Bellingen birders at Blue Poles, Valla Beach

A record turn-out of 27 people (including some new members) –

7:30am Robert Lowden Park Sunday 27 April
A large turn-out but a cloudy start and no sign of the Noisy Pitta on the Bus Stop Track (seen on a recce Friday morning), a Little Shrike-thrush was one notable viewing.
We walked the Four wheel Drive track to the beach through the Paperbark Swamp, (now dry and quiet) onto the beach where three Red-backed Fairy-wrens posed in non-breeding plumage so the difference to the Superb and Variegated clear.
Then around to the foot track with Spotted and Striated Pardalotes together, not usual, and Varied Sittellas and a carpet python wrapped up a tree. Richard appeared eager for breakfast. A slap-up sumptuous brekky at Blue Poles came served with a Brown Goshawk.

After breakfast we went down to Deep Creek, Valla Beach. A pair of Ospreys greeted us and the sun appeared. We crossed the bridge via a pair of Brahminy Kites, a juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle and a Mistletoebird in the Casuarinas. From the beach we watched a large pod of over twenty dolphins swim up and down, specially booked and choreographed by John and Bron. Then back up Deep Creek with an Azure Kingfisher, Striated Heron, Great Egrets and Australian Pelicans. We watched a pair of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets inspect the various orifices of an old gum with a wonderful youthful enthusiasm.

All in all 67 birds. The bird list for the morning is appended below.

“Thank you, John and Bron, for a most enjoyable outing, and for making us welcome in your home – but the breakfast is what all of us will remember I think.”

We had a great view of Red-backed Wrens, none in breeding plumage, but the difference is no blue in the tail and no red around the eye

Pacific Black Duck   Crested Pigeon   Bar-shouldered Dove   Great Cormorant  Pied Cormorant Little Black Cormorant   Australian Pelican   Eastern Great Egret  Striated Heron   White-faced Heron   Australian White Ibis  Eastern Osprey  Black-shouldered Kite  White-bellied Sea-Eagle Whistling Kite  Brahminy Kite  Brown Goshawk  Purple Swamphen  Australian Pied Oystercatcher Bar-tailed Godwit  Crested Tern  Silver Gull  Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo  Galah  Rainbow Lorikeet Scaly-breasted Lorikeet  Australian King-Parrot  Fan-tailed Cuckoo  Azure Kingfisher  Laughing Kookaburra   White-throated Treecreeper   Satin Bowerbird  Superb Fairy-wren  Red-backed Fairy-wren  White-browed Scubwren  Large-billed Scrubwren  Mangrove Gerygone  Brown Thornbill Yellow Thornbill  Spotted Pardalote  Striated Pardalote  Little Wattlebird  Noisy Friarbird  Blue-faced Honeyeater  Lewin’s Honeyeater  Brown Honeyeater  White-cheeked Honeyeater  Eastern Spinebill Eastern Whipbird  Varied Sittella  Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike  Golden Whistler  Little Shrike-thrush Olive-backed Oriole  Pied Butcherbird  Australian Magpie  Pied Currawong  Spangled Drongo Grey Fantail  Torresian Crow  Eastern Yellow Robin  Tawny Grassbird   Silvereye   Welcome Swallow Mistletoebird   Red-browed Finch