Birding 2023 : Quick Links
In preparing my top 5 moments of 2023, in which I usually embed the links to the relevant posting, I decided to complete the job by creating an index which provides links to the first posts of each birding outing / session of the past year. Time will tell whether this is useful to anyone but me. I've added the key birds and occasional other wildlife to help remind myself of the highlights of each outing. In due course I'll do the same for my birding in 2022 as well (but NB ... this is NOT a New Year's resolution!) The only problem is that this gives melees than 24 hours before I can no longer edit the post, to write up two epic days of birding on 30 and 31 December, when I normally take several days to prepare the pix and text for each post.
In short it's been a terrific year for birding as I continued to make the most of relocating from Hong Kong to Sydney in May 2022. Choosing five birds has been simply not been possible. How on earth do you choose between the following?
- Filming a Superb Lyrebird startled by a Red-bellied Black Snake on the same day you see an Echidna and find Sydney's sixth Spectacled Monarch,
- Watching a pair of Glossy Black Cockatoos feeding completely unconcerned within two metres at the end of a fine day in the Blue Mountains,
- A four albatross haul at my Manly watchpoint that included my first true Wandering Albatross,
- Finding the world's heaviest moth, a massive beauty in silver-grey crushed velvet, newly emerged on the tree she'd being living inside for 2 years
- Watching the Medusa's nest of a harassed female Australasian Darter with three hungry, stabby chicks,
- Successful twitches for Black-backed Bittern, Swift Parrot, Regent Honeyeater, Red-backed Kingfisher, Noisy Pitta and Fairy Tern,
- Point blank views of the exquisite elegance of Crested Terns displaying in the full pink-tinged flush of their breeding plumage,
- Sharing a rainy, windswept headland in the Southern Ocean with a family of Cape Barren Geese, and a Black Falcon whipping 30 feet overhead,
- Finding the first Baillon's Crake for the North Shore on my suburban golf course patch in Northbridge,
- Being deafened by the Jurassic cacophony of the world's largest cuckoo claiming its territory over your house,
- A five patch-tick morning as the summer visitors arrived with a bloom of Red Gums in the valley,
- Watching and filing Flying Foxes swoop across the surface of the golf course pond to collect drinking water against a sunset sky,
- A Conference Birding morning with no less than eleven crakes of three species in the mist-wreathed Jerrabomberra Wetlands in Canberra,
- Seeing seven different Powerful Owls and three Southern Boobooks on the patch in a week - when you've never seen either there before,
- Walk-away eye-level views of an Osprey munching a fish less than 20 metres away after an up-close wader-fest on the last day of the year.
While much of my birding has been on my own I greatly appreciated the good company, driving and expertise of Veeraj Sharma, Rob Hynson, Murray Lord, Edwin Vella and Ian Mo, and the work put into the various Facebook pages and websites that provide the opportunity to share gen and photos. A special shout out to Jenny and Rodney Stiles, super friendly admins of the
Cumberland Bird Observers Club FB page. I have great deal to be thankful for!
And a final and heartfelt thank you to everyone on BF who dips into and comments on the thread. best wishes for great birding in 2024!
Cheers
Mike
January
04 Jan
Pioneer Dairy: Wood Sandpiper, Tawny Grassbird, Darters on nest, Pied Butcherbird (2 posts)
10 Jan
Royal National Park: Lyrebirds, Catbird, Rock Warbler, Echidna (2 posts)
17 Jan
Sydney Olympic Park: Black-backed Bittern, Little Grassbird (2 posts)
26 Jan
Royal National Park: Spectacled Monarch, Lyrebirds, RBB Snake video, Brown Antechinus (2 posts)
February
02 Feb
The Entrance and Ourimbah RTA (2 posts) Eastern Rosella pic, Giant Wood Moth
06 Feb
Royal Botanic Gardens: Powerful Owl
07 Feb
Pitt Town Lagoon: Australian Painted-snipe dip.
21 Feb
Scheyville National Park Scarlet Myzomela, Restless Flycatcher,
26 Feb
Central Coast Wetlands: Tawny & Little Grassbirds
March
02 Mar
Blue Mountains: Woodford Creek Catchment; Glossy Black Cockatoo, Red-browed Treecreeper, Shining Bronze Cuckoo
19 Mar
Warriewood & Irrawong: Black Bittern, Grey-headed Flying Fox
20 Mar
Long Reef & Collaroy GC: Nankeen Kestrel, White-bellied Wedgie,
26 Mar
Garigal NP: Slippery Dip Trail White-cheeked Honeyeater
April
01 Apr
Harold Reid Reserve Owlet Nightjar, Tawny Frogmouth
8 & 14 Apr
Sydney Olympic Park: Mason Park & Waterbird Scrape: Red-kneed Dotterel, Cattle Egret, White-plumed Honeyeater
10 Apr
Kurri Kurri Dipping Regent Honeyeater, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Leaden Flycatcher
18 Apr
Richmond Lowlands: Windsor Churchyard, Turf Farm & Pugh's Lagoon: Red-rumped Parrot, Banded Lapwing, Nankeen Night Heron
28 Apr
Palmdale & Ourimbah Regent Bowerbird, Pigeons
May
02 May
Long Reef Double-banded Plover, Red-necked Stint, Turnstone, Pied Cormorant, Crested Tern
13 May
Mount Annan Botanic Gardens Swift Parrot, White-winged Chough, Striated Pardalote
28 May
Tuggerah WWTP & Palmdale Musk Duck, White-necked Heron, Gang-gangs
June
18 Jun
Morisset & Palmdale Regent Honeyeater, Scaly-breasted & Little Lorikeets, Gang-gangs
15 Jun
Photospot: Tawny Frogmouth
16 Jun
Richmond Lowlands: Cuppitts Lane & Pugh's Lagoon: Spotted Harrier, Zebra Finch, Red-capped Robin, White-bellied Cuckoo shrike
27 Jun
Kamay & Kurnell Buff-banded Rail, Reef Egret, Lewin's Rail
July
1 Jul:
Photospot: Brown Thornbill
9 Jul
Kamay Botany Bay National Park: Solander Point and Terrigal Gap Trail Lewin's Rail, Black-browed Albatross, Humpback Whale
22/3 July
Manly sea watch 3 x albatrosses, Brown Skua, Giant Petrel
August
6 Aug
Manly sea watch 4 x albatrosses (including Wandering), Brown Skua
12 Aug
Patch birding in Northbridge (July-August) : introduction to Northbridge
13 Aug
Warriewood Wetlands and Long Reef Double-banded Plover, Crested Terns, Swallowing Pelican pix
26 Aug
Northbridge, Castlecrag and Harold Reid Reserve Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
September
08 Sep
Conference Birding: Phillip Island the wind and rain Cape Barren Goose, Brown and Black Falcons
16 Sep
Pitt Town Lagoon, Bushell's Lagoon and Fred Caterson Reserve Rufous Songlark, Australian Spotted Crake, Powerful Owls
22 Sep
Mt Annan Botanic Gardens Red-backed Kingfisher, Pied Triller, White-winged Chough
28 Sept
Patch birding in Northbridge - September Baillon's Crake, White-winged Chough, Southern Boobook call, (46 spp)
October
1/2 Oct
Patch Birding in Northbridge Lace Monitor, Rufous Whistler, Tawny Frogmouth, Chestnut Teal & Hardheads
06 Oct
Patch birding in Northbridge 54 species (new patch record) inc Sacred Kingfisher
21 Oct
Patch birding in Northbridge Square-tailed Kite, Brown Quail
22 Oct
Patch Birding in Northbridge Dollarbird
27 Oct
Patch Birding in Northbridge Latham's Snipe, White-cheeked Honeyeater
29 Oct
Patch birding in Northbridge Rufous Fantail, Little Lorikeet, White-winged Triller, Scarlet Myzomela, Black-faced Monarch
November
04 Nov
Richmond Lowlands: Edwards Rd & Cornwells Lane Pallid Cuckoo, Rufous & Brown Songlarks, Banded Lapwing
04/9/11 Nov
Patch birding in Northbridge White-headed Pigeon, Superb Lyrebird, drinking Flying Foxes
16/18 Nov
Patch Birding in Northbridge Osprey, White-throated Needletail, Powerful Owl, Leaden Flycatcher
December
02 Dec
Pitt Town Lagoon Australian Painted-snipe, Baillon's Crake, Brown Songlark
08 Dec
Palmdale Pacific Baza, Noisy Pitta
09/10/11/22 Dec
Patch Birding in Northbridge Powerful Owl and Southern Boobook
15 Dec
Patch birding in Northbridge Musk Lorikeet, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Brown Goshawk fledgling
25 Dec
Photospot: Australian Brush Turkey.
30 Dec
The Entrance Little & Fairy Terns
31 Dec
Long Reef Siberian Plover, Osprey feeding