Central Coast (13th August '06)

Norah Head

The rain finally cleared this weekend and so I headed up to the central coast past Gosford and The Entrance to Tuggerah Lake and Norah Head. Jarrod joined me to boost his rapidly expanding list and I was hopeful of ticking a regent bowerbird. We stopped at Tuggerah Lake first and bagged the usual pelicans, the complete set of cormorants, loads of swans and royal spoonbills, little and great egrets, black-winged stilts, chestnut and grey teal, a young sea-eagle and even a spangled drongo. Very nice.

Crested tern

We then headed over to the sea and the rock platform at Norah Head. This looked dead on first inspection with the early highlight being a great big sea-slug but after a while a few birds emerged. Silver gulls and crested terns mainly but then lurking in among it all was a pair of sooty oystercatchers and wait a minute, doesn't that tern have a black beak and its certainly much smaller than its crested cousins. Result! A handful of White-fronted Terns #245. A nightmare to identify from the other "commic" terns but after extensive consultation of the books we're ok.

White-fronted tern non-br youngster

Norah head sticks quite a way out into the sea and so you're able to spot a few oceanic species from shore. Various shearwaters or petrels (too far away to pick) and certainly gannets and then a couple of enormous gannets. Actually no, they're not gannets at all but Black-browed Albatross #246. Too cool for school.

Sooty oystercatcher

We stopped off in a patch of rainforest near Gosford on the way home as I've read the regent bowerbird hangs out there at this time of year but no joy. Loads of bell miners though, and loads of green catbirds, a satin bowerbird, brown cuckoo-dove and a fan-tailed cuckoo. Sweet.

White-fronted tern juv/imm. (check out that black tip to the tail and the black spot in front of the eye!)

Target bird: Regent bowerbird (negative)
Roadkill threat assessment: Minimal for once
Catch the pigeon: Brown cuckoo-dove