Book Review "Birds of Mallacoota"

I was told of this book by one of the volunteers at the Bunker Museum and was able to track a copy down through ABE Books.  It ended up costing $15.00 which seems a little pricey for a 52 page book, but (spoiler alert) good value for an historical reference and absolute delight to own.

The book is the second edition (after the 1st from 1962) and was produced by the Mallacoota School in 1979.  It was printed in Orbost by the Snowy River Mail (which this author is pleased to see still exists).

The book has a brief introduction outlining the background to the book and the history of the area but mainly comprises an annotated list of the bird species recorded in the area.  It concludes with a list of birds which might be added to the list, notes in the habitat in several areas; and a list of the contributors.

The style of the book is most amusing, with most species being reported "straight" but occasional entertaining remarks added.  For example:

Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata): On 2\June 23rd, 1975, Ken Morrison picked up a live bird grounded in the camp park.  This was the first Victorian record.  The bird later died and is now in the National Museum.  It's still dead. 

Pallid Cuckoo (Cuculus pallidus):  ... Ken Nash of Mallacoota has kept records of the arrival of many birds each spring and his notes on cuckoos are particularly interesting.   Ken is a good bloke and works out at the aerodrome.

One major change since the book was published has been the opening of the Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW), which I find to be a  very important site for ducks and other waterbirds.  By way of example Australasian Shovelers are common there but only make the supplementary section of the book as not being recorded in Mallacoota.   The book comments under the listing for Wood Duck    ".. the first edition of "Birds of Mallacoota" listed most ducks as uncommon ... "  On occasion I have found over 500 ducks of various species at the ponds.   I need to do some more research on the history of the WWTW!

Another 'locational' aspect is the number of references in the book to the Genoa Flats.  I suspect that many people simply fly past there on their way to the Coast.  This may reflect the current dryness of the area.  Also, in the wader entries there are many references to the Goodwin Sands: we must get out there sometime soon.

Of course some of the species names in the book reflect old usages and taxonomists have weaved their magic to revise names.  It is possible however to work out the current name in every case.

Most of the remainder of this review comprises comments on various entries in the list either where the situation has changed in the ensuing 40 years or there is some other useful comment to be made.  In most cases the words of the book are in plain font and my comments are italicised,

• Little Penguin: Often seen at Bastion Point at night... I haven't been to Bastion at night but wonder if that is still the case.
• Australian Pelican My impression is that numbers of this species have increased recently from those cited in the book.  Certainly I wouldn't regard 11 birds as noteworthy with 25+ being common at the wharfs, especially when fish are being cleaned.
• Mangrove Heron: I think now called Striated Heron, but the key point is that I have never seen one in the area and it is not on the Birdlife East Gippsland checklist.  Has it vanished?  The location given (Coulls Inlet near Shady Gully) is easy to check: I must do so!
• Yellow-billed Spoonbill: Quite common and found in the same areas as Royal Spoonbills.  I have not seen this species in the area, whereas Royal Spoonbills are resident around Bottom Lake.
• Mountain Duck (Australian Shelduck):Only a single sighting cited whereas there are usually 2 - 5 at the WWTW.
• Letter-winged Kite: recorded in the irruption year of 1977.  If only one would appear now ...
• Swamp Harrier: .. often seen .. giving seagulls nesting on islands in front of the wharf a very hard time.. Looking at the eBird  records the species seems to be seen frequently in November-December, possibly reflecting when most birders come to the area.  I have personally not recorded the species in the area: I must do better.
• Beach Stone Curlew: An interesting sighting: one was reported from Pambula Beach for several recent years.
• Pigeons:  The situation described in the book is rather different in many respects to how it is currently.
• Two fruit-eating species in the list have not been recorded recently:
• Red-crowned Pigeon (aka Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove);
• Emerald Dove;
• and 2 more at best infrequently:
• Brown Pigeon (aka Brown Cuckoo-Dove); and 
• Topknot Pigeon (but see Crested Pigeon below).
• Spotted Dove is recorded most months, in small numbers
• Peaceful Dove is reported as "Quite a few birds in the area ..." but it is not in the Checklist and has few eBird records since 2000.
• Common Bronzewing appears noteworthy in the book but is an everyday bird around town generally these days.
• Wonga Pigeon is discussed as being likely to be disturbed by development.  That has not happened as they are very common garden birds around the area generally.
• Crested Pigeon is not listed in the book but these days is usually visible along Betka Rd near Mortimers Paddock.  This matches the situation in Canberra where the bird was largely unknown before 1980 but is now one of the commonest garden birds.  I also note that some people used to call this species the Topknot pigeon due to the crest!
• Galah... Not common in this area....  I would now rate them as common with small flocks seen most days.
• Purple-crowned Lorikeet .Much less common than either Rainbow or Musk Lorikeets and only occasional records appear.  Not included in the checklist nor reported to eBird.  However I consider it one to watch for.
• King Parrot Seems to have become much more common.
• Indian Koel: now a common sound of Summer.  In 1979 it appears to have only recently established a toehold in Mallacoota.
• Common Skylark (aka Eurasian Skylark) apparently only just recorded in the area when the book was produced.  Still not common with nearly all records from the Airport area.
• Hooded Robin: the book mentions 2 reports of this species but cautions that some experienced observers have never seen it in the area.  Not on the Checklist not reported to eBird.
• Noisy Friarbird Very rare in this district. Not in the checklist.  Several records for eBird but nearly all for March 2018 (by a number of observers).  Suggests a small number (possibly 1) of vagrant birds came, made a ruckus and moved on.  The comment in the book is still true.
• Regent Honeyeater Distributed reasonably widely throughout area.  Not any more.  Rated nationally as critically endangered - if anyone sees one it should be reported to Birdlife Australia ASAP.
• Scarlet Honeyeater ... sightings very few and far between...  Now a common bird of Spring/Summer especially around Callistemons.
• Little Raven in Supplementary List - A call similar to that of this bird is sometimes heard in the area.  A trap for young players!  The call of the juvenile Australian Raven is very like that of the Little Raven and as far as my dysfunctional old ears go that is what I have heard rather than the true call of the Little Raven.

My overall summary is that the authors of this book deserve much praise.  While quite a few of their records differ from our recent findings having such a historical background is extremely useful