The Chat Newsletter of BirdLife East Gippsland

Number 65 September 2015

On the web at: www.birdlife.org.au/locations/birdlife-east-gippsland

Contents

2. President’s Report

3. Photography Exhibition

4. A Couple of Favourites

5. Winter Birding 2015

7. Spring in England

8. Norfolk Island Birds

10. Paynesville students at Morass

11. Lake Bunga opens

11. Spring Camp 25 -29 October

12. Conservation News

13. Heyfield Happennings

14. Marlo Musings

15. Odd Birds

16. Review of Photo Exhibition

18. Newhaven Visit

19. Important events coming up

20. Schedule of Outings

Executive 2015

President

Chris Healey 5157 9036

Vice President

Ian Wright 5156 8108 Secretary, Editor

Pam Hutchison 5156 8226

Treasurer

Gary Cousens 5156 9306

Conservation Officer

Brian Martin 5156 2437

Recorder

Ian Wright 5156 8108

Publicity Officer

Merryl Wright 5156 8108

Members

Sue Welte Len Axen Jack Winterbottom John Hutchison

The Bird, the Bush and the Birdwatcher The East Gippsland Art Gallery in Bairnsdale recently hosted a multi-faceted exhibition called ‘The Bird, the Bush and the Birdwatcher’. Considering the number of artists, contributors and locations involved, it is hardly surprising that this intriguing

exhibition took the best part of eighteen months to organise, from its inception under the leadership of former director Eileen Thurgood to its launch by current director Uli Hasel. The month-long program ran from 26 June to 28 July, and featured paintings, photographs and ephemeral sculptures exploring the birds and bird habitats of East Gippsland. Birdlife East Gippsland President Chris Healey spoke at the exhibition opening, accompanied by local poet William Cotter who read from some of his works. Featured artists included Gordon Bain, Helen Banks, Melinda Beacham, Sonia Grieve, Robyn Hill, Josephine Jakobi, Tracey Johnson, Adelaide Macpherson and Tony Power. The eastern room of the Gallery was devoted to a stunning photographic display by

members of Birdlife East Gippsland: this included 38 mounted prints of photographs by 11 members as well as a digital slideshow with bird calls, prepared by Pam Hutchison featuring over 80 photos by 22 members.

There was a great response to the ‘People’s Choice’ award, with almost 300 votes lodged in total. The images shown evidently had wide appeal for almost every image was a first choice of at least someone. The stand-out public choice was Ron

Mackenzie’s Spotted Pardalote with its beak full of nesting material with 37 votes, followed by Leah Beekman’s ‘Cattle Egret’. (Cont P 3)

The East wing of the gallery on opening night 26 June. Photo Jenny Carter

People’s Choice winner, Spotted Pardalote. Photo Ron Mackenzie

The Chat

2 September 2015

President’s Report - Chris Healey

Thanks to Jenny Carter and Jack Winterbottom for volunteering their time and expertise!

Our ongoing project to monitor wetland birds of the Gippsland Lakes Important Bird and Biodiversity Area continues. We are now entering our fifth year of regular surveys. I recently convened a working party to review all aspects of the project with the aim of targeting our efforts to make the most effective use of volunteer input while delivering useful outcomes of surveys. I hope that over the long term we are able to

make a significant contribution to the understanding and management of these internationally recognised Ramsar wetlands. Monday outings to Lonely Bay and Nowa Nowa in early August doubled as our official club contributions to BirdLife Australia’s winter Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot surveys. Both species have been recorded only erratically over the years in our region, but neither was recorded in the survey period.

Several events on our annual calendar draw closer. The October camp will be based in Pambula in southern NSW this year – see elsewhere in the newsletter for details. And do not forget the annual Challenge Count around the first weekend in December, and our club Christmas Party at Nyerimilang Park on the following Monday. In the meantime, happy birding.

There is a touch of spring in the air at last after a cold winter. On our morning walks we have noted our local flock of choughs building their big mud nest high in an old box tree, the Eastern Rosellas are staking out their customary hollow tree stump in the front paddock, and a pair of Scarlet Robins have built their cleverly camouflaged nest in a stringybark that overhangs the track.

While we can all look forward to the return of summer migrants and breeding activity, the recent release by BirdLife Australia of the latest report on the State of Australian Birds is sobering. Some of our best-loved birds, like Laughing Kookaburra and Magpie, have been found to be declining in parts of their range. Because these are common birds, such declines are not readily obvious to most casual observers. We don’t know yet how these and similar common species may be faring in our area. But we can all help by submitting observations to the ongoing Atlas of Australian Birds project. One way is simply to join our club’s regular birding outings on Mondays – all our observations

are entered into our electronic tablet in the field, then double checked before being sent by our club Recorder, Ian Wright, to the Atlas. BirdLife Australia is developing a Birdata mobile phone application to make it easier for anyone to send atlas data electronically from anywhere with access to the internet. The developers of the app welcome volunteers to test the app and provide feedback. I recently signed on, and found it a quick and easy way to record bird surveys. Contact the club or National Office if you want to test drive the app. The recent exhibition at the East Gippsland Art Gallery on the theme of ‘The Bird, the Birdwatcher and the Bush’ was a great

success, and gave the club some valuable exposure to the general public. A report is included in this edition of the newsletter. Our club was approached by the Paynesville Primary School to give a talk to their senior students on wetland birds and to conduct guided bird walks at Macleod Morass. Member Jenny Carter kindly agreed to make a classroom presentation on 28 July, which I also attended. Jenny’s session was superbly delivered to a group of around 40 students -she managed to hold their attention for an extended afternoon session with an

illustrated talk and some creative drawing activities. The kids showed a high level of attention and enthusiasm, and threw us some tricky questions! Over the following week BLEG members accompanied smaller groups on field excursions to Macleod Morass where the kids were able to see and hear a variety of wetland birds and try out the club’s spotting scopes.

Food Source - Sally Doyle I had planted some agapanthus many years ago to help keep a slope together and had been thinking of pulling them out. Then last summer the Eastern Spinebills discovered them,

visiting them with their young for all the flowering period. Such a beautiful sight and so glad that they provide a food source. Eastern Spinebill on Agapanthus flowers. Photo Sally Doyle

The Chat

September 2015 3

The Bird, the Bush and the Birdwatcher - continued

Artists, Landcare Groups and local gardening clubs extended the program to sites such as Nyerimilang Heritage Park, Picnic Point Reserve, the Port of Bairnsdale and Tulaba Track, Eastwood for a range of activities, while Deane Howlett ran classes in Botanical Drawing for children and adults, and Jochen Kruse led classes in Quill Calligraphy. Three Monday birding outings were scheduled in July to include sites of

the ephemeral sculptures at Nyerimilang Heritage Park, the Port of Bairnsdale and Eastwood. At the two latter sites, much hard work had been put in by local Landcare groups to create and maintain walking tracks and boardwalks, providing easy access to bird habitat and creating a fitting backdrop for these artworks. In all, there were more than 838 visitors to the Gallery alone for this exhibition, their delight obvious in the comments they left in the visitors’ book: “fabulous photos and sculptures”; “absolutely stunning”; “loved the variety in the paintings and photographs”; “fascinatingly beautiful”; “loved the ‘package’”; “great work, beautifully displayed” and many more. This wonderful exhibition was a credit to the skills and co-

operative efforts of all involved. (See Review on Page 16) Thanks to Jenny Carter, Merryl Wight and Chris Healey for this report.

June Soutter at Sonia Grieve’s artwork Forever Tied at the

Tulaba Walking Track, Eastwood. Photo Merryl Wright

Note from Uli Hasel, Director EG Art Gallery The Bird, the Bush and the Birdwatcher turned out to be a very popular and satisfying project for East Gippsland Art Gallery.

838 visitors came through the gallery doors during the month long exhibition, including 36 to workshops activities, and approximately 50 to onsite artist talks and 120 to the exhibition opening. We estimate a further 300 people visited and viewed the ephemeral art installations at Picnic Point Reserve, Tulaba Track Eastwood, the Port of Bairnsdale and Nyerimilang Heritage Park. A project of this size has many people working in concert. Our thanks go to retired Gallery Director Eileen Thurgood, who provided the idea and initiated the project, to East Gippsland artists Gordon Bain, Melinda Beacham, Robyn Hill, Adelaide Macpherson, Helen Banks, Tony Power, Sonia Grieve and Josephine Jakobi , BirdLife East Gippsland

members, East Gippsland Landcare Network groups Friends of Picnic Point, Bairnsdale Urban and Eastwood, Nyerimilang Heritage Park and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, and project funders East Gippsland Shire Council and Gippsland Lakes Ministerial Advisory Committee as well as the many local suppliers and businesses who contributed to the success of the project. Once again, thank you to BirdLife East Gippsland for your participation and collaboration.

Gallery wall with poem by Bill Cotter and photos. Photo Pam Hutchison

Pardalote man Ron Mackenzie is presented with the

People’s Choice Award by Chris Healey.

Photo Pam Hutchison

Turn to Page 13 for more on Pardalotes from our Pardalote man Ron Mackenzie.

The Chat

4 September 2015

A Couple of Favourites – Peter Ware I’ll come clean. Not the showy or melodic for me – although I do admit to being stopped in my tracks at times by the glimpse of a

male Golden Whistler or the song of a Grey Shrike-thrush. No indeed, my passion is for the LBBBs – Little Brown Bush Birds. A family of Brown Gerygones chattering away while they forage through the outer foliage as they glean tiny insects from the leaves, or to-ing and fro-ing as they construct their wonderful suspended nest will cause me to watch for ages, often returning to the site for several days in a row.

The Brown Gerygone does appear to be expanding its range. Many field guides suggest that the distribution of this species down the eastern seaboard ceases just within the Victorian border. I and others have ticked this bird at Morwell National Park, Uralla Reserve at Trafalgar, Nangara Reserve at Jindivick and Bunyip State Park at Tynong North. Another small bush bird whose distribution

barely reaches just east of Melbourne is the Large-billed Scrubwren. This bird is supposedly common but due to its preferred habitat of rainforest gullies, (especially where there is moss and lichen apparently), and its fairly quiet nature, it is seldom seen. My first encounter with this bird had me ticking it as a Brown Thornbill for a moment until it began working the bark on the trunk of a tree rather like a Treecreeper.

I have a concern that such birds, because of their secretive nature and perhaps dull plumage and lack of melody, in some circles are dismissed as irellevant in regards to preservation. The focus seems to be on more eye-catching species of parrots, honeyeaters, etc. Both these birds can be found in just a thin strip of eastern seaboard forests. Wouldn’t it be a disaster to see these little beauties disappear from our Gippsland ranges due to logging, agriculture, urbanization, etc?

Brown Gerygone at Uralla Reserve. Photo Peter Ware

Large-billed Scrubwren at Nangara. Photo Peter Ware

In the footsteps of the experts! - Denise McLarty A couple of years ago a friend gave me a subscription to Birdlife

Australia as a birthday gift, little did I know that one day as a newbie member I would be fortunate enough to walk, climb, stomp, tip toe and bush bash with so many knowledgeable people who make up the

amazing group from BirdLife East Gippsland. I was warmly welcomed on the first Monday excursion I attended on June 15 this year, and I am slowly learning to identify more birds with the help and encouragement of everyone. I would thoroughly recommend a gift subscription to anyone who has a love for our natural world and its amazing inhabitants.

“The Experts” – Robert Wright and John Hutchison. Photo Denise McLarty

The Chat

September 2015 5

Winter Birding 2015 – Merryl Wright It was pretty cold and miserable this winter for the most part, but only one outing was cancelled due to icy cold and high winds, and our hardy group of birders ended up visiting 25 sites on Monday outings, recording 132 species and 7,522 individual birds. The two locations where most species were recorded during Monday outings this winter were Nyerimilang Heritage Park (59) and Lake Guyatt in Sale (56), with between 40 and 50 species also recorded at Nowa Nowa Reserve, Canni Creek,

Fairhope and the Mitchell River Walk and Port of Bairnsdale. The most interesting sightings were 300 Freckled Duck at Lake Guyatt – a very conservative estimate as the birds were hiding under low foliage at the lake edge – and at the same site, over 250 Cattle Egret flying in to roost, and all trying to fit into the same tree.

At Nowa Nowa Reserve a Lewin’s Rail was heard calling briefly. On our last outing to Pettman’s Beach, Lake Tyers, it was so cold, wet and windy that we almost gave up, but persistence was rewarded for a few lucky birders who were on the ocean beach in time to see a flight of five Eastern Curlews along the water’s edge and further out two Shy Albatross. A first for many of us was a Red-browed Treecreeper at Bullumwaal, in plain sight on the road’s edge and calling clearly. With the cuckoos beginning to call, we are looking forward to Spring with warmer weather and more birds.

Sites visited on Monday outings

Bruthen: Monkey Creek, Boys Town, Bruthen Rec. Reserve

Mount Taylor, Boggy Creek, and Bullumwaal

Old Paynesville Road, Eagle Point Reserve

Granite Rock-Fairhope area: Bellbird Road, Nicholson River

Canni Creek, Buchan South

Sarsfield: Old Man Hill Road, High Street

Port of Bairnsdale

Tulaba Walking Track, Eastwood

Nyerimilang Heritage Park, Kalimna

Sale: Herb Guyatt Reserve, Lake Guyatt, Sale Wetlands

Lake Tyers Forest Park: Lonely Bay, Fern Loop Walk

Nowa Nowa: Fairweather Track, Wairewa, Nowa Nowa Reserve

Lake Tyers Forest Park: Pettmans Beach, Glasshouse

Morning Tea at Pettmans Beach. Photo Merryl Wright

Braving the cold wind at Pettmans Beach. Photo Merryl Wright

Eastern Curlew, Pettman’s Beach. Photo Jack Winterbottom

The Chat

6 September 2015

Species List for birds recorded for Winter 2015

Emu Black-fronted Dotterel Brown-headed Honeyeater

Freckled Duck Masked Lapwing White-naped Honeyeater

Black Swan Eastern Curlew Eastern Whipbird

Australian Shelduck Little Tern Varied Sitella

Australian Wood Duck Caspian Tern Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

Pink-eared Duck Crested Tern White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike

Australasian Shoveler Pacific Gull Crested Shrike-tit

Grey Teal Silver Gull Golden Whistler

Chestnut Teal Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Grey Shrike-thrush

Pacific Black Duck Gang-gang Cockatoo Grey Butcherbird

Hardhead Galah Australian Magpie

Australasian Grebe Little Corella Pied Currawong

Hoary-headed Grebe Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Grey Currawong

Rock Dove Rainbow Lorikeet Grey Fantail

Spotted Dove Musk Lorikeet Willie Wagtail

Common Bronzewing Australian King Parrot Australian Raven

Wonga Pigeon Crimson Rosella Forest Raven

Shy Albatross Eastern Rosella Little Raven

Australasian Gannet Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Magpie Lark

Australasian Darter Shining Bronze-Cuckoo White-winged Chough

Little Pied Cormorant Fan-tailed Cuckoo Jacky Winter

Great Cormorant Laughing Kookaburra Scarlet Robin

Little Black Cormorant Superb Lyrebird Rose Robin

Pied Cormorant White-throated Treecreeper Eastern Yellow Robin

Black-faced Cormorant Red-browed Treecreeper Eurasian Skylark

Australian Pelican Satin Bowerbird Golden-headed Cisticola

Eastern Great Egret Superb Fairy-wren Silvereye

Cattle Egret White-browed Scrubwren Welcome Swallow

White-faced Heron Brown Gerygone Common Blackbird

Little Egret Striated Thornbill Common Starling

Nankeen Night Heron Yellow Thornbill Common Myna

Australian White Ibis Yellow-rumped Thornbill Mistletoebird

Straw-necked Ibis Brown Thornbill Red-browed Finch

Black Shouldered Kite Spotted Pardalote House Sparrow

White-bellied Sea-Eagle Striated Pardalote European Goldfinch

Whistling Kite Eastern Spinebill Northern Mallard cross

Collared Sparrowhawk Lewin's Honeyeater Domestic (Greylag) Goose

Swamp Harrier Yellow-faced Honeyeater Domestic Duck

Wedge-tailed Eagle White-eared Honeyeater Total Species 132

Little Eagle Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Total Birds 7,522

Peregrine Falcon Bell Miner

Purple Swamphen Noisy Miner

Lewin's Rail Little Wattlebird

Buff-banded Rail Red Wattlebird

Dusky Moorhen White-fronted Chat

Eurasian Coot Crescent Honeyeater

Australian Pied Oystercatcher New Holland Honeyeater

Correction to photo caption in the June edition of The Chat – Autumn Birding 2015, page 13. The caption named Chestnut Teal should have read Mallard.

The Chat

September 2015 7

Spring in England - Kathryn Gallagher The RSPB (Royal Society for the protection of Birds) was formed in England in 1889 by a group of women who were moved by the emotional appeal of the plight of young birds left to starve after their parents had been shot for their plumes.

In Victorian England tons of feathers were used to decorate hats, a fashion responsible for the destruction of many thousands of Egrets, Birds of Paradise and Great Crested Grebes. These birds are now making a comeback, and on my recent trip to England I was delighted to see a pair of Great Crested Grebes on a reclaimed mill pond, now a nature reserve, in Lancashire, close to where my mother lives. Spring in England is delightful. Nature and birds are bursting with life, young are hatching, trees are green with new leaves ….. and there are long hours of daylight to go birding!

Since joining Birdlife East Gippsland, I have become more observant and the knowledge gained from fellow members as well as enjoying their company on bird camps and Monday outings, is greatly appreciated. During my time in England I saw and identified over 40 different species of birds. Some of these were regular visitors to my mother’s garden. Blackbirds with their beautiful song, sparrows, bluetits, great tits, jackdaws, magpies, (quite different to ours), starlings, wrens and, of course, the friendly Robin Red Breast. Many were feeding their young.

On the canals are White (Mute) Swans with recently hatched cygnets, Canada Geese with goslings, Mallard Ducks with ducklings, and Coots. On the moors I spotted Wheatears and Whinchats, both summer visitors. On the rivers were Dippers; Chaffinch and Chiffchaff were in the woods as well as Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Nuthatch, the only bird that can go up and down a tree trunk. House Martins, Swallows, Pied and Grey Wagtails and Goldfinch were

in the hedgerows. The singing coming from high in a tree was the beautiful sound of a Songthrush. In the Lake District we saw Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Peregrine Falcons, and Pheasant and we heard the visiting cuckoo's distinct call. Kuck kuck! On the coast we saw Oystercatchers and Black-headed Gulls and Grey Herons looking for fish. My binoculars and a bird book go everywhere with me now!

Chaffinch. Photo Kath Gallagher

Robin Red Breast. Photo Kath Gallagher

White Swam cygnets. Photo Kath Gallagher

Medal of the Order of Australia for Dr David Hollands Congratulations to BirdLife member Dr David Hollands for his Award of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division, 2015. This Queen’s Birthday Award was made for service to medicine in Orbost as well as his contribution to ornithology. He is the author of many bird books including Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of Australia (1984) Kingfishers and Kookaburras (1999), Owls – Journeys Around the World (2004), Owls Frogmouths and Nightjars of Australia (2008), and is co-author of Waders – The Shorebirds of Australia (2012). “It’s extraordinary, really,” Dr Hollands said in an interview for the Bairnsdale Advertiser.“I’ve been given an award for

ornithology (the study of birds), which has been the great love of my life. I’ve been a fanatical birder since about eight, so I’m getting an award for something I really love doing.” Dr Hollands will be speaking at the East Gippsland Library on Friday 18 Sept, 3pm – 5pm. Bookings essential. Ring 5152 4225 to book in. See Page 19.

The Chat

8 September 2015

Norfolk Island Birds; the same but different – photos and article - Ian Wright

June is probably not the best time to look for birds on Norfolk Island, closer to spring is reputed to be better. Even so, we managed to see 34 species out of the 42 local endemic species. Margaret Christian, who wrote the Norfolk bird book, nominates 42 species as unique to the island. The overall number of species that can be found there is much more, as an island 400 or 500 kilometres from anything else is quite an attractive proposition for migrating birds. Our 34 sightings did include visitors and migrating species. There is a Norfolk Island Golden Whistler, which

sounds quite like the Aussie version, but is not really very golden. Also unique to Norfolk is their Slender-billed White-eye. The photo I managed is just good enough to show the elongated bill. It is larger than similar mainland species too. The male Pacific Robin managed to elude me, but the female is apparently more inquisitive, so there is photographic evidence of a very pretty bird. Looks like a Scarlet Robin to me. I quite like the Norfolk Grey Fantail, the first fantail I have managed to picture showing off the proper fanning procedure.

The Norfolk Island Green Parrot was heard but not seen. A conflict exists between the green parrots and the Aussie Crimson Rosella, which escaped from aviaries in the 1930’s. They use the same habitat, and the islanders are slowly losing ground. As it is a Pacific island, a Pacific Golden Plover seemed appropriate. The one we saw and photographed was in the company of a large group of Double Banded Plovers. Each plover species was taking no notice of the other.

The Pacific Golden Plover was on its own but did show a hint of the black breeding plumage. There were Double Banded Plovers in both breeding and non-breeding plumage so perhaps they were preparing for breeding in New Zealand?

View over Kingston, Norfolk Island

Norfolk Island Golden Whistler

Pacific Golden Plover

The Chat

September 2015 9

Norfolk Island Birds - continued

We were shown the breeding preparations the Masked Boobies were beginning when visiting Margaret Christian’s property. Ms Christian runs bird tours of the island and we were able to join one. The only booby colony on Norfolk is on this block of grassy pasture above a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

They also have Red-tailed Tropicbirds, which we were told are one of the few birds in the world who fly backwards. This must be difficult as they are characterised by long red tail filaments that trail behind (just visible in the photo). We saw some pretty amazing aerobatics, but no flying backwards. Norfolk Island is organised a little differently compared with us. For the fee of $132, a licence is issued for a cow to graze the island.

Cattle have right of way on the roads, (50 km/h speed limit) and there are quite a few of them around. As there are no magpies or kookaburras, the environmental gaps are filled up by big healthy wandering chooks (yes, the domestic hen) and the overhead power lines have Sacred Kingfishers searching for frogs and bugs. There is also a healthy colony of feral geese and ducks. These birds that live on the ground have it easy on Norfolk as the fox has

not arrived. As we were there for a week only, and for a completely different adult pursuit, it was noted that there is a Norfolk Island Bird Week each year in the last week of November. This would be an excellent time for a return visit. Ref: Norfolk Island …the birds, Margaret L. Christian, Green Eye Publications, Norfolk Island, 2005

Masked Boobies

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Mallard Australian Kestrel N. Island Gerygone Common Starling

Pacific Black Duck Pacific Golden Plover N. Island Golden Whistler House Sparrow

Red-tailed Tropic Bird Double-banded plover Grey Fantail European Goldfinch

Rock Dove Ruddy Turnstone Norfolk Island Scarlet Robin European Greenfinch

Emerald Dove Black Noddy Silvereye Feral Duck

Little Shearwater White Tern Slender-billed White-eye Feral Fowl

Masked Booby Crimson Rosella Welcome Swallow Feral Goose

Great Egret N.Island Green Parrot Common Blackbird

White-faced Heron N. Island Sacred Kingfisher Song Thrush 34 species

Norfolk Island Bird List – Ian and Merryl Wright

The Chat

10 September 2015

Paynesville Students Outing to Macleod Morass – Jack Winterbottom

Jenny Carter and I arrived early at Macleod Morass to make sure we were on time. The East Gippsland Water staff arrived soon after and at the appointed time, …… a phone call. “We are sourcing a bus driver. Won’t be long” They duly arrived, just a little bit late. The EGW staff gave their brief and informative talk then off we went into the Morass. About 6 of the 20 students had binoculars. First bird was a Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo. It was not too far off the track and hung around while all the kids and accompanying adults had a squizz through the scope. We heard some birds and saw plenty of others. Dale Kilby had gone ahead to scrutinise the Ibises right down at the end and we were able to see many dozens take to the air. Royal Spoonbills, White-bellied Sea-eagles, Swamp Harriers and Whistling Kites were the main raptors but we did have a

Black-shouldered Kite give a great display of aeronautical stability right in front of us. After a short walk we turned right and went along to the hide at the end. Truth be told, it was a bit of a let down with very little water visibility and soon enough, we headed back. Grassbirds were heard complimenting the lovely twitters of Superb Fairy-wrens with background Striated Pardalotes [lovely] and Rainbow Lorikeets [lovely?]. Two students thanked us, they hopped into their vehicles and were gone. The groundwork prepared by Chris H and delivered by Jenny C was evident in the students interest and questions. It was an excellent morning for Paynesville PS and BLEG.

Paynesville students on the boardwalk at Macleod Morass. Photo Jenny Carter

Powerful Owl Protection, Kuark Forest

Email to Environment East Gippsland from President Chris Healey: “On behalf of BirdLife East Gippsland I offer congratulations to all at EEG (Environment East Gippsland) for the recent great court case result for the benefit of forest owls! BirdLife East Gippsland has followed the struggle to protect owls and other threatened species with much interest. Our organisation has had little direct on-ground experience of this significant area of the state and has therefore not been able to contribute useful independent data on threatened birds of the area that might have helped your cause.

However, it is pleasing to note that additional protections are in place for the benefit of forest owls.”

Proposed logging in old-growth forest in the Mt Kuark Forest has been the subject of ongoing protests. Concerns were expressed on the impact on forest owls. On 18 July the Victorian government announced that it would set aside 2 000

hectares of forest in East Gippsland to help protect three threatened species of owl. An agreement was reached with Environment East Gippsland who were bringing an action before the Supreme Court. The matter was resolved before it came to court.

The Chat

September 2015 11

Crested Terns & Silver Gulls made the most of the opportunity for a feast when Lake Bunga broke through in mid July. Also there was a pair of Superb Fairy-wrens in the nearby dune shrubbery and a Whistling Kite appeared soaring overhead, adding to all the activity.

Lake Bunga opens – text and photos, Henk van Leeuwen

Spring Camp at Pambula Beach 25 – 29 October 2015

Making a break with tradition, the Spring Camp this October will see us heading out of Victoria to Pambula Beach on the New South Wales south coast. The camp leaders Jacquie and Len Axen have been surveying likely birding sites and note that basing our camp at Pambula gives us access to both Merimbula and Eden for a wider range of habitats. Pambula Beach Discovery Holiday

Park will be home base, and they have offered us a 20% group discount. The Park has a wide range of accommodation styles to suit everyone, so check out the website at www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au , or contact them at Discovery Holiday Parks Pambula Beach, 1 Pambula Beach Road, Pambula Beach NSW 2549, 1800 677 808 or email pambula@discoveryparks.com.au. Numbers may be limited to ensure a manageable group size for birding, with priority given to BirdLife East Gippsland members, so please check with Merryl Wright 03 5156 8108 or merrylwright@bigpond.com to see if places are still available before you make your accommodation bookings at the Park. It is sure to be another great week!

The Chat

12 September 2015

Conservation News - Brian Martin It's been fairly busy in the last few months including preparation of a number of submissions to State and Local Government, involvement with ongoing issues in the region and announcements by BirdLife Australia. Submissions

1. The Gippsland Lakes Ramsar Site draft management plan. Ramsar is an international agreement on the conservation of wetlands and migratory shorebirds and includes over 2000 sites worldwide. The plan will guide management of the area for the next ten years.The draft plan has many good policies and is the result of a systematic and consultative process. We recommended a more coherent approach to the conservation of birds and their habitats and rehabilitation

of the surrounds of Macleod Morass to protect the environmental values of the wetland.

2. The Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC) Statewide Assessment of Public Land is looking at (1) options for consolidating the current system of public land use categories, e.g. National Park, State Forest, Coastal Reserve etc.; (2) assessing the current status of public land; and (3) making an inventory of the types of values

on public land. We contributed to the comprehensive submission made by the BirdLife Victoria Conservation Committee. The submission dealt with key principles for the setting-aside of public land and a wide range of issues relating to the Terms-of-Reference 2 and 3.

3. In 2010 the Federal Court determined that native title exists over large areas of Gippsland and that it is held by

the Gunai/Kurnai people. This resulted in a range of initiatives by the Victorian government including joint management of ten parks and reserves - The Knob Reserve, Stratford; Tarra Bulga National Park; Mitchell River National Park; The Lakes National Park; Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park; New Guinea Cave (within Snowy River National Park); Lake Tyers State Park; Buchan Caves Reserve; Gippsland Lakes Reserve at Raymond Island; and Corringle Foreshore Reserve. A Joint Management Plan for those parks and reserves is being prepared for the State government and the traditional owners to guide

management in future years. We recommended that biodiversity conservation be given priority in the plan and that there are opportunities for collaboration with BirdLife East Gippsland and for involvement of the Aboriginal community in conservation management.

4. East Gippsland Shire has released a draft Lake Tyers Foreshore Management Plan. This covers the area adjoining

Lake Tyers Beach township, including Fishermans Landing and Mill Point. The objective of the plan is to identify and plan for recreational pursuits and opportunities whilst maintaining important environmental and cultural values. We recommended more detailed attention to nature conservation, integration with the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar Site management plan and enforcement of regulations regarding activities which impact on wildlife.

Saleyards Road Bridge, Bairnsdale Earlier in the year, East Gippsland Shire announced that they would be upgrading the (Bairnsdale) Bosworth/Saleyards Road and bridge for heavy traffic. There was some community concern on the matter and we made representations to

the Council regarding the potential effects on the birdlife of Macleod Morass. Mr Chris Waites, Director Operations, responded in May saying that '... Council will no longer proceed with the proposed Bosworth Road works at this point in time.' He did not respond to our proposals for rehabilitation of the Macleod Morass surrounds. It is unclear if Council has any other plans for heavy traffic in the area.

Mt Kuark Forest, East Gippsland Proposed logging in old-growth forest in the Mt Kuark Forest has been the subject of ongoing protests. Concerns were expressed on the impact on forest owls. On 18 July the Victorian government announced that it would set aside 2 000 hectares of forest in East Gippsland to help protect three threatened species of owl. An agreement was reached with Environment East Gippsland who were bringing an action before the Supreme

Court. The matter was resolved before it went to Court. We have written to Environment East Gippsland offering our congratulations on the outcome. See Page 10. Bird Conservation Portal In May, BirdLife Australia announced the development of a Bird Conservation Portal. It is intended that it will draw together structured bird monitoring

data; synthesis and analysis of that data; and biological, ecological and conservation reporting in one place. It will have three major components: Birdata; Birds as indicators; and an Australian research portal. This is likely to become a very valuable resource in the future. State of Australia's Birds 2015 In July, the Federal Environment Minister, the Hon. Greg Hunt, launched

BirdLife Australia's State of Australia's Birds 2015. The report is based on the Australian Bird Indices for terrestrial birds and introduces Australia's Red List Index as a means of tracking trends in the status of Australia's most threatened bird groups. It is a comprehensive report and recommended reading regarding changes in bird populations over the last decade and a half.

The report can be found here: http://birdlife.org.au/state-of-birds

The Chat

September 2015 13

More news and photos from our Pardalote man, Ron Mackenzie

My little Spotted Pardalotes have dug their nesting burrow early this year; close to where they dug last year. A few years ago, one pair dug in June. I tried hard to get shots of them paddling their feet to remove soil, as they entered the burrow, without success; I was too slow. The whole process is quite fast. I finally held my finger on the shutter button, as soon as a bird sat in front of the hole and got one shot only of the soil spraying out.

Heyfield Happenings – Jack Winterbottom July 2015 – Sale The main outing in July was with BLEG. There was an excellent turnout on an absolutely beautiful winter’s day with sunshine and very little breeze [and very little temperature too!]. We visited the Herb Guyatt Sanctuary at Wurruk first and found more birds in the rundown farmland bordering the sanctuary – 35 species spotted including “only” 6 Eastern

Yellow Robins, 1 White-bellied Sea-eagle and a few [212] Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. We adjourned to the carpark between Lakes Guyatt and Guthridge for morning tea after which the party, now swollen to 21, split into lots of lots to walk wherever they cared, counting birds of course. 300 Freckled Duck were counted, mostly in the willows on the southern edge of Guthridge, and about 250 Cattle Egret were counted winging their way home in fives and tens to their favourite roost in a tree on the little island in Lake Guyatt. We had to sweep the Superb Fairy-wrens out of the way to see the usual collection of [now called] Australian Swamphen, Coots, Gulls and a duck or two — Pacific Black, Woodies, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Hardhead and the resident Mallard crosses and geese, 56 species in total. Luncheon was taken then we drove a few kilometres south to the Swing Bridge and walked on the boardwalk for a few

hundred metres northwards to Sale. Only 18 species here but … swans, pink-ears, shovelers, 290 Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, 85 Swamphens and a pair of Swamp Harriers apparently sussing out a nest site with a bit of display and defence — you don’t often observe a harrier "see off" a Whistling Kite. It was a great day. August 2015 - Macalister Wetlands Reserve In early August, two hardy Heyfielders turned out to walk through the Macalister Wetlands Reserve to morning tea at Jo Jo’s. Mostly a dry day and a good number of species - 42. The swamp is pretty full so no mudflats. It took us 90 minutes to walk the kilometre to the café. Highlights were a Fan-tailed Cuckoo calling vigorously from a treetop, Satin Bowerbirds, Australian King Parrots [they are just so approachable], a Pied Currawong chorus and a Swamp Harrier. A great day. Heyfield Birdwatchers - Program for remainder of 2015

Date Organiser Details

Sept 21 Mon Peter/Jack Maffra/Heyfield with BLEG – full day

Oct 01 Thu Ross Stothers Beverleys Road, Glenaladale

Nov 05 Thu Peter Ware Nangara Reserve, Jindivick

Dec 03 Thu Gwyther Family Heyfield Wetlands, BBQ Northpoint and walk

Contact Jack Winterbottom at jack@wbm.id.au Ph. 0408 411 079

The Chat

14 September 2015

Marlo Musings - Winter 2015 - Len and Jacquie Axen

May Interesting observations from the BNB Conference at Point Nepean included Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (15/5) and an obliging Southern Boobook at the Coolart Homestead (16/5). An overnight stop in Sebastapol allowed Jacquie to record 5 more Swift Parrot feeding in some nearby flowering peppermints (18/5). Stawell and the nearby Grampians/Gariwerd remained extremely dry but Peaceful Dove at “the Greenhole” (18/5), Restless Flycatcher at “Germania” (19/5), Weebill at Three Jacks FR (20/5) and Red-capped Robin at the Ian McCann dam site (20/5) were notable exceptions.

A long journey home and then off to Mallacoota to celebrate Bob Semmens BirdLife Australia’s Distinguished Service Award. Highlights from Mallacoota included, Large-billed Scrubwren in Mortimer’s Paddock (28/5), Brown Gerygone in Shady Gully (28/5), Southern Emu-wren and Tawny-crowned Honeyeater between Shipwreck and Seal Creek (29/5), Beautiful Firetail on the upper reaches of the Betka River (29/5) and Double-banded Plover and 2 pairs of Hooded Plover at the Betka mouth later that same day. An early morning excursion next day accounted for Black-faced Cormorant at Quarry Beach and Mistletoebird on the Casuarina Walk. Access to the Mallacoota Recycled Water Plant (31/5) allowed 5 keen “birdos” to record 55 species including Australasian Shoveler and more Pink-eared Ducks.

June An extremely cold “cold-snap” heralded the arrival of winter in Marlo. Heavy rainfall (82+mm) saw significant river level rises in the Snowy and Brodribb Rivers. The Snowy “flats” became waterlogged with hundreds of Straw-necked and Australian White Ibis taking immediate advantage of the situation. Within a week they were joined by large flocks of White-faced Heron and Australian Shelduck. Black Swans began nest building around the Brodribb River (7/6). After the long weekend, large numbers of Cattle Egret also appeared on dairy

farms along the Marlo road. Flooded paddocks along the highway between Orbost and Lakes Entrance accounted for an influx of White-necked Heron as well. A break in the weather allowed us to record Turquoise Parrot in the Waygara Forest (15/6). Closer to home Red Wattlebirds were observed “flocking” while small groups of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo began appearing almost on a daily basis. “Our” Collared Sparrowhawk is still present and continues to “deter” Pied Currawongs and Satin Bowerbirds from completely destroying what remains of our vegetable plot. Further afield (21/6) Emu were noted at Lindenow and around The Fingerboards White-fronted Chat, Yellow Thornbill and Flame Robin at the Lindenow Sewage Ponds and Australasian Pipit at Lindenow South during a

Field Nats outing. At Canni Creek (22/6) at least 5 pairs of Scarlet Robin were recorded during Monday’s visit. A pair of Wonga Pigeon have taken up residence along Willis Avenue and the Peaceful Dove that we noted in May, continues to call. Local residents still report sightings of the Beach Stone-Curlew, some 17 months since it was discovered on Australia Day 2014. A drive along the Marlo Plains road in the afternoon (25/6) noted 16 Common Myna that continue to extend their range east of Marlo. GLIBA surveys at Lake Tyers, Lake Bunga and the Cunningham Arm, Lakes Entrance (27/6) were notable for a lack of species and numbers due to high

water levels at the first two sites. 2020 Winter Shorebird counts around the Snowy River estuary (29-30/6) provided an array of interesting sightings including 204 Great Cormorant, 78 Double-banded Plover, 58 Red-capped Plover AND 1 Beach Stone-curlew seen contentedly feeding along the shoreline near Mots Beach. A Beach Nesting Birds initiative to collect more information about Hooded Plover “flocking sites” nationally resulted in 6 being located at discrete locations between French’s Narrows and Corringle (28-9/6), however no large congregations of HPs appear to have been recorded along the East Gippsland coastline in recent years.

Red-capped Robin. Photo John Beekman

White-fronted Chat. Photo Ron Mackenzie

White-faced Heron. Photo John Hutchison

The Chat

September 2015 15

July Further 2020 Shorebird counts at Lake Wat Wat (01/07) proved a complete disappointment with very few ducks and other waterfowl present, the only exception being 83 Black-wing Stilt seen feeding in the shallows and the mudflats. The onset of an Antarctic blast and heavy rain put a dampener (pun intended) on any worthwhile birding activity.

A trip to southern NSW in preparation for the Spring Camp provided a little relief with 6 White-headed Pigeon observed on powerlines in Tathra (12/7) and large flocks of New Holland and White-naped Honeyeater in a feeding frenzy amongst flowering eucalypts in Ben Boyd NP (13/7). Arriving home to another 56mm of rain in the gauge, the nesting Black Swan on the Brodribb Wetlands had lost all their nests to rising floodwaters. Crested Shrike-tit in the Cape Conran CP (17/7), Australasian Darter and unidentified Albatross sp. at West Cape Conran (19/7) were the only notable sightings during a wet, cold and miserable week of weather.

Minor flooding on the Lower Snowy created a new and wider entrance and a pair of Whistling Kite were seen feeding on carrion in floodwaters at the entrance (21/7). It was around this time the Axens unilaterally decided that Victorian weather conditions were not for us and we decamped for warmer climes along the Murray River and into South Australia. So much for that decision, but we visited a number of landmark birding sites along the way and Jacquie did approach “eremophila heaven” in Port Augusta.

Marlo Musings - Winter 2015 - Len and Jacquie Axen

Odd Birds - Ian Wright Reported by members of Birdlife East Gippsland, or sighted in the region. Special Note: For some time, actually since the beginning of the year, a leucistic

Bronzewing Pigeon has been seen around quite a large area of Metung, see photo by Gary Smith - right 6 June: A White Headed Pigeon was seen at Forge Creek by Paul Tobin. (See also 11 July below) 30 June: The Beach Stone Curlew is still being sighted at Marlo. 13 June: 300 Freckled Ducks on Lake Guyatt, most of them were still there for our visit on July 20. 5 July: Lucas Bluff saw from the Point Hicks lighthouse: “Shy Albatross (dozens), Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (1 confirmed, probably more but needed good light to clinch the

bill stripe), at least three of either Buller's or Grey-headed Albatross, Fairy Prion (dozens), Northern Giant Petrel (approx 10), Brown Skua (3 - including an observation of kleptoparasitism from an Australasian Gannet)” 6 July: Varo Dharmarajah saw and photographed, a Buff-banded Rail in a road gutter as he left the Port of Bairnsdale after the Monday outing. 11 July: Ross Scott reported: “a single white headed pigeon visited us on our veranda at Banksia Peninsula. We had one here about 10 years ago, and this is the first one since. I am aware that there are some around Orbost and further east.” (Maybe they are becoming common and won’t deserve a listing in the odd sightings if this keeps up?). 15 July: Rohan Bugg (on Birdline) sighted a Sacred Kingfisher at Port Franklin, adding it was the earliest he had seen one in southern Victoria.

17 July: Another Birdline contributor, Stephan Grainger, reported a Sacred Kingfisher near Bemm River. He thought it was an unusual record for winter. The kingfisher’s opinion was not mentioned in these cases, but they probably know what they are up to. 22 July: Roger Bilney, and a group of Federation Training students, reported from the Snowy River flood plain, 4 Km south of the Vic/NSW border near Tom Cat Creek about 20 Turquoise Parrots, as well as Flame and Scarlet Robins. 17 August: some of us on the Monday outing to Pettmans Beach saw 5 Eastern Curlews flying madly into a South-westerly.

Australasian Darter. Photo Chris Healey

The Chat

16 September 2015

Review of photographic exhibition - Chris Healey The recent month-long exhibition at Bairnsdale’s East Gippsland Art Gallery included a display of photographs by members of BirdLife East Gippsland which attracted a good deal of interest from members and the wider community.

This essay is a personal response to the exhibition; I confine myself to the printed images. Two of my own prints were included in the display, so I was obviously more than an innocent bystander to the exhibition. I will say nothing further about my own photos beyond noting that it is a humbling experience to be a modest contributor to such a fabulous selection of works. The exhibition revealed that our group has some outstanding photographers, combining technical brilliance with artistic instincts. Most of our photographers opted for larger format prints, and this choice was particularly effective. That said, smaller format prints seemed particularly suited for intimate views of Superb Fairy-Wrens, as John Beekman (next page, bottom left) and Leonie Daws demonstrated. Many of the images took the form of what might best be described as portraiture – works with the subject in characteristic pose dominating the page. Among examples that particularly caught my attention were Ron Mackenzie’s

glowing photo of the Spotted Pardalote sporting an untidy moustache of nesting material complemented by a rusty barbed wire perch and John Saxton’s beautiful study of a Common Bronzewing preening. (Below left)

Varo Dharmarajah takes the portrait to an extreme, reminiscent of the giant heads that these days dominate the Archibald Prize entrants. His Tawny Frogmouths are pressed together on their daytime perch. The photo challenges the viewer to discern how many birds are present – the repeated verticals resolve themselves into two birds dominating almost the entire page framed by a tree branch of the same colour and texture of the birds on one side and the merest hint of a third bird on the other side of the central pair. (Above right)

John Hutchison’s portrait of an Eastern Great Egret is an absolute gem. Technically brilliant, the photo is crisp in detail and beautifully exposed. The bird has been captured in characteristic repose with a light breeze seeming

to ruffle the drooping breeding plumes against an uncluttered dark background. What might otherwise have been a conventional view vaguely reminiscent of traditional Japanese imagery is given an interesting twist – the bird is perched on a white wooden rail, which occupies the entire lower portion of the page, and acts as a frame within the mounted image. (Right)

Several prints caught birds in action. Ian Wright’s Shy Albatross (left) is tilted diagonally across the frame flying directly towards the camera on wings like knife blades, the tip of one wing leaving a gash in the sea surface.

The Chat

September 2015 17

Review of photographic exhibition - Chris Healey

John Hutchison’s White-faced Heron is caught at the moment of striking at unseen prey, the splash of water droplets frozen in perfect focus. Then there are some quirky shots: Masked Lapwings facing off against each other

(Varo Dharmarajah), (left) a bird’s eye view of a quartet of cygnets (Ron Mackenzie) and Whiskered Terns perching on a rubber snake (John Hutchison). I confess to being particularly drawn to those photos where there is abundant space around the bird. Jack Winterbottom applies his minimalist eye, with his Australasian Grebe floating on a still, bronze-coloured pond, (left) and off-centred

Diamond Firetail and Scarlet Robin on fence wires against muted, hazy backgrounds. John Beekman’s Silver Gull and its multiple reflections serenely ride gentle blue swells. There is a similarly restful quality to Leah Beekman’s Cattle Egret with its brilliantly white and orange breeding plumage offset by lush green grass and an almost black background. (below) Other photos have an intriguing almost abstract

quality: Varo Dharmarajah’s nesting Common Bronzewing combines soft curves of bird and tree fork offset by the twiggy nest. John Hutchison’s Scarlet Robin is a splash of colour in an otherwise grey image dominated by the intersecting lines of an old wooden gate. In just 38 printed images the exhibition captured a surprising variety of birds, some familiar, others unusual. Every one engaged the viewer at some level beyond the

immediately obvious and harboured a story to be told.

The Chat

18 September 2015

Newhaven visit – Jack Winterbottom My first-time visit was for 5 days in mid-May. The campsite is excellent for $10/day with gas-fired hot showers, a great loo and firewood provided. I came in from the Nyirripi [western] end finding a dead Australian Owlet-nightjar, a dead Stimson’s Python and a dead car all in the first 10 kms. Breakfast pre-sunrise at the end of the Mt Gurner track meant I was on the top by 8am [no surprises there; it is

an easy climb with great views], but I noticed that the rainfall running from the southern side had created a patch of acacia and grevillea about 50 metres wide along the entire southern edge. I descended straight into it and was surrounded by a cacophony of honeyeater noise. Pied, White-fronted, Brown, Singing, Spiny-cheeked and Black-chinned [Golden-backed]. Magic!

An upside-down plant on the way out was a bonus [not in flower yet but some were in flower on the road out to Tilmouth]. The country is in pretty good shape with lots of flowering. The Lakes Tour found Susie’s Lake with about 30cm of water. The avocets appeared to be walking alongside the Freckled Duck, Pink-eared Duck, Hardhead, Grey Teal, Coot, Hoary-headed Grebes and a pair of Black-fronted Dotterels. The standout for me was at Swan Lake [dry] where a

Black-breasted Buzzard made two landings in the middle of the lake about 50 metres away. It interrupted my Orange Chat observations; but that was fine. I checked out the country right down in the south where the Princess Parrots were seen three years ago but nothing there. Life ticks for me were Crested Bellbird, White-fronted HE, Red-browed Pardalote, Orange Chat and a Black Falcon at Kunoth on the way to Alice! 59 species for me. A magic place in tip-top order.

Photos by Jack Winterbottom: Clockwise from top right: Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Black-breasted Buzzard, Inland Thornbill,

Grey-headed Honeyeater, Crested Bellbird

The Chat

September 2015 19

The Chat is published quarterly by BirdLife East Gippsland

PO Box 825 Bairnsdale, Victoria 3875

Contact The Editor at the above address or email: eastgippsland@birdlife.org.au

The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the

Editor or BirdLife East Gippsland

Members are encouraged to submit articles of interest to birders for the next issue of The Chat.

Please email text to eastgippsland@birdlife.org.au or mail to the above address.

Deadline for the next edition: All articles and photos required by 15 November 2015

Text can be sent either as an attached Word file or simply typed into an email with a minimum of formatting. Use single line spacing and only one

space after full stops. There is really no size limit but there is a possibility of articles being reduced or changed at the ed itors’ discretion subject to

space restrictions and relevance or interest to birders. Writing style should be anecdotal or semi-formal. Articles are enhanced by relevant photos.

Digital photos are preferred but please do not paste photos into word files with articles. Please send photos as high quality JPEG files attached to

an email or via DVD or memory stick and always advise who took each photo.

Important events coming up – Merryl Wright

– Merryl Wright World Shorebirds Day – 4-6 September 2015 (Global Shorebird Counting) The main event of the 2nd World Shorebirds Day is the Global Shorebird Counting program which will be held on the weekend 4–6 September 2015. Unlike last year, participants are asked to register their counting site by simply adding a marker, or more, on a Google map, which is open for everyone to edit. Site name with nearest village or town and country have to be added in the header, as well as the name of the participant in the comment field of the marker. Registration deadline is 3 September 2015. Direct link to the map is: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zqWymiAbzzII.kbC9emdidNTw&usp=sharing

or contact: https://worldshorebirdsday.wordpress.com/contact/ Threatened Species Day – 7 September 2015 National Threatened Species Day is fast approaching. Held on 7 September each year, Threatened Species Day

encourages the community to prevent further extinctions of Australia's fauna and flora and to secure threatened species and ecological communities in the wild. To celebrate and raise awareness of the plight of many of our native birds, BirdLife Australia will be profiling five endangered woodland birds during the week of September 7th. Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo, Regent Honeyeater, Swift Parrot, Black-throated Finch & Mallee Emu-wren. Stay tuned for further updates on social media and help us raise awareness of these five iconic birds. http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/protecting-

australias-threatened-species

International Plover Appreciation Day - 16 September 2015 This special day is aimed at raising awareness of the plight of ground-nesting plovers around the world! There is also a competition! You can find more details at http://www.birdlife.org.au/projects/beach-nesting-birds/plover-appreciation-day

Dr David Hollands will be speaking at the East Gippsland Library on Friday 18 September 2015 - 3pm – 5pm.

Bookings essential. Ring 5152 4225 to book in.

Bird Week and the Aussie Backyard Bird Count – 19-25 October 2015 Join thousands of people during Bird Week from 19-25 October 2015 for the second annual AUSSIE BACKYARD BIRD COUNT — BirdLife Australia’s nationwide bird survey. All it takes is 20 minutes in your backyard, local park, or favourite outdoor space to be a part of this exciting event! Last year we counted 800,000 birds, this year let’s make it one million! For more information head to www.aussiebirdcount.org.au

BirdLife East Gippsland Spring Camp – 26-30 October 2015 See details of this camp at Pambula NSW elsewhere in this edition of The Chat BirdLife East Gippsland Challenge Count – 7 December 2015 The 2015 Challenge Count is scheduled for the weekend of 5-7 December which includes the usual Monday outing period. The count has been centred on Bairnsdale with teams recording birds over a consecutive 24 hour period between midnight on 5 December and midnight on 7 December. Anyone interested in joining in this event should contact Merryl Wright on 5156 8108 or merrylwright@bigpond.com

The Chat

20 September 2015

Monday Location Leader Meeting Place

7 Sep Nicholson Rail Trail Ian Wright Cnr Princes Hwy & Sandfords Lane

14 Sep Point Fullarton/Sunset Cove Robert Wright Burden Place off Paynesville Rd

21 Sep Maffra/Heyfield - Full Day Jack Winterbottom

DWELP Offices, Maffra

28 Sep Metung/Nungurner Dot Owen Cnr Princes Hwy & Metung Rd Swan Reach

5 Oct Jones Bay, The Cut, Phillips Lane J & P Hutchison Follow Phillips Lane to Jones Bay

12 Oct Den of Nargun/Mitchell R NP Chris Healey General Store, Main Street, Lindenow

19 Oct Eagle Point/Macleod Morass South Pat McPherson Car Park end of Old Paynesville Rd

26 Oct Camp 26-30 October Merryl Wright Pambula

# 2 Nov LakeTyers/Fisherman's Landing Ken Sherring Main Carpark, Lake Tyers Beach

9 Nov Canni Creek - Full Day John Hutchison Canni Ck Racecourse

16 Nov Hollands Landing Ken Sherring Cnr Princes Hwy & Bengworden Rd

23 Nov Eastern Beach Sue Welte Eastern Beach Car park, Lakes Entrance

30 Nov Fairy Dell & Lunch at Bruthen J & P Hutchison Cnr Great Alpine Rd & Deep Creek Rd

7 Dec Challenge Count, BirdLife Australia Merryl Wright Bairnsdale area

14 Dec End of Year Party - Nyerimilang Heather Cousens 12 noon - Nyerimilang Park Rotunda

Schedule of Outings Sept - Dec 2015

No cancellations will be made except in the case of Total Fire Bans. Outings are generally for half a day with morning tea and lunch.

Outings marked as Full Day include a normal morning outing with lunch, with an option for an afternoon of birding in surrounding areas. Outings dates marked # will be promoted to the broader community.

Meet: Meet at 9am or alternative place and time by arrangement with the leader of the day.

Do not assume the meeting place will be the same as in previous years.

Bring: Morning tea, lunch, folding chair, sunscreen, insect repellent, water and binoculars.

Enquiries: Leader of the day or Chris Healey, 5157 9036; or John Hutchison, 5156 8226.

Email: eastgippsland@birdlife.org.au