Thinking About Birds

I trained as a scientist (PhD then post-docs in chemistry) and then I worked in industrial R&D for more than 30 years. So, it’s part of my psyche to record data and then try to interpret based on what I've recorded plus all prior knowledge. For more than 20 years now, I've been doing that for birds especially the birds of the Hunter Region. In 1993 I started producing the Hunter Region annual Bird Reports on behalf of Hunter Bird Observers Club. About a decade later, I started getting serious about my personal bird study projects.

The links below will take you to details of the papers and reports I've written or co-authored. For information about the Hunter Region annual bird reports click here.

Papers

Stuart, A. (2005). Survey of the Shorebirds of Port Stephens, February 2004. Stilt 47: 20-25
Stuart, A. (2007). Surveys of the Waterbirds of Port Stephens, 2004-2006. The Whistler 1: 16-20
Stuart, A. (2008). Birds of the Timor Caves Area. Chapter 7 in “Timor Caves. Hunter Valley New South Wales”, Newcastle & Hunter Valley Speleological Society, Rutledge, J. et al. (Eds).
Stuart, A. (2008). A Preliminary Assessment of the Importance of the Manning River for Shorebirds and Other Waterbirds. The Whistler 2: 13-19
Stuart, A. (2008). Bird Surveys of the Timor Caves Area 2005-2006. The Whistler 2: 44-48
Stuart, A. (2009). Early Hunter Region Avian Records. Part 1. 1901 - 1925 Articles in The Emu. The Whistler 3: 40-51
Stuart, A and Newling, G. (2009). Notes on an old Upper Hunter egg collection. The Whistler 3: 52
Stuart, A. (2009). Shorebird prey item for Eastern Osprey. The Whistler 3: 57
Stuart, A. (2010). Australian Pied Oystercatchers Haematopus longirostris in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Stilt 57: 18-20
Roderick, M. and Stuart, A. (2010). The status of threatened bird species in the Hunter Region. The Whistler 4: 1-28
Newman, M., Martin, I., Graham, E., Stuart, A., Struik, P. and Lindsey, A. (2010). Distribution of threatened bird species in the Hunter Region (1998-2009). The Whistler 4: 29-53
Newman, M. and Stuart A. (2011). Monitoring the Rufous Scrub-bird in the Barrington Tops and Gloucester Tops IBA – a pilot study. The Whistler 5: 19-27
Stuart, A. (2011). Seabirds of the Hunter Region. The Whistler 5: 45-50
Stuart, A. (2011). Robbing behaviour by Australian Pelicans. The Whistler 5: 58
Stuart, A. (2011). Shorebird Surveys at Port Stephens, New South Wales 2004-2011 and Comparisons with Results from Previous Surveys. Stilt 60: 14-21
Stuart, A., Newman, M., Struik, P. and Martin, I. (2012). Development of a non-intrusive method for investigating the calling patterns of Rufous Scrub-birds. The Whistler 6: 24-34
Stuart, A., Crisp B. And Crisp, G. (2012). Atypical habitat for an Australian Pelican colony. The Whistler 6: 57-58
Stuart, A. (2013). Early Hunter Region avian records. Part 2. 1925 - 1950 Articles in The Emu. The Whistler 7: 20-33
Wooding, L. and Stuart, A. (2013). Initial findings from a study of Grey-Tailed Tattlers in Port Stephen. The Whistler 7: 38-43
Stuart, A. (2013). Scarlet Honeyeaters Taking Shelter. The Whistler 7: 57
Stuart, A. et al. (2013). Hunter Estuary Population Counts 1999-2010. Stilt 63-64: 46-49
Newman, M., Stuart, A. and Hill, F. (2014). Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens monitoring at the extremities of the species’ range in New South Wales (2010–2012). Australian Field Ornithology 31: 77-98
Stuart, A. (2014). Manning Estuary Population Counts 2008-2013. Stilt 65: 38-40
Stuart, A. (2014). Early Hunter Region avian records. Part 3. A review of historical data about shorebirds in the Hunter Estuary. The Whistler 8: 10-22
Stuart, A., Wooding, L. and Takurou, H. (2015). Nocturnal foraging by Grey-tailed Tattlers Tringa brevipes. Stilt 67: 28-30
Stuart, A. (2015). Bird Surveys in Saltwater National Park. The Whistler 9: 56-60.
Stuart, A (2016). Do Black-necked Storks breed in the Hunter Valley? A comment on Clancy and Kingsford (2015). Australian Field Ornithology 33: 40
Stuart, A. (2016). Records of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers Calidris acuminata in the Hunter estuary, New South Wales. Stilt 68: 18-21
Williams, D. and Stuart, A. (2016). Insights in Hunter Region birdlife using data from the BirdLife Australia Atlas project. The Whistler 10: 13-18
Stuart, A. and Williams, D. (2016). Rose Robins in the Hunter Region. The Whistler 10: 19-23
Roderick, M. and Stuart, A. (2016). Threatened species of the Hunter Region. 2016 update. The Whistler 10: 33-49
Stuart, A. (2016). Raptors of estuarine Port Stephens. The Whistler 10: 57-58
Stuart, A. (2017). Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae in the Hunter Estuary of New South Wales. Stilt 71: 3-8
Stuart, A., Clarke, T., van Gessel, F., Little, G., Fraser, N. and Richardson, A. (2017). Results from surveys for terrestrial birds on Broughton Island, 2012-2016. The Whistler 11: 46-53
Stuart, A. (2017). Comparison of two ephemeral wetlands in the lower Manning Valley. The Whistler 11: 54-56
Stuart, A. and Newman, M. (2018). Rufous Scrub-birds Atrichornis rufescens in the Gloucester Tops of New South Wales: findings from surveys in 2010-2016. Australian Field Ornithology 35: 13-20.
Stuart, A. and Newman, M. (2018). Spring bird communities of a high altitude area of the Gloucester Tops, New South Wales. Australian Field Ornithology 35: 21-29.
Stuart, A. (2018). Sizes of some Rufous Scrub-bird singing areas in the Gloucester Tops. Australian Field Ornithology 35: 107-110.
Stuart, A. (2018). Early Hunter Region avian records. Part 4. 1951-1980 Articles in The Emu. The Whistler 12: 27-34.
Stuart, A. (2018). Does the Black-headed Pardalote occur in the Hunter Region? The Whistler 12: 59-60.
Fraser, N. and Stuart, A. (2018). Some recent breeding observations of threatened shorebird species in Port Stephens. The Whistler 12: 61-62.
Stuart, A. and O'Leary, M. (2019). A method for investigating Rufous Scrub-birds using automated recording and rapid, semi-automated data analysis. Corella 43: 57-64.
Stuart, A. (2019). Cattle Egret colony at Cundletown NSW. The Whistler 13: 16.
Stuart, A. and Newman, M. (2019). Spring bird surveys in the Gloucester Tops. The Whistler 13: 26-34.
Stuart, A. (2019). Occupancy at two Rufous Scrub-bird territories in the Gloucester Tops. The Whistler 13: 35-37.
Stuart, A. (2019). Recent high counts of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in the Hunter Estuary. The Whistler 13: 56-61.
Stuart, A. (2020). Rufous Scrub-bird population trend in the Gloucester Tops: results from 2010-2019 monitoring program. The Whistler 14: 28-34.
Little, G., Little, J., Kyte, R. and Stuart, A. (2020). Silvereye subspecies on Broughton Island, New South Wales. Corella 44: 38-43.
Stuart, A. (2020). Port Stephens shorebirds and waterbird surveys 2004-2020. The Whistler 14: 54-69.
Stuart, A. (2021). Passerines on Broughton Island. The Whistler 15: 45-52.
O'Leary, M. and Stuart, A. (2021). The singing behaviour of male Rufous Scrub-birds in the NSW Gloucester Tops. Corella 45: 23-29.
Stuart A., Newman, O.M.G., Ehmke G. and Garnett, S.T. (2021). Southern Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens ferrieri. In The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020. (Eds S.T. Garnett and G.B. Baker) pp 474-477. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. No PDF available.
Lindsey, A. and Stuart, A. (2021). Hunter Estuary surveys: Results for large waterbirds. The Whistler 15: 78-96.
Stuart, A. and Lindsey, A. (2021). Shorebird surveys in the Hunter Estuary of New South Wales 1999-2021. Stilt 76: 47-63.
Stuart, A., O'Leary, M. and Stuart, R. (2022). What time of day does a Rufous Scrub-bird sing? The Whistler 16: 3-6.
Kyte, R. and Stuart, A. (2022). Kyte, R. and Stuart, A. (2022). Rufous Scrub-bird studies: an assessment of the feasibility of capturing, colour-banding and resighting scrub-birds. The Whistler 16: 9-14.
Stuart, A. and Lindsey, A. (2022). Hunter Estuary surveys: results for waterfowl, grebes, crakes, rails and gallinules. The Whistler 16: 15-35.
Little, G. and Stuart A. (2022). Banding studies on Broughton Island: overview of 2017-2022 results. The Whistler 16: 74-79.
Stuart, A. (2023). A trial of the use of motion-activated cameras to study Rufous Scrub-bird behaviour. Corella 47: 1-7.
Stuart, A. (2023). Noisy Miner and other species taking processed sugar packets. The Whistler 17: 46-49.
Stuart, A. and Clarke, T. (2023). The first confirmed modern record for Pycroft’s Petrel in Australia. The Whistler 17: 50-53.
Stuart, A., Clarke, T. and Callaghan, S. (2023). A five-year study of the use by Gould's Petrel of artificial nest boxes on Broughton Island, New South Wales. The Whistler 17: 75-83.
Stuart, A., Leitch, V. and Zimmerman, R. (2023). Unusual prey item for Australian White Ibis: Longfin Eel. The Whistler 17: 102-103.
Lindsey, A. and Stuart, A. (2023). The status of gull and tern species in the Hunter Estuary. Stilt 77: pp (the final version is not yet available)

Reports

Talks

Birds of the Manning Estuary Shoreline (June 2011, presented at a community forum in Harrington)
Waterbirds of Port Stephens (March 2017, presented in Salamander Bay as part of a Port Stephens coastal ecology course). I gave this talk every year in 2014-2017, with minor updating each time.
Shorebirds and tattlers (May 2014, presented to several Japanese bird clubs/communities, with some tailoring on each occasion)
Birds of the Manning (July 2014, presented at an HBOC meeting)
Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens Monitoring at the Extremities of the Species' Range in NSW 2010-2013 (July 2014, authors: Mike Newman, Alan Stuart & Faye Hill; presented by Mike Newman at BirdLife Australia's IBA Symposium in Sydney).
IBA Monitoring in the Hunter Region (July 2014, presented at BirdLife Australia's IBA Symposium, Sydney).
Grey-tailed Tattlers. A fresh look at a common shorebird. (September 2014, authors: Alan Stuart & Lois Wooding, presented at the 2014 Australian Shorebirds Conference, Darwin and later awarded as the best paper at the Conference). Abstract Presentation Award
Educating people using Hunter Region data. (April 2016, presented in Sydney to local and visiting birdwatchers, at the NSW BIGnet meeting).
The importance of Port Stephens for shorebirds. (May 2016, presented in Salamander Bay as part of the Port Stephens Marine Discovery series).
Birds of the Gloucester Tops. (June 2016, presented at an HBOC meeting).
Birds and Gardens and Birdwatching. (June 2016, presented to the Wyong Garden Club).
What have we learned after seven years of Rufous Scrub-bird surveys? (March 2017, presented in Sydney at the BirdLife Southern NSW Branch AGM).
Strategies for monitoring Key Biodiversity Areas in the Hunter Region (March 2017, presented in Sydney at the BirdLife Southern NSW Branch AGM).
Red-necked Avocets in the Hunter Estuary (July 2017, presented at an HBOC meeting).
An altitudinal study of birds in the Gloucester Tops (November 2017, authors: Alan Stuart & Mike Newman, presented in Geelong at the Australasian Ornithological Conference).
Status of Rufous Scrub-birds in the Gloucester Tops (November 2017, authors: Mike Newman & Alan Stuart, presented by Mike Newman in Geelong at the Australasian Ornithological Conference).
Birds of the Mid Coast shorelines. (April 2018, presented as part of the Mid Coast Council /Hunter Local Land Services 2018 Marine Discovery series - 17 April at Old Bar, 18 April at Hawks Nest).
Investigating Rufous Scrub-birds (June 2018, presented in Albany to DPAW staff and the general public).
What do we know about Rufous Scrub-birds? (September 2018, presented in Newcastle to local and visiting birdwatchers, at the NSW BIGnet meeting).
Some endemic birds of Sri Lanka (September 2018, presented at an HBOC meeting).
Rufous Scrub-birds in the Gloucester Tops (March 2019, presented in Newcastle at the Australian Bird Study Association Conference).
Importance of Port Stephens for shorebirds (May 2019, presented at a community forum in Karuah)
Investigating Rufous Scrub-birds in the NSW Gloucester Tops (July 2019, Australasian Ornithological Conference, Darwin).
Birds of the Gloucester Tops (October 2019, presented at a community forum in Gloucester)
All change for Broughton Island (October 2020, presented at an HBOC meeting. A slightly tweaked version of the talk was presented in February 2022 to the Birding NSW Central Coast branch).
Scrub-bird Secrets (February 2021, presented at an HBOC meeting).
Winners and losers in the Hunter estuary habitat changes (February 2022, Australasian Ornithological Conference, an on-line conference. The talk was also presented in April 2022 at the AGM of BirdLife Southern NSW Branch).
How good's the Hunter Estuary! (April 2022, presented at an HBOC meeting).
Getting to know Rufous Scrub-birds (February 2023, presented to a meeting of the Birding NSW Central Coast branch; also presented in September 2023 to the NSW Bird Forum, an event at the Shortland Wetlands Centre, hosted by HBOC).

Newspaper Articles

There are more pre-2010 articles to be added (if I ever get around to it)

Papers

Stuart, A. (2014). Early Hunter Region avian records. Part 3. A review of historical data about shorebirds in the Hunter Estuary. The Whistler 8: 10-22

Stuart, A., Wooding, L. and Takurou, H. (2015). Nocturnal foraging by Grey-tailed Tattlers Tringa brevipes. Stilt 67: 28-30

Stuart, A. (2015). Bird Surveys in Saltwater National Park. The Whistler 9: 56-60.

Stuart, A (2016). Do Black-necked Storks breed in the Hunter Valley? A comment on Clancy and Kingsford (2015). Australian Field Ornithology 33: 40

Stuart, A. (2016). Records of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers Calidris acuminata in the Hunter estuary, New South Wales. Stilt 68: 18-21

Williams, D. and Stuart, A. (2016). Insights in Hunter Region birdlife using data from the BirdLife Australia Atlas project. The Whistler 10: 13-18

Stuart, A. and Williams, D. (2016). Rose Robins in the Hunter Region. The Whistler 10: 19-23

Roderick, M. and Stuart, A. (2016). Threatened species of the Hunter Region. 2016 update. The Whistler 10: 33-49

Stuart, A. (2016). Raptors of estuarine Port Stephens. The Whistler 10: 57-58

Stuart, A. (2017). Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae in the Hunter Estuary of New South Wales. Stilt 71: 3-8

Stuart, A., Clarke, T., van Gessel, F., Little, G., Fraser, N. and Richardson, A. (2017). Results from surveys for terrestrial birds on Broughton Island, 2012-2016. The Whistler 11: 46-53

Stuart, A. (2017). Comparison of two ephemeral wetlands in the lower Manning Valley. The Whistler 11: 54-56

Stuart, A. and Newman, M. (2018). Rufous Scrub-birds Atrichornis rufescens in the Gloucester Tops of New South Wales: findings from surveys in 2010-2016. Australian Field Ornithology 35: 13-20.

Stuart, A. and Newman, M. (2018). Spring bird communities of a high altitude area of the Gloucester Tops, New South Wales. Australian Field Ornithology 35: 21-29.

Stuart, A. (2018). Sizes of some Rufous Scrub-bird singing areas in the Gloucester Tops. Australian Field Ornithology 35: 107-110.

Stuart, A. (2018). Early Hunter Region avian records. Part 4. 1951-1980 Articles in The Emu. The Whistler 12: 27-34.

Stuart, A. (2018). Does the Black-headed Pardalote occur in the Hunter Region? The Whistler 12: 59-60.

Fraser, N. and Stuart, A. (2018). Some recent breeding observations of threatened shorebird species in Port Stephens. The Whistler 12: 61-62.

Stuart, A. and O'Leary, M. (2019). A method for investigating Rufous Scrub-birds using automated recording and rapid, semi-automated data analysis. Corella 43: 57-64.

Stuart, A. (2019). Cattle Egret colony at Cundletown NSW. The Whistler 13: 16.

Stuart, A. and Newman, M. (2019). Spring bird surveys in the Gloucester Tops. The Whistler 13: 26-34.

Stuart, A. (2019). Occupancy at two Rufous Scrub-bird territories in the Gloucester Tops. The Whistler 13: 35-37.

Stuart, A. (2019). Recent high counts of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in the Hunter Estuary. The Whistler 13: 56-61.

Stuart, A. (2020). Rufous Scrub-bird population trend in the Gloucester Tops: results from 2010-2019 monitoring program. The Whistler 14: 28-34.

Little, G., Little, J., Kyte, R. and Stuart, A. (2020). Silvereye subspecies on Broughton Island, New South Wales. Corella 44: 38-43.

Stuart, A. (2020). Port Stephens shorebirds and waterbird surveys 2004-2020. The Whistler 14: 54-69.

Stuart, A. (2021). Passerines on Broughton Island. The Whistler 15: 45-52.

O'Leary, M. and Stuart, A. (2021). The singing behaviour of male Rufous Scrub-birds in the NSW Gloucester Tops. Corella 45: 23-29.

Stuart A., Newman, O.M.G., Ehmke G. and Garnett, S.T. (2021). Southern Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens ferrieri. In The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020. (Eds S.T. Garnett and G.B. Baker) pp 474-477. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. No PDF available.

Lindsey, A. and Stuart, A. (2021). Hunter Estuary surveys: Results for large waterbirds. The Whistler 15: 78-96.

Stuart, A. and Lindsey, A. (2021). Shorebird surveys in the Hunter Estuary of New South Wales 1999-2021. Stilt 76: 47-63.

Stuart, A., O'Leary, M. and Stuart, R. (2022). What time of day does a Rufous Scrub-bird sing? The Whistler 16: 3-6.

Kyte, R. and Stuart, A. (2022). Kyte, R. and Stuart, A. (2022). Rufous Scrub-bird studies: an assessment of the feasibility of capturing, colour-banding and resighting scrub-birds. The Whistler 16: 9-14.

Stuart, A. and Lindsey, A. (2022). Hunter Estuary surveys: results for waterfowl, grebes, crakes, rails and gallinules. The Whistler 16: 15-35.

Little, G. and Stuart A. (2022). Banding studies on Broughton Island: overview of 2017-2022 results. The Whistler 16: 74-79.

Stuart, A. (2023). A trial of the use of motion-activated cameras to study Rufous Scrub-bird behaviour. Corella 47: 1-7.

Stuart, A. (2023). Noisy Miner and other species taking processed sugar packets. The Whistler 17: 46-49.

Stuart, A. and Clarke, T. (2023). The first confirmed modern record for Pycroft’s Petrel in Australia. The Whistler 17: 50-53.

Stuart, A., Clarke, T. and Callaghan, S. (2023). A five-year study of the use by Gould's Petrel of artificial nest boxes on Broughton Island, New South Wales. The Whistler 17: 75-83.

Stuart, A., Leitch, V. and Zimmerman, R. (2023). Unusual prey item for Australian White Ibis: Longfin Eel. The Whistler 17: 102-103.

Lindsey, A. and Stuart, A. (2023). The status of gull and tern species in the Hunter Estuary. Stilt 77: pp (the final version is not yet available)

Reports

Stuart, A. (2014). Shorebird Records for the Hunter Estuary prior to 1999. Hunter Bird Observers Club Special Report #8

Stuart, A. (2020). Bird studies on Broughton Island 2017-2020. Hunter Bird Observers Club Special Report #9

Talks

Birds of the Manning Estuary Shoreline (June 2011, presented at a community forum in Harrington)

Waterbirds of Port Stephens (March 2017, presented in Salamander Bay as part of a Port Stephens coastal ecology course). I gave this talk every year in 2014-2017, with minor updating each time.

Shorebirds and tattlers (May 2014, presented to several Japanese bird clubs/communities, with some tailoring on each occasion)

Birds of the Manning (July 2014, presented at an HBOC meeting)

Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens Monitoring at the Extremities of the Species' Range in NSW 2010-2013 (July 2014, authors: Mike Newman, Alan Stuart & Faye Hill; presented by Mike Newman at BirdLife Australia's IBA Symposium in Sydney).

IBA Monitoring in the Hunter Region (July 2014, presented at BirdLife Australia's IBA Symposium, Sydney).

Grey-tailed Tattlers. A fresh look at a common shorebird. (September 2014, authors: Alan Stuart & Lois Wooding, presented at the 2014 Australian Shorebirds Conference, Darwin and later awarded as the best paper at the Conference). Abstract Presentation Award

Educating people using Hunter Region data. (April 2016, presented in Sydney to local and visiting birdwatchers, at the NSW BIGnet meeting).

The importance of Port Stephens for shorebirds. (May 2016, presented in Salamander Bay as part of the Port Stephens Marine Discovery series).

Birds of the Gloucester Tops. (June 2016, presented at an HBOC meeting).

Birds and Gardens and Birdwatching. (June 2016, presented to the Wyong Garden Club).

What have we learned after seven years of Rufous Scrub-bird surveys? (March 2017, presented in Sydney at the BirdLife Southern NSW Branch AGM).

Strategies for monitoring Key Biodiversity Areas in the Hunter Region (March 2017, presented in Sydney at the BirdLife Southern NSW Branch AGM).

Red-necked Avocets in the Hunter Estuary (July 2017, presented at an HBOC meeting).

An altitudinal study of birds in the Gloucester Tops (November 2017, authors: Alan Stuart & Mike Newman, presented in Geelong at the Australasian Ornithological Conference).

Status of Rufous Scrub-birds in the Gloucester Tops (November 2017, authors: Mike Newman & Alan Stuart, presented by Mike Newman in Geelong at the Australasian Ornithological Conference).

Birds of the Mid Coast shorelines. (April 2018, presented as part of the Mid Coast Council /Hunter Local Land Services 2018 Marine Discovery series - 17 April at Old Bar, 18 April at Hawks Nest).

Investigating Rufous Scrub-birds (June 2018, presented in Albany to DPAW staff and the general public).

What do we know about Rufous Scrub-birds? (September 2018, presented in Newcastle to local and visiting birdwatchers, at the NSW BIGnet meeting).

Some endemic birds of Sri Lanka (September 2018, presented at an HBOC meeting).

Rufous Scrub-birds in the Gloucester Tops (March 2019, presented in Newcastle at the Australian Bird Study Association Conference).

Importance of Port Stephens for shorebirds (May 2019, presented at a community forum in Karuah)

Investigating Rufous Scrub-birds in the NSW Gloucester Tops (July 2019, Australasian Ornithological Conference, Darwin).

Birds of the Gloucester Tops (October 2019, presented at a community forum in Gloucester)

All change for Broughton Island (October 2020, presented at an HBOC meeting. A slightly tweaked version of the talk was presented in February 2022 to the Birding NSW Central Coast branch).

Scrub-bird Secrets (February 2021, presented at an HBOC meeting).

Winners and losers in the Hunter estuary habitat changes (February 2022, Australasian Ornithological Conference, an on-line conference. The talk was also presented in April 2022 at the AGM of BirdLife Southern NSW Branch).

How good's the Hunter Estuary! (April 2022, presented at an HBOC meeting).

Getting to know Rufous Scrub-birds (February 2023, presented to a meeting of the Birding NSW Central Coast branch; also presented in September 2023 to the NSW Bird Forum, an event at the Shortland Wetlands Centre, hosted by HBOC).

Newspaper Articles

Dungog Chronicle 8 Sep 2014 (original of the article is here)