NUMBER 58 JUNE 1991

Western Australian Bird Notes

Quarterly Newsletter of the W.A. Group Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union

The RAOU Congress and Cam-pout are exciting annual events which arebeing hosted this year by the WA Group.The Congress is on the week- end commencing Friday evening. September 20th at Kingswood Col- lege. Crawley. On Sunday after- noon 22nd September campout par- ticipants travel to Albany for activi- 1 Friday 27th September 199 1.

Over eighty persons have registered for either the Con- gress, the Campout or both. Twenty four are coming from other states and more registrations are expected in the months ahead.

The Congress has a varied and interesting programme which will include twenty talks and a number of posters. Topics to be covered will range from the conservation and biology of seabirds to the feeding, breeding and other aspects of the biology of endemic species of the South-west of WA, including the Red-eared Firetail and Noisy Scrub-bird. Other talks will cover projects in which RAOU members can be involved. the Australian Bird Count, WA National Park Birdlist and self-organised projects.

Please send details of sightings to 'Observations Officer' at the W.A. Office of the RAOU. Please provide details of number, location, date and other relevant notes. Unusual sightings should be accompanied by field notes.

Preliminary checking of the following observations has been undertaken but further scrutiny should be given prior ta inclusion in any official or technical report. This list of observations mainly covers the period from February to April 1991.

Compiled by Rodney Vervest.

DOWN SOUTH Great Crested Grebe - 1,71319 1, Alfred Cove - MC Great-winged Petrel - 6, 17/2/91, off Leschenault Peninsu- lar just south of Binningup - GS

Most of the people attending the Campout will have booked their accommodation at the Panorama Caravan Park and Cottages in Albany. This caravan park is on the beach in Princess Royal Harbour and is near bushland and Torndirmp National Park. As well as visits to that and other nearby National Parks an organised search for Noisy Scrub-bird at Mt Taylor is planned. The Mt Taylor population has recently been boosted by translocation of a number of birds from Two Peoples Bay. Our searches and counts of Noisy Scrub-bird during the Campout will form part of the ongoing monitoring of this endangered species, as part of the management pro- gramme being carried out by CALM.

Thirty six Campout participants so far have indicated an interest in a seabirding trip. Arrangements for this need be flexible due to weather and it is expected that more than one trip will be arranged, with both half-day and full-day trips. On-board refreshments will be available.

A full programme of the ac tivities throughout the week will be published. This will be available closer to the time of the Campout

If you plan to attend either the Congress or Campout and have not yet registered please contact the Congress organis- ers soon - tel. 09 364 6202

R.Smith

White-chinned Petrel - 3,7/4p1,2 Mile Reef off Whitfords - GL Flesh-footed Shearwater - 12+ dead, 27/2/91, West Cape Howe National Park - AJ, RJ Little Shearwater - 1 beachwashed, 27/2/91, West Cape Howe National Park - AJ, RJ Australian Pelican - 500,8/5/91. Lake Indoon - MW Australasian Gannet - 2,1/4/91, Fremantle North Mole -TK Masked Booby - 1 immature, 21/3/91, nr Sugar Loaf Hill, Busselton - LR Least Frigatebird - 1,22/4/91, Mindarie Keys - AB * 1,231 419 1, Hillarys Marina - KJ Australasian Bittern - 1,9/3/91, Grahams Pool - JE Glossy Ibis - 14,27/2/!21, Lake Joondalup North - CW, GL * 1,30/3/91, Boyup Brk -GL *2,3/5/91, Herdsman Lk.-SF, AF

. RAOU Ofllce Ln WA: Room 218,15 Ogilvie Road.

CanningBridge W.A. 6153 Telephone: (09)364 6202 RAOU Birding Hotllne (09)364 7349 Chairman: B Wilson, 46 Farrant Street,

Gooseberry Hill 6076 Telephone (09)293 1094

Editor: Bruce Buchanan, P 0Box 10, Wannarnal6505

The Editor requests conm%utors to note the following -

* copy concerning W.A. birds may be published; sightings etcinmpcct ofbirds outside W.A. will not normally bein-cluded.

* write legibly or type,DOUBLESPACED.* use RAOU rccammcndcdJkglish names for W.A. birde -a list isavailableat the W.A. R A O ~Office.

* copy will be edited where considered appropriate.

DEADLINE FOR SEPTEMBER1991 ISSUE IS FRIDAY 19TH JULY 1991

Eastern Reef Egret - 1 grey phase, 17/3/91 & 14/4/9 1, Lake Monger - BS, IS Royal Spoonbill - 1, 4/5/91, Bayswater Bird Sanctuary -HVW Yellow-billed Spoonbill - 163,181Y91, Lake McLarty -MCr Magpie Goose - 1, 28/4/91, north of Whitfords Sea Sports Club - GL Freckled Duck - 2,29/3/91 and 7/4/91, Amarillo Pool - TK, JH * 1,13/5/91, Lake Gwelup - KJ Chestnut Teal - 1,6/3/91, Greenough River estuary -CW * 1, mid March, Perth ZooLake - NH * 1.1/5/91, Lake Joon- dalup North - CW Square-tailed Kite - 1,10/3/91, Bungendore Park - BB et al White-bellied Sea-Eagle - 1. 6/4/91, Nine Mile Lake NR (Murray Shire) - RV, DWa, DA Spotted Harrier - 1,9/3/9 1, Woodman Point - MC, BB Australian Hobby - 1 taking dragonflies, 14/4/91, Ventnor Street, Scarborough - BP Painted Button-quail- 1,22/3/91, Dryandra - GL Baillon's Crake - 2,28/1/91, Bibra Lake -RG, SG * 1,17131 91, C h k e r ~Swamp-RS Purple Swamphen - 451,16&91, ThomsonsLake - TK, IH Australian Bustard - 1,251219 1, Picton - GS * 1,29/4/9 1, Heme Hill - HA4 * up to 3 birds, 9-12/5/91, Della Road, Woodvale - CW,JS Red-kneed Dotterel - 12,17/3/91, Crackers Swamp - RS Large Sand Plover - 2,415191, East Breakwater, Mandurah - SF, AF Inland Dotterel - Immature, 28/2/91, Alfred Cove - JD * 1, 13/3/91, WA Water Ski Park. Baldivis - FO Red-necked Avocet - 3,000,10/2/91, Thomsons Lake - TK, JH * 1 790,18/2/9 1, Lake McLarty - MCr Eastern Curlew - 5,6/4/91, Leschenault Inlet - RV, DWa, DA * 2,415191, East Breakwater, Mandurah - SF, AF Whimbrel - 1,2112,91. Penguin Island - TK Wood Sandpiper - 60+,14/3/91, Kogolup Lake - JH et 31 * 40, 7/4/91, Amarillo Pool - TK Common Sandpiper - l,15/3/9 1, Erindale Pond - NB,EM Greenshank - 45,17/3/9 1, Mandogallup Lake - NG Marsh Sandpiper - 6,1012191, Thomsons Lake -TK,JH * 1,

9131'9 1, NurnberkinelJennacubbine area - JM Terek Sandpiper - 1,5/3/91, Greenough River estuary - CW * 12,6/4/91, lagoon on North East edge of Peel Inlet - RV, DWa, DA Black-tailed Godwit - 28,7/4/91. Amarillo Pool - TK Pectoral Sandpiper - 1,1012/9 1, Thomsons Lake - TK, JH Great Knot - 130,13/1/91, Alfred Cove - BS, IS Long-toed Stint -20,101Y91, Thomsons Lake -TK, JH *90, 18/2/91, Lake McLarty - MCr * 5,12/3/91, Korup Swamp -

IRV, BC * 45,16/3/91, Kogolup Lake -TK,JH Ruff - 1,10/2/91,16~1,10/3/91, ThomsonsLake - TK, JH * 1,18/2/91, Lake McLarty - MCr Great Skua - 1, 1/4/91, Fremantle North Mole - TK * 1,281 419 1, Woodman Point - EW Jaeger sp. - all dark bird, approximately size of Silver Gull, with moderately long tail ending in short rounded knob, 28/41 9 1. Woodman Point - EW Arctic Jaeger - 10-15,1/4/91, Fremantle North Mole - TK Silver Gull - 5,000+, 5/2,9 1, Langley Park - FO Black-headed gull sp. - possibly a Franklin's Gull, 25/4/91, Albany Jetty - DW Franklin's Gull - 1.24-26/4/91, Eagle Bay, Dunsborough - -BS. IS Y

White-winged Tern - 1 in full breeding plumage, 29/44/51 91, Lake Monger - SF et al Gull-billed Tern - 10 (5 immature), 20IlP1, Mount Many Peaks - RGa Caspian Tern - 60,6/4/91, Peel Inlet :record number for south-west - RV, DWa, DA Roseate Tern - 8,3/5/91, East Breakwater, Mandurah - SF, AF Rainbow Lorikeet - 2,271219 1, Lake Joondalup South -CW, GL * 2,1813191. Padbury - RSh Regent Parrot -Pair nesting, 811 1/90, Grassmere -RGa * 10, 24/4/91, Regans Ford - CW et al Rock Parrot -55,2/3/9 1, Parry Beach near Denmark -AJ,FU Pallid Cuckoo - 1 immature, 101419 1, Lake Claremont -MCr Fan-tailed Cuckoo - 1,7/3/91, Wannamal- BBu Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo - l,13/3/9 1, Wannamal - BBu Shining Bronze-Cuckoo - 1,6/3/91, Wannamal - BBu Fork-tailed Swift - 30,21/4/91, Amarillo Pool - JH * 3, 2 1/4/9 1, Beechina nr The Lakes - RS Red-backed Kingfisher - 1,12/5/9l, Orange Grove - RS White-backed Swallow - 13,5/3/91, Craigie - CW Ground Cuckoo-shrike - 1,12/4/91, John Forrest National Park - KY

i,

White-winged Triller - 2 females or immatures, 17/3/91, I

Lake Monger - BS. IS - .-4

Jacky Winter - Juvenile, 101'2l91, Pelican Point - DM +

UP NORTH Least Frigatebird - 1, Jan 9 1, Port Hedland - TK Black-necked Stork - 2 adult, 2 immature, 21/1/91, De Grey River near road bridge - KC et al Gallinago Snipesp. -4, Jan 91. De Grey River - BB et al * 1, 30/1/91, Hamelin Station - BB, MC Asian Dowitcher - up to21, Jan 91, Leslie Salt Works, Port Hedland - TK Ruff - 1,23/1/91, Broome Sewage Farm - BW et al Red-necked Phalarope - 5, Jan 91, Leslie Salt Works. Port Hedland - TK Yellow Wagtail - 10,25/1/91, Roebuck Plains, BW et a1 * 1, Jan91,PortHedland-TK * 1,16/2/91,Carnarvon -GS * 1, 24/2/9 1, Carnarvon - RH, HH Black Honeyeater - male, 14/2/91, Onslow - GS Pied Honeyeater - 3.14/2/91, Onslow - GS Gibberbird - several in company with Crimson and Orange Chats, 14-21/1/91, Carnegie Station - JHo

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KEY TO OBSERVER CODES

AB - Allan Burbidge JH - Jack Hunt AF - Austin Fincham JHo- Jim Howell AJ - Allan Jones JM -JimMasters BB - Bryan Barrett JS - Jim Shaw BBu - Bruce Buchanan KC - Kevin Coate BC - Ben Carr KJ - Kevin Jordan BP - Bob Prince KY - Ken Youngson BS - Bev Standring LR - LcnRobinson BW - Brice Wells MC - Margery Clegg CW - Chris Wilder MCr - Michael Craig DA - David Andrew MW - Mark Whackett DM - Dusty Millar NB - Norah Brackman DW - David Westwood NG - N m Godfrey DWa - Doug Watkins NH - Neil Hamilton EM - Edna Milne RG - Rick Grccn EW - Eddy Wajon RGa- Ray Garstone FO - Frank O'Connor RH - Roland Hill GL - Graham Little RJ - Rosc Jones GS - Geoff Shannon RS - Rod Smith HH - Hazel Hill RSh- Robyn Shaw HM - Harry Memifield RV - RodneyVerveat HVW - Hank Van Wees SF - S ~ d mPincham IS - IanStmdrjng SG-sd icGr#n ID - Jack Donohoe TIC - Tony KirkbyIE - Jack Ewat

ANNUAL WATERFOWL COUNT - March 1991 Thanks are due to all participants in the March 1991 water-

fowl count. Your data sheets have been processed and pre- liminary figures are provided below.

Due to the very dry conditions throughout the study area in March, certain wetlands still holding water supported signifi- cant numbers of birds. Nine wetlands held in excess of 10,000 waterfowl, the most notable being Coyrecup Lake (east of Katanning) with 20,486 birds, Peel Inlet 17,795 and Durn- bleyung Lake (east of Wagin) 13,285.

Comparisons between March 1991 and November 1990 (the previous waterfowl count) show some interesting re-sults. Numbers of Black Swan were very similar and this appears to be an emerging trend in the counts although we are only counting a proportion of the birds in south-westem Australia.

Preliminary fqures for March 1991 (including previously established March totals)

are presented below

MAR 91 MAR 90 MAR 89

Black Swan Freckled Duck Australian Shelduck Pacific Black Duck Grey Teal Chestnut Teal Australasian Shoveler Pink-earedDuck Hardhead Maned Duck Blue-billed Duck Musk Duck Eurasian Coot

TOTALS 304.677 140,955 347.888 Unidentified 305 -- 6,332

Only two Freckled Duck were recorded for the period (i.e. 2 in November 1990). We have been recording progressively smaller numbers of Freckled Duck in the study area since the beginning of the waterfowl counts with the highest number occurring in March 1986 (151 birds). Due to their secretive behaviour and the dense paperbark thickets that the Freckled Duck prefers, it is understandable that birds areeasily missed during surveys.Consequently, results of the waterfowl counts do not necessarily point towards a decline in their numbers.

Australian Shelduck, Pacific Black Duck.Grey Teal and the Eurasian Coot are again the species counted ip highest num- bers. Including the count of Black Swan these birds comprise around 90% of the total. Except for Australian Shelduck which are usually located in very large moulting flocks in November (e.g. Lake Preston) there are more birds counted of each species in March than November in most years (March 1990 was an exception). This trend is generally the same for the last count period with the exception of Pacific Black Duck which increased in March 1991 by only 8,000 birds (see Table of November results in WA Bird Notes No 57).

A significant statistic for March 1991 is the total of Chest- nut Teal (8,693). The previous highest count of 2,500 was

' achievedin March 1989. The high count is a result of aerial surveys of south coastal lakes, river pools and estuaries where Chesmut Teal are regularly found. Due to the very dry conditions and presumed contraction of birds to coastal wetlands, Chesmut Teal were seen in large flocks at certain wetlands (e.g. Pallinup River). Observers are confident of identifying both sexes of Chestnut Teal from the aircraft whereas ground counts are taken of coloured males only.

Preliminary figures reveal that all other species showed- similar orders of magnitude or similar ratios of change as in previous counts. Data will need to undergo more detailed analysis before f m e r conclusions can be drawn.

It should be noted that by process of extrapolation, the final figures will be much higher than those preiented here. By counting up additional wetlands in the study areaand extrapo- lating results from our fixed set (with adjustments for certain bias like mass concentrations of birds at certain wetlands), the final figures may be two to four times greater. The method of formula for this extrapolation goes beyond the scope of this article but will be referred to in more detail in the final report.

All in all, the count was extremely successful and I feel certain that more wetlands were covered from the fixed set than in any previous count. Onceagain, if you have outstand- ing data - please rush it in!

STOP PRESS----STOP PRESS CALM to fund two more duck counts

Iam delighted to announce that CALM will fund theRAOU for two more counts. These will be in November 1991 and March 1992 with a possibility of March counts resuming afterwards. On behalf of the RAOU I wish to convey our appreciation of CALM support.

BIRDS TO WATCH - Black Bittern Ixobrychusf2avicollis

Introduction This article will be the first in a series aimed at raising

awareness of waterbirds that are endangered, threatened or rare in south-western Australia. Volunteers for SCOPEWEST, Annual Waterfowl Counts and any interested readers are re-quested to gather information on these special birds. It is hoped that our investigations will be the first step towards implementing responsible management strategies for water- birds that require special attention.

3

All information gathered will be held in a BIRDS TO WATCH dossier that will be available for interested people to view at the RAOU office. The file already contains historical information, details of recent sightings and available papers/articles published on the Black Bittern. As information is collected and vetted, the dossier will be periodically updated and reviewed for reporting back to participants. Special surveys will be organised for partici- pants to gain first-hand knowledge of the birds we will be studying.

Historical distribution Early records reveal that the Black Bittern was once

widespread in south-western Australia ranging from Hopetoun around the coast to the Gingin district. Inland records show a distribution from Northam southwards to Collie, Bridgetown and the Manjimup district.

Most early records date from a period between 1899 to 1950 and arefrom locations on theSwan Coastal Plain. The records reveal that theBlack Bittern could once be found readily in mewpolitan Perth, skulking along theforeshores of the Swan or Canning Rivers. It was known to breed at Herdsman Lake (1920's) and was also recorded at Lake Monger. An early paper cites a b d n g record in District 141, an area of 5 miles radius from Cannington Railway Station as fecognised by the RAOU's Migration Committee (September 1925). Further south on the Swan Coastal Plain the Black Bittern was recorded along the lower reaches of the Cape1 and Preston rivers.

Other records reveal that the Black B i m was fairly common on theAvon River until 1945. The bird has not been recorded there since 1952. A clutch of eggs, delivered to theW.A. Museum in November 1930, came from the Avon River.

Further south. an adult bird was shot on a pool in Bridgetown in June 1931; the last record from this area. Similarly. a specimen taken on the Collie River on April 28, 1937 w& the last known record from this location. A breeding record also exists from an unknown swamp near Wilson's Inlet.

Characteristics The Black Bittern is a solitary bird, being very secretive

and partly nocturnal. These characteristics, combined with its preference for dense vegetation, make it a difficult bird to find and this fact probably partly accounts for the paucity of records.

Records of some sightings reveal that when the bird is feeding it should be quite visible, stalking foi fish and crustaceans on the margins of river pools or swamps. The bird hasbeen seen feeding in the shadows of trees on water. If disturbed, they generally either fly (silently, but strongly) to neighbouring sees or adopt the 'bittern-posture' with bill skywards. They are also known to creep or skulk off along branches or through vegetation when disturbed.

Confusion with other species is unlikely except perhaps with juvenile plumage of Rufous Night Heron. In both adult and juvenile plumage the Black Bittern is distinguishable by the yellow streaking on the sides of the neck. In flight the Black Bittern appears uniform black or grey-black on the upperparts whereas juvenile Rufous Night Heron is a spotted rufous-brown colour. The neck is retracted in heron-like fashion which is a distinguishing feature also.

Recent sightings and current status Records after 1950 arescarce and the RAOU is only aware

of records from near Lake Joondalup (a pair in two consecutive years), Murray River near Nanga Brook,the

Goodale Sanctuary (Murray Shire),BlackwoodRiverat Sue's Bridge and Boyup Brook and the Donnelly River at One Tree Bridge.

Most records, as with the historical records, are from riverine habitats. The decline of the Black Bittern correllates closely with the degradation of its habitat through land clearance and grazing. Death or removal of sheltering river- side vegetation may have allowed predators like cats and foxes to increase their toll on the Black Bittern. The bird offers little resistance by adopting its freeze posture and would easily be taken by predators. The insidious destruc- tion of aquatic life by salinization may have seriously depleted thefood source of the Black Bittern also.

At present, there is no effective management structure in place to ensure that the Black Bittem will not become extinct in south-western Australia. The last record of Black Bittern in the south-west that the RAOU is aware of was in 1986 (Murray River). The RAOU in W.A. hopes to take the frrst step in identifying areas of importance for the Black Bittern through the BIRDS TO WATCH programme. Our efforts will be invaluable in promoting research into this and other threatened waterbirds and help to push for protection of riv- erine environmefits. .

What can you do? Observers could begin by surveying any of the previously

known haunts of the Black Bittern. Further details are available in the BIRDS TO WATCH dossier or by contacting Rodney Vervest on 364 6202.

If you have any information on the Black Bittern, please send it to the BIRDS TO WATCH programme at the RAOU office.

Note: This programme has no funding and relies entirely on volunteers.

Rodney Vervest Waterbirds Officer

BROOME BIRD OBSERVATORY By the time you read this BBO will be well into its second

phase of development with two new wardens bringing fresh enthusiasms, new ideas and ongoing development.

We take great pleasure in introducing WA members to Kira and Stuart Jaclcg!n, csrqe t~ %.from One Tree Island. wbaitSl hear fstudb ffie Great BamietReef. '$!%a They have been caretakers of the Scientific Study Centre there for the past G o and a half years. Both have degrees in Science and extensive skills in catering, mechanical mainte- nance and dealing with the public. They will prove to be great assets to both the RAOU and the BBO.

As we leave after 13months atEyre and 38 in Broome, we wish to thank every WA member of the RAOU who have given us great support during our time as wardens. The total number is beyond our ability to mention, so we can mention only those whose contribution goes beyond what could be termed generous, caring or even adequate.

The State Committee has always been supportive and every member rates a big 'thank you'. The office staff, both full- time and volunteer, have always gone out of their way to help us. Thanks also to those who have helped Rod Smith silk screen, sort and package T-shirts and tea towels.

There were members of courses who did extra curricular tasks and made life more comfortable by doing so. To those amazing people who volunteered to make their way to

Broome and work under often difficult circumstances for a bit of Gail's cooking and the opportunity to look ata few birds we are very grateful. There were so many others, but ageneral 'thank you' while inadequate does release us from the fear of naming names and missing out some worthy helper to ow embarrassment.

We continue to see interesting birds.' Since the last WABN we have added Magpie Goose, Little Button Quail, Chestnut- breasted Mannikin and Painted Firetail to the birdlist. Ann Cuthbert found a dead adul Oriental Cuckoo on her verandah in March. This adds to the one we saw at the Observatory in February, 1990. Ali Pentelow picked up a dead Shining Bronze-Cuckoo on her verandah early in April - a very uncommon bird in the Kimberley.

G. and B. Wells

EYRE BIRD OBSERVATORY During the last three months there have been some unusual

sightings. Six Emu were seen swimming in the sea one morning, Australian Raven were eating very soft-shelled sand crabs they dug out with their beaks and we saw an Australian Bustard wading along the beach. The variety of ducks sighted is increasing. BesidesGrey Teal. two Pink-earedDuck were seen in January and a group of fifty Pacific Black Duck were seen in March. Seventeen Little Shearwater were sighted on 31st January.

Beach-washed birds have also been interesting. Positive identification of a Gould's Petrel, a fine specimen collected on 10.12.90, has been received from the WA Museum. Since then we have collected a Wandering Albatross, a Wilson's Storm Petrel and a Light-mantled Sooty Albatross.

Around the Observatory birdbaths the usual species of honeyeaters have been gathering, whilst away from the Observatory, large flocksof White-fronted and Yellow-plumed Honeyeater have been sighted. Richard's Pipit have returned to the beach together with flocks of White-fronted Chat. Fow Orange Chat were sighted in February.

It was pleasing to see the return of Regent Parrot, inaeas- ing numbers of Rock Parrot and Purple-crowned Lorikeet close to the Observatory. At last we have seen the Varied Sittella within the Nuytsland Reserve. They are to be found in the trees at the base of the escarpment Hopefully, by the time we send in ow next report, we will have found a Redthroat and a Shy Hylacola!

C.and G. Goodreid

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION It is well known that some species of birds re-use their

nests year after year - the Wedge-tailed Eagle being a promi- nent example. Many more species however build a new nest each year, some a new nest if more than one brood is raised in the year. This being so, it might be expected that favourable nesting sites would be full of nests. Clearly this is not the case, as nests no longer used collapse into fragments under the stress of weather or are in some instances wholly or partly dismantled by later breeders in a quest for nest material.

Nevertheless, nests do remain and on occasion for many years. The larger stick nests seem to withstand weathering better than the smaller nests of the passerines, particularly those bound together with spier web - or is this because the large stick nests are the more obvious? Near my home is a stick nest used by Brown Goshawk toraise a brood of three in 1985(in a Eucalyptus calophylla, Marri or Red Gum). The

nest has not been used since unfortunately but remains in position still. In other Marri trees nearby are three other stick nests all unused since at least 1984 and all apparently from the ground view in reasonable condition. One similar nest in a tall Eucalyptus rudis (Flooded Gum) vanished during winter 1990 having withstood the elements since 1984 or before.

I should be interested to hear of the experience of others. There appears to be no readily available reference to nest longevity and every contribution will be an addition to knowledge. 1. Please let me know:-

Length of time a nest has remained recognisably so since 2. last being used;

Type of nest e.g. large stick: bowl or cup of twigs: mud 3. (swallow, martin); 4. Species of bird making the nest if known;

Species of tree or shrub in which nest is made - if known - I am aware that tree recognition mak& bird recognition seem easy. Results will be published in future WABN with acknowledgement.

B. Buchanan

SEPTEMBER MEETING Please note that, since it falls during the Albany campout

directly after the Congress, there will be NO monthly meeting on Monday 23rd September.

HANZAB or farewell Sacred Ibis In an article headed Book New in WABN No 57 March

1991I drew attention to a changed taxonomic order and different scientific nomenclamre of the birds dealt with in Volume One of the HANZAB (Handbookof Australian, New Zealand andAntarctic Birds, Marchant S BiHigginsP J.1990 RAOU, Oxford University Press,Melbourne).

Correspondence with RAOU Melbourne since this time re-veals that the RAOU has adopted the changes contained in HANZAB and that the changes and any others forthcoming, are to be issued in a new RAOU checklist in the futwe.

So, farewell Sacred Ibis: future bird lists must refer to Aus- tralian White Ibis.

Editor.

BIRDS AND TERMlTES Please see the letter printed below. If you can help with a

survey, please use the headings of the questionnaire and respond direct to DrTraun.

Termites are an important source of food for many Austra- lian animals, yet with theexception of data on some mammals (e.g. echidnas, numbats) and reptiles (e.g. some arid-zone lizards), published information does not reflect this fact. I have started to prepare a manuscript that provides an over- view of termite predation in Australia, examining all major taxonomic groups: mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians (e.g.frogs) and invertebrates (e.g.ants, beetles, scorpions, spiders). The emphasis will be on (a) documenting the diver- sity of animals eating termites, (b) what parts of the termite population are attacked by predators, and (c) if possible, quantifying termite consumption. In addition to published data, as well as my own observations, I had hoped that experienced field workers/researchers, like yourselves, will let me have the benefit of their personal observations. It goes without saying that any contribution would, of course, be ac-

knowledged in the paper. Should you decide to help out, the following information would be very helpful: i. Name of the predator ii. Name of termite prey, if known (e.g. Mastotermes dar-

winiensis) iii. Where, geographically, were termites taken (e.g. W.A.

wheatbel t)? iv. What time of year was the observation made? v. From what foraging substrate were termites taken? E.g.

from the soil surface (surface-foraging termites), from the soil (via digging, arboreal), from the air (alatedreproduc-tives) from a mound or timber.

vi. How important are termites to the overall diet of the predator (if known)?

vii.what approximate quantities were taken (a few; tens, hun- dreds)?

viiiHow confident are you in the accuracy of your observa- tions (e.g. identifying flying dates as termites rather than ants)?

ix. Any other information you consider of relevance. Please return the questionnaire regardless of your response to:

Dr. Max Abensperg-Traun CSIRO - Division of Wildlife & Ecology LMB No. 4, Midland, WA 6056 Ph:(09)2520111(W) - 38214460

Most bird observers are familiar with Grey Teal. How well do you really know this duck? 1. Do Grey Teal moult annually? 2. What type of nest site is most often used by Grey Teal? 3. Is their breeding best described as opportunistic or sea-

sonal? 4. How many days before flight is usually possible after

hatching? 5. Do Grey Teal allopreen? 6. After moulting, for how long are they flightless? 7. Do Chestnut and Grey Teal mate with resultant Chest-

nut-Grey hybrids? 8. Do Grey Teal from the Eastern States reach WA? 9. During the breeding season male Grey Teal may per-

form synchronic swimming which is accompanied by what specific eye movement?

10. Is the well known "laugh" or "chuckle" of the female Grey Teal individually distinctive or arethecalls all very similar?

SPLENDID FAIRY-WREN On Saturday 26th January, my wife told me of some buds

she had seen in our back garden whilst I was absent from the house. She identified them as Splendid Fairy-wren.

The following day the birds reappeared. There was a male in full plumage, and what appeared to be two female and three immature birds. The wrens spent the next ninety minutes either in a bottlebrush or two wattle trees close to the back fence, or hopping around on the lawn. The birds then briefly went into the next door neighbours garden for about five minutes, returned to my back garden for a further twenty minutes, then flew off towards bushland over the road from where I live.

On the evenings since then, when we have arrived home before dark, the wrens have appeared for various periods of time.

Today (Saturday 2nd February) I spent the day at home watching the wrens. They spent most of the day in the back garden, at times coming into the patio area. One female inspected me from the other side of the flywire door, at a distance of about 60cm. Although I observed both females feeding the younger birds, I did not see the male bird doing so.

Our garden is an average 115 acre block, totally fenced in. The house is about 400 metres from the edge of Lake Joondalup North, an extension to its surrounding bush ending over the road to the house. The back area is mainly lawn, with native trees and shrubs around the fences, a small vegetable patch and large patio area

It seems an unusual place for a family of Splendid Fairy- wren to be spending so much time.

J.G.Little

LAKE VIOLET WA Bird Notes number 56 of December 1990 carried a

short account of a visit I made to Lake Violet in October 1990. Stom (1985) in notes on the waders at the Lake refers to Red- necked Stint as a ''rare passage migrant'' and to Sharp-tailed Sandpiper as a "visitor or passage migrant" (both p17). My observations, together with those of G & P Agar, in the same issue of WABN led me to the view that ~ & e Violet was probably more regularly used by migratory waders than S tm (1985) appears to suggest Consequently I determined to re- visit the Lake during the season waders return to their breed- ing grounds in the hGpe that I would observe such numbers or species as would support my hypothesis.

I decided to visit in March 1991 but as the heat in the South- West during that month was generally extreme I delayed travel until April, arriving at the Lake on April 9. By compari- son with the October previous, the Lake was reduced to its main basin and was much smaller in size though it would still have to be described as large by the standard of many lakes in the South-West. The depth appeared low across the entire Lake area, Australian Shelduck being able to stand with their bellies clear of the water in all but small areas where the main feeder creek flows into the Lake. The Australian Shelduck were dabbling in these deeper areas, tails up. The now exten- sive Lake margins contained numbers of dead Australian Shelduck, over thirty were counted, as well asone dead Black Swan. The reason for the deaths was not clear.

On arrival the most obvious birds were the Australian Shelduck which toraljed,some 445 (some 600t in October). Thennmberpresent cwged moreor lesscontinually during the late afternoon and evening as well as in the early morning for parties of Australian Shelduck, from one to thirty, flew both from and back to the Lake. The sole Black Swan present appeared to leave during the night, for one was seen flying in during the sunrise, to the sole Black Swan present for the day. Itseems likely the birds were flying to the nearby Emu Farm, where, I was informed, grain could be readily found. I did not visit the Farm to check on this.

The next greatest number of waterbirds was Grey Teal with 320 (5CXk October). They had 5 Hardhead with them on the afternoon of arrival, a number which had dropped to one the following morning. Given the shallowness of the water I was surprised to see any (15 in October). Eurasian Coot, the greatest in number in October with 1 2 W were reduced to two. Also with these birds was one male Australasian Shov- eler.

There were three Banded Stilt and one Black-winged Stilt. Red-capped Plovers totalled 145,about the sameas were seen previously, while Red-necked Stint, two seen by the Agar's,

numbered 94, much the greatest number reported to date. Storr (1985) refers to their presence "in ones and twos" (p17). The Red-necked Stint were feeding with the plovers and with them were three Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and two Curlew Sandpiper. Storr (1985) states the only previous record of Curlew Sandpiper in the area was at Lake Violet in August 1908 (p17).

These wader observations, together with those of October do lend support to the view that Lake Violet (and the other Mid-eastern Interior lakes) is on a regular flyway for migra- tory waders. More observation of Lake Violet would be needed to fully confum this and I would encourage any observers who are in the Lake area to make a visit. The Lake has easy access, it being possible to drive within 50 metres of the water or closer at all times. Unfortunately Wiluna today is not aplace to visit without specific reason, the facilities being limited (and a friend and former resident can recall the three bandstands in the main street, all with bands on a Saturday evening!), but I hope bud observers in the vicinity will visit and report on a most interesting wetland about which toolittle is known.

B. Buchanan Reference: Storr G M (1985) Birds of the Mid-eastern Interior of Western Australia. WA Museum Perth.

SILVER CULL INJURIES Whilst walking in the vicinity of Barrack Street ferry termi- nal on the 26th January 1991, I noted that of 372 Silver Gull standing on the concrete edges at the river's edge, fourteen had stiff or deformed legs, thirteen had the lower tarsus and foot missing and two were totally without feet, though man- aging to land, stand and take off with the minimum of difficulty. One gull had a long, distorted and slightly crossed upper and lower mandible, one carried an old aluminium ring. I would have thought that an 8% 2 leg and foot injury rather high, or is this the norm for urban Perth?

FJ.Walker Vancouver, Canada

(A good example of how simple observation can yield inter- esting results. Ed).

SUMMER IN CARNARVON On the 16th February I had a couple of hours spare while in

Carnarvon. As the tide was low I visited the town Oval and there CBE 17-RichmVs Pipit keeping the two Little Curlew company. With so little bud life there I drove to the cricket field. This was crowded with birds of all sizes. The 35 Bar- tailed Godwit and the 30 Banded Lapwing did not take long to identify. Even the 15 Little Curlew were only of passing interest. There were two smaller waders catching insects from the surface of the mown grass. They had longish bills with the motion of sandpipers. The back was speckled like a Wood Sandpiper and when they flew the white rump and barred tail confirmed that they were indeed Wood Sandpiper. I had never seen Wood Sandpiper in a dry land situation previously.

That was not all. Among the waders were small passerines. Twenty five White-fronted Chat. These needed examining to exclude Crimson Chat that were present outside town but none were seen. There were about 10 Richard's Pipit and among these was a long thin bird with a tail wagging up and down. The greenish yellowy back contrasted with the bright yellow underneath and the striking cream eye stripe con- firmed it ta be a Yellow Wagtail, apparently the frrst record of Yellow Wagtail for Carnarvon.

G. Shannon

A SUMMER ROOSTING PATTERN OF THE TREE MARTIN

~t precikly 5.00 am on Friday 1st February 199 1 there was a faint chatter-chatter, gradually getting louder, coming from a clump of flowering Eucalyptus platypus approximately 6 melres high by 6 metres in diameter. The situation was on Rotmest Island at Longreach Bay; the air still in the early morning light (sunrise 5.40).

The chatter gradually became quieter followed by silence forafew seconds. Then at5.10a "swish" as some4.000Tree Martin rose into the air, appearing as specs in the sky only seconds later and then out of sight as they headed eastwards in the direction of Thomson Bay. Almost immediately a further chatter-chatter built up over three minutes again followed by a few seconds of quiemess. At 5.13 another loud "swish" as a second flock of approximately 4,000 Tree Martin flew out and again immediately headed high in the same easterly direction.

Seven more smaller flocks of approximately 600birds rose from the same clump of eucalypts but these smaller flocks did not immediately rise high,but also flew in the same easterly direction. A much smaller flock flew westerly just over the tree tops.

By 5.20 all was quiet and apart from a few remaining Tree Martin seeking insects above the tree tops there was no evi- dence of the 15,000 strong flock of birds that had been roosting in the small clump of Eucalyptus on Rottnest Island at Longreach Bay.

The previous evening, Thursday 31st January 1991 from 19.15(sunset 19.19) seen silhouetted against the red glow of the western sky there had been an ever increasing black cloud of birds in the same area, swirling around at various heights in the sky.

Just to the east of the clump of roosting trees three electric light wires between two poles were increasingly sagging under the weight of resting Tree Martins. Finally with an estimated 4,000 birds every available space on these wires was taken.

At 19.35 a first flock of approximately 4,000 birds flew in a clockwise direction above the roosting trees and then down at speed into the centre of the clump of trees as though being sucked into a vacuum. This clockwise swirling followed by descent into the roosting trees was repeated eighteen times: two very large flocks of approximately 4,000 birds, the other of approximately 400. As darkness settled about 30 buds settled on the topmost branchlets. The chatter was intense and the smell of guano strong. The chatter gradually qui- etened until at 20.10 all was quiet.

The Tree Martin apparently travel twice daily from the mainland across 18km of ocean to roost on Rotmest Island. This raises a number of questions. What is the pattern of dispersal on reaching the mainland? (Radar may help locate these flocks as they fly across the mainland coast). These birds breed on the mainland: at what time of the year do they cease this roosting flight? After breeding on the mainland what is the pattern of their increasing numbers as they commence these Rotmest roosting flights?

M.H. Bremner

FAIRY TERN COURTSHIP DISPLAY At 7.30 am on Wednesday 30th January 1990 at Ricey

Beach Rottnest there were twoFairy Tern at the waters edge. Instead of the usual rasping "kreek kreek" a softer more me- lodious song was heard.

The male was dangling a 7cm fish from its beak while singing the soft song. The male was standing behind the female bird making an up and down movement of its head with the tail of the fish intermittently touching the feathers in

the region of the female's rump. The tail of the fish was gradually moved up towards the nape of her neck while she progressively assumed a squatting position while the male continued his song.

A wave washed up to them - had this 5 minutes of courting display been of no avail - no - the female just moved 30cms further from the water's edge and resumed a squatting posi- tion. The male followed hex and resumed the song and the dangling of the fish in the region of the female's neck.

As he mounted her he dangled the f ~ h ova her head and she took it in her mouth. They copulated and he flew off. The fish. now half way down her throat was regurgitated and then gulped into her mouth. After much squirming and neck distortion it was swallowed.

There appears to be a late breeding colony of Fairy tern on Rotmest Island this year (1991). In mid February 1987 there were two separate breeding colonies on sand spits on the Rotmest lakes, one on Lake Bagdad and one on Pearse Lakes', each consisting of about 30 pairs. In mid February (13th) the nests contained both unhatched eggs and fluffy young.

M.H. Bremner

TREE FOXES While commencing a waterbird survey at Beermullah Lake

in March 1991 I heard loud and persistent calling by Austra- lian Raven. The noise came from an area some three hundred metresaway, not easily visible from my starting place. Com- mencing the survey, my route took me towards the sounds which continued loud and clear. As \was counting waterbirds as I moved towards the point of sound my progress was slow and it would have been .some fifteen minutes before I came close. I was then able to see six Australian Raven together with a group of Australian Magpie, which however did not appear to be calling, but which appeared disturbed like the raven.

The focus of attention was a large Eucalyptus rudis. The birds were both perched and calling, or fluttering round and calling at a height of six metres above the ground. I could see nothing to justify the disturbance as I approached and looking into the treeat the level of the birds as I came close I did not see a fine fox in the lowest fork of the treeuntil it leapt to the ground close to me before running away from the lake with two Australian Raven in hot pursuit The bird calling imme- diately died away.

The fox had been in the fork about three metres above ground. It must have had good climbing or leaping ability as I could not find a way of climbing to the fork myself. It seems unlikely the fox was trying to seize a bird in the nee. Although situated some ten metres from the water edge in March, at times of higher water the treewould be within two metres of water when the lake is full. The fox had possibly used the hiding place successfully in the past to catch waterbirds and had a group of duck roosted along the shore near the treea leap from the fork and a dash to the shore might have been profitable (from the fox viewpoint).

A similar incident occurred at Yanget Lake (south of Eneabba) two years ago. It was in September and the water level was high. Walking round the lake on a bird survey I disturbed a fox which was lying full length along a fallen tree in the water. Onmy coming the fox jumped into the water and ran off, the water being about 250 millimetres deep where the fox jumped in, with three metres of water to reach the shore. I may have disturbed a catch, for at the moment the fox ran, there were two Grey Teal moving towards the fallen tree between the fox and the shore and only three metres from the fox.

B. Buchanan

LEAST FRIGATEBIRD AT MINDARIE KEYS AND HILLARY S On the morning of 22 April 1991 I observed an Osprey harrying a dark coloured bird high above the beach just south of Mindarie Keys. The bird being harried had a longish deeply forked tail and long thin wings which it held horizon- tally but in a bowed shape with the outex parts of the wings pointing slightly downwards when soaring. These character- istics, together with its size, led to the conclusion that it was a frigatebird (Fregata sp.). The bird was seen against a completely overcast sky, making it difficult to see any colour pattern. At first it appeared all dark, but small white flashes could occasionally be seen mid-way across the wing near the base. This suggests that the bird was a male Least Frigatebird (F. ariel),because the undersides of all other frigatebirds are either all dark or have very conspicuous patches of white (Harrison 1985). I did not see the bird the next day during searches in the Quinns Rocks-Burns Beach area, or in a cursory inspection from Ocean Reef to Scarborough Beach. However, on this day, Kevin Jordan did see what was presumably the same in- dividual about one kilometre north of Hillarys. Least Frigatebird are common south to the Pllbara, with vagrants recorded as far south as Shark Bay. The present record appears to be the furthest south record in Western Australia. Presumably the bird was blown south in the 100 kph northerly winds of the previous day.

A.H. Burbidge Reference: Harrison, P (1985), Seabirds. An Identification Guide. Christopher Helm. London.

CALL OF THE RESTLESS FLYCATCHER The Restless Flycatcher has an alternative name, that of

"Scissors Grinder". This derives from its unusual sounding calldescribed as "just like apair of scissors being ground" (Christian EJ quoted by Boles 1988 p341) or as a "curious sustained grinding churring" (Pizzey 1980 p262). This latter description has appeal, for it is many years since an itinerant sharpener called and I for one have forgotten what the sound of scissors being sharpened'was like.

Boles (1988) quotes John Gilbert as writing that the grinding note "is only emitted while the bird is in the hovering position at afew feet from theground", which Boles (1988) says was an observation "repeated unchallenged in many publications but later writers have pointed to many exceptions. All that can be said is that the grinding call is emitted most frequently while the bird is hovering:' @341). Pizzey (1980) sates the call is made "while hovering" (P262).

Recently I had the good fortune to hear the "curious sustained grinding churring" for the first time. Restless Flycatcher is not uncommon around Wannamal (recorded each month for the last seven months) and the other calls of the bird may be heard regularly. These appear to be well described by Pizzey (1980) as "a rasping zhap, singly or run together" and as "a clear repeated whistle, chewee, chewee, chewee, each phrase rising at end like a man whistling a dog" (p262). Boles (1988) notes that the whistle . sound is never repeated more than three times in succession. This has certainly been my experience.

The Restless Flycatcher which I heard giving the grinding call did so more or less continuously for 20 minutes, at which time I left the area. The bird was apparently feeding, but it was not hovering, being throughout on the bare branches of melaleuca spp surrounding a small lake. Between calls the bird caught grubs and insects, generally from the surrounding branches. At no time was the call interrupted,once com-

menced it proceeded to conclusion. Each call commenced at a "low" pitch and as each call proceeded it became higher. Each call commenced with the bill closed (or so little open it could not be seen even at close range - ten metres - with Zeiss 10 by 22 binoculars). AS the pitch of the call rose the bill was increasingly opened until the final notes were issued with the bill wide and the head inclined back.

Given the apparent failure of succeeding generations of ornithologists to appreciate the "scissors" call is given while perched as well as when hovering and my not hearing the call previously - despite hearing and seeing many Restless Flycatcher at Wannamal and elsewhere- it seems the distinc- tive call must be given but rarely. There seems tobe no readily available literature on this, most descriptions giving the impression that each of the three recognised calls of the Restless Flycatcher are equally to be heard. I should be interested to hear from other members as to their experience of the rate of "scissor grinding" calls relative to the others in the birds repertoire.

B. Buchanan References: Boles W E (1988) The Robins and Flycatchers of Australia, The N a W Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Angus and Robertson. NSW. Pizzey G and Doyle R (1980) A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, Collins. Sydney.

This year's"Fie1d Ornithology" course at the Eyre Bird Observatory took on an international flavour. Two Ameri- cans, on a birding holiday, pined with five other eager participants in a week of activities centred around the birds of Eyre. The course instructors were Stephen Davies and Peter Congreve.

On Monday Peter showed everyone the fine points of mist netting and banding birds. Although participant banding techniques and skills developed at different rates, by the end of the week everyone had met with success thanks to the tireless efforts and patience of Peter. The netting provided an opportunity tb observe closely many of the birds that make Eyre,their home.

During the rest of the week; under the compc?tent guidance of Stephen Davies we practised various census procedures designed to determine population densities and territorial boundaries. We participated in the ongoing weekly wader count as well as a driving bird of prey census.

The important skill of taking field notes was discussed and put into practice. A morning was spent observing and noting the behaviour of various waders present along the beach. Later using our field notes a key to identification was devel- oped using only bird behaviour. No colours or sizes! It was not an easy task as we found out.

Evenings were spent reviewing the day's activities and dis- cussing various topics presented by Stephen Davies from the proper selection of field glasses and scopes to nest record schemes.

Gwen and Graham Goodreid, the Wardens, were wonderful hosts and participated in as many of the activities as their responsibilities allowed. The meals were excellent, the accommodation first rate considering the Observatory's iso- lation and the overall atmosphere was extremely conducive to learning and the exchange of ideas. The week was a great

success, each participant gaining lmowledge of ornithology and leaving with a strong positive feeling for the area known as Eyre.

W. & B. Clark Nevada, U.S.A.

LAKE MCLARTY 24TH FEBRUARY 1991 Twenty people met on a surprisingly cool, overcast Febru-

ary day, a contrast to the previous day which had been one of the hottest on record. All thoughts of uncomfortable conditions however were ignored when we commenced a scan of the lake.

Theview was magnifint. Over 120Yellow-billed Spoon- bill, some 1000 Banded Stilt, 1500 Black-winged Stilt and over 5000 Red-necked Avocet, together with over 5000 Grey Teal could be seen easily.

The group ma&? its way along the Eastem edge of the lake, obtaining good close views of some of the commoner wader species i.e. Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpiper and Red- necked Stint. Those not familiar with waders were given a good grounding in what is a very difficult group of birds to identify.

As we moved further along White-fronted Chat andped- capped Plover flew up in front of us. Raptors were well represented by five species, with the Whistling Kite and Marsh Harrier disturbing many birds on the lake.

As we walked to the west side of the lake over 120 White-faced Heron, 150 Australian Whitelbis and over 100 Greenshank were seen. Thirty Mmh Sandpiper were found feeding close to a reed bed.

Altogether 51 species representing nearly 15,000 birds were seen.

J. Hunt

EASTER CAMPOUT 1991 A wonderful Easter of birding and good fellowship was spent by up to 50 birders at Jan and Rob Hill's property at Dwellingup. Visitors came and went but a nucleus of about 30 enjoyed perfect weather and calm moonlit nights around the campfire.

A total of 56 species was seen on excursions to Marrinup, Oakley Dam, Scarp Pool and Baden-Powell Pool. These included Red-eared Firetail, Red-winged Fairy-wren, Varied Sittella, many White-browed Scrubwren, Red and White- tailed Black Cockatoo, Western Rosella, an Elegant Parrot, Scarlet, White-breasted and Westem Yellow Robin and many other birds of theJarrah forest including Rufous Whis-tler which had not been seen before by Rob or Jan in the vicinity of their property.

Night excursions gave excellent views of several Austra- lian Owlet-nightjar, a rather more distant sighting of a Tawny Frogmouth, while a Barn Owl was seen in daylight by several fortunate members of the party. Keen competi- tion as to the final tally guesstimate provided lots of laughs and there was some dissension as to wheter a Mallard sighted by Ian Standring could be included. As the bird appeared to be "in the wild" on the Murray River it was finally agreed.

Rob and Jan were the perfect hosts as they had arranged a programme of visits which we were free topin or not as we wished. Rob's Hot Cross Buns, freshly baked on Easter Sunday and Jan's scones with jam and cream, were very much appreciated. One lucky visitor who had the foresight to ar-range a birthday on Easter Saturday was treated to the ulti- mate luxury - a glass of Champagne in the bath.

Our sincere thanks go to Rob and Jan for providing the venue and arranging a memorable campout.

W. Napier

GROVE FARM RESERVE EXCURSION Sixteen people arrived at 7.30am to visit Grove Farm Reserve. Although quite close to Perth city the Reserve is practically unknown, probably because it is hidden at its borders by the old Bristile works, the baseball field and Belmont Bowling Club. A narrow entry from a busy road also tends to mask the reserve, unlike others better known close to the city.

Grove Farm Reserve is a wild neglected area made up of a large grassy area (a filled-in tip) bordered by the Swan River and a series of pools, of various sizes and dry clay pans. Near the river it is marshy providing a good habitat for waterbirds. A large dense patch of paperbarks could not be checked thoroughly due to the marshy conditions.

I first visited this reserve by chance on 16th December 1990 and was astonished at the number and range of species of birds to be seen, particularly on a large shallow pool adjacent to the car park. Unfortunately at the time of the excursion this pool and others had dried up.

Nevertheless the group saw 48 species (compared with my personal highest tally of 54 on 13th January this year). Anunusually high tide prevented the group from sighting Buff-banded Rail (which I had seen on four different places on a previous hip). No waders were seen.

The most interesting sighting was a group of 4 Brown Songlark, with another seen on the lawn near the car park. Other species of note were Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Osprey, Mistletoebird, Little Eagle and fairy-wren (probably Variegated).

I thoroughly recommend another excursion to this Reserve in December.

T. Delaney

YARRA ROAD WAND00 FOREST On a windy Sunday morning in April about 20 people met our leader, Simon Nevill, who led us along Brookton Highway to Yarra Road. A few kilometres down this road we turned into a winding track which led us through an area of Wandoo forest and some Jarrah. We stopped at several spots and in spite of the strong winds were able to find several Western Yellow Robin, a pair of Hooded Robin, a male Golden Whistler and numerous Yellow-plumed Honeyeater. Dusky Woodswallow were also seen and a Brown Falcon perched on a dead tree. Later we went on to a stretch of heath where Tawny-crowned Honeyeater were sighted. However, by midday Cyclone Fifi caught up with us so we retired to a sheltered spot beside Little Darkan Swamp for an early lunch. As we made our way back to Yarra Road we stopped briefly in another area of Wandoo forest and sighted several Rufous Treecreeper and two Wedge-tailed Eagle. One of the party also sighted a Fork-tailed Swift.

Our thanks to Simon for showing us his special Wandoo forest. Further visits in the springtime with more congenial weather would be well worthwhile.

M. Clegg

Many of the excursions in this programme are to hied and trusted sites, however both the season and the day of the weekend (ie Saturday or are generally different to previous visits. This should ensure records of a different range of birds while allowing those who work during part of the weekend to visit. Nevertheless new sites are needed. The last issue of bird notes included excursions to several new sites, which fmm all accounts have been good for birds. Please contact any member of the committee or the RAOU office if you go birding regularly at a site which may have scope for an excursion.

R. Van Delft

EXCURSIONS PROGRAMME

Saturday 22nd June Half day excursion - New nature reserve

near Gardiner Rwd, Karragullen

This is an areaof Jarrah forest managed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management. Surveys by John Start indicate this to be a fairly good area for birds. Meet at 9am, 200111down Gardiner Road from its intersection with Brookton Highway. Sturdy footwear recommended. Leader John Start

Monday 24th June Meeting - Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre, 8pm

Last year Clive and Wendy Napier visited East Africa and Zimbabwe and Clive will be talking about the birdlife they encountered in those parts of Africa

Weekend 29-30 June Treelshrub planting - capel Wetlands

The RAOU has a contract with AMC Mineral Sands Ltd to develop an artificial wetland from a former mining area specifically ashabitat for birds. 'Ihis involves many facets, including &sign of the shape/depth of the wetland, planting suitable vegetation and monitoring the success of the wetland as a bird habitat. Frank Doyle is employed by the RAOU full-time for tblspaoject. This excursion is to assist in planting of trees, rushes,reeds and brush. RAOU members will join the Conservation Volunteers of Western Australia on this excursion. Contact Frank Doyle (097) 272675 (after hours) for further information regarding accommodation, meeting times etc.

Saturday 13thJuly Full day excursion - Boyagin Rock

EXCURSION CONVE?IORS NOTES few. Meet at 8 am SHARP at the southern junction of Canning As I have been elected recently as a Councillor of the Town Road and Brookton Highway at -gullen, or join the

of Bassendean, I have resigned my position as excursion excursion at 9 am at the Rock. organisor. Expressions of interest for this position should be Leader: Ian S tandring directed toBrian Wilson on 293 1094 or myself on 279 99 13.

Saturday 20th July Half day excursion - Walyunga National Park

This National Park lies along the Darling Scarp and is dis- sected by the Avon River, therefore a variety of water and bush buds may be seen. Meet at 8.30 am at the carpark at the end of Walyunga Road near Long Pool (off Great Northern Highway, Upper Swan). A fee may be payable to enter the Park. Leader: Chris Wilder

Monday 22nd July Meeting - Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre, 8pm

Mike Bamford, who has done a considerable amount of field- work in the Kakadu National Park, will tell us about the buds to be found in this interesting part of tropical Australia

Sunday 28th July Full day excursion - Wambyn Nature Reserve

Meet at 8.30am at the junction of York Road with the Great - h s t e d & h w & I k e LakesService Station). Lunch will be at Mt Observation for those who wish to join the excursion later. Leader: Bryan Barrett

Sunday 11th August Half day excursion - Wungong Gorge

The habitat and topography around Wungong Gorge make it an excellent site for Red-eared Firetail, White-breasted Robin and buds of prey. Meet at 8 am at the fust carpark for Wungong Dam along Admiral Road. Bedfordale.

Sunday 25th August Half day excursion - Beeliar Wetlands

The Beeliar Wetlands comprise the chain of lakes from North Lake to Thomsons Lake. Excursions to this chain often record a wide variety of both water and bush birds. Depend- ingon conditions, the excursion may concentrate on B i b 4 North Lake or Thomsons Lake. Meet at 8 am at 'Pioneers Park' on Bibra Road off Progress Drive. Bibra Road is a small car park about 200m south of the intersection of Hope Road and Progress Drive. Leader: John Blyth

Monday 26th August Meeting - Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre, 8pm

Dr James Lynch of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland, U.S.A., (who will be under- taking work in the wheatbelt during August) will discuss some of the studies he has been doing on migratory and resident land birds in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. His group has been "looking at the effects of natural distur-bances (hurricanes) and human-caused habitat changes on birds'' and has somedata of interest to conservation-minded ornithologists in Australia.

Sunday 1st September Half day excursion - Lake Joondalup, Edgewater

Lake Joondalup is a large lake which has different species in different parts of the lake. This excursion is towards the southern end of the lake, where nearby streets have names like 'Warbler Close' and 'Passerine Close'. Meet at 8.30am at the first area of parkland adjacent to the lake on the right hand side, just north of Ridge Close, aturning off Edgewater Drive (turns off Ocean Reef Road). Bring telescope if possible. Leader: Graham Little NB No September meeting owing to RAOU Congress and subsequent Albany Campout

Monday 28th October Meeting - Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre, 8pm

Perry de Rebeira, who works at CSIRO's Division of Wild- life and Ecology at Helena Valley and is the State represen- tative of the Australian Bird Study Association, will speak about bud banding in Western Australia.

Sunday 24th November Full day excursion - Cape Naturaliste

Whales and seabirds

The Busselton Naturalists Club has invited RAOU members to join this excursion. It is intended to hue a large boat if possible. Interested members should contact Bernie Masters on (097) 272474 in the first instance.

Monday 25th November Meeting - Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre, 8pm

Dr Stephen Davies, who will be known to many for his contribution to RAOU affairs at both State and national levels, will talk about the rehabilitation of birdlife on Western Australian farms.

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Volunteer workers are normally at the office each week day from 9.30am to 12noon to attend to your requests. We do suggest that you ring the office at any time before calling in.

BOOK SALES Come and inspect our wide range of bird books at reasonable prices.

June Specials Birds of Western Australia

Field Guide to Australian Birds Australian Waterbirds

Serventy & Whittell Pizzey Kingsford

$12.00 $22.50 $15.00

(a first field guide on waterbirds)

National Photographic Index Books These can be obtained locally at short notice -Ring the office to place your order.

Honeyeakrs and their Allies $64.50 The Wrens and Warblers of Australia $5 1.00 The Seabirds of Australia $61.00 The Shorebirds of Australia $61.00 The Robins and mycatchers of Australia $68.00

Calendars - $3.00

REF'ERENCE LIBRARY A reference library has been organised for members. New books are being purchased or 'obtained'. You may have a bird book that you would like to donate to the reference library. Currently the library contains the following reference mate- rial -books, repom, magazines (all editions of 'Emu' and WA Bird Notes) and videos (the latest addition - 'Wilderness Re- gained- Houtman Abrolhos' by Bob and . h n e Goodale). The office has file copies of WA Bird Notes and the RAOU New letter.

GIFT SHOP Come and examine our wide range of gifts at reasonable prices. Teatowels - cards - bags - novelties - handkerchiefs -ties - finger puppets.

DISPLAY We have an extensive display of brochures, handbooks on tours, organised courses, wetland studies, etc. etc. Visit our office any morning and meet our friendly office staff and look over what we have for members!

Western Australian Bird Notes is printed on 100%re-cycled paper.

OFFICE TRADING CENTRE Be sure to pay a visit to the office shop any morning to see

our widerange of bird books and other items. Phone for mail orders. Atlas of Australian Birds $49.00

overlays $ 6.00 Birders Guide to Japan Robinson $25.00 Birding Sites around Perth Van Delft $10.00 Birdlife of Murdoch Porter $ 6.00 Birdlife of Rottnest Saunders &

deRebeira $ 8.00 Birds of Australia - Logbook Simpson

& Day $11.00 Check List of Birds of WA 10for $ 1.00 Eyre B i d Obs. Report 1986'87 Money to E.B.O.

Committee $ 6.00 Field Guide to Birds of Aust. Pizeey $22.50 Field Guide to Birds of Aust. Simpson

& Day $28.00 Field Guide to Aust. Birds Slater $28.00 Field Guide to Birds of WA Storr &

Johnstone $17.00 Great Australian Birdfinder Morecombe $55.00 Guide to Flora & Fauna of the Rockingham Offshore Island & Cape Peron. WA.Nats. $10.00 Guide to Hong Kong Bids Viney

&Phillips $ 9.00 How to Attract Birds to a WA Garden. .50c Methods of Censusing Birds in Australia. $ 5.00 Parrots of the World Forshaw $95.00 Pocket List of Aust. Bids Schodde .70c Report of Middlesex Study ~ e n & e $ 5.00 Save That Song Hutchinson $25.00 Seabirds of Australia Nat. Photo

Index $61.00 Shorebirds Hayman $49.00 Shorebids in Australia Lane $45.00 Shorebids of Australia Nat. Photo

Index $61.00 Westers Allstrrlioa t)bd NgQs per iPsrte $ 3.50 Waterbirds in Nature Reseives of SW Australia 1981-85 Jaensch, Vervest

&Hewish $35.00 Waterbirds at Remote Wetlands Part 1and 2 Jaensc h

& Vervest $12.00 Where to Find Birds in Aust. Bransbury $30.00 (Postage exua - e.g. Simpson & Day $3.40local)

Other Items for Sale

Bird-call tapes $11 Calendars 1991 $ 3 RAOU Emu badges $ 3 RAOU ties (Navy or maroon) $15 Car stickers - Splendid Wren $ 2 Gift Items : We also have a range of gift items for sale including tea towels, gift packs and all-purpose cards. (Cards $6 for a pack of 8with envelopes)