May 2017

The BLSH flyer

Volume 6 Number 2, May 2017

Contents From the President ......................................................................................... Page 2

New Members ................................................................................................ Page 3

Conservation Officer’s Report ........................................................................... Page 3

Combined Outing, 12 April, CBOC and BLSH ...................................................... Page 4

Kiama Pelagic March 2017 .......................................................................... Pages 5-6

Global Big Day ............................................................................................... Page 6

Federation Shire-Chiltern Field Trip Report, 6-10 March, 2017 ........................ Pages 7-9

BIGnet Meeting held at the Kum Ba Yah Girl Guide Camp, Mount Keira ............... Page 10

What’s happening to the Flesh-footed Shearwaters near Albany, WA ............ Pages 11-12

Image Library .............................................................................................. Page 13

The Magpie Tale ........................................................................................... Page 13

Barren Grounds and Key Biodiversity Areas ............................................... Pages 14-15

Worth Watching ........................................................................................... Page 15

Berrima River Walk Sunday April 16, 2017 ...................................................... Page 16

Invitation to the Spring Field Trip ................................................................... Page 17

Members’ Bird Art ........................................................................................ Page 18

Members’ Photography............................................................................ Pages 19-21

Silvereye by Erna Llenore

Australasian Swamphen by Helen Erskine

May 2017 2

From the President

I t has been a rather bleak start to the year with many of our planned outings being cancelled be-

cause of predicted bad weather. This is something that we have come to expect as the weather cools

but it is most unusual for the warmer months in the Highlands. We will however, not be put off and

activities for the next few months are already being planned. These dates will be advertised closer to

the event. We hope to see many more of you taking the opportunity to join in the group outings.

Your committee works hard in planning and ar-

ranging the activities for the Member Nights and

the volunteer Guest Speaker Evenings. Our guest

speakers generally have to travel some distance

to address us on their particular topic of experi-

ence. Your committee feels that we have pro-

moted a diverse range of topics. It is therefore

very disappointing to not get a full house to sup-

port these nights. I am therefore asking our

members to please feel free to contact me if you

feel there are any improvements that could be

made to make these evenings more successful.

blsh_president@birdlife.org.au

Later in this newsletter Simon Robinson has con-

tributed a short piece on Key Biodiversity Areas.

Thank you Simon. In September 2016, 11 of the

world’s important conservaton organisations

joined together to launch a new partnership to

map, monitor and conserve areas throughout the

world

where

threatened

species,

plants, ani-

mals and

birds have

been identified. These KBA’s have replaced the former IBA’s

(Important Bird Areas) and are identified as places where

threatened wildlife and plants have been found. Australia has

over 300 of these Key Biodiversity Areas. Simon has discussed

one such location in our local area. A search of the birdlife web-

site birdlife.org.au will lead you to a map which contains inter-

esting information regarding these important areas. http://

www.birdlife.org.au/campaigns/closer-than-you-think

For those of you who still enjoy the pleasures of radio: on ABC Local network (97.3 FM or 702 AM) on

a Tuesday evening around 9:30pm local presenter Chris Bath is featuring a half hour discussion ‘Bird

of the Month’ featuring Australian birds. She has interviewed an interesting range of experts who all

have shared their knowledge and experiences with the radio audience. Google search for Bathie’s

Bird Club and you will be able to listen to previous episodes.

A special welcome to all new members who have joined us since our last newsletter. It is always great to see new faces at our outings and events and I look forward to meeting you all sometime soon.

Peter Madvig presenting Lindsay Smith and Janice

Jenkin-Smith of SOSSA (Southern Ocean Seabirds

Study Association Inc) a gift after their presentation.

Photo by Jennie Wiles

May 2017 3

New Members We welcome the following people who have joined in the last 3 months.

Geoffrey and Jo Dowe

Geraldine and David Hunt

Claudia Chambers

Jenny Murray

Dain Pollard

Ross Meredith

Ann Millard

Michael Gray

Conservation Officer’s Report By Simon Robinson and Col Kohlhagen

Greening Australia Project Updates Col Kohlhagen attended the Wall to Wollondilly meeting and he reports -

By the beginning of May, Michael Vyse, Wall to Wollondilly Project Manager, will desig-nate the location of the five sites where quarterly surveys will be undertaken by BLSH Volunteers. These sites will be mapped and entered onto the Wingecarribee Shire Map-ping System by Ian Perkins, Manager, Wingecarribee Shire Council Natural Resources.

The survey results will be made available in two formats:

Entered as Birdata Surveys as a BLSH Branch Record

Sent to the Wingecarribee Shire Council in a format similar to that currently used for the Mitta-gong Creek Survey, with the addition of a population figure for each species at each survey

Two workshops will be presented by BLSH each calendar year, namely,

A community-focused presentation designed to raise the level of community awareness and to promote the project within a broad conservation context.

A more narrow participant-focused workshop designed to upskill landowners and community members who have signed on for the project.

The initial 2017 workshop will be held prior to the Great Aussie Bird Count, most likely in September and will focus on assisting participants in this year’s national event sponsored by BirdLife Australia.

Simon Robinson adds that we now have the binoculars and they have been marked for identity and are ready for use.

As a follow up of a project coordinated by Nicki Taws from Greening Australia, there are nationwide Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot surveys scheduled for the weekend of 20-21 May. Simon is plan-ning to visit the Wollondilly Valley to see what is present. For more information about the survey weekend contact woodlandbirds@birdlife.com.au

The March newsletter of the Threatened Bird Network had this to say about the Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot.

‘The most productive habitat for these birds is the woodland of valley floors and lower slopes. The Wollondilly Valley in south-eastern NSW is typical of farmland where the lowlands have been cleared, leaving native vegetation remaining on the least productive soils. Greening Australia is restoring woodlands in the valleys and along waterways of the Wollondilly to help reconnect the migratory pathways and provide food for these two species as well as other woodland birds.‘

May 2017 4

Combined Outing, 12 April, BLSH & CBOC. Walk organiser Peter Madvig reports

The forecast had been of some concern but we were most fortunate in having agreeable weather, with just a light drizzle en route.

16 keen Cumberland Bird Observers Club birders, from mostly Syd-ney, joined us for the planned combined outing on Wednesday 12 April.

From the meeting point at the turnoff of Wombeyan Caves Road at 9.00 a.m. we car-pooled down to the Kell's Creek ford through the Box Vale walking track. Heading NW by the fire trail through mostly dry sclerophyll forest very few birds were encountered, save a Su-perb Lyrebird and White-throated Tree-creepers heard. Our visitors were pleasantly surprised to return via the enchanting, disused rail track, going through the tunnel and several cuttings. In one of these a Rock Warbler obliged us with its presence.

Having taken a tad longer than anticipated, we changed the planned program and retreated for a sheltered lunch break in Berrima. From here we pushed on to Charleston Dam and had over an hour enjoy-ing the magic of this large pond with all of its varied waterfowl.

Exciting ducks - Freckled, Blue-billed, Pink-eared, Musk, Hardhead; lots of Hoary-headed Grebes and other species. A very full pond, so no mudflats for the usual dotterels and stilts, but I think it safe to say, we all were reluc-tant to leave!

Thank you to Col, Fred, Sandra, John, and Pen-ny, for helping host our visitors.

Photo by Lucy Moore CBOC

Entering the tunnel on the Box Vale Mine Walking

Track. Photo by Jeff Byron CBOC

Freckled Ducks, Pink–eared Ducks and Hardheads on Charleston Dam.

Photo by Jeff Byron CBOC

May 2017 5

Kiama Pelagic March 2017 Report and images by Nigel Hartley

I had the pleasure of taking a friend on his first pelagic last month.

He loves his birds but had never seen an albatross, so this outing was a birthday present from his wife. We are lucky enough to have some of the best pelagic birding (and marine mammal watching) in the world, right on our doorstep.

From Penrose it is an easy 1½ hours drive to Kiama, which does necessitate an early start for the 7.30 am departure, but it is well worth it, and the dawn light and a good cup of coffee in Kiama take away any remnants of pain from the 5 am alarm.

Boats go out on the 4th Saturday of the month, either MV Kato or MV Kiama. It is a lot of fun and I found the experts on board to be very welcoming and very happy to share their expertise.

We set out on time and were soon seeing the more common Shearwaters, particularly Wedge-tailed, in great numbers. The goal was to get out to the continental shelf at around 75 fathoms where the feeding could be most intense.

Aided by a good supply of burley the crowd of birds grew and it wasn’t long before my friend saw his first (Shy or White-capped) Albatross. The first mega bird came in, it was a South Polar Skua. This caused great excitement as it was at mini-mum an Aussie tick for most on board.

We started seeing a broader range of birds, Grey-faced Petrels, Pomarine Skua, Short-tailed and Flesh-footed Shearwaters, and Wilsons Storm

Petrel.

Apart from a possible pilot whale (sighting of one fin), mammals were absent, but our first sighting of a Wandering Albatross for the day more than made up for it. Albatrosses are more common on the winter outings so it was excellent to see two species on the March outing.

As well as the birdwatching, SOSSA (Southern Ocean Seabirds Study Association) were engaged in the serious business of banding, mainly Grey-faced Petrels but also some Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. Their main target was the Wandering Albatross so when they successfully caught one everyone was delighted to see the giant bird at such close range.

Heading out for Kiama

South Pola Skua Pomarine Skua outmuscled by Wedge-tailed Shearwaters

May 2017 6

Pterodromas are always exciting and after seeing a number of Solanders Petrels during the trip, our return journey was enlivened by good sight-ings of both Goulds Petrel and a Kermadec Petrel.

Everyone agreed it was a very successful day, no-one was seasick though many of us took precau-tions, and on a practical note, take your own lunch, tea, biscuits etc., there is no food on board and seabird watching is hungry business.

Wandering Albatross

Banding Wandering Albatross

Kermadec Petrel

Global Big Day Simon Robinson has supplied the following information about the Global Big Day.

In our ongoing effort to push the boundaries of a Big Day, we're inviting everybody around the

world to join together and participate

in our Global Big Day to support global

conservation.

Submit your bird data to eBird on May 13.

For more information visit http://ebird.org/content/ebird/globalbigday/ (Editor– Seeing the image opposite in a large size is worth visiting the site alone. I have chosen to download it as my desktop background.)

May 2017 7

Federation Shire-Chiltern Field Trip Report

6-10 March, 2017

Organiser Col Kohlhagen reports

In racing parlance, we had 18 nominations for the Corowa Cup but there were only 12 final ac-

ceptances, including John and Jenny Shepherd who, from their base in Albury, were able to join us

at a couple of sites. The participants were exposed to a variety of inland habitats, and appreciated

the challenge of birding on unfamiliar tracks where the going was firm and warm. We were fortunate

to have the help of Albury-based Local Land Services Environmental Officer, Shanna Rogers, who

joined us for the morning sections of the NSW legs.

A total of 103 species was logged across the three days and each site yielded varying numbers and

species, many of which were “ticks” for some of our members.

Site: Species:

Wonga Wetlands 49

Coreen State Forest 17

Emu Park Wetland [Bone Dry !!] 11

Narrow Plains TSR 6

Sandy Mount Bush Block 5

Lake Urana and “Bimbadeen” Lagoon 22

Chiltern: Honeyeater Picnic Area and Cyanide Dam 23

Chiltern: Bartleys Block 14

Chiltern: Green Hill Dam 16

Kentucky State Forest 17

Oil Tree Swamp 29

Redland Reserve 10

Ringwood State Forest 12

Ball Park Caravan Park, Corowa 13

En route and Corowa Environs 8

Heading out for dinner. From the left: Tony Cooper, Col

Kohlhagen, Jennie Wiles, Val Cooper, Helen Aquart, Alan

Edwards, Ingrida Spole, Jill Kohlhagen. Missing Erna

Llenore, Simon Robinson. Photo by Simon Robinson

Egrets at Wonga Wetlands Photo by Jennie Wiles

Challenge– identify the type/s of Egret!

Whistling Kite by Alan Edwards

May 2017 8

I would imagine the highlight for most would

have been at Lake Urana where they had the

chance to see Brolgas much farther south and

inland than they might have expected. In actual

fact, within five minutes of the Coreen State

Forest, which is 75 km south of Lake Urana,

there are at least two properties where they have regularly nested over the years.

These were some other highlights as nominated by participants:

Helen Aquart: “The fly-by

of the Plumed Whistling-

ducks at Bimbadeen La-

goon.”

Jennie Wiles: “Seeing the

Western Gerygone, and

being able to identify its

call thanks to Pat Muller’s

lesson on Gerygone calls

on other field trips.”

Ingrida Spole: “Witnessing

the excitement of other

members when they saw a

new bird.”

Tony Cooper: “I was de-

lighted to see the Eastern

Shrike-Tits. They are such beautiful birds. I have seen them only four times and can remember

where I saw them each time.”

Val Cooper: “I really enjoyed seeing the Brown

Treecreeper again and his antics around the base of the

trees with a Willy Wagtail.”

Simon Robinson: “The camaraderie and good humour as

we drew up and checked the daily sightings over drinks

and nibbles.”

Erna Llenore: “Some highlights from many ….but how

to narrow them down to one. I’d like to include the unex-

pected flight at Wonga Wetlands of two brown birds with

huge wingspans, a seemingly prehistoric sight. When we

tracked them down they were a pair of Nankeen Night

Herons. I must also mention walking through a chorus of

Whistling Kites but then I’d have to leave out seeing Brol-

gas for the first time…and watching tens of Pelicans wheeling

in the sky…and what about……..”

Juvenile Nankeen Night Heron. Photo by Erna Llenore

Pink-eared Ducks. Photo by Erna Llenore

Brolgas in the heat haze. Photo by Alan Edwards

What is that bird? Photo by Alan Edwards

May 2017 9

Thank you Col

The BLSH trip to the Riverina was outstanding!

Based at Corowa we were able to head off to a

number of excellent birding spots in perfect

weather. Col Kohlhagen organised every aspect

of the trip which included not only top birding

and encounters with local identities, but also a

trip down Col’s scholastic and sporting memory

lanes! This is the first such trip with the group

that I have been on and I have to say that the

birding was only rivalled by the after-hours fel-

lowship. Thank you Col for a great job, and fel-

low birders for your company!

By Simon Robinson

It wasn’t all about the birds. Photo by Jennie Wiles Rainbow bee eater with bee! Photo by Alan Edwards

Peaceful Dove. Photo by Alan Edwards Female Red-capped Robin Photo by Alan Edwards

Col Kohlhagen (far right) showing his first teaching

school. Photo by Jennie Wiles

May 2017 10

BIGnet meeting held at the Kum Ba Yah Girl

Guide Camp, Mount Keira, 1-2 April, 2017. Report by Peter Madvig

BLSH normally has one of its members attending the biannual gather-

ings of BIGnet–Bird Interest Group Network – my turn this time. It was

held in a beautiful setting, very well hosted by Illawarra Birders, who

also provided excellent catering.

I found it a valuable occasion for networking with the NSW/ACT birding

community, and was pleased to meet up with familiar faces. Individuals

and members from Birdlife Northern NSW, Birdlife Southern NSW & ACT, Birding NSW, CBOC, Illa-

warra Birders, Birdlife Shoalhaven, Blue Mountains Bird Observers, and Canberra Ornithologists

Group attended.

Various speakers addressed the gathering on birding/wildlife issues, and I was able to invite several

excellent speakers to come and talk next year at some of our BLSH members’ nights. Watch this

space....

Applicable conservation projects/areas were discussed, including T.S.R.s (Threatened Species), and

ongoing contact to the State Government. NSW Bird Atlassers was a topic of interest, but in our

case we report via Birdata to the Birdlife Australia system.

Elisabeth Karplus of Birding NSW, heads the co-ordination of NSW K.B.A.'s, (Key Biodiversity Are-

as....formerly I.B.A.s). A KBA workshop has been planned in the Shoalhaven area on 5-6th August,

and all groups are encouraged to send representatives to this-including from BLSH! A list of guardi-

ans for the 40 state KBA's is due to be published.

Phil Straw, wearing one of his many hats, drew attention to the Aus-

tralasian Bird Fair and Wildlife Expo - to be held again at SOPA,

Sydney Olympic Parklands, 3-5 November, 2017. Ideas/subjects/

exhibitors are called for, as are volunteers–here is a good opportunity

for many of us to participate.

(Please print the applicable form below, fill out the preliminary ques-

tionnaire and forward same to:-Philip Straw, President, Birdlife South-

ern NSW.

Newington Ar-

mory, Building

133, 1 Ja-

mieson Street, Sydney Olympic Park NSW

2127. Or, send to phil-

ip.straw@birdlife.org.au

Richard Jordan of Birdlife Northern NSW,

issued an invitation for the next BIGnet

meeting, 9-10 September, 2017, to be held

at Urunga, South of Coffs Harbour, and

close to Bellingen and Dorrigo. Beautiful

surrounds and great birding are to be had

there. The venue will be at a coastal golf

club, where a KBA workshop has been held

previously.

Several of us joined up in taking a leisurely

stroll on the Sunday from 8.00 a.m. on the

Stafford Farm Track, Mount Kembla, in

lovely rain forest – birding of course!

At the final BBQ before everyone departed,

a Grey Goshawk flew over and checked us

out.

May 2017 11

What’s happening to the Flesh-footed Shear-

waters near Albany, Western Australia? By Nola Kunnen (BLSH)

Project information and photos supplied by Alison Goundrey (Albany WA, member

Birdlife Western Australia and research project team)

BLSH members who have visited the south coast of Western Australia may be familiar with Albany

(Map 1) with its rugged coastline, secluded beaches and nearby national parks all of which offer var-

ied birding opportunities.

On a recent return visit to WA, I was given an overview

of a Conservation Council of WA project currently investi-

gating declining numbers of Flesh-footed Shearwaters

(FFSW) in this region.

The project has a significant citizen science contribution

and is a good example of the ways birders, in collabora-

tion with other volunteers, contribute to knowledge build-

ing about the birds we observe. An important feature of

this project is that volunteer citizen scientists are drawn

from four separate community organisations: Albany

Community Environment Group; Birdlife, Albany branch;

Denmark Bird group (not affiliated with Birdlife) and WA

Sea Bird Rescue, Albany branch.

In the interests of transparency, I should mention that

birding is a passion shared by several family members

and Alison Goundrey and I are cousins.

On a clear summer afternoon we were able to look from

the site of the former Cheyne’s Beach Whaling Station

across the huge sweep of water that comprises King

George Sound and its numerous beaches ranging around

to Nanarup Beach (Map 2). The research area encom-

passes 13 beaches within King George Sound from Misery

Beach to Nanarup Beach as well as Breaksea Island

which is an identified nesting site for Fleshy Footed

Shearwaters.

Map 1: WA with Albany highlighted on far

south coast https://

bellace85.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/

albany_map-1.png (20/04/2017)

Breaksea Island, looking towards Michaelmas Island, King George Sound.

Marking quadrats to record FFSW nesting burrows. Photo supplied by Alison Goundrey

May 2017 12

The research aims to inform understand-

ing of the significant decline of the Flesh-

footed Shearwater population in the re-

gion. Indications are that between 1998

and 2014 the population off the south

coast of WA may have declined as much

as 90%.

Possible reasons for this decline are:

Climate change in their wintering

areas of the Arabian Sea & North West

Indian ocean

Mortality of FFSW caught as by

catch of the purse-seine fishing industry

in King George Sound.

Plastics ingestion, as identified by

Dr Jennifer Lavers (see https://

jenniferlavers.org/research/ also Austral-

ian Birdlife, Vol 6, 1, March 2017 p20)

Mercury contamination

A key research task is frequent beach sweeps

undertaken by more than 25 volunteers who are

patrolling the 13 nominated beaches around King

George Sound from early February until the end

of April 2017 during the FFSW breeding season.

Volunteers regularly walk the length of their allo-

cated beach to locate, collect and bag dead

fleshy footed shearwaters.

The birds (morts) collected from the beach

sweeps are firstly taken to Department of Parks

and Wildlife (DPAW) and then to UWA Albany

campus for necropsy and investigation of plastic

ingestion and cause of death.

Research activities being undertaken on

Breaksea Island in King George Sound during the

2017 FFSW breeding season include:

Establishing a series of burrow monitoring

plots (quadrats), see picture above.

Marking, release and re-capture of Shear-

waters

Assessing plastics at breeding burrows

The research grant is from the Conservation

Council of WA, using funds from the State Natu-

ral Resource Management (NRM) organisation

supported by the West Australian Royalties for

Regions program. Dr Nic Dunlop is the Conserva-

tion Council of WA Citizen Science Co-ordinator;

Dr Harriet Paterson, University of WA, Albany is

researching the plastics element of the project

and Ms Alison Goundrey is liaising with the DPAW and co-ordinating beach sweeps volunteers.

The project is currently undertaking data collection and subsequent stages will include necropsies,

analysing field data from Breaksea Island and reporting. It is anticipated that conclusions and re-

porting will be completed later in 2017.

Many thanks to Alison Goundrey and the research team for contributing information and pictures for

this article to the BLSH newsletter.

Map 2: King George Sound, Bald Head to Nanarup Beach &

Breaksea Island. https://www.albanygateway.com.au/

content/media/images/beachescoastlines/

Where_to_Fish_Photo.jpg (20/04/2017)

Flesh-footed Shearwater being released after recording

on Breaksea Island. Photo supplied by Alison Goundrey

May 2017 13

Image Library

At its first meeting for the year, the Management Committee discussed the issues surrounding the

use of members’ photographic images. Thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of our Image Librarian, Hel-

en Erskine, BLSH is building up an extensive collection of bird images taken by our members. In the

last branch newsletter, Helen raised concerns expressed by some members about how their images

were being used.

The publishers of the Southern Highland News and Highlands Post no longer acknowledge the pho-

tographer when an image is included in articles where the image was not taken by one of their em-

ployees.

BLSH always acknowledges the photographer when using images in its media releases and in other

reports and submissions. The Management Committee recognises the growing interest in bird pho-

tography among our members and the disappointment members may feel when their work is not

acknowledged appropriately.

However, the Management Committee also recognises the value of including relevant bird images

with media releases written to promote an event or to support a particular birding cause. BLSH has

achieved an excellent “strike rate” for such articles, and much of this successful publicity can be at-

tributed largely to the eye-catching bird images which are included. Publishing articles in the local

newspapers is also a very valuable way of raising the profile of birdwatching in the Highlands.

The Management Committee is asking our “camera-carrying’” members to continue to support and

enhance our promotional activities by making their images available and to accept that their work

may not always be acknowledged in local newspaper articles. Members who decline to allow their im-

ages to be used without acknowledgement are quite within their rights. However, the Management

Committee is hopeful that enough members will continue to support BLSH in this very practical and

valuable way so that a large pool of high quality images will continue to be available for use with me-

dia releases.

The Magpie Tale! By Val Cooper

My sister, Clarissa Lear and her partner, Paul Montague were feeding a

pair of magpies each day. After some time the birds began leaving

gifts in the form of small branches which they did over a period of sev-

eral days, just one twig every other day. These were all green except

one which was a dead one. The birds disappeared soon after and my

sister discovered on enquiring from a lady some doors away that they

were being fed there. They have since returned but not on a daily ba-

sis.

Australian Magpie Painting by

Ingrida Spole

May 2017 14

Barren Grounds and Key Biodiversity Areas Simon Robinson explains

The Important Bird Areas (IBA) program has now been extended to cover more than just birds, to

also include the valuable biodiversity of these areas, impacting as it does on the total ecosystem. To

reflect this broadening, IBA will now be called Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA). This is what the Birdlife

Australia website says:

The KBA Standard closely aligns with the

standards already implemented in IBAs, and

the program continues to use the community -

driven conservation approach that has been

so successful in IBAs. It means there will be

little change in the day-to-day conservation

work undertaken by our projects and volun-

teers. In fact, some volunteers are already

one step ahead, working alone or with other

groups to protect habitat and other threat-

ened wildlife in KBAs.

BirdLife Australia has led the way in identify-

ing, mapping and monitoring Australian Key

Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) through our nation-

al conservation and volunteer network. Be-

yond simply identifying where KBAs are, Bird-

Life Australia is committed to ensuring the

protection, management and restoration of

these important sites for birds and biodiversi-

ty.

With the weight of a global conservation

framework behind us, we advocate for KBAs at all levels of government. In Queensland's Moreton

Bay KBA, for example, BirdLife Australia is working with State and Federal Governments to ensure

that plans to develop Toondah Harbour align with the conservation objectives of protecting im-

portant habitat for migratory shorebirds such as the Critically Endangered Eastern Curlew.

One of the former IBA, and now a KBA, is Budderoo and Barren Grounds which is on the edge of

‘our’ patch. This is a reserve dating back to the ‘50s that has various mangers over the years. At

one stage, BirdLife Australia was responsible for its maintenance,

but management has reverted to NSW National Parks and Wildlife

Service (NPWS). This is what their website says about it:

Barren Grounds Nature Reserve holds a very special place in the

history of conservation in NSW, as it was the third faunal reserve

to be gazetted under the Fauna Protection Act. Led by early con-

servation leaders like Myles Dunphy, Paddy Pallin and Allen Strom,

it was protected in 1956. Since then, it has been an important

place for researchers and students alike to record and learn about

the incredible biodiversity of this area. The stone building at Barren

Grounds picnic area - once known as The Lodge - was used for ac-

commodation by researchers and honorary rangers.

Barren Grounds Nature Reserve is famous for its heath wildflowers

in spring and summer and flowering banksias in winter. The heath-

land is also one of only 4 large areas of heath on the NSW South

Coast, making it an important habitat for many species of plants

and animals. A large number of threatened or regionally rare ferns

and other species also occur in wet sheltered sites below the es-

carpment, including several species of filmy fern. Around 180 bird

species can also be found here, including honeyeaters, southern

emu wrens, lyrebirds, crimson rosellas, cockatoos and grey curra-

wongs. If you're really lucky, you might even spot the bright green

Map of KBAs in Australia http://www.birdlife.org.au/

campaigns/closer-than-you-think

http://birdlife.org.au/documents/

KBA-2page-100km_City_Guide-

Sydney.pdf

May 2017 15

ground parrot or an eastern bristlebird. In fact, it was to protect these two threatened heathland

birds that Barren Grounds Nature Reserve was set up in 1956.

BLSH has visited the Barren Grounds (and Budderoo) fairy frequently. My own bird list doesn’t near-

ly match the 180 species reputed to be there, but I have seen the bristlebird and heard the ground

parrot!

The Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus) in the park is one of two endangered races

(brachypterus), the other (monoides) being found on the coast in northern NSW. Both are listed as

endangered by both NSW and the Commonwealth. There is a list of the threats they are facing at

this website: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10206. (If

you haven’t heard it already, ask Peter Dewey to tell you the story of the American and the bristle-

bird!)

In addition to the bristlebird, the Eastern Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) is also vulnerable.

Those in Barren Grounds belong to a race (wallicus) that occurs patchily along the east coast of Aus-

tralia and is listed as vulnerable in NSW; another race (leachi) occurs in Tasmania. NSWPWS organ-

ises an annual ground parrot count in which some of our members have taken part. It involves sit-

ting in a likely area at dusk (usually in the rain) listening for the characteristic call and trying to map

the calls to estimate the number of individuals.

When opportunities arise for members to become involved in KBA activities at Budderoo and Barren

Grounds KBA, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Video-Key Biodiversity Areas explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=65K15eQc1GY

Worth watching

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OPI-

9oi19gQ

May 2017 16

Berrima River Walk Sunday April 16, 2017 Walk leader Col Kohlhagen reports

Nine BLSH Members and two visitors enjoyed a pleasant walk along the Wingecarribee River start-

ing at the very crowded camping reserve, which was over-flowing with Easter Weekend campers.

Among the participants were two BLSH members on their first formal outing, namely Jenny Murray

and Dain Pollard.

The number of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters seen in their annual fly-past was not as high as in some

years but they were evident among the 31 species recorded:

Noisy Miner, Grey Butcherbird, Crimson Ro-

sella, Eastern Rosella, Australian King-parrot,

Galah, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Australian

Magpie, Pied Currawong, Australian Raven,

Dusky Moorhen, White-faced Heron, Austral-

asian Darter, Laughing Kookaburra, Satin

Bower Bird, Grey Fantail, Magpie-lark, Black-

faced Cuckoo-shrike, Pacific Black Duck, Aus-

tralian Wood Duck, Red-browed Finch, Brown

Thornbill, Spotted Dove, Grey Goshawk,

White-throated Treecreeper Golden Whistler,

Striated Thornbill, Spotted Pardalote and a

female robin not clearly identifiable.

Grey Goshawk Photo by Erna Llenore

From left Erna Llenore, new members Jenny Murray

and Daine Pollard and Val Cooper. By Jennie Wiles

Erna consults Col about a bird photo and the bird’s

identity while the others wait for the verdict. Photo

by Jennie Wiles

What bird is that?

(taken at Braemar by Linda

Hoelle 20.4.17)

Answer appears on the last page.

May 2017 17

Invitation to the Spring Field Trip

By organiser of the trip Jennie Wiles

The spring camp will be held from Monday 9 October to 13 October 2017. The base town for the trip

will be Moruya on the NSW south coast. Moruya is south of Batemans Bay and North of Narooma in

the Eurobodalla Shire.

The types of habitat around Moruya and surrounding towns are varied and include lakes, rivers and

estuaries; beaches; farm land; dry forest; and rainforest which all offer a variety of bird life. A bro-

chure for Eurobodalla Shire claims 346 bird species! A Eurobodalla Bird List (pdf) can be downloaded

at http://www.eurobodalla.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/52965/ECT-Birds-DL-Final.pdf. It

was compiled by the Eurobodalla Natural History

Society who have been contacted about our visit.

The migratory shorebirds and other migratory

birds should have returned or be passing through

in October during our visit. Other birds will be

breeding. The whales are also migrating south

during October and sighting of these are usually

frequent.

A detailed itinerary has not as yet been put to-

gether but some early preparations have been

completed. Michael and Sarah Guppy, who gave

a talk to BLSH last year, have invited us to visit

their site that was the topic of their talk and has

been monitored since the 1970s. Eurobodalla

Natural History Society has agreed to help select

the best birding locations for our visit and they

have been invited to join us on one or more of

our outings.

An optional cruise to Montague island has been

suggested and will be arranged on the departure

day-Friday 13 October for a half day morning tour if there is interest. Montague Island is the breed-

ing ground for around 15 bird species, home to NSW's largest colony of Australian and New Zealand

fur seals and one of the largest Little Penguin breeding sites in Australia. More information about the

island can be found at http://eurobodalla.com.au/our-region/montague-island. Tours are for 4 hours

in the morning and cost from $100-120. If BLSH trip members aren’t interested they would return

home on the Friday morning or explore more of the area on their own before departing.

We will be based at Riverbreeze

Tourist Park which is situated

right on the banks of the

Moruya River, just across the

bridge from the town centre. 2

types of cabin accommodation

have been reserved until the

end of June. After the end of

June it will be dependent on

availability.

Members who wish to partici-

pate are urged to organise car-

pooling and cabin sharing ar-

rangements if appropriate, and

book directly with the Caravan

Park management to avoid missing out. http://allswell.com.au/community/riverbreeze/?holiday=1 or

Telephone 1800 467 730 / 024474 2370. Quote BirdLife Southern Highlands when booking. Caravan

accommodation also needs pre-booking as it is a popular destination.

A Bar-tailed Godwit at Narooma beginning to develop

breeding colours. Photo by Jennie Wiles March 2017

Riverbreeze Tourist Park

May 2017 18

Members’ Bird Art This is a new section for the members who would like to contribute but are not nec-

essarily photographers. Contributions are welcome for this section. Thank you to the

following artists for agreeing to share their work. Feedback is appreciated.

Val Cooper

Simon Robinson

Ingrida Spole

Superb Fairy-wren Red-capped Robin

Red-eared Firetail Grey Fantail

Emu

Wedge-tailed Eagle

May 2017 19

Members’ Photography The theme is “I’m looking at you, looking at me”

Next edition’s theme is “Don’t you hate queuing” with the possibility of group

shots. Other contributions are very welcome.

Peter Dewey Photo by Graham Olde Collared Sparrowhawk Photo by Graham Olde

Silvereye Photo by Erna Llenore

Southern Boobook by Erna Llenore

Flame Robin Babies by Louise Egerton. (The birds were at eye height and were observed while walking past)

May 2017 20

Welcome Swallow Photo by Jennie Wiles Azure Kingfisher Photo by Jennie Wiles

Brown Thornbill Photo by Linda Hoelle

Brown Falcon Qld. Photo by Linda Hoelle

Banded Lapwing Photo by Sue Stanley Wonga Pigeons Photo by Sue Stanley

Newsletter contributions

If you would like to contribute an article to the newsletter, please contact Jennie Wiles at millieup@hotmail.com

Articles can be on any aspect of birding, or issue related to birding, that may interest other members.

Photos, in jpeg format, are also very wel-come.

BLSH Committee

President Christine Kelly

Liaison Col Kohlhagen

Conservation Simon Robinson

Program Peter Madvig

Treasurer John Desmond

Records Graham Olde

Admin Erna Llenore

Newsletter Jennie Wiles

Committee support Val Cooper

Committee support

Magpie-lark female Photo my Linda Hoelle Yellow-throated Miner Photo by Sue Stanley

Galahs Photo by Erna Llenore

The deadline for the next newsletter is

20 July 2017

What Bird Is That? Answer—Grey Shrike-thrush