I think that this is a Citrine Wagtail seen this morning at the Putta Bucca Wetlands in Mudgee. Sorry about the poor pics but a bit far off and overcast early this morning. Seems a very unusual sighting for this location but I cannot seem to put another name to it. Would be really pleased if someone could confirm this ID.
Sue
Looks like it to me. Lucky!
Very interesting be sure to report it to eremaea birdline.
congrats.
I had gone back to check out the Pink-eared Ducks, Australian Shovelers and Dotterels (Red-kneed and Black-fronted) seen the afternoon before. However it clouded over, the wind came up and I was freezing. Then the unexpected appeared. Just needed some confirmation before reporting on Eremaea as I have never seen one before and thought that they had only been reported in a few coastal areas. Thanks, Sue
Sue, this isn't a Citrine, it's an Eastern Yellow Wagtail (male). A Citrine has clear white flanks and belly, which this bird DOES NOT have. Pizzey & Knight shows this well. A Citrine Wagtail is an incredibly rare vagrant to Australia - only 2 or 3 records I think. The EYW turns up regularly each year (though not at Mudgee from what I know). Still, a great record and worth putting on Eremaea. Well seen! Lorne
Sorry to burst the bubble! I would've loved a Citrine Wagtail sighting! Lorne
No bubble burst as I am still excited by the sighting and in such an unusual place. I had compared both birds (on my phone) but was fooled by the head markings as the yellow appeared to go around the eye and ear coverts. The flank does seem grey not white. Thanks for the definite ID, it was my reason for posting as it seemed most unlikely to be a Citrine. I half expected to hear it was another type of bird entirely! Thanks everyone. Sue
Hi Lorne, Seems this sighting has generated some excitement at Eremaea with much discussion about the ID. I have sent them my best pictures from most angles and someone is heading up there already to check it out. Opinion favours Citrine over the Eastern Yellow (of course, subject to BARC acceptance) so it is posted as such. Hopefully someone else will sight it as I appear to have set something in motion.... what fun. Thought that you would be interested in the reason it is on Eremaea as a Citrine after your comment. Sue
Hey Sue. Nice one! Good for you! I'm still not convinced it's a Citrine. It'll be very interesting to see what the experts say. Wish I could drive up there and check it out. Work's in the way! LJ
Try this forum there are some extremely knowledgable international birders there.
http://www.birdforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=114
Good find in any case.
Check this photo of a Citrine Wagtail. It's close to the Mudgee bird. Man, I could be very wrong here! LJ
Thanks Lorne, to quote '"the bird is a first summer female, either stayed over unseen until now or migrated in the wrong direction". I was very lucky it seems as it was a brief visit by me to the wetlands, with husband packing up back at the motel after 5 weeks away from home. Rewarding no matter what the outcome. Keeps us on our toes.
Sue
Whose quote is that? LJ
One of the moderators on Eremaea. The bird is still there as just seen by two other people and photographed this morning. Should be another report on Eremaea later today. I am encouraged now to report it to BARC. Feeling pretty good about my whole trip with such birding highlights. Sue
Great find Sue. all that traveling is paying off.
(if only I was still in Parkes, I would be in the ute and heading to .............)
Peter
Cool. Well done, Sue. I feel bad about my inititial skepticism and absolutes. Tricky business this birding thing! LJ
Bet there'll be a sudden flux of Sydney birders visiting Mudgee this weekend...
When I first said it was a Citrine Wagtail I thought it was a rare but regular visitor but that is the Eastern Yellow Wagtail. Now I see that it Is very rare! Lucky you. A mega Australian sighting!
Takes me back to April 1998, when a Black-backed Wagtail turned up in a shopping centre carpark in Glendale near Newcastle. I think I got there the day it vanished. What a dip. Birder I met thought a sparrowhawk may have kiled it! Lorne
Well done, Sue. Looks like we have a birding star on BIBY
How exciting. You might have to clear the calendar for some media interviews
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Either way, I can feel the excitement from here!
Magic stuff Sue, you must be so exited. Well done.
Amazing siting sue. I wish i could see one of those.
William.S
It's interesting to see how differently Citrine Wagtails are illustrated in the Australian and international field guides I have. This is what confused me originally, when I consulted Pizzey and Knight alone. Had I been through all of my field guides - carefully - I may have opted for Citrine Wagtail over Eastern Yellow Wagtail. I think the illustration of a female in the latest version of Slater is the most closely aligned to these photographs from Sue. The other guides show different things. The Citrine IS a variable bird, but the various paintings make things confusing - there should be more uniformity, accuracy. I heard the NSW birders at the upper end of things took a few hours to decide if it was a Citrine Wagtail. Moral to the story - don't rush in to identify something and consult all available illustrations or photographs for an unusual bird. And Sue, good on you for realising something was unusual about it originally. Top stuff! LJ
Thanks Lorne, I am on a high and thrilled that the bird is still there for others to observe. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time.but it was clearly not one that I had seen before ... very yellow and with a bobbing movement (which I forgot to mention). On my Morcombe's phone app, I went straight to the Yellow Wagtail (like the Hexham bird) but I thought Citrine looked more like it. Because of the rarity, I went through every bird on the app in case I was missing the obvious. Once I reached home, I consulted my Pizzey & Knight and the Simpson & Day before posting on BiB and then Eremaea. It seemed important to get it out there for others to check it out. The Photographic Field Guide Birds of Australia by Jim Flegg (second edition) with pictures from the Australian Museum can also be quite helpful. Of course in my excitement, I forgot to check it until just now and the picture looks like this bird. After the last 5 weeks, Sydney may seem a bit dull. Sue
Awesome!
Never write Sydney off... I saw a hepatic form of an Oriental Cuckoo there in the 1990s. It was at Cattai. Most unexpected. A Singing Honeyeater at Red Hill Reserve several years ago was also very cool. And that vagrant House Crow at Dee Why in 2008 was unreal!
LJ
Hi Sue,
Congrats on this btw
I was wondering if you know if the wagtail is still around? I can make it to Mudgee this weekend but haven't seen anything posted anywhere about observations after the 8th so wondering if it is a futile trip.
Thanks
Anne
Hi Anne, I have not heard anything to the contrary and assume that people are going up on weekends. It did seem quite settled but I will make some enquiries as I also plan to be there next week.
Sue
Just a quick update: the Citrine Wagtail was not sighted in the Putta Bucca wetlands yesterday despite efforts by a number of people. I will look again next week while in Mudgee but it may be gone --- killed or flown. However these small wetlands are still worth a visit if you are ever in the area. Sue
Well done Sue, a moment to treasure.
Paul
Kippa-ring, Qld.
Thanks Sue, I ducked out on the weekend and also had no luck. I ran in to a few people also searching with no luck. Oh well- a nice little birding trip anyway.
Hi everyone, thanks for all the comments. I thought that you might be interested to know the latest news. Just received notification that BARC has accepted my sighting of the Citrine Wagtail making it the fourth sighting in Australia. Definitely made my day. Sue
Nice one, Sue. It's amazing what you see when you get out in the freezing, biting gales, storms & maelstroms.
Awesome, it almost took a year!
Wow, good work
Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera
Should explain that the submission to BARC was only sent in February this year. Funny about those conditions as they did not keep people from journeying to view the bird... appparently it improved tourism in Mudgee and featured twice in the local newspaper... once for the sighting and then for the increased number of birders travelling from as far as WA. Hope it raised awareness of the importance of maintaining such areas. Sue