The second annual COG Summer Camp proved a very popular and successful birding and social event. Thirty campers found their way to shady Saltwater Creek campground for a relaxing weekend and enjoyed perfect weather. Besides looking at birds people walked, swam, chatted, knitted, read and slept. The water was warm, again enticing the COG Nymphs who this year remembered their bathers. Despite the relaxed ambience a wide variety of habitats was explored and a total of 100 species was seen.
Cape and Boyd’s Tower produced a variety of sea birds including Wandering and Yellow-nosed Albatross, five species of Shearwater, Caspian Tern and a large pod of dolphins. Bittangabee camp area gave good views of Tawny Frogmouth, Rose Robin, Crested Shrike-tit, Black-faced Monarch, Brown Gerygone and Varied Sitella. Barbara Jones of Far South Coast Birdwatchers had suggested some hotspots at Bulls Creek and Snake Track. Bulls Creek yielded Beautiful Firetail, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater and Crescent Honeyeater, while at the Snake Track site Pilotbird, Mistletoebird and Olive-backed Oriole were added.
Creek campsite, the beach, and the heaths and woodlands to its north and south proved excellent birding spots. Fantail, Horsfields and Shining Bronze-cuckoos, Australian Owlet-nightjar, Bassian Thrush, Wonga Pigeon, Glossy Black-cockatoo, Peregrine Falcon, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Southern Emu-wren and Striated Fieldwren were notable records. Those arriving on Thursday afternoon had excellent views of two Hooded Plovers on the beach with one young, a goodly proportion of the NSW population of these birds. Other campers reported that on Thursday morning there had been three young, but sadly by Friday morning only the adults were present. Predation by Australian or Little Raven was suspected.
Trevor Lipscombe