I thought I'd pass on some of the avian highlights from my weekend. The
undoubted highlight was nesting PEREGRINE FALCONS.
On Saturday morning I walked from Kambah Pool to Red Rocks Gorge and back
(5-6km return). When I arrived at the car park I was greeted with a chorus
of DOLLARBIRD, OLIVE-BACKED ORIOLE, LEADEN FLYCATCHER, SATIN BOWERBIRD &
WHITE-THROATED GERYGONE. Along the first kilometre I found many Robust
Ctenotus (I'm used to still calling them Striped Skinks). They were
literally under every grass tussock. Along the stretch of track to the
gorge lookout and over Allens Creek highlights were MISTLETOEBIRD, WESTERN
GERYGONE & SACRED KINGFISHER and a large Water Dragon. Where the track
leaves the gorge and loops inland through some remnant grassy woodland a
particularly vicious magpie swooped me which didn't allow me a closer look
but I could see & hear - DUSKY WOODSWALLOW (nesting), TREE MARTIN
(nesting), DIAMOND FIRETAIL (heard), PALLID CUCKOO (heard) & JACKY WINTER
(heard). I then backtracked to Kambah Pool.
On Sunday I visited the two AUSTRALIAN WHITE IBIS breeding sites mentioned
on this list recently. First by the Federal Hwy I found over a dozen, maybe
20, birds on several nests on either side of the highway. Further along the
Old Federal Hwy I found 50+ WHITE-BROWED WOODSWALLOWS hawking over yellow
box woodland on the north-east slope of Bywong Hill. Earlier I had noticed
a Blue-tongued Skink along the road. Next I stopped by a TSR on the Sutton
Rd. This site is just across the border in NSW. Here I recorded 2 BROWN
TREECREEPERS (one carrying nesting material, obviously nest building),
SPECKLED WARBLERS (one bird carrying food for it's chicks), SACRED
KINGFISHER (probable nest), WHITE-THROATED GERYGONE, DOLLARBIRD,
YELLOW-TAILED BLACK-COCKATOO, EASTERN YELLOW ROBIN & LEADEN FLYCATCHER. The
non-avian highlight was a massive Cunningham's Skink.
Lastly I dropped by Yowani where I found the nesting ibis colony - easily
some 150 birds were present along with a STRAW-NECKED IBIS and a single
ROYAL SPOONBILL in breeding plumage. Surprisingly the instant I stepped out
of my car a RUFOUS SONGLARK exploded from the grass and alighted in a dead
tree calling all the while. This is across the pond from the golf course in
a derelict site earmarked for development in the near future.
Cheers
Marnix Zwankhuizen | Senior Analyst Java Enterprise Technology
Australian Electoral Commission | PO Box 6172 | Kingston ACT 2604 | Phone
+61 2 6271 4465 | Fax +61 2 6271 4644 | E-mail
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