October 2024

Tawny Grassbird, paddock, end of Gordon Street Calala

2 White-winged Trillers at “Ravensfield” Appleby Lane

Little Corellas and Galahs – a lot of them eating the thistle heads in a Calala paddock

September 2024

10 Eastern Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage, just south of Tamworth City Lights Holiday Park, New England Highway

Rufous Songlark, calling in paddock near Calala Creek (first sighting for this Spring)

Golden-headed Cisticola, paddock end of Gordon Street Calala (now in breeding plumage, with a golden head, not striped)

This evening, September 8, I went outside to see what the commotion was and there were two Masked Lapwings carrying on as they were out with their two dear little babies. Not very well behaved yet as they ran amuck on the path, along the road and in and out people’s front gates! Very entertaining even if very rowdy.  Joan

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Calala Lane

Tawny Grassbird, paddock, end of Gordon Street Calala

Chestnut Teal, Calala Creek

White-winged Triller, Speckled Warbler, Bar-shouldered Dove Wondoba SCA

Channel-billed Cuckoo raiding Noisy Miner nest?, taking egg and swallowing it, Rocky Waterhole TSR

August 2024

These birds are all common in Tamworth, but the fact that they are in my garden is special. Thanks to a resident Red Wattlebird and Pied Butcherbird, I rarely see other species apart from parrots.  Thanks to a profusely flowering ironbark, and grevilleas in the last 24 hours I have had Eastern Spinebills, Brown, White-plumed, and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters as well as Rainbow Lorikeets and Noisy Friarbirds.  I am over the moon!  Annabel

On 6th August I was fortunate enough to see a White Goshawk in Johnston Street North Tamworth. It was a female in white morph.  I thought it was a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo sitting in a dead cypress but after it had taken off and circled over me twice, I realised what it was.  We had them breed on our farm at Apollo Bay and this is the first I have seen in our area.  Joan

4 Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos, over Myrl Street, Calala

8 Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, paddock at end of Gordon Street, Calala (first time seen for 11 weeks)

Dusky Woodswallow, Crested Shrike-tit, Brown Treecreeper, Wondoba SCA

6 Great Cormorant, flying over Gordon St, Calala

Brown Quail, paddock at end of Gordon Street Calala

7 Torresian Crows, Gordon Street Calala

Striated Pardalote, Gordon Street Calala

17 Purple Swamp Hens, Lampada dams, Calala

July  2024

Black Falcon, Gordon Street Calala

2 Yellow Thornbills, Gordon Street Calala

3 Brown Quail, paddock at end of Gordon Street Calala

39 species sighted on paddock walk Calala, including Brown Goshawk and Flame Robin pair

2 Peaceful Doves, near bridges on Calala Lane

Male Flame Robin, end of Myrl Street Calala

3 Blue-faced Honeyeaters, Gordon Street Calala

Hobby, Pied Currawong, Pied Butcherbird and juvenile Collared Sparrowhawk all sitting in same bare tree, Gordon Street Calala

June  2024

Hobby, The Outlook, Myrl Street Calala. In Myrl Street early in the morning, a pair of Hobbies were in display flight, when interrupted by a third.  Two (I assume the males) then were swooping and attacking each other, while the third (presumably the female) sat on a lamp post, tearing the feathers off a small bird, completely unconcerned about the others!

Pair of Flame Robins, in paddock near bridges on Calala Lane.

3 Peaceful Doves, in trees near bridges on Calala Lane.

Whistling Kite, pair Black-shouldered Kites, Collared Sparrowhawk, Nankeen Kestrel – all seen on walk around paddock north of The Outlook, Calala.

Golden-headed Cisticola, in paddock end of Gordon Street Calala

Australian Pelican X 12 on Tamworth Racecourse Dam

Pair of Striated Pardalotes in Liquid Amber, Gordon Street Calala

May  2024

Pair Whistling Kites, Gordon Street Calala

Female / juvenile Golden Whistlers (2)

Wedge-tailed Eagle pair being chased by Australian Ravens at Moore Creek

Red-rumped Parrot 87 going to roost just on dusk at Daruka Road Tamworth

Black Falcon, Myrl Street Calala

Collared Sparrowhawk on prey, Gordon Street Calala

Juvenile Golden Whistler, Gordon Street Calala

3 Black Falcons over Myrl Street Calala (a pair, chased by a third)

Restless Flycatcher, near bridges on Calala Lane

Little Eagle (pale morph), being harassed by a pair of Black-shouldered Kites, paddock near bridges on Calala Lane

Little Eagle (dark morph), paddock end of Gordon Street Calala

10 Pelicans, flying over Gordon Street Calala

April  2024

Juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle, flying over Gordon Street Calala

White-backed Swallows at Moore Creek

Singing Honeyeater, Gordon Street Calala

Brown Quail, Jacky Winter, paddock at end of Graham Street Calala

Grey Fantail, Gordon Street Calala

Golden Whistler near Tamworth Lookout

Brown Quail, Peaceful Dove, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, near bridges on Calala Lane

March  2024

Sacred Kingfisher at ‘Gunagulla’, Loomberah

Great Cormorant at Bridge Club Lagoon Tamworth Crested Shrike-tit, Olive-backed Oriole, Little Eagle, Jacky Winter, Red-capped Robin – Attunga State Forest

2 Reed Warblers – near bridges on Calala Lane

Speckled Warbler, ‘Ravensfield’, Appleby

2 Golden-headed Cisticola in non-breeding plumage (striped head, not golden); in paddock end of Graham Street Calala

Dead Tawny Frogmouth – Davidsons Road (middle of the road) Moore Creek

February  2024

Golden-headed Cisticola in paddock end of Gordon Street Calala

Painted Honeyeater, Rangari Roadside (near Rangari Creek)

2 Magpies attacking 6 Common (Indian) Mynas Riverside Playing Fields (near baseball clubhouse)

Collared Sparrowhawk; Gordon Street Calala

Black Falcon, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, 5 Brown Quail, Golden-headed Cisticola; in paddocks near Gordon Street Calala

Golden-headed Cisticola in tall grass Swan Street North Tamworth

Speckled Warbler 2 at Tamworth Botanic Gardens

Cattle Egret 100+ in dead tree in Barnes Gully Tamworth

Purple-backed Fairy-wren at Glengarvin Reserve, Peel River, Oxley Vale

Golden-headed Cisticola at Glengarvin Reserve, Peel River, Oxley Vale

January  2024

Great Egret on Tamworth Racecourse Lagoon

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, 1 male, 7 female / immature, near bridges on Calala Lane

Black Swan 2 on Tamworth Race Course Lagoon

Plum-headed Finch, 2 adult, 2 immature, first sighting for this area, in paddock at end of Graham Street Calala

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Australian Hobby, Golden-headed Cisticola (first sighting for area), near bridges on Calala Lane

Striped Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeater, Speckled Warbler, Turquoise Parrot, Attunga SF

White-necked Heron, Moore Creek Rd. near Browns Lane

Juvenile Collared Sparrowhawk, took Spotted Dove in my backyard, Calala

Plum-headed Finch, 6, in paddock at end of Graham Street Calala

White-browed Scrubwren, near bridges on Calala Lane, first sighting for this area

Crested Shrike-tit, Turquoise Parrot, Olive-backed Oriole, Bar-shouldered Dove, Speckled Warbler, Wondobah SCA

Brown Quail, 3, in paddock at end of Graham Street Calala

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Golden-headed Cisticola, Black-shouldered Kite, Dollarbird, near bridges on Calala Lane