canberrabirds

Mulligan's Flat: this evening's update

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Subject: Mulligan's Flat: this evening's update
From: Milburns <>
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 01:59:24 +1100
This evening Anthony Overs and I enjoyed prolonged views of Black Honeyeaters in the eastern section of Mulligan's Flat. We located a sub-adult male at about 17:10 and followed it around an area of about 1 hectare for about 20 minutes, but mainly watching it foraging in a prominent flowering Yellow Box (image attached). It was feeding on nectar and also flying out from the tree to catch insects. It then adopted an exposed perch atop a stag-headed Blakely's Red Gum for 20 minutes. In a moment of great happiness David McDonald arrived in time for the last 10 minutes of this perched performance. However, just prior to David's arrival an adult male alighted about 30cm from the bird we were watching and, really there is no other way of describing it, the two male Black Honeyeaters just looked at each other. Both birds left the area (10 minutes apart) in a southerly direction.

Moving across to the dam area, we located a female atop a stag-headed Blakely's Red Gum to the south of the dam wall at about 18:10. About 10 minutes later it was joined by an adult male Black Honeyeater. The birds departed to the south when a mob of White-browed Woodswallows descended upon the tree.

Anthony departed but I decided to quarter the area once more. I watched a group of 42 White-browed Woodswallows hopping on the ground preying upon tiny grasshoppers on the eastern side of the north/south track for a while when I realised that the beautiful song wafting on the northerly breeze was originating from a Pied Butcherbird. I changed gears rapidly and sped toward the sound. The bird seemed to keep up with my pace and I obtained a brief view of an adult Pied Butcherbird before it disappeared northwards into the next state!

Milburn
--
The Milburns
8 Miller Street
O'Connor
ACT 2602

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