twitterings - birdlife · eight of us met up at tullamarine, very much looking forward to...

TWITTERINGS BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Newsletter Volume 3 Number 9 April 2018

BRANCH EXPEDITION

NORFOLK ISLAND

FRIDAY 9 MARCH 2018 – FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2018

(L-R) Red-tailed Tropicbird, Sacred Kingfisher & Norfolk Robin Photos Helen Dixon

A WEEK ON NORFOLK ISLAND

HELEN DIXON

Eight of us met up at Tullamarine, very much looking forward to discovering the many facets of Norfolk Island.

Our first discovery was that getting there, and back, can be a long and arduous journey, with delayed flights

resulting in missed connections, no food on the plane and having to check in and out between flights.

But it was all worth it; the island was beautiful with its Norfolk Island pines, interesting history, gorgeous

coastline vistas and of course magnificent birds.

The first afternoon Graham was peering into a garden in the main street and found our first endemic bird, the

Norfolk Gerygone; we were off to a great start!

The next morning we all took a complimentary island tour which gave us a

quick orientation of the island.

Then it was into birding. Our first stop was the Hundred Acres Reserve and

Rocky Point.

Rocky Point was brilliant with Red-tailed Tropicbird, White Tern, Black

Noddy and Masked Booby circling around right in front of us and there

were Red-tailed Tropicbird chicks of various ages in nests very close to us;

and did I mention the views were stunning!

(Right: Pacific Golden Plover : Photo Helen Dixon)

BirdLife Warrnambool

2 Twitterings April 2018

We came home via the airport and found a huge flock of Pacific Golden

Plover on the runway, many looking great in their breeding colours.

Heather spotted a Bar-tailed Godwit but the rest of us were busy following

up our first sighting of a covey of California Quail; the first of many

sightings over the week.

One last detour was a walk down to the beach via the Bambora

Boardwalk, another pretty spot.

Graham was up early to catch the morning sun on the historic buildings at

Kingston. Glenda, Graham and I checked out the Sunday market where

the stalls were tucked away on the verandas as it was raining before we

all headed to the Botanic Gardens where we hoped to find all the endemic

bush birds. Instead the rain came down in bucket loads and we had to

retreat inside. Eventually we did find Slender-billed White-eye, Norfolk

Robin, the endemic subspecies of Grey Fantail and Silvereye.

There was no mistaking the call of the Norfolk Parakeet, known locally as

the Green Parrot, while the Crimson Rosella is called the Red Parrot, and while we all heard the call, the birds

remained out of sight.

After lunch we found an even more magical spot, the Captain Cook Memorial Lookout; the seabirds were

mesmerising and the views were amazing!

Here there were a series of little rocky islands where the magnificent Great Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Black

Noddy, Common Noddy, Black-winged Petrel and Grey Ternlet flew about

or rested. We watched them for ages; another great day’s birding!

Our fourth day on the island started with a snorkel and swim in Emily Bay

for Graham, Glenda and me. The water was lovely and the snorkelling

pleasant. Although not stunning, every place has different gorgeous fish

and interesting coral and Emily Bay was no exception.

As a group, we spent some time checking out the history at Kingston. Of

course the wetlands there were worth a look with Australasian Swamphen,

Mallard, Pacific Black Duck and many White-faced Heron all observed.

By this time we were getting a bit anxious about not finding the Norfolk

Parakeet, especially after hearing it several times.

We had been told that Selwyn Pine Road and The Palm Glen Circuit Track were the best locations to find them,

so that’s where we headed. It was a pleasant walk; we all heard the parrot and Glenda even felt she caught a

glimpse of it, but we need to get a good look at it.

Graeme did some more reading and told us McLaclan Lane was another great spot to see the elusive parrot so

this was the first stop on our agenda for Day Five.

Time was running out.

It was a steep and slippery track down towards a valley and I could only think of the steep climb back up. We

heard no calls on the way down. On the way back up, Lynn, Graham and Glenda strode ahead and suddenly the

rest of us realised they were signalling to us to come quickly; a Norfolk Parakeet had perched on a branch right

in front of them and posed for the camera. John and I saw it disappear just as we reached it. Three of us were

elated, the other five shattered.

Back at the airport, along with Pacific Golden Plover, we saw Ruddy

Turnstone, a single Double-banded Plover and European Goldfinch.

While there we met a local who said he’d take us to a great spot for the

Norfolk Parakeet and also the only tree on the island where the Morepork

can be seen. Amazingly, as we talked to him, two Norfolk Parakeets flew

overhead and perched on a nearby pine.

(From top:

Masked Woodswallow, White Tern & White-faced Heron : Photos Helen Dixon)


Twitterings April 2018 3

Yes, we had all seem them! Drinks and birdcall that night were spent at Palm Glen picnic ground where the

Norfolk Robin hung out, but we never did see the Morepork.

Margaret Christian is the local guru for birdlife on Norfolk Island, however she was away for the week but had

arranged for her son-in-law to show us some birdlife. Sadly he was no guru, although he did take us to

Margaret’s property, where there were many Masked Booby chicks on top of the cliff. He also showed us some

Red-tailed Tropicbird chicks at the base of pines at Bloody Bridge. Glenda fell in love with these chicks and

returned there every chance she could get.

Our last full day was our only chance, due to the weather, to take a boat out to Phillip Island to see some

nesting seabirds. We were up at 5.00 am and headed down to Kingston Pier to catch our boat. The waves were

huge and the wind strong. No-one was there but shortly after our arrival our boatman came to tell us the

obvious; the trip was off.

It was disappointing, but it meant we had a free day to do whatever we liked, so Graham and I had a game of

golf on the beautiful golf course. Others went back to their favourite spots and we all had a lovely lunch at

Hillis, a nice restaurant we’d discovered earlier, then a few of us had another look at the brilliant seabirds at

Captain Cook Memorial Lookout.

There was still one bird species we wanted to find, Wedge-tailed Shearwater; they were arriving at their nest

burrows after dark at Puppy’s Point. Heather gets the prize for our best spotter as she saw a raft of the birds far

out to sea; our scope was excellent.

As it got dark we glimpsed a few come in and then to our delight we heard their eerie call that gives them the

nickname “ghost birds”.

This was the perfect ending to a great week. We loved the island; we had found all our target birds and more

and enjoyed the company of our small group.

A memorable week on a special island!

CAPTAIN COOK MONUMENT - THE NORTHERN CLIFFS

GRAHAM DIXON

Norfolk Island is an almost mythical place, one we all had heard

of but knew little about; a place with history, warm climate,

forests, coral reefs, friendly locals and of course exotic birds;

definitely worth a visit.

Yes, we had to do our research to make full use of our time there

but there were still plenty of surprises to be had; bushwalking

with no snakes, ticks or leaches was one of the nicer ones but the

biggest surprises were the places we had read about and thought

we knew; no one told us about the breathtaking wow factor which

greeted us on arrival.

My favourite place was the Captain Cook Monument and scenic

lookout. From this vantage point you look out over a steep cliff

and see small islands just offshore. These were rookeries for many species of birds which soared all around.

Initially I was just mentally ticking of the various species, but then I wanted to capture some good photos and

the birds obliged. Some of the species putting on a show included Red-tailed Tropicbird, always looking so

graceful, Great Frigatebird with their enormous wing spans, Black-winged Petrel, always flying in pairs, Masked

Booby and Black Noddy, while White Tern, with fish in beaks, were flying in from the sea towards the tall

Norfolk Island pines to feed their chicks.

We had taken the Branch telescope, so a closer inspection of the nesting birds was possible. The grandeur of

the cliffs, the Norfolk Island pine covered slopes and the birds were truly hypnotic, so of course we had a repeat

visit.

A new bird for me was the Grey Noddy. We weren’t sure of our identification at first as they were so far away

but after a while we saw more and more of them and eventually had good views.

Above: Black-winged Petrel : Photo Graham Dixon



The Sooty Tern breeds here in great numbers over summer but most had already departed and we saw very

few. Brief sightings caused great debate, with the controversial saying “Did you get a photo?” bandied about.

Well yes, I did get a photo, so Sooty Tern was belatedly added to our birdlist.

From the scenic lookout we followed a bush track along the coast; it was a mystical place through Norfolk

Island pines draped with hanging moss. The walk led us past some more of the offshore islands; Moo-oo Stone

is the first of them, however its interesting name is a mystery, while others are more aptly named; Green Pool

Stone had a green pool with some ducks on it, the shape of Cathedral Rock showed that it was appropriately

named, Elephant Rock looked like an elephant and Bird Island had birds on it.

It is truly a place you could just sit and take in the aura for a long time.

(L-R) Norfolk Parakeet & Slender-billed White-eye Photos Graham Dixon

Norfolk Island scenery Photos Trish & John Gratton Wilson

NORFOLK ISLAND

TRISH & JOHN GRATTON WILSON

From our first glimpse of Norfolk Island, we were sure it would meet all our expectations of the history, the

ecology and the wonderful bird life it supports. From its lush forests to its green pastures, Norfolk Island is a

wonderland to be discovered and birds are to be found everywhere.

Although the clearing of forests and the introduction of rats has resulted in the extinction of endemic species

and subspecies, including the Norfolk Island Kaka, Norfolk Island Ground Dove, Tasman Starling, Morepork,

New Zealand Pigeon, Long-tailed Triller, White-chested White-eye and Island Thrush, it has enabled others such



as the Silvereye to thrive on the fruit and seeds of exotic species and many of the introduced birds have

adapted well to the altered environment, including California Quail, Feral Chicken, Rock Dove, Crimson Rosella,

Song Thrush, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, House Sparrow, European Goldfinch and European

Greenfinch.

Of the fifteen endemic species and subspecies of birds on Norfolk Island at the time of first European contact,

only eight remain today. Sacred Kingfisher, Norfolk Gerygone, Grey Fantail and the Norfolk Island Golden

Whistler have adapted well to the changed conditions caused by the spread of the island's human population,

while the Norfolk Robin, Slender-billed White-eye and Norfolk Parakeet prefer the cover of the remaining

forests.

From close encounters with the Masked Booby to watching them soar over the ocean, Norfolk Island provides a

memorable experience for anyone who is still excited by the wonder of nature.

NORFOLK ISLAND – A MONUMENTAL EXPEDITION

GRAEME SAUNDERS

I was able to combine the birding on Norfolk with my monument and memorial photography. One place where

the two interests coincided was at the airport where there was a mosaic commemorating the sesquicentenary of

the third settlement on Norfolk Island. The mosaic was constructed in 2006, 150 years after the descendants of

the HMAV Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives arrived on Norfolk Island from Pitcairn Island in 1856.

The mosaic depicts many aspects of Norfolk Island, its people, history, culture and natural environment.

Among the birds depicted are endemic species including Morepork, Norfolk Parakeet, known locally as the

Green Parrot and Norfolk Robin as well as seabirds such as White Tern and Red-tailed Tropicbird.

One bird that is not represented is the Providence Petrel, which was absent from the island by the time the

Pitcairners arrived, having been hunted to extinction. In 1790 the HMS Sirius was wrecked on the coast of

Norfolk Island, leaving the settlement with few supplies and an extra 270 people to feed. One information board

on Mt Pitt in the Norfolk Island National Park showed estimates of 170,000 birds “harvested” in four months of

that year.

An article in Notornis, the Scientific Journal of The Ornithological Society of New Zealand paints an even bleaker

picture, estimating that more than one million Providence Petrels, adults and young, were harvested in the four

breeding seasons from 1790 to 1793.

Human predation and introduced mammals such as pigs and goats saw the Providence Petrel driven to

extinction on Norfolk Island between 1790 and 1800; however it was discovered breeding on nearby Phillip

Island in 1985, where a small colony remains today.

Norfolk Island Sesquicentenary Mosaic Photo Graeme Saunders



Details Norfolk Island Sesquicentenary Mosaic Photos Graeme Saunders

NORFOLK ISLAND HIGHLIGHTS

GLENDA WILSON

What a great trip, a new area to discover, good bird viewing, lovely walks, excellent company and super

organisation; every day was exciting with new things to experience and share and my highlights were many

and varied.

During our tour of the island we saw the beautiful shell carvings of Providence Petrels on the pew ends in the

Mission Church while our bus driver played hymns on the church organ, we stood under an amazing tree with

its massive buttresses by the cemetery soaking in the ambience and experiencing the peace of the area, and

saw and photographed a beautiful spider in the cemetery.

I won’t forget the beauty of the White Terns flying amongst the Norfolk Island pines, hearing them calling and

seeing them perched in the trees and knowing that they lay their eggs in a spot they choose on a branch with

no nest for protection.

(L-R) Church pew, Buttressed tree and spider & White Tern Photos Glenda Wilson

Walking through the Norfolk Island Botanic Garden, firstly in the rain and then again when dry. What a super

conservation project; a piece of land that goes down into a gully where walkways and steps have been

constructed so that you can experience the beauty of the original vegetation. The peace and quiet of the area

was quite amazing.



Watching the Pacific Golden Plover in such numbers on the tarmac at the airport and then getting a beautiful

photo of one down by the sea at Kingston.

Having a swim at Kingston and although I had no snorkelling gear then I have gone out since I came home and

bought some ready to go to Christmas Island!

Going for a guided walk with a local that cost us to see very little bird life, but going back on the same walk

with the Graeme and Heather Saunders the next day and seeing the Norfolk Robin exactly where our guide said

it should be. We also toured his family property where we had a private viewing of Masked Booby chicks on a

cliff side. What a great sight, they were so beautiful and I have a shot of one poking its head up amongst the

grass; it just makes you smile!

(L-R) Red-tailed Tropicbird chick and Masked Boobies Photos Glenda Wilson

Continually missing the California Quail; I had seen them in New Zealand in 2017 and wasn’t worried if I did not

see them but finally I got a good look and a photo.

Meeting a local man by chance, a pharmacologist who claimed he was a descendant of the seventh Lieutenant-

Governor of the first Norfolk Island settlement, Lieutenant John Piper (1773–1851) who governed the island

from 9 September 1804 to January 1810 and after whom the Sydney suburb of Point Piper is named. He was

very interesting to listen to and showed us a great place to sit at the edge of the National Park and have nibbles

while we watched the birds around us. It was at this spot that we all finally sighted the Norfolk Parakeet, but I

loved the Norfolk Robin and Grey Fantail more.

He showed us some feathers he had collected and he had two tail feathers from Red-tailed Tropicbirds which,

when seen in flight, look like red streamers coming out of the birds bottoms. Up close the feathers are very

streamer-like and are only a centimetre in width; still they create an amazing effect in the sky.

Seeing the Golden Whistler so easily when you walked the paths in the National Park and the Sacred

Kingfishers perched on the wires and fences and seeing the holes in the banks that the kingfishers created for

their nests which are then used by other birds when abandoned.

Another highlight was experiencing the beautiful and impressive Norfolk Island pines. At Kingston there was an

avenue of one hundred trees planted for a lady who had turned 100. On the mainland they are in avenues

when you see them but on the island they are everywhere you

walk; huge trees, tiny new trees, in between trees and all

have that beautiful star like shape on the top.

I felt good that they had rat traps set all over the island, they

are trying to remove their rats, but sad that they haven’t

controlled the feral cat population and sadder still that the

locals don’t seem to have the desire to tackle the problem. I

was at peace with the fact that they shoot the Crimson

Rosella, an introduced species here, which is out-competing

the critically endangered Norfolk Parakeet however I do love

seeing Crimson Rosellas in the Otway Ranges where they do

belong.

Australian Golden Whistler : Photo Glenda Wilson



Grey Fantail : Photo Glenda Wilson

Listening to the story about a prisoner, a former bushranger,

who was always escaping; the new commandant of the prison

put him in leg irons so heavy that he couldn’t lift his legs. He

was left like that for a month and told if he ever tried to

escape again he would be back in them; how badly we treat

one another when there is a difference in power.

Experiencing the wonderful gallery that was painted by local

women which tells the story of the HMAV Bounty and the

original Pitcairners and how they were pardoned and brought

to Norfolk Island. You almost felt you were on the sea in the

beautiful surround painting.

Visiting the tent embassy and sympathising with the locals

wanting self-rule back, but at the same time knowing that

1500 people cannot fund the facilities that are needed for a

population to support itself. We heard how there were

islanders who had debts of $30,000 for being medevacked

from the island, a service now covered by Medicare.

Eating Cherry Guava Psidium cattleyanum fruit off the bushes that were growing everywhere; we had one just

outside our accommodation and I ate them most days.

Watching the Sooty Shearwaters raft up offshore in the evening, ready to fly into their nests as darkness

arrived.

The place that enticed me back a few times was Bloody Bridge, so named in a piece of folk lore that tells of

prisoners murdering an overseer and burying him in the bridge they were building, but there is no official

record of this event. What made this place special were the three Red-tailed Tropicbird chicks that you could

see from the Bridge with binoculars. Sometimes they were sleeping, sometimes they were expectantly looking

for their parents, sometimes they were with their parents and sometimes they were stretching their wings; how

lovely to share some moments of their development.

The best highlight of all was seeing the sea birds and their chicks. The Captain Cook Monument and scenic

lookout was fantastic and the first time we went there we had it virtually to ourselves. What a sight! We were

entertained for hours watching Great Frigatebirds, Red-tailed Tropicbirds and Masked Boobies soar above plus

White Tern, Common Noddy, Black Noddy and Grey Noddy. There were some small islets close to the shore and

if you weren’t watching the birds in the sky or fishing below, you could see them resting there. What a place; if

you lived on Norfolk Island you would be very tempted to visit every day because there was so much activity

and every time you looked there was something different.

Thank you to my seven companions for sharing in a wonderful experience; the company was yet another

highlight!

NORFOLK ISLAND – THE EXTRA DAYS

HEATHER SAUNDERS

We had spent a very enjoyable and rewarding seven days on Norfolk Island with the rest of the group where

the emphasis had been on birding and we had seen most of our target species, although I would have liked a

better view of a couple of them.

Graeme and I had chosen to stay an extra three days, so after the others had left I temporarily put away the

binoculars to concentrate on exploring the various museums and historical aspects of Norfolk Island.

Not that birding was far from my mind. Whilst exploring the cemetery on Norfolk Island, I was enticed over to a

tree on the perimeter by the sweet song of a Norfolk Gerygone.

The gerygone, one of the target endemic species on Norfolk Island, was one of the birds that I had not been

able to get a clear view of, even though it is quite common on the island. This time however, I pished him down

from the top of the tree and he sat on one of the lower branches only a metre or so from me, no bins needed!



When talking to family members about what we’d seen and done on Norfolk Island, I mentioned this little bird;

they were totally unimpressed by the photo of the classic LBJ and I had to agree there was little to recommend

it visually. But then they did not have the experience of standing in the shade on a glorious sunny day in a

beautiful location with this delightful little bird looking you right in the eye and giving a little personal concert.

The Norfolk Gerygone is one of the Norfolk Island birds which is full of personality, although a little dull in

appearance. The Australian Golden Whistler is another; the male birds lack the spectacular plumage of their

mainland cousins, being barely yellow at all, let alone “golden”.

I spent a very enjoyable five minutes or so in the company of ten or more birds as they seemed to position

themselves in the trees around me and make their beautiful rich melodious whistles back and forth to each

other, with the magnificent coastline just below. The local name for the whistler is “Tamey”, and Margaret

Christian’s book “Norfolk Island…the birds” describes them as follows: “As their local name implies, these birds

are apparently unafraid of humans and will approach walkers with curiosity and ‘converse’ for long periods

answering whistles.” Spot on!

Having spent two full days exploring the history of Norfolk Island, Graeme was now ready to get back to

birding, so we spent our last day driving to parts of the island where we had not been and revisiting places we

had particularly enjoyed. I managed to get a great view of the Masked Woodswallow that the rest of the group

had seen earlier and we were able to get quite close to a Masked Booby and chick; the parent being quite

unperturbed by our presence. There was also a juvenile nearby on the cliff edge.

(L-R) Masked Booby & California Quail Photos Heather Saunders

We spent some time at Captain Cook Memorial Lookout, where the Black-winged Petrels put on an acrobatic

display; they seemed to be flying around just for the pleasure of it, whilst all the other birds, noddies,

tropicbirds, terns, and the occasional frigatebird, were very busily trying to find food.

We saw several Sacred Kingfishers, or Nuffkas, as the locals call them, and two Slender-billed White-eyes,

Grinnells to the locals, another of the endemic species, agreed to sit still and in full view whilst I finally

managed to check out how they differed from the Silvereyes.

Finally, although they are listed as abundant on the island, I had only managed to catch a couple of brief

glimpses of the introduced, but nevertheless full of character, California Quail, as they sprinted for cover. But

on our last day a pair of these handsome birds ran across the road directly in front of our car. We sat and

watched with amusement as the adult birds, instead of disappearing into the undergrowth as we expected,

proceeded to have a ‘ heated discussion’ on the side of the road before running back from where they came.

We then realised what was causing all the fuss; four of the tiniest chicks who had not followed their parents

across the road and were stranded in the grass. The parents seemed to give the chicks a stern talking to and

once again ran across the road to where there was cover and, one by one, with the encouragement of their

parents, the chicks followed, their tiny little topknots clearly visible.Norfolk Island is a delightful place to visit.

Thanks to Helen and Lynn for organising the trip.



BIRDLIST

BirdLife Warrnambool Branch Expedition

Friday 9 March 2018 – Friday 16 March 2018

NORFOLK ISLAND

Feral Goose, Mallard, Pacific Black Duck, California Quail, Feral Chicken, Black-winged Petrel, Wedge-tailed

Shearwater, Red-tailed Tropicbird, White-faced Heron, Great Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Purple Swamphen,

Pacific Golden Plover, Double-banded Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Brown Noddy, Black Noddy,

Grey Noddy, White Tern, Sooty Tern, Pacific Emerald Dove, Sacred Kingfisher, Nankeen Kestrel, Norfolk

Parakeet, Crimson Rosella, Norfolk Gerygone, Masked Woodswallow, White-browed Woodswallow, Australian

Golden Whistler, Grey Fantail, Norfolk Robin, Welcome Swallow, Silvereye, Slender-billed White-eye, Common

Starling, Common Blackbird, House Sparrow, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch

(40 species)

BIRDLISTS – THEN AND NOW

PETER BARRAND

Rhonda and I visited Norfolk Island from 18 September to 25 September 2004. I was asked what the

differences were in our birdlist compared to that of the BirdLife Warrnambool Expedition.

The Expedition recorded 40 species; the expedition members claimed 41 but the Red Junglefowl is long gone, if

it ever existed on Norfolk Island, while Rhonda and I also observed 40 species and heard, but did not see,

Morepork.

We did not see six species recorded by the Expedition; Black-winged Petrel, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Great

Frigatebird, Double-banded Plover, Masked Woodswallow and White-browed Woodswallow but spotted six

species; Cattle Egret, Swamp Harrier, Whimbrel, Grey-tailed Tattler, Rock Dove and Song Thrush, which were

not seen by the Expedition members.

(L-R) Expedition members in action : Photo Helen Dixon California Quail : Photo Graham Dixon

Masked Booby : Photo Trish & John Gratton Wilson

twitterings - birdlife · eight of us met up at tullamarine, very much looking forward to...

Documents