Received a very welcome phone call from Dave Thompson of Wollongong the
week before last about Regent Honeyeaters located on a property along the
Wollondilly River (south-west of Sydney, west of Mittagong) on 3 December.
At least eight birds, including juveniles, were feeding in a Silky Oak.
Apparently the owners of the property say this is a regular occurrence. On
Monday 10 December I was able to have a look with Dave and fellow
Wollongong birder Laurie. Unfortuneately things were fairly quiet. A
week earlier the Silky Oak was dripping with nectar and full of Noisy
Friarbirds, White-plumed Honeyeaters and, naturally, Regent Honeyeaters.
On my visit the flowers were dry and only 2 friarbirds, 2 white-plumes and
1 seemingly lonely juvenile Regent were seen.
Nevertheless, the trip allowed me to have a look at the site. Clearly the
Regents had bred at the site. The juvenile had probably fledged 3-4 weeks
earlier. The river was lined with River Oak full of Needle-leaved
Mistletoe (a major nectar source for Regents in the Capertee Valley).
Would certainly be worth a look next September in the breeding season.
Despite the fact that the Regents had shot through over 60 species of bird
were seen. A highlight was undoubtedly a White-bellied Sea-eagle, perhaps
wandering down from nearby Burragorang Dam. The Bee-eaters were
delightful. Seen at close quarters in the most glorious light. They were
in no danger of starving to death, being seen eating all manner of things
including large dragonflies and, in one instance, a cicada that was almost
the undoing of one particular bee-eater. It took a number of attempts
over what had to be a 15 minute period to batter the cicada into a state
that could be swallowed and even then only after an aborted attempt during
which the bird just couldn't quite get it down.
Hal W. This is your old stomping ground. The birds were near the
Naturists Resort, but behind a locked gate.
Cheers
David
David Geering
Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator
NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 2111
Dubbo NSW 2830
Ph: 02 6883 5335 or Freecall 1800 621 056
Fax: 02 6884 9382
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