ID Feature: Knots

Following on from one of our previous ID features on Pectoral Sandpiper identification (cf. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper), we now discuss the separation of another tricky wader pair; the two knot species, Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris) and Red Knot (C. canutus). Both species are regular visitors to much of the Western Australian coast, with very large numbers occurring in the north at locations like Roebuck Bay, near Broome. Identification of the two species in breeding plumage is trivial (providing you’ve correctly identified the bird as a knot), but with the exception of northern areas early and late in the wader season, knots are not commonly encountered in breeding plumage in Western Australia.

Red Knot in breeding plumage (right), easily identifiable from Great Knot by extensive red on face and underparts.

Great Knot moulting out of breeding plumage, easily identified from Red Knot by extensive black breast markings and lack of red colouration on underparts.

Identification of birds not in breeding plumage can be more problematic, and these plumages are the most commonly encountered in WA, particularly in the south. The following features are useful for separating the two species in non-breeding plumage. Structural features mentioned below, like bill length, are still applicable in breeding plumage, but plumage features aren’t. Several plumage features are also applicable to juvenile plumage, generally mention will be made of differences. As always, there can be significant individual variation in many of the features mentioned here, so we advise observers to use a combination of features to confirm identity.

Great (left) and Red (right) Knot in non-breeding plumages, showing similarities and differences. Identification is generally easier in situations where the two species can be compared side by side. See end of Key Features section for an annotated version. 

Top 10 Mistakes by Visiting Birders :D

We all know how difficult it can be birding in a location far from home, with lots of bewildering new birds and a limited selection of field guides to identify them. And then there’s that awkward moment when you confidently post your sightings, only to have some sneering local shoot them down in flames. Well, here at Leeuwin Current Birding we’ve done the shooting and sneering in advance, to compile the top ten mistakes we regularly see made by visiting birders. We hope these are helpful and will be taken in educational spirit they are intended - we’re not laughing, honest! Hey, we’ve all been there!

In no particular order, the top ten are:

1. Paying for lighthouse entry to get Rock Parrot at Cape Leeuwin
This seems to be on the touring circuit of every visiting birder, who dutifully stump up their hard-earned to get a shot Rock Parrot – without realising the best way to see them is to wait near the freshwater pool below the petrified waterwheel – which is outside the fence!

Rock Parrots drinking at the petrified waterwheel near Cape Leeuwin

Another South Polar Skua - Woodman Point

UPDATE: The identity of this bird has now been accepted by BARC.

Another intermediate-morph South Polar Skua Stercorarius (Catharacta) maccormicki has been reported in south-west WA, seen on the 3rd of May flying briefly over the end of Woodman Point, south of Fremantle. Unfortunately only the silhouette and underside of the bird were able to be photographed, but nevertheless several key diagnostic features confirm the bird’s identity:

Underbody contrast
Though the early morning light is not ideal, the bird shows the diagnostic hallmark of strong contrast between the fairly uniform, cool-toned, paleish grey-brown body, and the evenly cold black underwing coverts and axillaries. There are no rusty or rufous tones in the plumage as is frequent on Brown Skua [1, 2]. Other supporting plumage features include a fairly substantial white ‘flash’ in the primaries; a small but distinct dark loral eye-mask on the paler head; and the suggestion of a whitish grizzled area in the interramal area at the base of the lower bill.

South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki (NB. subject to BARC acceptance) at Woodman Point, 3rd May 2012. Note the strong contrast between the pale, evenly grey-brown body and cold black undercoverts; whitish area at the base of the lower bill (interramal area); long narrow wings and short tail.

Albany Pelagic Trip Report - 29 July 2012

Participants: Alan Collins (Organiser), John Graff (Organiser), Ron Broomham, Mark Carter, Rose Ferrell, Stewart Ford, Nigel Jackett, Darryl Jones, Dan Mantle, Glen Murray, Graham Palmer, Leif Reidell, Peter Taylor, Roy Teale, Nathan Waugh

Conditions: Conditions for the trip were a little rougher than the Saturday trip, with NE'ly winds around 10knts in the morning, increasing to around 15knts for the return journey. Seas were forecast to be 1.5m, and the swell was forecast to be 2m, increasing to 2.5m through the day. Overhead conditions were fine and sunny for the majority of the trip, though there was cloud and rain away to the SE

Report
Overall this was a disappointing trip for Albany, especially for regular participants. Only 9 pelagic species were recorded, with no unusual sightings, and it proved difficult to bring any birds in behind the boat. The highlight was another sighting of Orcas (Killer Whales), following on from the sighting on the Saturday trip, though the views were not as good on this occasion.

Great-winged Petrel. Photo courtesy Dan Mantle.

Albany Pelagic Trip Report - 28 July 2012

Participants: Alan Collins (Organiser), John Graff (Organiser), Prue Anderson, Ron Broomham, Martin Cake, Stewart Ford, Nigel Jackett, Liz King, Richard King, Dan Mantle, Robyn Pickering, Jon Pridham, Roy Teale, Nathan Waugh, Gavin White

Conditions: Conditions on the day were relatively calm, with winds less than 10knts all day. Seas were forecast to be less than 1m and swell was forecast to be 1.5-2m. Overhead conditions were mostly overcast, with significant shower (occasionally heavy) activity offshore in the morning

Report
Overall this was an average Albany trip, with 11 pelagic species recorded, and most of the expected species making an appearance. However, no Wandering Albatross were seen for the second Albany pelagic weekend running, and there were no unusual sightings. The highlight of the trip was a group of Orcas (Killer Whales), which showed quite well at our second stop – these represent the first record for WA pelagics.

'Type A' Orcas off Albany- note the shape of eyepatch for type identification. Photo courtesy Dan Mantle.

Seawatching: The Basics

Seawatching is one of the most challenging types of birding, usually involving sitting on some exposed headland in windy conditions, trying to identify seabirds offshore, many of which are difficult to identify even with good photos! This challenge is part of the attraction of seawatching, and the rewards for the keen seabirder are sightings of pelagic seabirds usually only seen well offshore. Indeed, if pelagic trips aren’t your thing, seawatching is probably the only way to see many deep ocean albatross, petrel and shearwater species.

The challenges of seawatching can also put people off, and judging by the relative lack of records, the WA coast is seriously under-seawatched! So, in the hopes of encouraging a few more WA birders out there to take up seawatching, we present this guide to the basics of seawatching. Experienced seawatchers probably won’t find anything new in here, but we hope that newer and prospective seawatchers will find this guide useful, and get you thinking about heading to your nearest headland after the next storm!

Before heading out

Find a site
Or several sites! Reading trip reports and previous sightings, searching the web, and asking other birders will usually suggest some worthwhile sites. Some sites worth trying include:

Perth (see also our previous blog post)
• Woodman Point
• Point Peron
• Rottnest Island
• North Mole (though note the mole is now fenced off in the best seawatching conditions)
South-west
• Cape Naturaliste near Dunsborough
• Bunker Bay (near Cape Naturaliste)
• Cape Leeuwin near Augusta
• Torndirrup NP near Albany (esp. Cave Point Lighthouse, the Blowholes carpark)
Further north
• Red Bluff near Kalbarri
• Red Bluff near Carnarvon
• Point Quobba near Carnarvon
• Steep Point near Denham

If you're feeling more adventurous, you might like to pore over maps and look for your own site! Look for geographical features that stick out to sea, like headlands or points, and if possible find a location that offers at least a little elevation and some sort of shelter from the wind to help you to keep your scope and bins steady.

Cape Naturaliste, a well-known seawatching site near Dunsborough. Note the relatively calm sea that betrays relatively poor seawatching conditions on the day of this photo - the haul from a 2.5hr watch was just 20+ Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross and a single Brown Skua.

Victoria Dam: Perth's Hidden Endemic Hotspot

For years, visiting twitchers in a hurry to see some South-west endemics have headed out on Albany Highway in solemn pilgrimage to Wungong Gorge. While many have no doubt succeeded (though recently it has been less reliable for Red-eared Firetail), Wungong is to be honest a fairly dismal place, heavily degraded with weed growth (not to mention the occasional seedy characters hanging round the toilet block!). Well, allow Leeuwin Current Birding to reveal our preferred one-stop-shop for all the local endemics: Victoria Dam (alternatively known as Victoria Reservoir).

Victoria Dam is reached by an access road signposted off Masonmill Rd, a short loop road off Canning Rd in Carmel. A short distance along the access road, you reach a boom gate with a carpark on the right .On weekends, the boom gate is closed, so you have to park in this carpark and walk the rest of the way along the access road (about 1km each way). When the first gate is open, you can drive further along the access road until you reach another boom gate, with a second carpark on the left. The road is no public access (by car or on foot) from this point on as it’s the ranger’s residence, so you need to park here.  There is a walk trail leading downhill from this carpark to the base of the dam wall (see map below). This trail passes through an area of nice marri/jarrah forest, past a small patch of wandoo, and onto a set of wooden steps that lead down to the top of the dam wall (Perth city is visible in the distance from the top of the steps, framed by the sides of the valley). From the top of the dam, you can follow a bitumen road down to the base of the dam wall, where there is a grassed picnic area and toilets. Thickets of ti-tree and Calothamnus beneath the dam wall, and thick vegetation along the creekline, provide dense cover for some of south-west WA’s more secretive, gully-loving bird species.

A female Western Spinebill, one of many south-west endemics commonly found at Victoria Dam.

South Polar Skua at Bremer Bay

An intermediate-morph South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) was observed around the Bremer Bay area over the Easter weekend, from Saturday 7th April 2012 until at least Monday 9th April. Authenticated sightings of this species are extremely rare in Australia, particularly Western Australia, and even these records are typically pelagic or offshore, making this sustained inshore sighting most unusual.

The bird was first seen distantly on the afternoon of 7th April, harassing Crested Terns and Silver Gulls around the rocky point and offshore island east of the Fisheries harbour (end of Swarbrick Rd) at Bremer Bay. Its contrasting pale head and neck, and relatively small size raised suspicions of South Polar Skua, but unfortunately this could not be confirmed before the bird disappeared.

South Polar Skua at Bremer Bay.

Hillarys Pelagic Trip Report - 1 April 2012

Participants (21)
Alan Collins (organiser), Ben Allen, Dimitris Bertzeletos, Steve Burns, Martin Cake, Cheryl Davis, John Graff, Mike Green, Greg Howell, Liz King, Richard King, Louise Little, Wayne Merritt, Clive Nealon, Jenny Preston, Jon Pridham, Mark Stanley, John Vogel, Nathan Waugh, Bruce Wedderburn, Pete White

Conditions
Departed Hillarys Boat Harbour at 7.20am. Returned at 3.45pm.  The forecast was for a partially cloudy day with showers and 10/15 knots W/SW winds increasing to 18/23 knots by early afternoon. Seas were 2m with a swell of 2m.

Description
The highlight of the trip was the large numbers of Streaked Shearwater seen. At least 40 birds were seen very close to the northern shore of Rottnest Island; this species has never been seen in the SW of Western Australia, before this trip the furthest south they had been recorded at sea in WA was just north of Geraldton. Other highlights included prolonged and close views of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels and a couple of very obliging Hutton’s Shearwater.

Streaked Shearwater, Hillarys Pelagic Trip April 2012.

Streaked Shearwaters near Rottnest Island

Streaked Shearwaters are relatively common visitors to waters off northern Australia, but there are few (if any) records from the seas off Perth, and certainly no recent records. Hence it was something of a surprise when the recent pelagic trip organised out of Hillarys Boat Harbour recorded good numbers just north of Rottnest Island. The first birds were recorded c. 12km NNE of Rottnest Island (c. 15km off the mainland) on the outward passage of the boat. Several birds were seen in this area, but no further birds were seen on the outbound journey. However, on the return journey, several more Streaked Shearwaters were recorded c. 8km NW of Rottnest, and larger numbers (probably 20+) 2-5km due N of Rottnest Island. Overall, it was estimated that 40+ birds were recorded on the trip.

A Streaked Shearwater with the Perth skyline in the background, April 2012.



Location of Streaked Shearwater records on April 2012 pelagic. Click here for full Google Map.



WA Endemic Subspecies - An Annotated List: Part 3: The Kimberley

This is the final of our three part annotated list of WA's endemic subspecies, covering the far north-east of the state: the Kimberley region.

So sudden is the avifaunal shift across the boundary between the Pilbara (Eyrean) and the Kimberley (Torresian) regions, with tropical groups such as lorikeets, parrots, cuckoos, kingfishers and rollers making a dramatic appearance, that Major Whitlock once described it as like “entering a new country” [5]. The rugged mountain ranges and northern plateau of the Kimberley once created a massive Pleistocene drought refuge, separated from similar escarpment country in the Northern Territory by the drier plains of the Bonaparte paleobarrier at the foot of the gulf.  That said, the last of our three lists of WA regional endemics is surprisingly the shortest. Many of these are rock-loving taxa, including the two endemic species, the iconic Black Grasswren, and the eponymous Kimberley Honeyeater, first split from White-lined Honeyeater in C&B 2008 [4]. However the Kimberley also has some very distinctive subspecies, perhaps most notably the yellow-faced race blaauwi of Partridge Pigeon, and one of the ‘Lavender-flanked’ forms of Variegated Fairy-Wren, race rogersi. The Kimberley also has a handful of mangrove-dwelling endemic subspecies, though some of these are shared with the Pilbara. A few ‘almost endemics’ cross the border to the natural barrier of the Victoria River in the NT.

For those that missed it, a handy 2-page checklist of WA endemics can be downloaded here.

Species endemic to WA - Kimberley
Black Grasswren Amytornis housei
Dusky Gerygone Gerygone tenebrosa tenebrosa (also Pilbara G. t. christophori)
Kimberley Honeyeater Meliphaga fordiana

Subspecies endemic to WA - Kimberley
White-quilled Rock Pigeon Petrophassa albipennis albipennis
Partridge Pigeon Geophaps smithii blaauwi
Rainbow Pitta Pitta iris johnstoneiana
Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti rogersi
Green-backed Gerygone Gerygone chloronotus darwini
Varied Triller Lalage leucomela macrura
Mangrove Golden Whistler Pachycephala melanura melanura (also Pilbara)
White-breasted Whistler Pachycephala lanioides lanoides
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster tormenti
Mangrove Robin Peneonanthe pulverulenta cinereiceps (also Pilbara)
Yellow White-eye Zosterops luteus balstoni (also Pilbara)
Horsfield’s Bushlark Mirafra javanica halli

Subspecies almost endemic to WA - Kimberley (range extends into small part of adjacent NT)
Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren Malurus coronatus coronatus
White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus calconi
Silver-backed Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus argenteus
Long-tailed Finch Poephila acuticauta acuticauta

WA Endemic Subspecies - An Annotated List: Part 2: The Pilbara and Arid Zone

This is the second of three checklists of bird species and subspecies endemic (or nearly so) to the state of Western Australia, featuring taxa of the Pilbara and arid zones of the state, an area more defined by what it is not – the heavily forested south-west or geologically distinct Kimberley – than what it is. This vast region comprises several geographic divisions, namely the Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West and Goldfields – but in biogeographic terms is usually treated as part of an even larger bioregion, the Eyrean Region covering most of central Australia,

At first glance the area seems poorly endowed with endemics. It contains only one WA endemic species, Dusky Gerygone, and even this is also found in the Kimberley. However a look at subspecies level reveals some interesting patterns of endemism:
* A cluster of subspecies centred on the Hamersley Ranges betrays their status as a drought refuge during ancient climatic fluctuations. Most notable here is the rock-loving race whitei of the Striated Grasswren, which remains a promising candidate for splitting as a full species.
* A long gap in the distribution of coastal mangroves along the length of 80 Mile Beach has apparently existed long enough to allows subspeciation in several mangrove-dwelling birds (Torresian Kingfisher, Dusky Gerygone, White-breasted Whistler), but interestingly not in others (Mangrove Golden Whistler, Yellow White-eye)
* The larger islands off the mid-west coast, namely the Abrolhos; Dirk Hartog, Bernier and Dorre Islands in the Shark Bay area; and Barrow Island, all support one or more endemic subspecies, many of them Vulnerable.
* Several endemic taxa inhabit the Nullarbor Plain, the greater part of which lies in Western Australia - most notably, Nullarbor Quail-thrush, which has very recently been resurrected as a full species.
* Finally, several species spanning the vast Eyrean interior have managed to diverge into eastern and western populations in the absence of any obvious barrier. Most important here is the recently split (and very nearly endemic) Western Quail-thrush (formerly race marginatum of Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush), but also notably ‘Western’ Whiteface castaneiventris, which has diverged quite strongly from eastern birds despite continuous distribution across the interior.

For those that missed it, a handy 2-page checklist of WA endemics can be downloaded here.

Species endemic to WA – Pilbara and Arid Zone
Dusky Gerygone Gerygone tenebrosa christophori (also in Kimberley G. t. tenebrosa)

Species almost endemic to WA - Pilbara and Arid Zone (range extends into adjacent states)
Naretha Bluebonnet Northiella narethae
Western Quail-thrush Cinclosoma marginatum

Subspecies endemic to WA – Pilbara and Arid Zone
Spinifex Pigeon Geophaps plumifera ferruginea 
Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata clelandi 
Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis headlandi
Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii occidentalis
Torresian Kingfisher Todiramphus sordidus pilbara
Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea westralensis
  [Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus highami] 
Western Bowerbird Chlamydera guttata carteri
Black-tailed Treecreeper Climacteris melanura wellsi
Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus whitei*
Western [Thick-billed] Grasswren Amytornis textilis textilis
Rufous Fieldwren Calamanthus campestris rubiginosis, C. c. wayensis
White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis balstoni
Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris ochragaster
Southern Whiteface Aphelocephala leucopsis castaneiventris
Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen longirostris
Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina novaehollandiae subpallida
Mangrove Golden Whistler Pachycephala melanura melanura  (also Kimberley)
White-breasted Whistler Pachycephala lanoides carnarvoni
Mangrove Robin Peneonanthe pulverulenta cinereiceps (also Kimberley)
Horsfield’s Bushlark Mirafra javanica woodwardi
Yellow White-eye Zosterops luteus balstoni (also Kimberley)

Subspecies endemic to WA – Midwest offshore islands
Painted Button-quail Turnix varius scintillans
Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris melanops
White-winged Fairy-wren Malurus leucopterus leucopterus, M. l. edouardi
Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti bernieri
Southern Emu-wren Stipiturus malachurus hartogi
Rufous Fieldwren Calamanthus campestris hartogi, C. c. dorrie 

Subspecies almost endemic to WA - Pilbara and Arid Zone (range extends into adjacent states)
Galah Eolophus roseicapilla roseicapilla
Naretha Bluebonnet Northiella narethae
White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus carteri

WA Endemic Subspecies - An Annotated List: Part 1: Southwest

This is the first of three checklists of bird species and subspecies endemic (or nearly so) to the state of Western Australia. The distributions of these, for the most part, correspond approximately to the three biogeographic ‘refuge’ areas of the State (the South-west, Hamersley, and Kimberley refuges), which due to their rockier and more hilly terrain offered climatic refuge during cyclical periods of aridity throughout the Pleistocene. These refuges are, in turn, separated from each other (and those of neighbouring States) by coastward extensions of the less hospitable arid interior, namely the Nullarbor, Murchison, Canning, and Bonaparte paleo-barriers.

The South-west region has a very high level of botanical and faunal endemism, and birds are no exception – in fact with now 15 endemic full species (or 16 if you accept Western Fieldwren), South-west WA is rivalled only by far-north Queensland as an endemic bird region within Australia. What is probably less well appreciated is the high number of endemic bird subspecies in the greater South-west region, several of which are potential candidates for splitting as full species once molecular phylogenies are investigated. An even greater number are shared with South Australia’s  Eyre Peninsula, due to the former presence of a continuous belt of mallee below the Nullarbor cliffs in times of lower sea levels, which made the Nullarbor Barrier much leakier than it is today. We include some of these ‘almost endemics’ here (ie. range extends a small way into SA), but only for those subspecies which do not - according to Schodde and Mason’s distribution maps [1] - extend fully into the Eyre Peninsula itself.

A handy two-page Checklist of WA’s endemics is available - collect em’ all!

Updated Feb 2017, IOC 7.1

Species endemic to WA – Southwest
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris
Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus baudinii
Western Corella Cacatua pastinator pastinator, C. p. derbyi
Red-capped Parrot Purpureicephalus spurius
Western Rosella Platycercus icterotis icterotis, P. i. xanthogenys 
Western Ground Parrot Pezoporus flaviventris
Noisy Scrub-bird Atrichornis clamosus
Red-winged Fairy-Wren Malurus elegans
Western Spinebill Acanthorhynchus superciliosus 
Gilbert's Honeyeater Melithreptus chloropsis
Western Wattlebird Anthochaera lunulata 
Western Bristlebird Dasyornis longirostris
  [Western Fieldwren Calamanthus (campestris) montanellus]
Western Thornbill Acanthiza inornata
White-breasted Robin Eopsaltria georgiana
Red-eared Firetail Stagonopleura oculata

Species ALMOST endemic to WA – Southwest
Western Whistler Pachycephala occidentalis

Subspecies endemic to WA – Southwest
Cape Barren Goose Cereopsis novaehollandiae grisea
Musk Duck Biziura lobata lobata
Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis tunneyi
Australasian Swamphen Porphyrio melanotus bellus
  [Lewin’s Rail Lewinia pectoralis clelandi  - EXTINCT]
Brush Bronzewing Phaps elegant occidentalis
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii naso
Regent Parrot Polytelis anthopeplus anthopeplus (westralensis)
Australian Ringneck Barnardius zonarius semitorquatus  
Elegant Parrot Neophema elegans carteri
Rock Parrot Neophema petrophila petrophila
Splendid Fairy-wren Malurus splendens splendens
Southern Emu-wren  Stipiturus malachurus westernensis
  [Rufous Bristlebird Dasyornis broadbenti litoralis – EXTINCT (?)]
New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae longirostris
White-cheeked Honeyeater Phylidonyris nigra gouldii*
Yellow-throated Miner Manorina flavigula obscura
Shy Heathwren Hylacola cauta whitlocki
White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis maculatus
Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca fusca
White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus ashbyi
Western Whipbird Psophodes nigrogularis nigrogularis 
Copperback Quail-Thrush Cinclosoma clarum fordianum
Crested Shrike-tit Falcunculus frontatus leucogaster*
Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen dorsalis
Grey Fantail Rhipidura albiscapa preissi (also Pilbara)
Scarlet Robin Petroica boodang campbelli **
Western Yellow Robin Eopsaltria griseogularis griseogularis
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena carteri (also Pilbara)
Little Grassbird Megalurus gramineus thomasi

Subspecies almost endemic to WA – Southwest (extends into small part of neighbouring SA)
Singing Honeyeater Lichenostomus virescens virescens
Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa chrysorrhoa 
Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus cinereus
Grey Currawong Streptera versicolor plumbea
Australian Raven Corvus coronoides perplexus**
Australian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus australis gouldi (also Pilbara)
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis chloronotus 
Australasian Pipit Anthus australis bilbali

For Australian listers - Introduced species established only in WA
Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis
Mute Swan Cygnus olor

(* = possible future splits)