I took a group to camp at Macarthurs Flat in Nattai National Park
(~70km SW of Sydney) on the weekend. Its an interesting spot with
some open areas and taller forest on the river flats which I guess
was formerly farmed. Forest on the ridges was fairly heavily burned,
I think a year ago but the valleys were less affected. I was kept too
busy to manage much birdwatching but I think I heard a Masked Owl.
Its certainly not a call I'm familiar with, but to my ear very similar
to the first track on the BOC CD. The bird was some distance back from
the river on the valley that Starlight's Trail comes down.
Also of interest were hundreds of emerging cicadas including one nymph
which crawled up my leg. Also around the camp site were 2 Greater
Gliders calling Boobooks and a Tawny Frogmouths.
A good night for frogs too - my daughter was very pleased because she
managed to locate one of many calling Litoria peroni. Its can be hard
to locate a calling frog with a torch even if you are older than 5.
I was more taken with bright yellow Litoria leseuri males sitting on
rocks around the river.
I was suprised at the diversity of the dawn chorus - which I listened
to lying my tent because I didn't want to risk waking my daughter.
I must go back with more time to look around.
Andrew Taylor
Birding-Aus is now on the Web at
www.birding-aus.org
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
