Since arriving in Melbourne in January last year I have been promising
myself a trip to "The Mallee". Having done next to no birding in mallee
(the exception being a couple of visits to West Wyalong) there was an
almost certain likelihood of seeing some species that I hadn't previously
encountered. Also a chance to do some serious atlassing.
Contacting the Atlas folk, I received a print-out of where atlas sheets had
been lodged for the area. Was surprised at the large gaps in many places,
particularly along the main highways. People to busy getting to their
final destination perhaps. Mind you, looking at the maps before hand it
was also obvious that there is precious little in the way of remnant
vegetation left in these areas. I marked the location of the small Flora &
Fauna Reserves, and other obvious remnants, on my maps with a view of
atlassing these on my way up the Calder Highway and back along the
Sunraysia Highway.
Spent all day Saturday and Sunday morning in Hattah-Kulyne National Park
and Sunday afternoon and Monday morning at Pink Lakes in Murray Sunset
National Park. A list of 141 species was compiled from Charlton to Donald
- the first and last sites where I stopped to atlas.
As has been pointed out, it is a bumper year for birds in this part of the
world. Highlights included:
first Budgerigars south of Culgoa, last seen just north of Donald.
Common in most areas, generally feeding on spinfex in mallee. Recorded
during about three quarters of atlas surveys.
Cockateil common, south to near Bendigo
Mulga Parrots common in Hattah and Pink Lakes
Yellow Rosella common at Hattah Lakes
Blue Bonnets at Pink Lakes
Regent Parrot (new for me) at Hattah
Blue-winged Parrot (new for me) at Pink Lakes (common) and Marlbed Flora
& Fauna Reserve
Major Mitchell Pink Cockatoo at Hattah and Pink Lakes (common at the
latter)
Banded Stilt at Lake Mournpall, Hattah
Black-tailed Native Hen at Green Lake, near town of Sea Lake
Black-eared Cuckoo at Hattah and Pink Lakes
Red-backed Kingfisher at Hattah and Pink Lakes
White-backed Swallow at several locations, breeding near Mittyack
Gilberts Whistler several places in Timberoo Fauna & Flora Reserve
south-west of Ouyen
White-winged Fairy-wren at Lake Tyrrell
Splendid Fairy-wren common throughout mallee
Mallee Emu-wren (new for me - very hard work) at Hattah
Chestnut Quail-thrush (new for me) at Hattah and Pink Lakes
Rufous Calamathus (new for me) Lake Tyrrell
Crimson Chat throughout mallee, most common Pink Lakes
Orange Chat at Lake Tyrrell and Pink Lakes
Black Honeyeater at Hattah
White-fronted Honeyeaters common throughout mallee
immense numbers of White-browed and Masked Woodswallows.
I obviously missed a few mallee species that would have been nice -
Striated Grass-wren and Southern Scrub-robin - but theres always next time.
What was very interested was an obvious association of Budgerigars with the
woodswallows. The Budgies were only seen with the woodswallows. Near
Culgoa, I was scanning a passing, very high, flock of woodswallows for
Masked when the binoculars settled on a circling flock of about 70 budgies
flying with the woodswallows. I watched these circle with the woodswallows
as they moved off to the south. Not the way one expects Budgies to travel.
Also of interest was the lack of small birds in areas used by flocks of
woodswallows. This was consistently noticeable. Once you moved away from
the woodswallows I started to see Weebills, thornbills and robins
(Red-capped were very common) and the like. It seemed that the woodswallow
were excluding these small birds, the exceptions were the honeyeaters.
David Geering
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