Br Falcon, Night Heron, D Firetail

Tharwa - Point Hut (Sun 16 Jan)

On my way to Tharwa Sandwash Reserve
yesterday I dropped in at Lanyon for a look at the dam. Sure enough a White-necked
Heron was there with 3 White-faced Herons among others. As I
was getting back into my car, all the birds were agitated and the starlings
flew into the air. A quick dark shape whizzed around the trees. Pretty
soon I had worked out it was most probably a very dark Brown Falcon,
as it sat perched atop a dying pine. I noticed the almost distinct lighter
edges to the primaries when it flew by. It then took off and a slower pace
heading west towards the Murrumbidgee. Lets say im 90% sure it was a Brown
Falcon although its tempting to think it may have been a Black Falcon.
What threw me was when perched it was almost horizontal, not vertical as
Brown Falcons do.

My next stop - Namadgi Visitors Centre
produced Leaden and Restless Flycatchers, Diamond Firetail,
White-winged Triller, Jacky Winter, Dusky Woodswallow and King-Parrot.
I also watched a Weebill give a very unusual call i havent heard
before - a long drawn out whistle.

At Tharwa Sandwash I ran into Lindsay
and Rhonda Hansch. We watched a young Brown Goshawk sitting quietly
across the river. Every so often it would call. For the time I was there
it didnt move from that spot and I never saw another bird feeding it. Other
birds seen here were Diamond Firetail, Rainbow Bee-eater, Dollarbird,
Rufous Songlark, Black-fronted Dotterel and Rufous Whistler.

Next stop was Point Hut Crossing and
the adjacent small ponds. In flowering Grevillea I watched at least
4 New Holland Honeyeaters feeding. I then flushed an adult Rufous
Night Heron from a Casuarina.
Several Rufous Whistlers were
around as well. In a suburban garden along the large Point Hut Pond I again
saw a New Holland Honeyeater and in Casuarina was another Rufous Whistler.

I finished off the day by dropping in
at Kelly's Swamp around 4.30pm for a look. I got a good look at a Brown
Goshawk. Other birds were a Kestrel and 6 Pink-eared Ducks.
The already mentioned 4 Royal Spoonbill
and 1 Shelduck. No sign of any sandpipers though. I also heard both
Little Grassbird and Golden-headed Cisticola calling.

Cheers
Marnix