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Very pleasant at the coast on the weekend - sunny
blue skies, beautiful temperature, no wind, calm seas. Fairly quiet
birdwise but occasional pockets of activity made Saturdays stroll along a
flooded track and thru the forest worthwhile. Highlight was encountering
in the space of about 20 metres a mixed flock of Striated Thornbills, a Yellow
Thornbill, Red browed Finches, Spotted Pardalotes, Grey Fantail, Eastern
Spinebills, Superb & Variegated Fairy Wrens, Southern Emu Wrens, and White
browed Scrubwrens and Silvereyes for good measure. The Coastal heathland
between the bitumen road and the beach was alive with New Holland Honeyeaters
and the usual Red and Brush Wattlebirds. There were a few Yellow faced
Honeyeaters heading North. Offshore, at least a dozen Gannets were making
regular and spectacular plunges into the ocean.
Sunday in some Banksias opposite the entrance
to the Holiday Park I saw a midsized dark bird which immediately had me
recalling David McDonalds excited words as we paddled Jerra Creek last February
: "It's a Drongo"! Following subsequent reference to Simpson
& Day and a couple of other guides I am certain it was a juvenile Spangled
Drongo. Did someone else report one from the coast fairly
recently?
Bonus for the weekend was a Rose Robin accompanied
by Thornbills in the trees only metres from our van just as we were about
to depart for home.
Cheers
Rod
Rod Mackay
Tel. 0407 456 330
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