Hawkesbury Area 28/11/09

At 7:30am on a hot Saturday morning Dad and I left home with binoculars, scope, food and high expectations. Driving to Pitt Town first paying double toll charges on the way there, we arrived about 8:45am. We waded/trudged through the long grass leading up to the knoll that looks over the lagoon, praying we didn't meet too many snakes!
As I set up the scope the temperature really started to heat up, but it was bearable enough to find the following species out on the lagoon: a pair of Black-tailed Native Hens strutting about, 4 Glossy Ibis, a Great Egret and the usual array of species. We did come across a snake though, a large Red-belly sunbathing on the edge of the knoll and two foxes wandering around the side of the lagoon in broad daylight!?
From Pitt Town Lagoon we drove along Pitt Town Bottom's Rd, a suprisingly good spot for birdlife. Along the road we saw: a single Bar-shouldered Dove, Sacred Kingfisher, Skylark (H) and 4 Red-kneed Dotterels with a Black-fronted Dotterel at a drying pond near the golf course. Great views of GH Cisticolas and a reed-warbler were also obtained while listening to an OB Oriole calling.
At Cattai NP, our next stop, I got decent views of a White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike, Olive-backed Oriole, and a pair of Black-shouldered Kites, but not so good views of a possible Brown Goshawk. While watching the kites we could hear Rainbow Bee-Eaters calling from up in the sky.
At one of the lagoons near Wheeny Lagoon I could see 8 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and at Wheeny Lagoon a Buff-banded Rail was just in view.
We stopped at Mitchell Park for lunch which proved to be an excellent idea! Best birds here included: a juvenile Powerful Owl roosting above the small creek, White-throated Gerygones, White-naped Honeyeater, Sacred Kingfishers nesting, Brown Gerygone and Nankeen Kestrel.
From here we drove out to the truf farms at Richmond to try and find those bloody Banded Lapwings. We were unsuccesful, but did find a calling Rufous Songlark.

We got home at about 2:00pm with 86 species for our 5 hours of birding, not bad.

Max Breckenridge,
Gladesville, Sydney...