Scheyville NP (65 km NW of Sydney CBD) - 26th Dec 04

[Andy Burton <>]

Hi Edwin,

your report of the Pheasant Coucals in the shale country is interesting. I wonder if they are starting to spread more widely around the outskirts of Sydney.  I recently had  a  report of a bird at Fox Valley, near to the hospital. From there it is only a hop, skip and a flutter down the Lane Cove Valley to home and a new house tick.

There is strong circumstantial evidence that the Fox baiting that has occurred in northern Sydney has led to a rapid increase in some species. Our local Bandicoot population appears to have exploded in the past three years and this is coincident with the rapid increase in Brush-turkey numbers. The Fox baiting commenced about four years ago. Coucals would probably make excellent Fox prey.

Perhaps AKM has more info. on the present distribution of Sydney's Coucals and whether it is changing..

Any ideas Alan?

Andy

> This
> morning, David Mitford, David Koffel and myself spent a few hours this
> morning at Scheyville NP in the hope of tracking down a pair of
> Red-chested Buttonquail seen there before Christmas. We saw no
> platelets and had no luck in finding it but we saw/heard a good
> variety of woodland birds including 2 Musk Lorikeets; Peaceful Doves;
> Pheasant Coucals (calling repeatedly throughout the morning);
> Fan-tailed and Shining Bronze-cuckoos; Jacky Winter; a pair Crested
> Shrike-tits; numerous Rufous Whistlers (lots of young birds. Just
> squeak and watch them all come around); Leaden Flycatchers; Variegated
> Wrens (3 adult males and a female); Buff-rumped Thornbill;
> White-throated Gerygones; Varied Sitellas; Double-barred Finches;
> Noisy Friarbirds; White-eared, Brown-headed and Scarlet Honeyeaters;
> Olive-backed Orioles and Dusky Woodswallows. The place appeared to be
> alive with birds!
>  
> The Pheasant
> Coucal is not typical bird of the dry shale country/Cumberland Plain
> Woodland (more so found in the coastal areas around Sydney where there
> is dense undergrowth like Narrabeen, Kur-ring-gai Chase NP, Red Hill,
> Cronulla area and Royal NP or along the Hawkesbury River) so its
> presence at Scheyville is quite interesting. Prospect Reservoir near
> Blacktown is another locality where it also has recently occurred in
> shale Country in Sydney. Also not typical of this habitat is the
> Variegated Wrens and White-eared Honeyeater.
>  
> Edwin
> Vella

-- 

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ROSEVILLE
NSW  2069

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