Beginners Outing to Newport Lakes and Jawbone Reserve

27 January 2018

Leaders: Hazel and Alan Veevers; Species count: 60

Chestnut Teal. Photo by Roger Needham

Despite the forecast for a hot and humid day, 37 members attended the January Beginners excursion. Many small birds were seen in the car park area, including surprisingly high numbers of Superb Fairy-wrens and Willie Wagtails. Soon after the walk started, a Royal Spoonbill was spotted circling high overhead. Whilst watching it, a Brown Goshawk appeared on the scene apparently inspecting the larger bird.

Dollarbird. Photo by Roger Needham

There was great excitement when a Dollarbird (seen two weeks earlier on the recce.) was spotted perched on the top of a tall dead tree-trunk rising from the water. It stayed in place for many minutes, enabling everyone to have a really good look.

Dollarbird. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

A Little Black Cormorant and several Little Pied Cormorants were resting lower down in the same group of dead trees. One Little Pied Cormorant went fishing and caught and ate a decent sized one!

Little Pied Cormorant feeding. Photos by Merrilyn Serong

Little Pied Cormorant eating fish. Photo by Merrilyn Serong.

Continuing down-hill to the water level track enabled good views to be had of Australasian and Hoary-headed Grebes, as well as young Eurasian Coots begging for food from their parents.

Hoary-headed Grebes. Photo by Merrilyn Serong

There were very few ducks on the lake which may be attributed to the presence of some large carp which are known to nibble on the feet of ducks.

Young Eurasian Coot. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

A welcome lunch was enjoyed in a convenient shaded picnic shelter near the car park. A bird call tallied 34 species for the morning at the lakes.

About 20 members stayed on to drive down Maddox Road to the shore for the afternoon session. The tide was rather high and no small waders were initially seen. However, several Common Greenshanks were observed as they foraged at the edge of the shore. A large group of Black Swans and Australian Pelicans were disturbed into flight by a very low-flying microlight aircraft.

Blue-billed Duck. Photo by Merrilyn Serong

Nothing much was seen from the track across the salt marsh but walking around the first lake in Jawbone Reserve revealed a remarkable number of species. Included were Great-crested Grebe, Blue-billed Duck, Hardhead, Australasian Shoveler and Musk Duck.

Great-crested Grebe. Photo by Merrilyn Serong

Several Royal Spoonbills on a small island still had their breeding head plumes on display.

Royal Spoonbill. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

They were accompanied by both Chestnut and Grey Teal, mostly resting with their heads tucked under a wing.

Further into the reserve, many different birds were seen resting at the edge of an island in one of the lakes.

Black-winged Stilt. Photo by Roger Needham

These included Black-winged Stilts, Pink-eared Ducks and several Pied Cormorants along with their smaller relatives.

Pied Cormorant. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

Whilst watching the roosting birds, a White-faced Heron flew gracefully overhead as if to remind us it was time to turn for home.

Returning towards Maddox Road a flock of Yellow-rumped Thornbills were seen in low bushes. Surprisingly these were the only thornbills seen on the excursion.

White-faced Heron. Photo by Merrilyn Serong

Back at the shore the tide had receded, leaving more mud banks available for the waders. Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers were on the distant sand-banks, and a small flock of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers with a lone Red-kneed Dotterel were in the drainage channel.

Little Pied Cormorant. Photo by Eleanor Dilley

46 species were recorded for the afternoon, with a combined total of 60 for the day. Although it had been hot and humid, everyone felt they had enjoyed some excellent sightings, with ‘Bird of the Day’ clearly awarded to the Dollarbird.

View full bird listing: BM Jan 2018 Bird List Newport Lakes and Jawbone Reserve

Beginners Outing to Newport Lakes and Jawbone Reserve

24 October 2015

Leaders: Hazel and Alan Veevers

Forty members gathered at Newport Lakes Reserve in perfect weather conditions and watched numerous birds in the car park, including a female Rufous Whistler, Silvereyes and Rainbow Lorikeets. Many of the eucalypts in the reserve were flowering, where the dominant birds were Red Wattlebirds and New Holland Honeyeaters.

From left to right: Rainbow Lorikeet, photo by Merrilyn Serong; Canary? Photo by Ron Garrett; Whistling Kite, photo by Eleanor Dilley

On the lake a male Australasian Darter was perched alongside Great, Little Black and Little Pied Cormorants. A small white bird flew across the water and perched near to the group causing much excitement, but after careful consideration it was reluctantly concluded that it was an aviary escape, probably a Canary! Some members saw a Sacred Kingfisher and others a Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, but everyone saw and heard an Australian Reed-Warbler perched on a tall reed singing beautifully for a considerable time (view the video):

Whistling Kite and Collared Sparrowhawk were the only raptors. Fifty-one species were recorded for Newport Lakes.

From left to right: Australian Reed-Warbler, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo. Photos by Ron Garrett

Most of the group then drove down Maddox Street to the shore for lunch. It was high tide which limited the number of waders to be seen at the beach, though Black Swans, Australian Pelicans and gulls were plentiful. A walk through Jawbone Reserve was most productive, with good views of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Red-kneed Dotterels, Black-winged Stilts, Hardheads and numerous other ducks, of which Blue-billed were the most unusual. A Buff-banded Rail and a swimming snake added to the interest. Several Royal Spoonbills were displaying their spectacular breeding ‘hairstyles’ and the many cormorants were in splendid plumage. A pair of White-fronted Chats was seen towards the end of the walk.

From left to right: Hardhead, Chestnut Teal and Royal Spoonbill. Photos by Merrilyn Serong

A few members returned for a second look at the shore and were rewarded with a great view of a Caspian Tern perched on the breakwater, being mobbed by Silver Gulls, as well as a flock of Bar-tailed Godwits in the distance. Fifty-eight species were recorded for Jawbone with a magnificent 76 species for the day.

See the bird list: BM Oct 2015 Bird List Newport Lakes & Jawbone Reserve

Beginners outing to Newport Lakes and Jawbone Reserve

25 october 2014; leaders: Hazel and Alan Veevers

Species count: 71

The weather was overcast but with little wind, giving good conditions for the forty-two members who met at Newport Lakes. Flocks of small bush birds such as Red-browed Finches and Superb Fairy-wrens were plentiful along the edges of the tracks. A Nankeen Night-Heron was perched by the creek at the Amphitheatre whilst two young Red Wattlebirds being fed in their nest provided another highlight. A male Australasian Darter standing on a rock near the stepping stones was much admired and further along three Cormorant species; Great, Little Black and Little Pied were all perched on the same old stag, providing good comparisons. Inevitably, with such a large group, some species were not seen by everyone. For example, those near the front had a clear view of a Rufous Whistler while those at the back saw a Collared Sparrowhawk and a Sacred Kingfisher. A total of 47 species was recorded during the morning walk around the lakes.

Most of the group then drove down Maddox Street to the Bay, where lunch was taken beside the recently refurbished hide. Scopes proved useful in identifying five distant Gull-billed Terns and also for enabling close-up views of Common Greenshank and Royal Spoonbill. Many other waterbirds were seen from this excellent picnic spot, including several hundred roosting Whiskered Terns. The afternoon walk took us from the lunch spot into Jawbone Reserve using the coastal cycle/walking track. There were good sightings of waders such as Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Red-kneed Dotterels in the salt marshes and numerous ducks on the deeper ponds. Several male Blue-billed Ducks as well as Great-crested Grebes were in full breeding plumage. Another interesting sighting was of European Greenfinch eating seeds from an aquatic plant on a small wetland beside the path.

This was a most productive and enjoyable day with an overall total of 71 species, from 47 at Newport Lakes and 55 at Jawbone Reserve and beach.