Christmas day birds

["martin butterfield" <>]

The day started with a flock of 20 superb parrots at Mt Rogers just up hill from the end of Avery Pl.  As we were heading off for a run I didn't have binos with me so can't give the demographics with certainty but most appeared to be females or young.

 

Later, going for a walk around Lake Ginninderra I found a male white-winged triller.  I recall there being some surprise thatry to film the bird on the nest but it  this species was recently found in the Belconnen Town Centre.  The specimen I saw carried food into a nest about 2.5m above the ground in a small plane tree near the Lake shore  - opposite Nature Conservancy House.  To me this suggests there were young in the nest but if so they were very quiet and I'll only claim an "on" record.  I returned later to try to film the bird on its nest but it wouldn't cooperate.  Instead it, and a female who had turned up, were busily engaged in swooping an Australian Magpie perched in another plane ttree.  The two trillers swooped with such vigour that the whoosh of their passage was clearly audible, as was the clack of the magpie's beak as it advised them that such activities were a health risk. After about 30 minutes I decided that there was enough stress around without me adding to it and left.  I did get a couple of semi-reasonable photos which I have attached for David to add to the Gallery if he so wishes.

 

There are still 11 nankeen night herons roosting in the casuarinas past McDermott Pl.

 

Martin

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