)

Back at camp, I checked the Pizzey & Knight app and

sure enough, Little Wattlebirds range to the Murray

River and beyond in most of Victoria. The exception is

the far north-west corner of the state. The paper

version of Pizzey & Knight (9th ed.) doesn’t show the

birds’ range beyond the Great Divide.

I apologised to Cheryl, but she wasn’t fussed. What

puzzles me is why don’t we see Little Wattlebirds in

north-east Victoria? The answer could lie in the

habitat. Banksias form a major component of the birds’

habitat; the Mallee has much more extensive areas of

banksias than we do.

In any case, I’ve vowed to be more cautious in

commenting on other peoples’ bird sightings.

COLLARED SPARROWHAWKS AT SEYMOUR LIGHT HORSE MEMORIAL PARK

by Val La May

Light Horse Park (LHP) is one of my haunts in

Seymour. Sometimes it’s very quiet for bird-spotting

but sometimes you get lucky.

Australia Day this year was one of my lucky days.

Arriving at the LHP car park, I saw 5 White-winged

Choughs in the open area near the dam—usually they

are in the dense undergrowth. As I got out of the car, I

could hear a raptor calling from along the creek bed.

I set out to find the raptor, along the way checking the

tree where I’d seen Frogmouths on a nest in November

last year. The Frogmouths were nowhere to be found,

but the raptor was calling closer now.

Then I spotted movement in the trees. Two goshawks

flying around and calling repeatedly. Through the

binoculars I could see the spindly legs when one was

perching—most likely a Collared Sparrowhawk. From

the heavy streaking on the chest and abdomen it

appeared that the bird was an immature. This tied in

with the repeated calling, which immatures are prone

to doing.

No camera of course. I pulled out my trusty iphone

and tried to take a video to at least record their calls.

You can’t see much of the bird in my video as the birds

were zooming around the treetops too quickly. But at

least the call was loud and clear so I could compare it

to recordings of the immatures of Brown Goshawks

and Collared Sparrowhawks.

Back home I played all the calls I could find on my 2

bird apps plus the BOCA CDs; only the immature

Brown Goshawk was on these recordings. I thought

my calls were slower and a different pitch from the

immature Brown Goshawk. Also from the drawings in

HANZAB the pattern of streaking on my birds seemed

more like the Sparrowhawk. (It’s amazing to see the

variation in depiction of this streaking amongst an

assortment of field guides.)

Next day, back to LHP, this time with my camera. Of

course, I couldn’t hear the birds calling when I got out

of my car. Also the weather was much hotter. But as I

trudged downheartedly up the creek, I finally heard

one bird calling. Trudge up the track to get closer. No,

it’s calling from behind me! Trudge down the track,

only to hear it calling back up the track. Finally I saw

the Sparrowhawk sitting quietly in a tree. Snap snap, I

quietly took lots of photos.

Collared Sparrowhawk at Seymour. Photo Val La May

Success! At least one photo shows the diagnostic

spindly legs, long middle toe and notched tail.

Moral of the story: always take your camera along. But

then, that invalidates Murphy’s Law which states that

you always see great things when you haven’t got your

camera along.

The Babbler

6 The Babbler

REGENT HONEYEATER MONITORING AT CHILTERN

by Kathy Costello

The largest ever release of captive bred Regent

Honeyeaters took place at Chiltern National Park in

April 2015. A total of 77 birds was released in two

groups. All of the birds have individual leg bands and

thirty nine of them were fitted with radio transmitters.

A huge volunteer effort is underway to monitor these

birds over the next few months. There is currently

enough ironbark flowering in the park to meet their

needs, and the monitoring team is predicting a strong

flowering season for White Box, another important

eucalypt for this endangered species.

Dean Ingwerson, from Birdlife Australia and Glen

Johnson, Senior Biodiversity Officer, Dept of

Environment, Land, Water and Planning at Wodonga

are co-ordinating the program, and are keen to

welcome as many volunteers as possible.

Contact details for Glen Johnson are: T: 02 6043 7924 | M: 0418 501 936 |E: Glen.Johnson@delwp.vic.gov.au

This is a wonderful opportunity to see flocks of one of

Australia’s rarest and most beautiful birds, and to

gather data to help them survive into the future.

Please contact Glen if you would like to help with the

monitoring program.

REPORTS OF OUTINGS AND ACTIVITIES

Girgarre Evaporation Basin,

Sunday 14 December 2014

by Don Roberts

The Evaporation Basin is operated by Goulburn Murray

Water and is a restricted area. The basin was

constructed in the 1980s as a pilot scheme to reduce

ground-water salinity in adjacent irrigated pastures. As

a result the water contained in the basin is saline, a

different habitat to other wetlands we have visited.

The day started with perfect conditions for birding,

light wind and overcast sky eliminating the heat haze

off the water. We employed the show no legs method

by walking below the banks where possible, yes this

does work. After leaving Girgarre we had lunch in the

park adjacent to the Kyabram Fauna Park, the cloud

disappeared and it became very hot, so much so that

most of the group opted to retreat to Russ and Kathy’s

cool house over the road from the park. A few of us

stupidly walked along the boundary fence of the Fauna

Park to view wetland species, but it became quite

unpleasant so we retreated to our smarter friends’

cooler habitat.

Red-necked Avocets at Girgarre. Photo Marg Clarke

The birds observed at Girgarre were wonderful, the

highlights being, 200 Australian Shelduck, 500 Pink-

eared Duck, 12 Australian Shoveler, 400 Chestnut

Teal, 15 Pacific Black Duck, 1 Pied Cormorant, 20

Black-winged Stilt, 100 Red-necked Avocet, 1 Red-

capped Plover, 10 Black-fronted Dotterel, 10 Masked

Lapwing, 1 Caspian Tern and 300 Silver Gull breeding

on two islands chicks to juveniles.

The big tick for the day was a Common Sandpiper,

unlike the name they are not common in eastern

Australia. Even more of interest was that it was resting

atop a duck breeding box. Pictures taken by Bill and

Jackie Morecraft were posted on EBird whilst Graham

Boast sent his photo and others to GMW. We also

observed 14 species in the adjacent tree and shrub

plantings, some being Yellow and Yellow-rumped

Thornbill, Weebill, Superb Fairy-wren, White-plumed

Honeyeater and Zebra Finch.

Red-capped Plover at Girgarre. Photo Marg Clarke

The Babbler

Number 39 May 2015 7

Thanks must go to Mark Potter from Goulburn Murray

Water for giving up his Sunday morning to induct the

nine members present, and of course unlocking the

gate. I have sent a list of the birds observed to Mark.

Also thanks to Russ and Kathy Jones for inviting us to

cool off in their home.

Annual General Meeting held at Murchison

Saturday 21 February 2015

Seventeen members attended our AGM at the

Murchison Community Centre in Murchison on

Saturday 21 February. It was determined that the

office-bearer positions of President,

Secretary/Treasurer, Web Master and Conservation

Officer would remain unchanged and that they will now

be ably supported by a further 4 Committee Members,

details as follows;

Office bearers for 2015

President: Mike Kerr

Secretary/Treasurer: Val La May

Web Master: Graham Boast

Conservation Officer: Don Roberts

Committee Members : Kathy Costello, Karan Balfour,

Debra Hill, Bob Tate

The AGM was followed by lunch, and then a look at

Mike Kerr’s powerpoint presentation "Some Sights and

Birds of India". Kathy Costello spoke about the

impressive birds and animals of Assam and West

Bengal in the well-watered far north east of India. She

travelled there in March 2014 on a birding tour run by

Peregrine Bird Tours. By contrast, Mike gave a

colourful description of his and Ann’s travels to

Maharashtra, Goa and Rajasthan in the dry north west

of India. They spent three weeks there last December

and January.

After lunch, Anne Finlay led us on a walk beside the

Goulburn River at Campbell’s Bend, at East Murchison.

We enjoyed the shaded walk under huge red gums and

silver wattles. The Dollarbirds had already headed

north, but we did see Restless Flycatcher, Grey Fantail,

Brown-headed Honeyeater, Weebill, Yellow Thornbill,

Western Gerygone, both Brown and White-throated

Treecreeper, 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles soaring high

overhead and 2 Whistling Kites perched near the river.

Thirty-two species were recorded for the day.

River walk at Murchison East. Photo Marg Clarke

The best sighting was a pair of Southern Boobook

owls, roosting in a huge Liquidamber in the front

garden of a property.

Southern Boobooks at Murchison East. Photo Marg Clarke

Mt Wombat

Sunday 15 March 2015

by Mike Kerr

On Sunday 15 March, Branch members enjoyed a very

pleasant day birding in the Mt Wombat/Strathbogie

The Babbler

8 The Babbler

area. We birded in the Mt Wombat Rd/Mt Wombat

Lookout Rd area, which is normally a hotspot but was

relatively quiet due to the gusty conditions.

The group then drove to the Mt Wombat Lookout for a

look see before returning to the Old School Campsite

(about mid way along the Lookout Rd), where the

sheltered gully provided more pleasant conditions.

Several people had good views of a female Leaden

Flycatcher, while others watched a White-bellied

Cuckoo-shrike. We also saw 5 Scarlet Robins, an

Eastern Yellow Robin, several flocks of Buff-rumped

and Striated Thornbills and lots of Grey Fantails.

A pleasant lunch spot at Strathbogie. Photo Marg Clarke

Lunch was enjoyed at the Smiths Bridge end of the

Strathbogie township before we all strolled along the

Bridge to Bridge path behind the township. The wind

had eased somewhat and the walk is fairly sheltered. A

few minutes before completing the walk we all enjoyed

the spectacle of about 35 silvereyes feeding in a patch

of asparagus while another 20+ silvereyes were busy

in the riparian vegetation opposite.

34 species were seen at Mt Wombat, while the Bridge

to Bridge walk yielded a further 11 species, making 45

species for the day - despite the windy conditions.

Thanks to Judith Durston for leading one of our outings

for the first time.

Silvereye at Strathbogie. Photo Marg Clarke

Cussen Park, Tatura

Saturday 18 April 2015

A decision was made to cancel this outing to the

wetlands at Cussen Park following drenching overnight

rains which continued into the Saturday morning. As

the leader Graham Boast was unavailable, Don Roberts

offered to go to Cussen Park in case anyone turned up.

It was just as well he did, as six people arrived,

including a visitor from Venezuela who is currently

living in Shepparton and another visitor from Seymour.

The water level was too high to attract waders, and

only a few ducks were present. But 39 species were

recorded, including a flock of 23 White-breasted

Woodswallows. The group saw a few Musk, Little and

Purple-crowned Lorikeets, as well as one Little

Grassbird, one Australian Reed-Warbler and one Brown

Goshawk.

Special thanks to the writers and

photographers in our branch who provided

material for this newsletter.

Kathy Costello, Editor