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Original Message -----
Sent:
Monday, October 27, 2008 8:11 PM
Subject:
[canberrabirds] Whistlers, Fantails etc
Over the past 6 weeks or so, the
most conspicuous bush birds (visually, vocally or both) at Tharwa
Sandwash have been Grey Fantails, Rufous Whistlers and Yellow-faced
Honeyeaters.
Last Saturday morning when I
blitzed the spot, my own observations also concur with those reported
by others - Fantails and Whistlers were less in evidence and the only
species maintaining its numerical and vocal exuberance was the
Yellow-faced Honeyeaters.
Its not that the others weren't
there - but they were not as conspicuous as they had been. I have been
seeing 6 Grey Fantails on each past visit - 3 pair I have assumed, each
pair in its own designated "spot" (two of the spots basically adjoining
whilst the third was separated by quite a distance). On Saturday
only two pair were about - the other 2 birds simply weren't there or
were lying low (unusual for a Fantail). Because they were one of the
two previously adjoining pairs, my guess is that territory has been
finally established and one pair has moved elsewhere.
On past visits I have
encountered 5 Rufous Whistlers - 3 males and 2 females, in various
spots, the males generally chasing amongst themselves and/or singing
their little hearts out. At the blitz visit only 2 males were seen -
and no females. And the singing was mostly stopped - occasional bursts
of it but not the almost constant stream as before. Mostly what they
were doing was giving what I think must be alarm/contact calls (a
single high pitched note - I'm not really sure of its significance but
they have used it when I have been there on past visits too) -
presumably because of my presence. I actually assumed that the
diminished amount of song and the absence of females were linked - that
the males had no need to sing because their mates had not only been
attracted but were, in fact, sitting on eggs. I'm probably wrong - but
thats what occurred to me.
A pair of Dollarbirds were
present for the first time this Spring and a pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters
turned up about a week ago and were still in residence (no sign of
nesting yet though). Martin's Scared Kingfisher - an example of
which has been hanging around on a couple of past visits - was
absent. I wondered if the presence of a Laughing Kookaburra might have
had anything to do with that (sacre bleu! - intra-Halcyonid competitive
displacement?) Equally absent were the Hooded Robins - although I am
hoping that someone else may also have blitzed the Sandwash and seen
them. They are around - but I must say I don't see them every visit so
I wasn't totally surprised not to find them during my blitz survey.
Unlike Mark's experience at the
Grassland Reserves, up on the western slopes of Mt Stranger overlooking
the Murrumbidgee River Corridor, the 4 Australasian Pipits were their
usual prominent selves. And at Pt Hut Pond, I think an entire
continent's supply of Wood Ducks have been hatching lately. Plus a few
cygnets (4 very young ones and some about 6 weeks old) and, for the
first time that I have noted at the Pond, hatchling Dusky Moorhens.
Hope others had as much
enjoyment from the Blitz as I did.
Bruce
