Plains Road

["martin butterfield" <>]

I went for a bike ride along Plains Road this morning/afternoon.  A total of 23 species were recorded.  This didn't count some "finches with red bums" reported by another cyclist since he admitted he wasn't sure if they were red-browed finches or diamond firetails (but said he'd seen both in the vicinity in the past: itwas good that he was focussed on his exercise routine!

 

The first point of interest was that the flock of magpies at the N end of the road has now grown to at least 130.  The birds seem to co-exist quite peacefully whereas the family of 3 on the lawn at El Rancho has become quite dysfunctional with constant discipline being adminstered to the juvenile.

 

A little further down the road 5 flame robins (2 males and 3 females) were perched on the wire beside the road.  A little off the road were 14 honking Australian shelduck (and with some strays elsewhere on the trip a total of 18 were seen).

 

A cattle feeding station getting towards the Hoskintown end of the road appeared to be quite attactive to Sulphur-crested cockatoos with at least 170 at the feed racks or lurking in the leeward side of some nearby cypress trees.  A further 100 of these raucous birds were grazing in the pastures.

 

Martin