September Outings

Dear all

It is very, very nearly September and I would like to announce our next two outings!

Our first outing is on the Saturday 8 September meeting at Toorbul [southern end of the esplanade] at 7am. Hopefully we will be able to note some of the first migrants arriving. The high tide is scheduled for 8-45am so we should have some time as the birds fly in to the roost as the tides rise. Please remember to be sun safe and also bring chairs and morning tea. Scopes are a useful addition for wader watching as well.

World Shorebird Day 2018 is on the 6 September 2018 however wader bird counts are happening globally between the 5^th and the 11^th September and we hope to contribute to them. More information about the programme can be found here; https://worldshorebirdsday.wordpress.com/

From the website; ‘Healthy populations of shorebirds depend on healthy wetlands—and so do thousands of human lives around the world. Action on a global scale is needed to help connect people and shorebirds.  World Shorebirds Day has been created with the following aims:

1. To raise awareness of the need to protect shorebirds and their habitats throughout their life cycles;
2. To raise public awareness of the need for continued shorebird research, monitoring, and conservation;
3. To connect people with shorebirds through wetland sites around the world

I hope to pen an article, hopefully to be published in local papers, about the day and our counts.

Also in September Paul Jensen will be hosting at his local patch, Park Lakes at Bli Bli, on Wednesday 12^th. Please meet at 8am at the park [adjacent to the child minding centre]. Some good birds have been seen here recently including Latham’s Snipe, Buff banded Rail and Spotless Crake.

Our last weekend away, a little jaunt through Kilcoy, Mt Mee, Lake Samsonvale on the Saturday and Sheep Station Creek and Brolga Lakes on the Sunday resulted in some excellent birds including Little Eagle, Pallid cuckoo, Yellow rumped Thornbill, Great crested Grebe, nesting White throated Tree creepers and Fuscous Honeyeaters, Painted Buttonquail, White bellied cuckoo Shrike [including an uncommon dark phase bird], Pink eared duck, Glossy Ibis, Dusky Woodswallow, Baillon’s Crake, Latham’s Snipe – to name a few…. Hopefully you can plan to join a weekend away next year….

Cheers now and good birding