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If any subscriber to this list is interested there are still a couple of
vacant spots for the proposed trip to Goulburn on Saturday - details
follow. It will be an early start for the bush birds but if you are
interested in the sewage farm only a time and meeting place can be arranged for
the afternoon (around 2 pm).
Jack Holland.
A number of COG members will be visiting Goulburn
on Saturday 26 November, to lead beginners bird walks for the Goulburn
Field Naturalists. Places we propose to visit again are the lovely
woodland at Kenmore Dam (with lots of orchids at the moment), the
nearby Kenmore Quarry and Wollondilly River, and the Gorman
Road Sewage ponds to look at waterbirds. There are limited
opportunities for some other COG members also to attend ? if you are interested
please contact Jack Holland on 6288 7840 (AH) or by E-mail on m("deh.gov.au","jack.holland");">.
The write up of our visit at this time last year
follows.
Goulburn; Saturday-Sunday 20-21 November
2004
Perhaps it was the surfeit of outings and good birding over
the past month that meant that few members or guests joined me on this joint
outing with the Goulburn Field Naturalists (GFN). This took in some of the
best birding spots round Goulburn, including some of the now Greater Argyle
Council (GAC) sites where special permission is needed for access.
Certainly the low participant numbers were a surprise given the strong interest
expressed for a return visit by the very big group who came with me last
February.
On Saturday afternoon we first visited the Gorman Road
sewage ponds, an area of large finishing ponds before the water is irrigated on
the nearby fields on which cattle are grazed, supplying the GAC with some
valuable revenue. These ponds are very extensive in size, being very much
bigger than those at our local sewage farm at Fyshwick. And the numbers
waterfowl on them were corresponding higher including a conservative 400
Hardhead, 150 Pink-eared Duck, several hundred Grey Teal, and
300 Hoary-headed Grebe. A total of 9 duck species was seen,
including at least 6 Musk Duck, at least 10 Chestnut Teal and
Australasian Shoveller and 4 Blue-billed Duck. The latter two
both had young, a rare record for the region for the last-named, as did the
Pacific Black Duck.
We also visited an area of rehabilitation round the old
brick pits on the Mulwarree River where an Eurasian Coot nest with young
was seen, and finished the afternoon at Marsden Weir on the Wollondilly River
where a lone Glossy Ibis was determined to keep feeding in what was
obviously a favourite damp patch, despite our very close approach. A
White-bellied Sea-eagle high over as we drove into our motel completed off a
perfect afternoon?s waterfowl watching (except for the very cold breeze coming
off the water).
On Sunday the focus was more on bush birds. We first
visited the Kenmore Dam and its associated woodlands where we notched up a total
of 49 species in a couple of hours. Highlights included Sacred
Kingfisher, both species of Gerygone, Speckled Warbler, a pair of
Scarlet Robins carrying food, Leaden Flycatchers, a White-winged
Triller and a flock of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos with squawking
dependent young as we were leaving. This area has a variety of habitats
including the large dam which supplied the nearby former Kenmore Hospital with
drinking water, and in addition to birds is an even better spot for
plants. Sadly a change of Council has meant that this area, which was
formerly earmarked to be bought for conservation purposes, is now under threat
of development, and COG is proposing to write letters of support for its
preservation based on our findings.
We finished off the day on a longer walk starting walking
along the corridor encompassing the nearby the Kenmore Quarry and then along the
northern bank of the Wollondilly River skirting the southern edges of the
Cookbundoon ranges to Murrays Flat. Initially we saw a similar range of
bush birds plus Double-barred Finch, until we came to the long reach on
the river where the undoubted highlight was at least 15 Freckled
Duck. The total number was hard to estimate as they were loafing in
small groups under the willows fringing the banks. A Nankeen Night
Heron was also seen by some participants. However, the most unexpected
observation here was an immature male Red-capped Robin with a red wash in
the breast and a brown forehead, repeatedly giving his telephone ring
call. This was Rodney?s first record for district of this
species.
All in all a most successful visit, with over 95 species
seen over the weekend. Once again we'd like to thank the GFN
especially Rodney Falconer for giving up his weekend and showing us so
enthusiastically all his favourite bird spots (as well as plants etc) and for
Peter Mowle for arranging access to the Greater Argyle Council land.
Goulburn certainly has a lot to offer in terms of variety etc and a further
return visit to sites not seen this time is planned, in line of my policy to
co-operate with like-minded organisations round Canberra. Pejar Dam is now
nearly dry but apparently is a hot spot for Diamond Firetail, which have
been reported feeding on the seeding grasses growing where the water has
receded.
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