Birds with Friends

Since my birthday, I've been up to a lot of things. Sadly, from the point of view of this blog (and you, dear non-existant readers), those things have not included birding. However finally, on the day of the supposed Mayan apocalypse, December 21, I got back out into the field. The location: Eastlakes Golf Course (the closest thing I have to a local patch). The aim: best day list record (the standing record being 76, by yours truly). The company: another young teen birder, Simon Gorta, who I uncovered using the subtle method of google stalking.

Sydney tick: Tawny Grassbird

The day had been organised by Simon, who, having finished school for the year just days earlier, was eager to add to his life list. While he had never seen a crake, I'd been seeing all three Sydney species with relative ease over previous months. And within 15 minutes of arriving at 6am, at the first suitable habitat we checked, we had first Spotted Crake, followed barely a minute later by Baillon's, which was in turn followed by a brief cameo appearance of a Spotless Crake. Even by my standards of crake success, this was incredible. The morning continued in a similar fashion, as we added such good birds as Greenfinch, Night Heron, more crakes (of all three species), Common Tern fishing over the main lake, a very vocal Tawny Grassbird - a very unexpected Sydney tick. A slight drop in water levels (hopefully not a sign of things to come over summer) had exposed more mud than usual, and we resultantly saw many Latham's Snipe very easily, more Sharpies than usual (6), and three Red-kneed Dotterels, an increase on previous sightings on one. As an aside, Red-kneed Dots are definitely one of my favourite birds, so cleanly coloured, and with that wonderful, bobbing motion unique to the plovers.

The record-equaling Swampie

The regulars all continued to turn out for us, and by 9:30, we had leveled my record of 76, when a Swamp Harrier - my first here in at least three years - flew over. Breaking the record from here was a mere formality, as we had yet to see Indian Myna. And sure enough, bird 77 was that species. Thankfully, we continued to grow the list, but at a now significantly reduced pace. Over the following few hours, we added just five more species: Blackbird, White-faced Heron, Buff-banded Rail, Topknot Pigeon and Little Grassbird, the last being Simon's seventh lifer of the day. We wrapped up shortly after as there was no sign of any other birds we hadn't already seen. With 82 species (full list HERE ), and the record well and truly under our belt, the day could only have been called a success.

Common Tern: only the third record for Eastlakes

Two days later (today), I was picked up just after 6am by long-time teen birding mate Max Breckenridge, and, along with Josh and Simon, headed off south to Royal NP. On the way down, anticipation built, as we mapped out the target birds for the day. The plan was to spend a few hours in Royal, ideally breaking the day list record of a measly 62 (set accidentally by Josh, Max and me late last year), before heading off down James Cook Drive through the Sutherland Shire (...) to Boat Harbour. Josh was yet to see Pied Oystercatcher in Sydney, and I promptly put the mockers on him by declaring the pair at Metromix Wetlands a dead cert.

Female White-throated Treecreeper

But more on that later. We pulled in at Audley at about 7am, and set off down Lady Carrington Drive with the aim of finding Logrunner. The bush was alive, and we quickly built a list of 30, including Brown Cuckoo Dove, Owlet Nightjar (heard calling), Striated Thornbill, multiple Lyrebird, breeding Dollarbirds, Shining Bronze Cuckoo (heard only, unfortunately for Simon, for whom it would have been a lifer), Rufous Fantail, many vocal Leaden Flycatchers, and Cicadabird. This last bird was one of my major targets for the day, but we could only hear it calling from the wrong side of the Hacking River, and determined to search for it later.

After an hour or so, we turned back without Logrunner, but already within 20 birds of the record. Driving up to Wattle Flat, we added Azure Kingfisher, Crimson Rosella, and concluded that the Cicadabird, more than 50 metres up a steep, densely vegetated hill was beyond our reach. Along the rainforesty track, I heard and then found a Bassian Thrush, while Max called in a female Shrike Tit, and Simon and Josh spotted a Grey Goshawk. I glimpsed a white morph shortly after, but we could not relocate it, and had to make do with decent views of the other, grey, individual. Incredibly, by the time we set off from Wattle Flat, headed for the coast at Wattamolla, we had broken the record, with our count at 63.

Remarkably unobscured: the Heathwren

By this point, the heat was peaking. The forecast was for 28, but it felt already like more than that. Thankfully, an onshore breeze made it more bearable, but did nothing to ward off sunburn, which only Simon, with his darker skin and (probably more relevant) liberal and regular application of suncream, was able to avoid. Out at the crevasse, the going was slow, as we had to make do with Welcome Swallow and, bizarrely, a calling Bulbul. In a matter of minutes, and in a way only birds can achieve, the place came alive, as Simon or Josh spotted a Tawny-crowned Honeyeater (year tick), followed immediately by Josh's call of Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, which offered typically brief and obscured views. With two of our three targets seen within a minute of each other, our focus turned to Rockwarbler. While the other three preferred to stake out a spot where we'd seen them on a previous visit, I wandered somewhat aimlessly, and was rewarded when a Rockwarbler hopped out of a bush right in front of me!

After the others got brief views, we sought shelter back in Max's car, in front of the aircon jets. A quick count gave us our final tally for Royal: 74 species - a new record but by no means unbeatable. From here, it was straight to Metromix Wetlands near Kurnell. Having sworn we'd get Pied Oyk, it was perhaps completely unsurprising that they were not there, for the first time in my visits. On the other hand, a fishing Little Tern, and an Osprey were first records for the site, and were nice consolations (at least, they were to me; Josh may have a different opinion!). Thankfully, I was able to introduce the others to a site I have visited a lot in recent years, in Quibray Bay, which is reliable for Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eastern Curlew, and Red-capped Plover; all barring the Barwit are reasonably difficult to find in Sydney, and Josh got two Sydney ticks out of the stop-over.

White hot: a male Kestrel shelters from the sun at Wattamolla

At Boat Harbour, we coughed up the ridiculously excessive $25 entrance fee, and drove over the dunes, in the process confirming that Foresters are far superior to dodgy Jeep-rip-offs made by Suzuki, which we watched as their back wheels spun, unable to move the car from its sandy prison. At the rock shelf, it was absolute low tide, and most of the birds had retreated from the hoards of Shire-folk and their dogs to an offshore rock platform. Thankfully, with the aid of Max's scope, we picked out all that could be expected at the site, including Common, Crested and Little Tern, Ruddy Turnstone (a lifer for Simon), Pacific Golden Plover, Red-necked Stint, Sooty Oyk and the four cormorants. Josh was on the hunt for something special on our own rocks, and his persistence paid off, after having flushed numerous RNSs and PGPs, he spotted a Reef Egret (year tick). Our views were poor at such a distance, and as soon as we tried to approach, it decided New Zealand was probably a better home, and set off out across the Pacific, soon disappearing over the horizon.

Max had bags to pack for a trip to Europe, so we called time on the day soon after, with a total day list of slightly over 100 - not bad for what was essentially only two visited sites. As ever, it was great to get out birding for a day, with two nice year ticks and a great time had by all (I hope). In particular, the excellent company goes a long way to seeing more, and making those long treks in the sun go by so much quicker. Cheers guys!