Dear Birding-aus-ites
A NSW Field ornithologists' 50th birthday party at Goolloinboin in the
Capertee Valley (north of Lithgow, NSW), last weekend, incorporated RHE and
SP searches. Swifties were found on the sealed road about 15 kms (the usual
place - for those who know the valley) from the entry to the valley from
Capertee Village (15+ on Friday 21st May at 1.30 pm and 6 on Sunday 23 at
3.30 pm by Stuart Fairbairn and me). The first sightings were in white box
eating lerps, or pairs/small groups sitting quietly in white-box chatting
to each other, the second group of 6 in a small patch of white box flower
taking nectar.
There were two other possible sightings but the birds flew through too fast
for confirmatory viewing although calls were idenfied as Swifts, the 1st on
a property on Port Macquarie Road (off the Glen Alice/Rylestone Road) on
the 22nd (Stuart Fairbairn/Cindy Ryan/Harry Roberts/me) and the 2nd in Red
Rock Creek on 23rd (Andy Burton).
One RHE was seen at dusk in tall white box (no flowers) on Friday 21st near
Grove Cottage on Goollooinboin. Too distant and bad light to see if it was
banded. No others sighted anywhere. BUT Andy Burton was staying on another
day so may come in with additional sightings.
Forms will follow to David Geering/Simon Kennedy.
Other birds seen were the "usuals" - Hooded Robins, Red-capped Robins,
Speckled Warblers, Plum-headed, Zebra, Diamond, Double-barred, Red-browed
finches, Striped, Brown-headed, Black-chinned, Yellow-tufted, Yellow-faced,
White-plumed, Fuscous, White-naped honeyeaters, a few Little Lorikeets,
King Parrots, Varied Sitellas, Crested Shrike-tits, Gang-Gangs, a large
flock of about 70 White-winged Choughs, Azure Kingfisher and many more, but
no quails or button-quails, owls, Turqouise parrots or Glossy-black
Cockatoos. Owlet Nightjar heard at the cottage Friday 21st May.
The valley is getting very dry again and there is little in flower - the
odd white-box and ironbark. Mistletoe in the Casuarina cunninghamiana along
the river is just beginning to open but most won't be in good flower for
(here's a dangerous guess) for another two months or so.
David - there is a bit of pink flowering E. sideroxylon on Yvonne and
Lianne's property on Port Macquarie Road, which was being utilised mainly
by Fuscous and White-plumed, with a Red Wattlebird and Yellow-tufted nearby.
Penny
To unsubscribe from this list, please send a message to
Include ONLY "unsubscribe birding-aus" in the message body (without the
quotes)
|
