SOUTHERN WHITEFACE

Photographed near Cobar, NSW March 2015

523          SOUTHERN WHITEFACE            Aphelocephala leucopsis

Australia       (364)

Also known as Eastern Whiteface, Western Whiteface and Squeaker. 10-12.5 cm. Found in dry, sparse open forest/woodlands, inland scrubs e.g. mallee, mulga, cypress pine; saltbush, dead trees, stumps, black box/lignum flats. Range most of NSW except ne. down to Sydney; Vict. except southern coast; SA except around Adelaide; WA bottom half except sw. corner; bottom of NT.

WANDERING WHISTLING-DUCK

522          WANDERING WHISTLING-DUCK              Dendrocygna arcuata

Australia        (363)

Also called Diving Whistling-duck. 55-61 cm. Ranges across tropical and subtropical n. Australia, from Fitroy R. (WA), to se. Q; ; NSW, Vic., sw. WA. Also in Philippines, Indonesia, PNG and Pacific Islands. habitat is well-vegetated lagoons and swamps, flooded grassland, pools in floodplains, river margins, well-vegetated large dams, occasionally tidal areas.

HUTTON'S SHEARWATER

Photographed on pelagic trip from Woollongong, February 2015

521         HUTTON'S SHEARWATER          Puffinus huttoni

Australia          (362)

36-38 cm, wingspan c. 78 cm. Breeds Sept-April in South Is. (NZ). Adults sedentary; young migrate to Aust. and extend to nw. WA and Torres Strait; many spend first two years in Aust. Present offshore se. Just. all months; in WA ranges n. to c. Dampier mostly April -Dec.

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER

Photographed Culburra Beach, March, 2015

520          WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER             Calidris fuscicollis

Australia        (361)

17-19 cm. Found in shallow, muddy parts of freshwater and tidal wetlands. Breeds in Arctic Alaska and Canada; migrates to s. S America. Vagrant in Europe and elsewhere, summer records se. and sw. Aust. Vagrant.    Note: This is only the seventh time recorded in Australia, and the first record since 1988.

POMARINE JAEGER

Photographed on pelagic trip out of Wollongong, February 2015.

519             POMARINE JAEGER             Stercorarius pomarinus

Australia           (360)

Also known as Pomarine Skua. 46-52 cm, wingspan 1.25-1.4 m. Breeds from Finland to e. Siberia; Arctic Alaska, Canada, Greenland. Migrates to oceans, offshore waters of s. continents. Arrives in Aust. offshore waters Oct-Nov. departs April-May. Uncommon.

FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER

Photographed on pelagic trip out of Wollongong, February 2015.

518           FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER            Puffinus carneipes

Australia            (359)

Also known as Lord Howe Island Muttonbird. 40-46 cm, span c. 1.3 m. Breeds on Lord Howe Island and in s. WA in in Recherche Arch. and islands w. to C. Hamelin. Common Nov.-April from c. Bunbury (WA) to coastal SA; autumn-spring migrant on w. coast n. to c. Carnarvon (WA); in e. Aust. common n. NSW to se. Q in summer; in Q, offshore autumn-spring passage migrant. Rare Vic., Bass Strait and Tas. pacific birds migrate to n. and ne. Pacific, WA birds probably to n. Indian Ocean. Also breeds NZ and S. Atlantic.

PLAINS-WANDERER

Female, photographed at night near Deniliquin, NSW February 2015

 517       PLAINS-WANDERER          Pedionomus torquatus

Australia         (358)

15-19 cm. Plains-wanderers are rare, its stronghold is in s. NSW, it is patchy in NSW/Q; s. NT; n., se. SA, n. Vic. Found in sparse, treeless, lightly grazed native grassland/herbfields with bare ground; old cereal crops; short lucerne; sparse saltbush, low shrubland. An amazing bird and has been placed in a family of its own with no living relatives. The female lays four eggs which are incubated by the male. Endangered.

Plainer and smaller male.

HORSFIELD'S BUSHLARK

Photographed at night, at Deniliquin NSW, February 2015

516       HORSFIELD'S BUSHLARK          Mirafra javanica

Australia         (357)

Also known as Australian Skylark, Singing Bushlark or Croplark.  12.5 -15 cm. Found in tropical, temperate grasslands, with rank cover; open woodlands/scrublands; cereal crops, lucerne, sparse sugar cane. Ranges across n. and e. Australian mainland, w. to Eyre Pen. (SA), s. and w. coast to c. Shark Bay(WA)

STUBBLE QUAIL

Photographed at night at Deniliquin, NSW, February 2015

515            STUBBLE QUAIL             Coturnix pectoralis

Australia             (356)

16-20 cm. Found in cereal crops and stubbles, lucerne; overgrown pastures and grasslands with thistles; saltbush, bluebush, spinifex; weedy margins of wetlands, irrigation channels, roadsides. Range e. and se Q, all NSW, Victoria and Tasmania; se. half SA. sw WA.

BROWN-HEADED HONEYEATER

Photographed at Deniliquin, February 2015

514           BROWN-HEADED HONEYEATER               Melithreptus brevirostris

Australia           (355)

11-14 cm. Found in rainforests, eucalypt forests, woodlands, swamp-woodlands, scrublands-mallee, belar; coastal teeter, banksia scrubs. Ranges southern WA, se. SA, al Victoria, most of NSW except ne corner and nw. corner from Broken Hill up; central and s. Q but not coast.

BLACK-TAILED GODWIT

Photographed at Deniliquin, February 2015

513         BLACK-TAILED GODWIT           Limosa limosa

Australia           (354)

36-43 cm. Ranges across most of Australian mainland except driest central WA, w. SA, sw NT and Tasmania. Found tidal mudflats, estuaries, sandspits, sewerage ponds, shallow river margins, inland on large shallow fresh or brackish waters.

AUSTRALIAN OWLET-NIGHTJAR

Photographed at Deniliquin, February 2015

512           AUSTRALIAN OWLET-NIGHTJAR            Aegotheles cristatus

Australia          (353)

Also known as Moth Owl. Roosts in tree-hollows by day, hunting for insects at night. Eyes do not glow in the dark like true nightjars. Ranges across all of Australia, including Tasmania. Habitat is varied butrainforests, eucalypt forests, woodlands, arid inland scrubs, trees on inland watercourses, billabongs.

Photographed at Nyngan, NSW March 2015

GLOSSY IBIS

Photographed at Deniliquin, February 2015

511         GLOSSY IBIS         Plegadis falcinellus

Australia           (352)

48-61 cm, wingspan c. 90 cm. Ranges over most of Australia, including Tasmania, except driest e. of SA, se. NT and se. and central e. of WA. Habitat well-vegetated wetlands, wet pastures, rice fields, floodwaters, floodplains, brackish or occasionally saline wetlands, mangroves, mudflats, occasionally dry grasslands.

STRIATED THORNBILL

510            STRIATED THORNBILL            Acanthiza lineata 

Australia           (352)

10 cm. Found in wetter eucalypt forest/woodlands to mallee; mangroves, parks, gardens. Range along coast inland to w. slopes from Biloela (Q) down and across to Adelaide, includes most of Victoria.