Tuesday 24 September to Friday 27 September
We will stay at the Holiday Haven, Culburra Beach, (https://www.holidayhaven.com.au/culburra-beach/) which offers cabins and powered sites. Numbers will be limited to 16, so please register early as bookings should be made soon. Advise me if you would like to share. DO NOT book accommodation until I have confirmed your registration. We will explore nearby Wollumboola Lake, Orient Point Wetlands Reserve, Abrahams Bosom and possibly other sights around Currarong, Silkwood walk from Callala Bay to Callala Beach and other sites recommended by members of the Illawarra Bird Observers Club. We will get together for dinner one evening. We will encounter a range of waterbirds and shorebirds as well as bush birds. Some may wish to stay for an extra night so they can visit the Beecroft Firing Range where there have been excellent sightings of Ground Parrots and Eastern Bristlebirds. The Range is open to the public from midday Friday to Sunday afternoon. To register contact Prue Watters prue.watters@gmail.com
Tue 24 September 2024 12:00am
Prue WattersPost event report
Nine people spent four days in the Shoalhaven visiting a number of sites, including coastal, estuarine, sandstone, forest and heath. We convened on Tuesday afternoon at the caravan park in Culburra and drove to Orient Point to check out the waters across to Comerong Island and Greenwell Point and then to explore Orient Point Wetland Reserve. Little Pied and Pied Cormorant posed nicely to show their differences, White-bellied Sea Eagle patrolled the coastline, and the first of many Little Wattlebird, Brown Gerygone and Yellow Thornbill put in an appearance. With plenty of daylight left, we then walked out to Crookhaven Heads, where at least 5 Humpback Whales were sighted soon after we left the carpark. Once we had reached the rock platform, we scanned for waders. Thanks to quick reactions from Teo, a flock flying quickly over us was photographed and later identified as mostly Pacific Golden Plover with Ruddy Turnstone and Red-necked Stint. In the understorey on the headland, we had wonderful views of Variegated Fairy-wren with the male in spectacular fresh plumage. From the lookout, we saw Australasian Gannet and three small dark-winged and white-bellied shearwaters, too distant to positively identify as either Fluttering or Hutton’s Shearwater.
With the weather forecast looking dire for Thursday, we had to do as much as possible on Wednesday. We began the day at Bomaderry Creek, previously a good spot for Rockwarbler, but there have been no recent records and we were unable to find them either. However, the walk among the sandstone cliffs was picturesque and a good variety of bush birds were recorded including breeding Satin Bowerbird and Superb Fairy-wren. We then drove further west to taller forest in Bangalee Reserve, bordering the Shoalhaven River. Here the highlights were hearing a Green Catbird and seeing a pair of Eastern Yellow Robin feeding two tiny chicks in an exquisitely-decorated nest low in a shrub.
With an afternoon high tide, our main destination for the afternoon was Shoalhaven Heads but, on the way, we had time to drive along Jennings Lane which has a series of wetlands bordering the narrow but quiet road, allowing us to stop frequently to observe a variety of ducks and cormorants, as well as both White-necked and White-faced Heron, Great and Eastern Cattle Egret, and Yellow-billed and Royal Spoonbill.
Once at Shoalhaven Heads, we walked through to the ocean beach and on to the high tide roost on the inlet. There were many Red-capped Plover scattered across the sand, much of which was home to a large quantity of dead logs and branches washed down the Shoalhaven River in the last big flood. This gave the plovers plenty of shelter for nesting sites and we gave them a wide berth to avoid disturbance. Pied Oystercatcher nests were being protected in a fenced off area, with individual nests ringed with multiple strands of electrified wire as protection against foxes and ravens; apparently, because feathers are made of keratin, birds do not get a shock if they touch the wires. The fallen timber, often in large piles, meant that we could approach the high tide roost without disturbing the Eastern Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit and everyone had excellent scope views. It seems the smaller sandpipers have not yet arrived.
There was still time for a brief visit to Lake Wollumboola which is currently open to the sea. This means the water level is higher and most of the sandbars that used to be favoured by waders are now underwater; as well, the water is more saline, which has apparently reduced the numbers of Black Swan, although there were still many hundreds. Despite this, as well as Eastern Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot were recorded, and we were able to see Caspian, Crested and a single Australian (Gull-billed) Tern lined up for comparison.
The rain began during the night and continued for most of Thursday. There were couple of brief breaks and we dashed out to the nearby boat ramp to stretch our legs. A Whimbrel was the only addition to our list. We passed the rest of the time playing cards, reading, etc, until the rain cleared about 3pm and we set off for Callala Creek Bushland Reserve. It was alive with birds and among the 30 species recorded were Black-faced Monarch, Golden and Rufous Whistler, Eastern Whipbird (seen), and Spotted Pardalote leaving a nesting burrow in a sandy bank beside the track, with two similar burrows nearby. On the way back, White-headed Pigeons perched on powerlines were a nice addition to our birdlist.
Fortunately, Friday was fine and we began the day with a walk through bushland across the road from the caravan park. A female Pacific Koel being mobbed by Red Wattlebirds was the first bird to catch our attention. Sacred Kingfisher was also new, and we were pleased to have more views of Black-faced Monarch and to see Fan-tailed Cuckoo which had previously been heard only.
The rest of the morning was spent at Abrahams Bosom Reserve near Currarong. It was an interesting loop walk taking us onto the very scenic coast in several spots then back through low forest and lots of flowering understorey plants. Shining Bronze-Cuckoo and White-cheeked Honeyeater were the highlights of the morning.
With most of the group returning to Canberra that afternoon, we had time for one last birding site: Beecroft Peninsula which is closed during the week but opens at midday on Fridays. We walked a short distance along the heath-lined fire trail to Little Target Beach, hoping to see Eastern Bristlebird. It was not long before we heard birds calling, and then 3 were seen briefly crossing the track. Most of us then headed home but 2 couple stayed an extra night so were able to return later on Friday afternoon and had much better views of Eastern Bristlebird as well as Eastern Ground Parrot.
We were happy with our trip total of 105 species, especially with one day mostly lost due to rain. Many thanks to Prue Watters for taking the time to do a reconnaissance trip to the area and liaising with Shoalhaven birders to find the best places to visit. Thanks also to Lia for compiling the many eBird lists. The eBird trip report can be viewed at https://ebird.org/tripreport/277375
Sue Lashko