The first Great Killawarra Regent Hunt was conducted last weekend.
Participants were Jim Blackney, Eileen Collins, Cathy Costello, David
Geering, Anne & Ivan Goober, Glen Johnson (& offspring), Val Le May,
Marjory Paul, Phillip Seely & Steven Tucker. The aim of the weekend
was to survey the forest, a major Mugga Ironbark forest north of
Wangaratta, north-east Victoria, to help find some missing Regent
Honeyeaters at a location identified in the past as a "hot-spot" for
the species. The last reports of Regent Honeyeaters at Killawarra
was in 1996.
Weather was extremely kind to us with glorious warm sunshine and, being in
the forest, frost-free nights (down to minus 2 degrees in Wangaratta
I believe). The Mugga Ironbark was flowering, as was some Western
Grey Box, and all looked set for an excellent weekend, which it was.
The flowering had attracted more Little Friarbirds than I think I
have ever seen in my life. They were only outnumbered by Noisy
Friarbirds. There was nowhere in the forest that was not populated
by chattering hoards of friarbirds.
Nevertheless, we soldered on and saw some nice birds. Highlights were the
number of Swift Parrots in the forest, at least 100 in the camp area
alone. They were scattered across most of the sites searched. Also
seen was a Gilberts Whistler, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill (near its
range limit here?), Turquoise Parrot, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Speckled
Warbler and quite a few Hooded Robin. The latter actually could be
described as reasonably common and easy to find in many parts of the
forest.
Regent Honeyeaters? Yes, we did manage to find them. It was often like
looking for a needle in a (very noisy) haystack but we did see one
bird coming into a dam one afternoon and then saw a second in
roadside vegetation on the other side of the forest the next morning.
The number of birds coming in to drink at dams was tremendous. A couple of
dams watched had literally hundreds of small honeyeaters coming in
the bath and drink while others were dominated by friarbirds. I
recorded 29 species (including Regent Honeyeater) at and around "my"
dam in two hours without leaving the spot where I was sitting.
Species seen in the Killawarra forest itself follow. A further three
species were seen along roadsides just outside the forest. The next
Great Killawarra Regent Hunt will be conducted on the long weekend,
12-14 June. Further details from me.
David Geering
Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator
Killawarra State Forest - 23/04 to 25/04/99
Brown Goshawk
Collared Sparrowhawk
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Painted Button-quail
Common Bronzewing
Crested Pigeon nest with eggs
Peaceful Dove
Gang-gang Cockatoo
Galah
Musk Lorikeet
Little Lorikeet
Purple-crowned Lorikeet
Swift Parrot
Australian King-parrot
Crimson Rosella
Eastern Rosella
Red-rumped Parrot
Turquoise Parrot
Southern Boobook
Laughing Kookaburra
White-throated Tree-creeper
Brown Tree-creeper
Superb Fairy-wren
Striated Pardalote
Speckled Warbler
Speckled Warbler
Weebill
Brown Thornbill
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
Buff-rumped Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill
Red Wattlebird
Noisy Friarbird
Little Friarbird
Noisy Miner
Regent Honeyeater
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
White-eared Honeyeater
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater feeding newly fledged young
Fuscous Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
Black-chinned Honeyeater
Brown-headed Honeyeater
White-naped Honeyeater
Jacky Winter
Scarlet Robin
Hooded Robin
Eastern Yellow Robin
White-browed Babbler
Crested Shrike-tit
Golden Whistler
Gilberts Whistler
Grey Shrike-thrush
Restless Flycatcher
Magpie-lark
Grey Fantail
Willie Wagtail
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
Olive-backed Oriole
White-browed Woodswallow
Dusky Woodswallow
Grey Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Australian Raven
White-winged Chough
Mistletoebird
Welcome Swallow
Tree Martin
Silvereye
Birds seen outside the forest:
Australian Wood Duck
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
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