In perfect birding weather, Margaret Lacey showed us her favourite birding spots in beautiful Coogoorah Park.

We were pleasantly surprised to reach a total of 51 species. Two of them were new, and several rarely seen by one of our party who lives next door! We started in the marshy areas near the car park with several Great Cormorants sitting in a nearby dead tree looking quite unconcerned by our party of 13 birdwatchers. The highlight here was several secretive Latham’s Snipe darting around in their distinctive zigzagging flight, defying us to actually get a good look.

Across the bridge Margaret showed us a small pond with one resident Hoary-headed Grebe, plus many ducks.

Hoary-headed Grebe

However, for may of us, it was a skulking plain brown Little Grassbird which was our focus of interest, as it obligingly hopped around grasses on the opposite bank. Many of us had heard its mournful call at marshy areas but had never seen it, as it is another very secretive bird. In the marshy area nearby were our two main Dotterels, with the Red-kneed being a new bird for several of the group.

Red-kneed Dotterel

The Black-fronted, with its distinctive markings on its front, proved to be almost invisible with its back turned, which of course it did most of the time.

Black-fronted Dotterel

The walk back through the treed areas gave us many more species including a pair of scuttling Satin Bowerbirds, several parrots, and calling cuckoos and a Sacred Kingfisher. As we moved over to the picnic area for morning tea we disturbed a nursery of immature Wood Ducks who looked as if they were being minded by three Black Ducks, as there was a group of adult Wood Ducks quite a distance away on the grass.

Wood Duck nursery

When leaving for our cars a large flock of 32 Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike flew over…a most unusual sight.

We then drove around the other side near Coalmine Road. We all had very good sightings of a pair of Satin Flycatchers which appeared to be building a nest, and a Dusky Woodswallow nest.

Female Satin Flycatcher

Male Satin Flycatcher

I was the only one to glimpse a Crested Shrike-tit with its unmistakeable black and white head, as it briefly landed. White-naped Honeyeaters, Silvereyes and total of 20 species were identified in this area, and we were pleased to add four new species to our main list.

White-naped Honeyeater

Silvereye

One bird species which continuously called in both areas was the ever delightful Rufous Whistler. As we were leaving a large brown raptor flew off before we had time to identify it. Fortunately Alison and Phil saw it over their car round the corner, and were able to identify it as a Brown Falcon. It was a most memorable morning, and great to know that such good birding can be found on our doorstep.

The next bird walk will be in February next year, apart from the combined flower and bird walk at the Christmas barbecue in December.

Below are all the birds identified:

1. Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
2. Fan-tailed Cuckoo
3. Brown Falcon
4. Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
5. Gang-gang Cockatoo
6. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
7. Crimson Rosella
8. Red Wattlebird
9. New Holland Honeyeater
10. White-eared Honeyeater
11. White-naped Honeyeater
12. Dusky Woodswallow
13. Crested Shrike-tit
14. Gray Shrikethrush
15. Rufous Whistler
16. Gray Fantail
17. Satin Flycatcher
18. Eastern Yellow Robin
19. Silver-eye
20. Red-browed Firetail

21. Maned Duck

22. Pacific Black Duck

23. Gray Teal

24. Chestnut Teal

25. Hoary-headed Grebe

26. Spotted Dove

27. Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo

28. Dusky Moorhen

29. Eurasian Coot

30. Australasian Swamphen

31. Red-kneed Dotterel

32. Black-fronted Dotterel

33. Latham's Snipe

34. Great Cormorant

35. White-faced Heron

36. Laughing Kookaburra

37. Sacred Kingfisher

38. Blue-winged Parrot

39. Satin Bowerbird

40. Superb Fairywren

41. Spotted Pardalote

42. Brown Thornbill

43. Australian Magpie

44. Pied Currawong

45. Black-faced Cuckooshrike

46. Willie-wagtail

47. Magpie-lark

48. Little Raven

49. Welcome Swallow

50. Little Grassbird

51. Eurasian Blackbird

Ellinor Campbell

All photos by Margaret Lacey except the Wood Ducks nursery