EUROBODALLA NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY

Inc.

PO Box 888 MORUYA NSW 2537

www.enhs.org.au

NEWSLETTER NUMBER 151 MARCH 2012

ENHS Annual General Meeting The AGM will be held in the meeting room of the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens on Sunday 27th May commencing at 11am. After the meeting, we are planning to have lunch together and then take a walk through the gardens to Deep Creek Dam. A nomination form is included with this newsletter and all nominations should be submitted to the Secretary by 20th May. All nominations must include the consent of the nominee as well as signatures from two other members. We look forward to seeing you there.

By mid-April, flocks of migrating honeyeaters move through the shire travelling north. Red Wattlebird, Yellow-faced, White-naped, Brown and Fuscous Honeyeaters move in large groups along the coast, and in some years these flocks can be very large. Most headlands such as Toragy Point at Moruya South Head are the best places to see this spectacular movement. There is also a migration of Silvereyes at the same time, as the Tasmanian sub-species moves into our area for the winter.

May usually brings the first influx of albatross to the area, particularly after strong southerly conditions. The most common are Black-browed, Yellow-nosed and Shy Albatross but occasionally a huge Wandering Albatross can be glimpsed. Once again, the local headlands are the best place for viewing. By late May the first of the Humpback Whales also make their appearance as they move steadily north to their breeding grounds in warmer waters. While most shorebirds have left the shire, a walk around any of the local estuaries can usually turn up some spectacularly coloured waders such as Bar-tailed Godwits. We are used to seeing them in their drab brown summer plumage, but they moult into beautiful breeding plumage as they migrate to their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere. They can usually be seen on most local estuaries in early May. April and May is also the time when Black Swans begin to congregate in large numbers on larger bodies of waters such as the estuaries at Moruya

Heads and Tuross and Wallaga Lakes. Autumn is the time when they undergo their annual moult and during that time they are flightless and take refuge on these broad expanses of water until they can fly again. Some common birds such as Jacky Winter and robins move out of the forest into open country and can be seen on fences and overhead wires in most open farmland. As well, there is a movement of some species from the highland to the coast, and Little Ravens and Grey and Pied Currawongs become very common in our shire. Good birding. Mike Crowley

What to expect April/May

Shy Albatross Photo: M. Crowley

Field Meetings: Saturday April 14, 2pm: Coila Lake Meet near the amenities block on the southern edge of Coila Lake, Tuross Boulevarde, Tuross. Walk along the edge of the lake, across the wooden bridge. Buff-banded Rail, Spotless and Australian Spotted Crake, Peregrine Falcon. Sunday April 29, 9am: Monga National Park Meet at the parking area in Clyde Street (west of the Princes Hwy) at Batemans Bay. A number of rainforest tracks. Superb Lyrebird, Pilotbird, Rose Robin, Varied Sittella, Spotted Quail-thrush, perhaps a roosting owl. Saturday May 12, 1.45pm: Boat ride on Wagonga Inlet Meet near the Quarterdeck Restaurant in Narooma. We will explore the back waters of the inlet. White-bellied Sea-Eagle, cormorants, herons, egrets, terns and perhaps kingfishers. There is a limit of 12 participants and the cost will be approximately $15-20 per head. Please contact Mandy Anderson on 4473 7651 to book your place. Sunday May 27, 11am: Annual General Meeting at the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens, Princes Highway Batemans Bay, in the Meeting Room adjacent to the café. Meeting at 11am, followed by lunch (there are BBQ facilities) and then a walk through the gardens. Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Australasian Grebe, Rose Robin, Crested Shrike-tit. Warm welcome to new members We welcome Stuart and Dianne Deans from Long Beach, Danie Ondinea from Coolagolite, Vladimir Mastera from Surf Beach, Mark and Sue Berry from Broulee. Thanks.... To Michael and Sarah Guppy and Mike Crowley for the talks they gave at our field meeting in March. The afternoon was well attended and enjoyed by all.

Our article in the last newsletter referred to a mystery predator that has been raiding nests while leaving them in place and undamaged. We are now leaning towards small mammals as the culprits. Since the majority of our predations are in this category, we are somewhat flying in the face of the common perception that the predators are currawongs, kookaburras, snakes and lizards. There are four pieces of evidence that are leading us to this conclusion: 1. We have many examples from multiple species of very delicate nests having lost young and eggs but remaining in pristine condition. Often the nest in question is not only delicate but is at the end of a very thin branch. Any attempt by a currawong, kookaburra, snake or goanna to raid this nest would inevitably result in the destruction and displacement of the nest. 2. The last raided and pristine Yellow-faced Honeyeater nest we found in such a delicate position was empty except for three droppings that resembled mouse droppings. 3. Three times last season (2011/2012) we came across some sort of mouse or rat scurrying about during the day, approximately four metres up a black wattle, very much at home. 4. A priceless story from Jill Whiter: she told us that Stephen Marchant, who of course was working on the same site, once related to her having seen some sort of rodent crawling out, very carefully, from a Yellow-faced Honeyeater nest in which a female was sitting on eggs. After a standoff, the animal drove the bird off and ate the eggs without disturbing the nest, which was at the end of a Kunzea branch. Michael and Sarah Guppy.

A very large population of Grey-headed Flying Fox has once again moved into their regular camp in the Casuarina forest between South Head and Pedro Point. They first arrived in early January, and numbers have increased steadily until the end of February when tens of thousands could be seen pouring out of their roosts at dusk. They generally fly north over the airport into the forests between North Head and Batemans Bay. There is a large number of eucalypts in flower, mainly Ironbark, Red Bloodwood and Spotted Gum, so they have undoubtedly been attracted to these trees while they are blossoming. Mike Crowley

What’s coming up…

Those mysterious predators: small rodents are in the frame

Flying foxes return to Moruya South Head

It has been a bumper season for the Little and Fairy Terns at Tuross and it is possibly the most successful breeding colony in NSW for 2011/12. This is very good news for both species. The Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) is listed as endangered under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. Threats include loss of habitat, predation, extreme climatic events and human interference. The Little Tern that breed on the NSW coast in spring and summer are a migratory subspecies from eastern Asia. The Fairy Tern (Sterna nereis) has recently been described as vulnerable under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Fairy Tern occur in Australia from Dampier in Western Australia, along the South Australian, Victorian and Tasmanian coasts. They are uncommon in NSW and are considered vagrants in Queensland. In 2011, the Little Tern began to arrive at Tuross on 5th November and by 9th December there were more than 200 Little Tern and 20 Fairy Tern. NPWS Shorebird volunteers (including some ENHS members) erected fences and information signs but soon realised that they had to extend the area to accommodate the large number of nesting birds. The final fenced area protected 3.7 hectares, more than twice the size of previous years. There were 124 nests; 276 eggs were counted, an average of 2.2 eggs per nest; the final fledgling count was 132. The first eggs were seen on 15th November and the last of the new nests were observed on 15th January. The first fledglings (28) were counted on 3rd January, the last were sighted on 7th February and by 14th February all the birds had gone. The success rate for the colony was 47.8%. We estimate that 10 nests belonged to Fairy Tern and 12 Fairy Tern fledglings were definitely sighted, which means that there were 120 Little Tern fledglings.

While the Tuross colony has thrived, only one nest was reported at Burrill Lake to our north. It is possible that the Little Tern reported at Burrill earlier in the season moved to Tuross following severe thunderstorms that affected large areas of the coast north of Batemans Bay in November/December 2011. To the south, Little Tern and Fairy Tern have bred at Mogareeka: there were 71 nests, including 7 Fairy Tern nests, 142 eggs (2 eggs per nest) and 56 fledglings, including 5 Fairy Tern. The success rate was 39.4%. Lucy Gibson, Jo Lane and Julie Morgan. John Cornish has taken some wonderful photos at the Tuross site. To view these, please see the Gallery page of our website.

I have been concentrating on ‘non-avian’ spotting for several months now, particularly frogs, as we have a frog haven in the pond in our garden. Coming from England where there are two species of frogs and two toads, to find at least eleven types of frog in one pond has me hooked. Frog-spotting involves night forays with torches, wearing anti-mosquito gear, getting wet (frogs love the rain) and learning Latin. Being of middle years with eyesight challenges, I was finding bird-watching rather tricky. You see the bird, the binos are never handy and if they are, the bird is too close to use them but too far away to see it clearly without them (or, as I found to my shame, the binos are covered in a light dust and you don’t notice until the third bird seen looks fuzzy!). So, I prefer to spot frogs. They may be tiny, but if they are out and about you can home in and snap them with the digital camera and then work out what they are later! With practise and a

Little and Fairy Tern nesting at Tuross

The “Zip” Frog (Litoria fallax)

Little Tern on the nest Photo: J. Cornish

Fairy Tern chicks and egg Photo: J. Cornish

good frog call CD, you can learn the common calls. With a good macro lens on the camera, you can see the emerald spots on the back of Peron’s Tree Frog (Litoria peronii), the red eyes of Keferstein’s Tree Frog (Litoria dentata) or differentiate the Tyler’s Toadlet (Uperloeia tylerii) from the Smooth Toadlet (Uperoleia laevigata). We became aware of Litoria fallax, otherwise known as the Green Reed Frog, Dwarf Tree Frog, Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog, or the Eastern Sedgefrog (you can see why the use of the Latin can be better than common names) during January 2012. Previous to this, it had been what I called the elusive “Zip” frog, which occurred in and around our garden at Mossy Point at irregular intervals over the last two years. I called it the Zip frog to describe its call - rather like a washboard sound as of folk and country music bands and a couple of “chip, chips”. Last year I recorded the Zip frog call on the movie-mode of the camera from indoors. I rushed out to see if I could find the culprit, to be greeted by our resident Jervis Bay Tree Frog (Litoria jervisiensis) sitting on the veranda rail, speechless but with his vocal sack half expanded! Having learnt the Jervis Bay Tree Frog’s call, “creee, creee, creee”, and heard it on many occasions (but never caught it red-handed), I was rather mystified. I now believe it was a case of mistaken identity and the call came from the pond, not the veranda. On 7th January 2012, the Zip frog was back in the garden in our pond, calling loudly but not seen, and it has been calling every evening and night since. As one of the few ‘non-avian’ recorders in ENHS, I was given the task of photographing the frog. This involved wading into the pond to find Litoria fallax which is all of 25mm in body length, never mind that it has the voice of a frog ten times the size and it hides among the thick reeds in the pond (our pond is deep enough to swim in). Thankfully our Zip frog has a heart and conveniently sat on a reed out of the water about half a metre from the end of the small jetty. It still cost us considerable effort, my husband with the torch (I dragged him out of bed), me with the camera and the local mosquitoes homing in on us, but…..we have the photo! Helen Ransom

************ The Eastern Sedgefrog (Litoria fallax) belongs to the tree frog family Hylidae. It is a small frog that grows to 2-3 centimetres and, as with all frogs, its appearance varies according to its environment. The frog can be green or fawn, or sometimes green with fawn legs. Identification can be made by looking for a brown stripe that runs from the nose through the eye and sometimes continues to the base of the arm, as well as a white stripe that runs from underneath the eye to the base of the arm. The pupils are horizontal, the backs of thighs and groin are orange to yellow, the belly is granular and the toes are three-quarters webbed with large toe pads. The male Eastern Sedgefrog calls from spring to summer and it is described as “wr-e-e-ek pip pip” but I have often thought it sounds more like a cork being removed from a miniature bottle.

The species lives in swamps, dams, lagoons and garden ponds where it is often found on emergent vegetation. Distribution is along the east coast of Australia, from Cairns in Queensland to Ulladulla on the south coast of New South Wales. The Eastern Sedgefrog is also known as the ‘lost frog’ or ‘banana box frog’ as it travels with fruit and vegetables and often turns up in or near fruit retailers outside its normal range. As a result, the species has established itself around Melbourne, where there is some concern that it may out-compete local species; Michael Tyler has records of the species in Adelaide; and ENHS member George Guy, has recorded the species in Canberra.

Litoria fallax Photo: H. Ransom

Eastern Sedgefrog Photo: C. Buckman

It is difficult to say whether the species is expanding its range or has just colonised after being transported with fruit to the Eurobodalla. Frog specialist, Martyn Robinson, considers Batemans Bay as the southernmost limit of the species’ known range, and notes that frogs are constantly surprising us by expanding their range. While researching the Green and Golden Bellfrog (Litoria aurea) in 2001, herpetologist Garry Daly recorded the Eastern Sedgefrog at the Batemans Bay Golf Course and Tura Beach. Steve Sass, a local ecologist, has recorded the species as far south as Merimbula and, in June 2009, found it at Lilli Pilli and Surf Beach. ENHS has now received four records of the species: in addition to finding the frog in her own backyard in January 2012, Helen Ransom recorded the call on the ENHS evening trip to Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens in March 2011; I heard the call at the Batemans Bay Water Gardens in February 2012; the Buckman family sent through a photograph taken in November 2011 and reported that the frogs have been in their gardenias at Sunshine Bay for at least 3 years. For more information on the species or to hear the call visit the Frogs Australia Network website http://frogsaustralia.net.au/frogs/display.cfm?frog_id=152 Julie Morgan

Wallaga Lake forms the boundary between our shire and Bega Valley and is one of the ‘many waters’ of Eurobodalla. It is a spectacular stretch of water with many peaceful and hidden inlets, and with Gulaga (Mount Dromedary) standing sentinel to the west. On 26th February, a group of 21 members met at the sand-spit area off Wallaga Street to explore the inlet section of the lake, which is currently open to the sea, as well as the surrounding tea-tree forests and the cliff-top. Three members arrived with scopes, and this was very much appreciated, because the usual inhabitants of the sand-spit had chosen to venture far away from where our binoculars could be usefully employed. Apart from an unusually large number of cormorants, (Little Pied and Great) very few waders were co-operating. However in the distance, we could identify several Pied Oystercatchers, White-faced Heron, Eastern Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and Crested Tern. In addition, a large Australian Fur Seal had hauled itself onto the beach, where it loafed beside the water. As we proceeded along the board-walk and up into the forest, we were treated to the sight of a Little Wattlebird feeding its young on a branch – rarely have ENHS members taken so much interest in this particular species. From the cliff-top, looking north, we saw a group of about 18 Red-capped Plover darting

along the water’s edge – but none of the elusive Hooded Plover today, although this area is a well-known site for the Hoodie. Further along the track, looking south past Camel Rock, the view of Bermagui is outstanding. More cormorant were observed sitting on top of the spectacular rocks while Mike explained that these rocks are part of a very old deposit of sedimentary material that has been bent and metamorphosed by pressure (a process known as ‘regional metamorphism’). Back into the forest, and Dianne caught sight of a “small creature with a tail” - presumably some type of small marsupial - but it remained unidentified. A blue worm with a yellow stripe (later identified as a Blue Planarian Worm, see details below) on the track also attracted much interest.

ENHS field meeting - Wallaga Lake

Hoary–headed Grebe at Long Swamp Photo: B. Penman

The view of Gulaga from Wallaga Lake Photo: J. Morgan

We were back at our cars before midday so the decision was made to drive further south to find what we could at Long Swamp. This was a very rewarding add-on to the original excursion, with the highlight being two male and one female Musk Duck, two Caspian Tern and an unusually large group of Hoary-headed Grebe – almost 100 in total. A number of Jacky Lizards of various sizes scurried across the track that ran between the swamp and Haywards Beach. A total of 44 species was recorded for the day. Mandy Anderson For a full report of the day and more photos, please see the ‘ENHS Field Meeting, Wallaga Lake, February 2012’ report on Field Meetings page of the website.

************ The worm found on the recent ENHS outing to Wallaga Lake was a Blue Planarian Worm (Caenoplana coerulea). It belongs to the group of animals called Platyhelminthes or Flatworms. This group includes many internal parasites such as Tapeworms and Liver Fluke, but some species are free living and are grouped in the family Geoplanidae or Land Planarians, a much understudied but important group of flatworms that belong to the soil ecosystem. There are many different land planarians and most common of these is the Blue Planarian. It’s about 6 to 20cm long and is a deep navy blue with a pale stripe down its back, bright blue underneath and a pink or red-tipped head end. Planarians are predators of other invertebrates such as earthworms, snails, slugs and insects which they hunt, attack and capture using physical force and the adhesive and digestive properties of their mucus. They cruise along old trails and drown any victims in slime before sucking out their insides with a mouth located on the belly. If this all sounds a bit unpleasant, consider that the planarian digestive system has only one orifice – all wastes must exit the same way the food went in, via the mouth. It lacks water-retaining mechanisms and is therefore very sensitive to humidity variations in the environment. Because of their limited ecological requirements, some species of planarian have been proposed as indicators of the conservation state of their habitats. Mike Crowley

There are always interesting bird sightings reported in the areas to the north and south of the Eurobodalla. We will include some of these sightings in the newsletter. Species Location Month Source Californian Quail Towradgi January Birdline NSW King Quail Kalaru December FSCB Australian Painted Snipe Koona Bay December IBOC Over 1000 Eurasian Coot Baragoot Lake December FSCB Bar-shouldered Dove Killalea February IBOC Turquoise Parrot Nerriga, near Nowra February Birdline NSW Superb Parrot Nowra February Birdline NSW Fork-tailed Swift Killalea State Park February IBOC Eastern Bristlebird Booderee National Park February Birdline NSW Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Booderee National Park February Birdline NSW Australian Logrunner Slacky Flat, Bulli January IBOC Beautiful Firetail Wonboyn Lake January FSCB Double-barred Finch Tura Coastal Reserve January FSCB Please note: FSCB: Far South Coast Birdwatchers; IBOC: Illawarra Bird Observers Club.

Blue Planarian Worm Photo: B. Penman

To our north and south

INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL SIGHTINGS Please note that new abbreviations have been introduced for 2012: Com for Comerang, MB for Mystery Bay, and PS for Pedro Swamp. Up to 100 Hoary-headed Grebe at Long Swamp, north of BI, in February (FM). Four Little Pied Cormorant nests with young in casuarinas next to the water at BBWG in February (JC/GM/JM). Brown Goshawk nest at Nouben Pt, TS, with 3 chicks fledged (WN/JH/GM). Up to 3 Lewin’s Rail at Bodalla in January (MA/AC). Single Baillon’s Crake reported at NA in February (BS). An Aust Spotted Crake at Com in January (JC). Up to 5 Spotless Crake including 3 young, at Bodalla in January, 1 at BBWG in February (MA/JC/GM/JM). At least 1000 Eurasian Coot still at Nargal L in February (AM). Single Black-winged Stilt at Com in January (JC). Up to 6 Pacific Golden Plover at MB in both months (MA). Single Common Sandpiper at MB in February (MA). Field notes submitted on a Wandering Tattler in February, close to previous reported location at MB (MA). Up to 24 Fairy Tern at TS in January, with a total of 12 fledglings counted this season (WN). Numbers of Aust King Parrot building to 90 by the end of February at Com (JC). Single Spotted Quail-thrush at MYA SF in February (JH). A Spangled Drongo at Broulee in January (MA). Four to six White-breasted Woodswallow at Malabar Lagoon, MHN in February (H.Perkins). Four White-winged Triller including 2 young at Com in January (JC). First records of Aust Figbird for BP, PS and BI, including a juvenile at BP (JW/JM/AD). Up to 20 Little Raven at Com in February (JC). Single Bassian Thrush at NA in January (JMG/MA). Two Rufous Songlark at Com and Belowra in January (JC). First records of the Eastern Sedgefrog at Mossy Pt and BBWG (HR/JM)

Brown Goshawk nest at TS Photo: J. Cornish Bush Stone-curlew Photo: M. Crowley

VULNERABLE AND THREATENED SPECIES Square-tailed Kite: January: 1 at MB. February: 1 at BP and PS, immature at Bodalla. Little Eagle: January: 1 at BP. February: 2 at Quaama. Bush Stone-curlew: January: seen on 3 days near its old haunt at NA. Australian Pied Oystercatcher: January: 10 at WL, 6 at NA, 3 at MYA and Tilba L, 2 at BI, 1 at MHN. Juveniles at NA and Tilba L. February: 10 at WL, 5 at MB, 3 at TS and NA, 2 at MHN and Long Swamp. Sooty Oystercatcher: January: 8 at MB, 4 at NA, 2 at BI. February: 9 at MB, 4 at MHN, 3 at Nangudga. Hooded Plover: February: 2 at WL. Little Tern: January: up to 200 at TS, nests and eggs. February: only a few adults and fledglings at TS. Glossy Black Cockatoo: January 3 at MKS, 2 at PDD, 1 at Broulee and Bergalia, call at PS. February: 5 at PS including one immature, 3 at PDD, call at MKS. Gang-gang Cockatoo: January: 20 at Dampier SF, 15 at Broulee including juvenile, 7 at MKS, 4 at NA, 2 at BP, PDD and Pedro. February: 6 at Com, 5 at MKS, 4 at BP, PDD, PS and MB, 2 at BBWG, call at Box Cutting.

Little Lorikeet: January: call at PS. February: up to 50 at PDD, 6 at PS. Powerful Owl: February: call at PS. Varied Sittella: January: 6 at Com, 3 at PDD, 2 at MKS, call at PS. February: 1 at PS. Diamond Firetail: January: 3 at Belowra. Grey-headed Flying Fox: February: up to 9000 overflying PS, calls at Mossy Pt. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SYSTEMATIC LIST RECORDS The following records are from January and February 2012.

GROUND BIRDS. One or two Emu at TS and Blackfellows Point (JH/MA); max 40 Stubble Quail including young, and 2 Brown Quail at Com (JC).

WATERSIDE. Max 300 Black Swan at WL (MA); 14 Pink-eared Duck at Coopers I (MC); up to 120 Aust Wood Duck, and 50 Pacific Black Duck at Com; 1 Northern Mallard hybrid at BBWG (JC/GM/JM); up to 1000 Grey and Chestnut Teal and 40 Hardhead at Coopers I (MC); 3 Musk Duck at Long Swamp and 1 at Nargal L (FM/PL/JM); up to 30 Wedge-tailed Shearwater at BP (JW); max 10 Aust Grebe at Com; 2 Hoary-headed at Bevian Road in January (D.Rosalky); up to 7 Aust White Ibis at NA (MA); max 34 Straw-necked at Com; at most 30 Royal Spoonbill at Trunketabella (JM); up to 6 Nankeen Night Heron including juveniles at Com, an immature at BBWG (JC/GM/JM); single Striated Heron at NA and WL (LG/PL/JM/FM); max 2 White-necked Heron at PS, singles at Bergalia and Trunketabella (JM/PL/MA); up to 5 Eastern Great Egret at WL (MA); max 13 White-faced Heron at PS; up to 14 Little Egret at Nangudga (MA); 1 or 2 Eastern Reef Egret at MB, singles at BP and NA (MA/JW/LG/PL/JM); up to 30 Aust Pelican at TS (JH); max 6 Aust Gannet at BP (JW); up to 50 Little Pied Cormorant at WL (FM); at least 208 Little Black at TS (GM); 5 to 10 Pied at BI (AD); max 20 Great at TS and BI (JH/AD); 1 or 2 Aust Darter at Bevian Rd, MYA and Com (D.Rosalky/JL/JC).

RAPTORS. Up to 5 Aust Kestrel at MYA, nest on light tower at Gundary (AM); single Aust Hobby at PDD and PS (BA/JM); max 4 Brown Falcon at Com, singles at Bergalia, TS, MB and Long Swamp; up to 2 Peregrine at BP, singles at PS, Pedro and Com (JW/JM/JS/JC); 1 or 2 Black-shouldered Kite at Bergalia, singles at MYA, Com and MB; 1 or 2 Whistling Kite widespread; 6 White-bellied Sea-Eagle together at Coila L, dispersed with the arrival of 2 Wedge-tailed Eagle (W.Simes); single Swamp Harrier at PDD, PS, Pedro and OMBS (BA/JM/JS/TH); 3 Brown Goshawk at BP including 1 young, singles elsewhere; Collared Sparrowhawk at MKS, PS and Pedro (SMG/JM/JS); 1 or 2 Wedge-tailed Eagle widespread.

CRAKES, RAILS, GALLINULES & BUTTON-QUAIL. 6 Buff-banded Rail including 4 young at West Flat, 3 at Bodalla, 2 at Com, singles at Trunketabella, BI and Dignams Ck; more than 20 Purple Swamphen at BI (MA); 9 Dusky Moorhen at Com, 6 at BBWG; 1 or 2 Painted Button-quail at PS.

WADERS. Up to 30 Masked Lapwing at Com; max 39 Red-capped Plover including young at TS, 18 at WL, 5 at BI, 2 at Bigola Pt and Fullers Beach (GR/WN/FM/AD/LG/PL/JM); 2 Black-fronted at Com; more than 150 Bar-tailed Godwit at NA, 17 at TS, 2 at WL; 3 Whimbrel at WL, 1 at NA; 25 Eastern Curlew at TS, 7 at WL, up to 6 at NA, 3 at TS, 1 at BI (GR/WN/FM/BS/MA/JH/AD); 4 Red-necked Stint at TS.

SKUAS, GULLS & TERNS. Max 126 Silver Gull at NA (BS); 10 Caspian Tern at WL, 2 at Long Swamp in February; up to 30 Crested Tern at MB.

OTHER NON-PASSERINES. Up to 25 Rock Dove at NA, 20 at MYA (MA/JW); max 24 White-headed Pigeon at MKS (SMG); up to 6 Spotted Dove at MB; 10 Brown Cuckoo-Dove at NA, 2 at Pedro, 1 at MKS and Com, call at PS (JMG/SMG/JS/JC/JM); more than 18 Common Bronzewing at Pedro (JS); max 12 Crested Pigeon at Com (JC); up to 6 Wonga Pigeon at NA (JMG); 2 Peaceful Dove at PDD and Com (BA/JC/MA); up to 30 Topknot Pigeon at PS, 8 at Pedro, 5 at MKS, 4 at Bodalla, 2 including juvenile at Broulee; max 27 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo at BP, young at Broulee (JW/D.Rosalky); no more than 30 Galah at Com, juveniles at Broulee and Com; max 140 Little Corella at MYA (JM); max 30 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at MYA (JL); up to 200 Rainbow Lorikeet at flowering banksia and eucalypts at PS; max 20 Musk at MB; max 22 Crimson Rosella at Pedro, immatures at TS (JS/JH); up to 20 Eastern at Com with young; 2 Pallid Cuckoo at Com; 1 Brush at Bevian Rd and Com, calls at PDD, MKS and PS in January; 1 Fan-tailed at PDD, young at MKS, call at PS; 1 Shining Bronze-Cuckoo at Bergalia, Com, Belowra and Box Cutting; up to 6 Eastern Koel at Broulee, no more than 2 elsewhere; max 4 Channel-billed Cuckoo at Broulee and MB, 3 at PS, singles elsewhere; Southern Boobook at Broulee, MKS, OMBS, Bergalia, Com and NA; 2 Tawny Frogmouth at TS, 1 at OMBS and MB, call at MKS; (JH/TH/MA/SMG); 3 White-throated Nightjar at PS, 2 at Pedro, call at MKS; single Aust Owlet-nightjar at Com; more than 100 White-throated Needletail at TS and MB; up to 8 Dollarbird at Com with dependent young; max 10 Kookaburra at PS, OMBS and MB, young widespread; max 8 Sacred Kingfisher at Com, young at PS and Com; 2 Azure at Com, 1 at BI (JC/AD).

PASSERINES. 3 Superb Lyrebird at NA, 1 at Clyde Mtn, call at MKS, Bodalla SF and Box Cutting; no more than 6 White-throated Treecreeper at Com; 3 Red-browed at Broulee, 1 at PDD; max 20 Variegated Fairy-wren at PS; up to 40 Superb at PS and Com; up to 6 Spotted Pardalote at PS, no more than 2 elsewhere; 2 Striated at PS, 1 at NA (JM/MA); max 12 White-browed Scrubwren at Com; 10 Large-billed at Box Cutting in February; up to 12 Brown Gerygone at MB; 2 White-throated at Belowra and NA, call at MKS; max 30 Brown Thornbill, 20 Yellow-rumped, 30 Yellow and 10 Striated at Com; up to 20 Yellow-faced Honeyeater at Com; max 6 Lewin’s at NA; Bell Miner colonies reported at MYA SF, Bodalla SF, Box Cutting, NA and BI; no more than 6 Brown-headed Honeyeater at Com, 4 at PS; max 15 White-naped at Bodalla SF (MA); up to 30 Noisy Friarbird at PS, no more than 10 elsewhere; max 50 Little and Red Wattlebird at BP and PS, pair feeding koel chick at MYA (JW/JM/JL); a Crescent Honeyeater at Bodalla SF in January; max 50 New Holland at WL (FM); 5 White-cheeked at PDD, 1 at Broulee; up to 8 Eastern Spinebill at Com; max 10 Scarlet Honeyeater at PS and Com; up to 8 Eastern Yellow Robin at PDD with dependent young; up to 10 Jacky Winter at Com; 2 Rose Robin at NA, 1 at Box Cutting, call at PS (JMG/FM/GM/JM); max 8 Eastern Whipbird at BP; up to 6 Golden Whistler at MKS; 8 Rufous at Com; max 5 Grey Shrike-thrush at MB, including 3 fledglings; 2 Crested Shrike-tit at MKS, 1 at NA, call at PDD; 3 Rufous Fantail at Box Cutting, 2 at PS and NA, 1 at MKS, PDD and Bodalla SF; up to 30 Grey Fantail at Com; max 16 Willie Wagtail at Com; 2 Black-faced Monarch at Com and MB, 1 at PDD and Box Cutting, immature at PS, call at MKS; max 20 Magpie-lark at MYA (JL); more than 5 Leaden Flycatcher at Pedro, 4 at PS, including immature, 2 at Bergalia, 1 at PDD, call at MKS; single Restless at Com and Belowra; max 6 Grey Butcherbird at PS, Com and MB; up to 40 Aust Magpie at Com, young widespread; max 12 Pied Currawong at MYA and TS (JL/JH); up to 10 Dusky Woodswallow at PDD, including young, 6 at MB (BA/MA); 3 Cicadabird at PS, 2 at PDD, 1 at Pedro, call at MKS (JM/BA/JS/SMG); max 6 Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike at PS, including dependent young; up to 5 White-bellied at PS including 4 young, 1 at Box Cutting, call at MKS; max 5 Olive-backed Oriole at PS, including 3 juvenile; up to 60 Aust Raven at Com; 20 White-winged Chough at MYA SF, 7 at MKS and Pedro, 6 at Belowra and MB and 5 at PS; max 20 Satin Bowerbird at Com; 5 to 10 Common Blackbird at BI, 1 at MYA and TS (AD/JL/JH); more than 200 Common Starling at Com; 20 Common Myna at Broulee, 4 at MYA, 1 at Bergalia (TH/JW/JL/AM); up to 300 Welcome Swallow on wires at Barlings (JW); max 40 Tree Martin at Com, 20 at PDD (JC/BA); up to 40 Silvereye at Com; 4 Aust Reed Warbler at BBWG, one carrying nesting material, singles at PP, Nargal L and BI; 2 Golden-headed Cisticola at Com; 1 or 2 Mistletoebird at PS, call at MKS; up to 20 House Sparrow at MYA and BI; max 10 Aust Pipit at Com; up to 50 Red-browed Finch at Com.

MAMMALS. One or two Short-beaked Echidna at BP, PDD, MKS, TS and MB; 1 Long-nosed Bandicoot at MB, diggings at Nargal L (MA/PL/JM); Common Wombat hole in use east of Nargal L in sand; Sugar Glider calling at BP and PS (JW/JM); 2 Common Ringtail Possum at MB, 1 at Mossy Pt and TS (MA/HR/JH); 4 Common Brushtail at Com, 2 at Mossy Point, TS and MB, 1 at BP; max 20 Eastern Grey Kangaroo at Mossy Pt (HR); up to 5 Red-necked Wallaby at Mossy Pt, 3 at Bodalla, 1 at PDD and TS; up to 10 Swamp Wallaby at MB; 2 House Mouse at PS, 1 at BP; several Bush Rat at TS (JH); Red Fox at BP, MKS, MB, call at PS; an Aust Fur Seal at NA and WL (MA/FM); up to 6 Bottle-nosed Dolphin at MB.

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS. 10 Snake-necked Turtle at Com, 5 at PS, 1 at Mossy Pt (JC/JM/HR); an Eastern Water Skink at Mossy Pt; Dark-flecked and Pale-flecked Sunskink at BP and MYA; Weasel Skink at BP; 1 Eastern Blue-tongue at BP and TS; up to 10 Jacky Lizard at Long Swamp, 3 at BP and Mossy Point, 2 at PS; at least 10 Gippsland Water Dragon at Com; single Lace Monitor at BP, PDD, PS, Com and Bodalla SF; 2 Diamond Python at MB; 2 Red-bellied Black Snake at Com, 1 at MKS, PS, TS MB; 1 Eastern Brown Snake at MKS and Mossy Point (SMG/HR); Frogs seen or calling: Common Eastern Froglet; Eastern Banjo Frog, Brown-striped Frog; Haswell’s Froglet, Brown and Tyler’s Toadlets; Eastern Sedgefrog, Keferstein’s, Brown, Jervis Bay, Lesueur’s, Peron’s, Tyler’s and Verreaux’s Tree Frogs (JW/JM/JC/HR).

MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES. Moths: The first Ghost Moths at the end of February; Case Moth larvae on Eucalypt saplings and Exocarpus; Plume, Forrester’s, Beet Web Worm, Black Geometrid, Hakea, Cream Wave, Plantain, Mecynata, Red-spotted Delicate, Native Cranberry, Neola larvae, White Cedar, White Tussock, Banded and Spotted Lichen, Lichen-eating Caterpillar, Heliotrope, Magpie, Tiger, Mistletoe, Green-blotched, Brown and Variable Cutworm, Native Budworm, Corn Earworm.

Neola larva Photo: J.Morgan

Butterflies: Numbers of our common species and variety of species down on 2011. Splendid Ochre, White-banded Grass-dart, Narrow-brand Grass-dart, Blue Triangle, Orchard Swallowtail, Chequered Swallowtail, Black Jezebel, Cabbage White, Dusky Knight, Brown Ringlet, Varied Sword-grass Brown, Marbled Xenica, Wonder Brown, Common Brown, Tailed Emperor, Meadow Argus, Aust Painted Lady, Yellow Admiral, Monarch, Imperial Hairstreak, Cycad Blue, Wattle Blue, Common Grass Blue (MA/JW/JM/JC/JL/FM).

BUGS: Harlequin, Metallic Shield, Brown Shield, Green Vegetable, Gumtree Hopper, Double-spotted Cicada, Razor Grinder. BEETLES: Net-winged, Click, Plague Soldier, Nectar Scarab, Fiddler, Cock Chafer, Flower Longicorn, Copper Kettle, Botany Bay and Semi-punctated Belid Weevil; Ladybirds: Micraspis frenata, Coccinella transversalis, Harmonia conformis, Illeis galbula, Hippodamia variegata. DRAGON AND DAMSELFLIES: Wandering, Scarlet and Black-faced Percher, Australian Emperor, Tau Emerald, Blue-spotted Hawker, Common and Aurora Bluetail, Blue and Black-headed Skimmer, Common Glider, Swamp Flat-tail. OTHER INSECTS. Giant Blue Robber Fly, Hover Fly, Crane Fly, Native Dronefly, Sawfly larvae, True Bee Fly, Mason Wasp, Blue Flower Wasp, wingless Blue Ant female, Blue-banded Bee, Yellow-winged Locust, Common Garden Katydid, Ringbarker and Children’s Stick Insect (JC/JM/JL).

SPIDERS. St Andrews Cross, Huntsman, Little Striped Wolf, Daddy Long-legs, Black House, Flat Rock, Water, Red back, Comb-footed, White-tailed, Leaf-curling, Silver Orb, Spiny, Jumping (MA/JW/JC/JL/JM).

BLOSSOM. Spotted Gum, Grey Ironbark, Bangalay, Apple-topped Box, Old Man and Coast Banksia, Sickle Wattle, Lightwood, Kangaroo Apple, Bearded Orchid, Frogsmouth, Slender Knotweed, Princes Feathers, and the threatened Tall Knotweed (Persicaria elatior). (Please note that the common names used here are those adopted by PlantNET.)

RAINFALL. January: 31.5mm at BP, 19mm at MKS, 23.5mm at MYA, 19mm at PS, 26.5mm at Com, 31.5mm at MB. February: 219mm at BP, 129mm at MKS, 139mm at MYA, 173mm at PS, 186mm at Com.

Contributors Abbreviations BA B Allan, PDD GM G Macnamara, TS BB Batemans Bay MA M Anderson, MB AM A Marsh, TS BBWG Batemans Bay Water Gardens LB L Burden, MYA JM J Morgan, PS BI Bermagui AC A Christiansen, MB WN W Nelson, TS BP Burrewarra Point JC J&P Collett, Comerang HR H Ransom, Mossy Point Com Comerang MC M Crowley, MHS GR G Rayner, TS CO Congo AD Allan Douch, BI JS J Sagar, Pedro DS Durras LG L Gibson, Dalmeny BS Brian Scales, NA ERBG Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens JMG J&M Gordon, NA JW J Whiter, BP MKS Maulbrooks Rd S, MYA SMG S&M Guppy, MKS FM Field Meeting MO Meringo JH J&J Houghton, TS H.Perkins MYA Moruya TH T Hunt, OMBS D.Rosalky MH Moruya Heads, N&S DHK D&H Kay, Bergalia W.Simes MB Mystery Bay PL P Latimer, MYA NA Narooma JL J&J Liney, MYA NP Newstead Pond PS Pedro Swamp PDD Percy Davis Drive, Broulee PP Potato Point SB Surf Beach SF State Forest TS Tuross WL Wallaga Lake ENHS Committee and Contact Details Chair Mike Crowley 4474 2677 crowleymnc@aapt.net.au Secretary/Recorder Julie Morgan 4474 5888 juliettamorgan@gmail.com Treasurer Gillian Macnamara 4473 9412 gillmac@tpg.net.au Committee Mandy Anderson, Eric Andrew,

Heather Haughton, Peter Haughton, David Kay, George Rayner

Public Officer and Membership

Peter Haughton 4471 3271 pje@haughton.id.au

Editorial Team Mandy Anderson, Lucy Gibson, Gillian Macnamara, Julie Morgan

Editorial enquiries Mandy Anderson 4473 7651 mandy-anderson@bigpond.com Website Team David White, David Num, Julie

Morgan juliettamorgan@gmail.com

All mail correspondence to P.O. Box 888, Moruya, NSW, 2537. Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. While all due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this newsletter is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information in this newsletter.