canberrabirds

Yurrigar National Park

To: "COG-L" <>
Subject: Yurrigar National Park
From: "Lindsay and Rhonda" <>
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 17:23:07 +1000

I mentioned in my recent trip report that we spent some time at Yurrigar NP near Wooli (east of Grafton).  The section of the park we explored was an area of coastal heath-land near Diggers Rest.  The heath contained a large proportion of prostrate banksias and it, and just about every other plant, was in full flower.  It was truly spectacular.  Needless to say there were plenty of birds, particularly honeyeaters, but also bushlarks, quail, red-backed wrens, several raptors and other.

 

The predominant honeyeaters were White-cheeked, which were feeding mainly on the banksias, and Tawny-crowned. The latter were mainly sitting on low branches or on the ground in the shadow of bushes along the road edge and feeding on insects, mainly ants, on the road surface (see enclosed pic).

 

One interesting incident that occurred there was on a windy day while I was investigating a bird which was calling from a stunted eucalypt on the road edge.  I had circled around inland of the tree with the sun behind me and was standing about 40 metres from it when all at once a shadow passed over me and birds all around me began a chattering that became louder and louder.  Up to that point there was not a bird in sight.  I looked up and noted a Brown Falcon soaring overhead.  It also heard the chattering and circled around the spot a few times before heading for the horizon.  Immediately it was gone the chattering tapered off and stopped altogether.  I wandered around attempting to flush the birds responsible but saw nothing.  I had assumed at the time they were honeyeaters sheltering from the wind in the bushes around me.  Reflecting on the incident since, I wonder if it was, in fact, quail.  Rhonda had seen a quail (species not identified) nearby earlier that day.  Has anyone experiences anything similar of do you have a view on what the birds might have been?

 

Regards

 

Lindsay Hansch

Attachment:


*******************************************************************************************************
This is the email announcement and discussion list of the Canberra 
Ornithologists Group. 
List-Post: <> 
List-Help: <> 
List-Unsubscribe: <> 
List-Subscribe: <>
List archive: <http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds>
List manager: David McDonald, phone (02) 6231 8904; email 
<>
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • Yurrigar National Park, Lindsay and Rhonda <=
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the Canberra Ornithologists Group mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the list contact David McDonald, list manager, phone (02) 6231 8904 or email . If you can not contact David McDonald e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU