It seems most likely that the Grey-headed Grasswren seen 32km.west
of Birdsville on and next to the "Big Red" sand dune over Easter was a
STRIATED GRASSWREN.
Striateds are the most widespread of Grasswrens, with marked
geographic variation, three subspecies, ssp striatus occurring in spinifex
on dunes and interdunes in Central Australia according to HANZAB. A 1984
Atlas record of Striated Grasswren from east Simpson Desert (? the HANZAB
record between Birdsville and Betoota) has been discounted by Shodde as a
misidentification of Eyrean Grasswren ( Directory of Australian Birds).
The two birds watched by me for twenty minutes were not Eyrean
Grasswrens as described, depicted or photographed in nine guides and
reference books accessible to me, (Nat. Photo. Index, Readers Digest Photo.
Field Guide, R.D.Complete Book of Australian Birds, Trounson, Pizzey,
Morcombe, Slater, Simpson & Day, and HANZAB) .
Both had grey heads and and backs of neck, their bills were not
noticably large. The leading bird looked most like the photo of Striated
Grasswren in Trounson, obvious rufous dorsum of tail, not so rufous on back,
but with more extensive and pronounced grey on head and neck and
inconspicuous whisker. The second was very similar to several pictures of
ssp. whitei, eg in Morcombe; very rufous body, tail, flanks, but greyer head
than depicted, extending down back of neck. Also no obvious whisker.
Although Eyrean Grasswrens do forage away from their canegrass habitat
according to HANZAB, the prolonged, 10min+, feeding out in the open on the
sand of the swale despite being aware of my presence 20-30m away appears to
be more typical of Striated Grasswrens.
The spinifex on the swale and lower dune was thin, dead and degraded, not
looking like a good roosting site for Grasswrens, particularly as Penny saw
a large cat was stalking something in one of the spinifex clumps, possibly a
lizard. Cat prints were on parts of the dune, but most of the canegrass on
top of the dune would have been impenetrable to cats.
Penny had a good 5-10 second look from 5m at another Grasswren in a
different area 100m away, on top of the dune which from her description of
it being all rufous was more typical of an Eyrean.
Any comments?
Cheers
Michael
Michael Hunter
Mulgoa Valley
50km west of Sydney Harbour Bridge
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