Sydney Birding

03/01/2025

A collection of birds seen in Sydney's south east. Get in touch if you are interested in a birding day out that way or if you'd like to target a specific species.

02/01/2025

Was watching a brief video on Qatar's inland sea and one scene - about 1:45 into the clip - showed four Terns. The left three are White-cheeked Terns, a cool species you can get if you go there, but I couldn't work out the right-hand bird - seemingly all-black face, chin, throat and dark upper wings.

I asked ChatGPT which Tern species are found in Qatar (knowing full well this is the kind of question ChatGPT is liable to get wrong) and the last bird it suggested was Black Tern - as a rare visitor.

I wrote to the Qatar Birds Records Committee to share all the above and they wrote back to say they don't think it's Black Tern - on account of being too small - but possibly a juvenile Sooty Tern - which would also be a first record for the country!

They're investigating further, and if they can confirm it, it will mean I've contributed my first new-species sighting for the country 😃 ... albeit ... I didn't actually see the bird. I only figured out there was something special in this video clip that hasn't yet been logged on eBird 😃

Happy Birding people.

Here's the clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOsEFYJDfig

15/12/2024

Includes Maddens Plains, Barren Grounds, Jerrara Dam, Stafford Farm, Shoalhaven Heads, Lake Wollumboola, Booderee NP (JBT), Sussex Inlet, Ulladulla, Porters Creek, Nerriga, Morton NP, Conjola NP

15/12/2024

Sanderlings. Shoalhaven Heads.

Two Sanderlings feeding on the shore. A Silver Gull in the background. The birds calling in the audio are nearby Little Terns.

25/10/2024

Birds of the World website is giving 2 more days FREE ACCESS.

This is normally a subscription.

If you submit a significant number of checklists to eBird each year (which is free), then in return you get given a free annual subscription to birds of the world.

So check it out today and tomorrow while they’ve opened it up for free, and see if you like it.

Species accounts for all the birds of the world.

21/10/2024

21/10/2024

A collection of birds seen in Sydney's north west. Get in touch if you are interested in a birding day out that way or if you'd like to target a specific species.

13/10/2024

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/first-ever-photograph-of-rare-bird-species-new-britain-goshawk

The rare New Britain Goshawk has been photographed for the first time in history. The bird of prey is found only on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea.

01/10/2024

Comb-crested Jacana, Fogg Dam, NT, AU

25/08/2024

Powerful Owl, Oatley, NSW, AU