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Yesterday afternoon I went for a 2 km birdwatching walk west along the
southern side of Stockdill Drive, Holt, starting at the entrance to the Pine
Ridge property. I carried a pocket cassette recorder on my belt and voiced
observations as I went along.
Conditions were overcast and cool with a slight breeze, birds were out and
about, and I saw 38 species.
Highlights: 42 Eastern Rosellas. Flock of 100+ Common
Starlings. A tink-tinkling of 30 European Goldfinches. 30 Straw-necked
Ibis overhead. 150+ Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. Male Golden Whistler. 5
Yellow Thornbills. 10 Double-barred Finches. 4 White-browed
Treecreepers. A light-phase Brown Falcon. 7 Varied Sittellas. 5 Flame
Robins. 20+ Yellow-faced Honeyeaters issuing from a Grey Box and heading
north east. 2 Grey Butcherbirds. Surprisingly, for early May, 7
Tree Martins. 3 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos overhead. Also high overhead,
20 ravens, Little or Australian, couldn't tell.
1630 hours arrived home and saw five King Parrots combing through our White
Cedar tree and counted seventeen Crested Pigeons, seven Rock Doves, eight
Magpie Larks and ten Common Starlings scattered along a 15-metre stretch of
power lines. They reminded me of notes on a music sheet.
John K. Layton
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