Alex's Big Year 2020

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Alex Rogers
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OK - time for some locals, and to fill in some of the gaps with more common birds. I had a good walk around Eastlakes Golf Course, smack in the middle of suburban Sydney, but with its lakes, casuarina stands and remnant coastal forest patches, a great place to see a wide variety of birds. You have to get out early and watch for golf-balls, but so far nobody has given me any grief as long as I stayed off the fairways. 

116) Eurasian Coot abound - in the early mornings they are out on th fairways feeding. I find them quite hard to photograph, the classic issues with black & white birds getting some detail in the dark feathers without blowing out the whites. This is not the sharpest shot, but I quite like the light, and the way the bird is demonstrating its extraordinary foot, whcih you don't normally see. 

117) Little Pied Cormorant. The juveniles are quite sweet. There is a wier in the estate which has been very good for me in the past for dotterels - the water was high and no sign of the dotterels, but plenty of water dragons, and this young cormorant sunning himself on the edge. 

118) Pied Currawong - this guy was eating the berries in the lillipilli hedge at home and let me get quite close for a bit of a portrait - normally thy are a bit shy

119) Tree Martin - I find swallows very hard to ID on the wing - these Tree Martins were kind enough to come to ground on the fairway at first light. Have you noticed that swallows and martins often forage or perch near the ground very early in the morning, and seldom any other time? 

120) Welcome Swallows were also perching on the out-of-bounds pegs around the course. I was trying out my 1.4x teleconverter for the first time on a few of these shots. Very good for longer range shots or smaller birds - but really hard to get sharp shots handheld, you really are getting into tripod territory with this extender. For my normal kind of photography (walking, hand held, opportunistic) I'm probably better off shooting without it and cropping. 

121) Australasian Swamphen - the last of my golf course snaps. You can get some nice isolation with the teleconverter - but best if you don't cut their feet off too....

Alex Rogers
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I had a good weekend with friends down in the Southern Highlands near the Morton National Park. Unfortunately the NP was closed, it was seriously burned in the recent fires and it was too dangerous to enter - and looked devastated from the outside :-(  The house we rented was a classic Souther Highlands estate with little woods and ponds and things, so I did get a few more birds for the collection. 

122) Black-faced Cuckooshrike - will have to get a better shot, unless you get them in bright light it is really difficult to see their faces clearly. 

123) Australian Wood Duck - one of my favourite ducks, and quite a sweet shot. They have markings like WW2 dazzle-paint on warships - unless you get the focus 100% the bird looks like an out-of-tune TV test pattern. This guys flew into a pond I was sitting quietly beside, and proceeded to make quite a fuss of proclaiming his territory. 

124) Pacific Black Duck - I've taken a few pics of these over the year, and finally got one in light that I like. 

125) Dusky Moorhen in the water lilies

Alex Rogers
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I took a walk along the Wingecarribee River near Bowral - the locals are doing a lovely job of riverbank restoration, and along with that the birds are returning. Saw some 30 species in an hour, and got a couple of photos. 

126) Rufous Whistler - singing away in the top of a tree - a poor shot at long range, but good enough for ID

127) Brown Thornbill - the trees were full of thornbills and other small birds, all too high / too fast for me to identify or capture. After much trying I got a couple of okay shots, and worked out that they were Brown Thornbills, which I don't see/ID often. 

128) White-throated Treecreeper - he gave me a few opportunities - once you know their habit of spiralling up a tree, then dropping down to the bottom of the next tree and spiralling up that, you can position yourself up-sun and get a few shots as they come around .Finally got one where he showed his neck. 

129) Eastern Rosella - Although a poor, distant EBC shot, I quite like this one for the way the birds look like some sort of exotic popsicles. My mom had a sculpture which she made out of a driftwood branch with little bright wooden parrots on it - and this made me think of her. 

And finally a bonus Eastern Yellow Robin (previously posted #58) for Sue, cos she likes them - hope your op went well and you are back photographing soon, Sue. 

Alex Rogers
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Some more from around my neck of the woods. I took a walk around the Lime Kiln Bay area on the Georges' River. Not very productive, but I did see some spinebills (only for the second time ever) and the light was very bad. Did get a shot of a Grey Butcherbird although high ISO and not very inspiring. Will have to post a better one, but here is

#130 Grey Butcherbird

Alex Rogers
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My own local ponds at Tempe have filled up with all the rain, and the birds are coming back. This morning's bird walk yielded 30 species, up from 8 at its lowest, and I was treated to Spotted Pardalotes (one of my absolute favourite birds), a female Koel, a Reed Warbler (which I haven't seen at the ponds for over a year) and an Australasian Grebe. I went back when the light was better to try to get a decent Grebe shot - they are quite hard to photograph, as they are typically miles away, small, and constantly diving. I also find the water affects the focus quite badly at maximum range. Anyway, eventually got an ok shot .

131) Australasian Grebe - first one on the ponds this year .

132) Grey Teal - normally common, they have been absent over the drought months, and have just returned. 

133) The New Holland Honeyeaters are back in force

Alex Rogers
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I visited Warriewood Wetlands - and was eaten alive by mosquitos! The Bell Miners have pretty much taken over the lower area and I hardly saw any other woodland birds. Another birder called me over to see a Black Bittern but it flew off before I could see it let alone take a picture - grrrr! It wasn't a great bird photography session - but did get a couple of EBC shots, plus one unusual mammal photo. 

134) Little Black Cormorant 

135) Lewin's Honeyeater - very long distance, highly cropped EBC shot. Will try for more, but this is the first I've seen this year to EBC it is!

136) Bell Miner - they were everywhere and attacking everything. Quite cool birds but very very aggressive. 

Alex Rogers
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But my absolute favourite sighting this year so far was a Southern Boobook. Hard to believe, but I've never seen any owl in Australia in 20 years! Finally my "duck" was broken when I saw a big mob of currawongs, ravens, noisy miners and other birds shouting at it in a tree. It seemed totally unphased, every so often giving a hard-eyed stare at a bird that came too close - but otherwise ignoring them. Far off and high up, but I eventually got a photo of sorts. A good "lifer" for me. 

137) Southern Boobook - if you look closely in both shots you can see some of the birds hassling it .

Devster
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Well done Alex, always exciting to get a lifer. Your bird count is coming along nicely. Mine has grinded to a halt as my camera is playing up. Love the Grebe and the New Holland Honeyeater shots. While we do get them, those NHHE arn't as common up here.

Alex Rogers
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Thanks Dev - sorry to hear about your camera. Time for a service...

dwatsonbb
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Numbers climbing nicely, some great photos os species I may hopefully see one day. Keepem coming, loving seeing species from everyone's patch.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

sue818
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As Dale said, the numbers are climbng nicely. Some lovely birds and shots there, Alex. It is always exciting to see a new one so wonderful that you managed a photo. The Boobooks sit so quietly, it is the other birds hassling them that give the location away.  My biggest surprise was finding one in a small tree in the middle of a casino/hotel carpark in Perth!

I have a few birds to post but need to process them first. Still working with old glasses and only one lens so a bit slow.

Sorry about the camera, Dev. Hope it is fixed soon.

karentwemlow
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Gorgeous photos! Your 'poor shot' of the Rufous Whistler is very similar to one of my best shots of a Rufous Whistler :-).

I love the Southern Boobook. At first I thought he was eating a Butcherbird. I hear them all the time at my place but haven't seen them here yet. I too would be stoked to not only see one but get a pretty good photo as well, nice work!

Alex Rogers
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I just got back from a trip to Jemalong, where I'm building a new solar farm. Stayed at Forbes, and did a few early morning / late evening stops at the Gum Swamp Tavelling Stock Reserve, where they have a lake full of dead trees and live birds. A lovely spot, and I added at least 3 birds to my life list, and saw and photographed a good few I haven't seen for a while, let alone this year. So lets start the resurrection of Alex with a few shots from Gum Swamp. I had a sublime experience here - was sitting in the hide, and a pair of Welcome Swallows flew in the slot, and started feeding their chicks in a nest INSIDE the hide - I'd been looking in the wrong place :-) They were seemingly unconcerned about me being there, chatting away to their chicks, and returning many times over the hours I was in there. No pics as it was dark inside, and I didn't want to disturb them further with flash. 

sue818
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Looks like wonderful place, Alex. I am very happy to see you back out in the field & looking forward to more. Spring is here and I find my spirits lifted as weather improves & more birds appear. Stay safe.

Alex Rogers
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And.... some birds.

138) Apostlebird. An EBC I'm afraid - a roadside shot, and they we disturbed by a passing truck before i could get a decent shot. I saw a few groups of these charming little jokers, but they were unusually shy

Alex Rogers
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139) Blue-billed Duck. Very exciting, they were a lifer for me. Such a blast seeing that bright blue beak and finally spotting one! There were a few on the swamp, they never really came close, so this is quite a big crop. 

Alex Rogers
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140) Pink-eared Duck - first sightings this year, and some lovely sightings too - lots of them on the swamp, including a couple with 5 ducklings 

Alex Rogers
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141) White-plumed Honeyeater - have seen a few this year, but this is the first photo I've managed to get of these busy little birds. 

Alex Rogers
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142 - Australian Reed Warbler - lots of them singing in the reeds. Also quite difficult to get a close view, as they are quite elusive - this guy was a long way off. 

Alex Rogers
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145) Another very distinctive bill led to my second lifer of the day with this Australasian Shoveler. Quite a lucky shot, as I only saw two the whole trip, and they just came close enough for this long range shot. 

Alex Rogers
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143) I was unable to identify this chap immediately - but from his song, and looking carefully at the photos, I think he is a Rufous Songlark. He was near the swamp, in a low tree, singing his heart out, and doing display flights, from tree to tree. Any advances on this identification? I'm keen to confirm (or correct) as this would be my first. 

Alex Rogers
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144) This one had me stumped as well, but i think its a White-winged Triller in eclipse colouring. 5-6 of them hawking insects in the high foliage, only really got distant oblique and underside views. 

Alex Rogers
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The brains trust on AUs Bird ID on FB confirmed the Songlark ID, making it 3 lifers in one day :-) 

sue818
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Nice ones, Alex. I agree with your IDs of Rufous Songlark and White-winged Triller.

Alex Rogers
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Thanks for the ID and the welcome back Sue - I'm very happy to be birding and posting here again :-) 

Alex Rogers
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Closer to home - I took a walk down to the Landing Lights wetland - had a nice sighting of a Lewin's Honeyeater, and a lot of Little Black Cormorants, which I realised I had not photographed this year. So - have a shag :-) (edit - already posted as 134 - a bonus shag?) 

Alex Rogers
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146) White-winged Choughs. I've seen a few recently, both at Forbes, and also at a recent camping trip to the Wolgan Valley in the Blue Mountains. This wasn't a birding trip, although I did see some Rockwarblers - very exciting as it was my first sighting of Sydney's only endemic bird. And the choughs came through our campsite, so I got a few pictures. I love how sociable they are, these three spent some time grooming each other, and they carry on like schoolgirls with a crush on each other :-) 

Alex Rogers
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147) Scaly-breasted Munia (Chestnut Mannikin) - seen at my local wetland, the Landing Lights Reserve in Sydney. These little guys were common last year, but as the drought bit and the bushes all died off, they disappeared, along with all the little hedgerow birds. But the growth is lush again, the lantana flowering, and all the little birds are back :-) 

dwatsonbb
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Back with a bang, nice photos of some nice birds.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

Devster
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Welcome back Alex. Love all the photos but especially the Mannikin shot 

Alex Rogers
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Thanks Dale & Dev  :-) 

Alex Rogers
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My first camping trip out of iso was Dunn's Swamp in the Wollemi NP. Lovely place, although quite badly affected by the fires. Regrowth is under way, and the birds are coming back, although numbers are low, really low. Anyway, I spotted a few birds. Brown Thornbills were moving through the trees, I got a nice portrait of a Grey Shrikethrush (already in my count for the year) and had a lovely sighting (but poor photos) of a gorgeous Striated Pardalote, one of my favourite birds. It was raining, or grey backlight, and difficult day for photography, so no good photos - but I did get a couple of new ones for my list

148) White-eared Honeyeater - I don't see these a lot, so this was a real treat for me. EBC shot, as they were moving fast through the back-lit canopy

149) Superb Lyrebird - actually the birds were quite cooperative for once, but the light was awful and I just couldn't get close enough to compensate. 

Alex Rogers
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150) And fittingly for 2020, lets make 150 a Black Swan event. Centennial Park, Sydney, a lockdown bird. 

karentwemlow
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What a wonderful trip! Loving all your photos. What a great experience with the swallows.

By the way, you have two 142s listed.... but also Little Black Cormorant already listed at 134 so ended up at 150 anyway ;-)

Alex Rogers
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Thanks Karen - corrected now :-) 

Devster
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They are still good Alex. The WHE & SL would be lifers for me

dwatsonbb
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Again mostly new birds for me, which I thank you all for posting. Hopefully one day, they might get on my list. Some great photos thanks for sharing.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

Alex Rogers
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151) Brown Honeyeater - I'd misidentified this one and the good fact checkers at eBird picked me up on it - and this is the first I've photographed this year (unknowingly!) Down at the Landing Lights wetland. Not the most spectacular of the Honeyeaters, but this little chap was very lively, singing away and doing display flights, I think he was looking for a mate. Not a great shot as he was deep in the lantana. 

Alex Rogers
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I went camping a couple of weeks ago up the north coast at Crowdy Head National Park - camped on the beach, a beautiful spot. Caught a few new birds too. 

152) Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, a lifer for me. Very similar in behaviour to Rainbows, if a little less pushy, and I saw them in company together on the flowering banksias. 

Alex Rogers
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Grey Butcherbird - got some nice photo opportunites of butchers stuffing their gobs. Note the hightly adaptable hooked beak - perfect for everything from chips to frogs :-) It was very cool to see the bird catching frogs in the creek and then stuffing them into his larder (hence Butcher) 

[Edit - Sue helped me correct this - these are grey not pied Butcherbirds - I'll substitute in another 153# later, but I'll leave the pics cos I like them :-) ]

Alex Rogers
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154) Australasian Gannet - I'm pretty sure I've seen Gannets before, but never managed to get a photo. Finally, with a bit of patience, and a lot of trying, I got a couple of recognisable EBC shots of these birds fishing a few hundred metres offshore. I'll try to get some better shots later, but posting these as I don't know when I'll see them again. These look like juveniles, as normally the adults have a more yellow head. They are incredibly dramatic divers - I quite like how the 2nd shot shows their different flight modes when fishing (even though its a poor photo). 

sue818
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Wonderful, Alex. Always fun to get a lifer.

Hope the camping trip went well. It was great to catch up with you. I am looking forward to some more pictures. I got back at dusk with a nail in the tyre... parked on that part of course, so it deflated impressively fast. Dinner was quite late that night! 

Alex Rogers
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155) Crested Tern - again a poor long distance shot which I'll try to replace some time. In compensation for the poor tern, I'll add a poor photo of a whale lol. There were humpbacks everywhere we looked - must have seen 40-50 over 2 days, it is wonderful to see. 

All up a great little trip - also had good sightings of Brahminy kites (adult & juvenile) - looked like they were resident in the tiny remnant rainforest there. 

sue818
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Hi Alex, think you have Grey Butcherbird rather than Pied as the neck & chest are white/grey rather than a full black hood. Easily confused so please check.

Alex Rogers
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Thanks Sue :-) 

It was great to see you in the Capertee - I'll get around to processing those photos over the next week or so, got a lot of new birds for the year as well as a few lifers from there too :-) 

Lets do Landing Lights when you feel like it - sunrise on a weekend works for me. Hopefully some migratory shorebirds come in with summer :-) 

Alex Rogers
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sue818 wrote:

Hi Alex, think you have Grey Butcherbird rather than Pied as the neck & chest are white/grey rather than a full black hood. Easily confused so please check.

Yes, of course you are right. Thanks for the simple tip for differentiating them :-) 

Devster
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Great set Alex. Love the photos of the Butcherbirds with the frogs

dwatsonbb
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Good work, some great shots, well done.

Dale Huonville, Tasmania

Alex Rogers
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Thanks Dev & Dale :-) 

I had a great long weekend at Capertee Valley at the beginning of the month, camping with my boys and some friends. I managed to get out a lot while they slept in or played in the river, and was lucky enough to coincide with Sue's visit to the area, so we got to do a little birding together. It was a very productive weekend, such a great spot for birding. 

153) is a replacement for the butcherbirds above. Rainbow Bee-eaters were quite plentiful, but frustratingly high up in the trees, and I only got an ordinary shot

And back to the sequence with 156) Peaceful Dove. How odd, I dont seem to have photographed one, ever. Fortunately there is room for improving this photo! I didn't try harder as I thought I had lots (serves me right) 

157) Brown Falcon - a new bird for me, so was very pleased to find him on top of a tree in the sun

158) Restless Flycatcher - another new bird - but I wonder how many I've casually looked at and dismissed as "just another Willie Wagtail"? Pay attention Alex! 

Alex Rogers
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159) Noisy Friarbird - I love these birds, look like Skeksis from the Dark Crystal. They are common around the campsite at Coorongooba

160) Yellow-tufted Honeyeater - this is the only place I've seen these striking honeyeaters, and finally I managed a few photos. 

161) Probably the bird of my trip was the humble Jacky Winter. And you might laugh, but I've never seen (or at least, identified) them before! They were very common around the campsite and all up and down the Valley this trip - and very willing to be photographed - so here are a few pics. LBJ indeed - but I think they are lovely. 

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