Various odd obs and a retraction

[martin butterfield <>]

A little earlier in the year there were comments about reduced numbers of Rufous Whistlers.  I think this is because they have all gone to the pines of Sparrow Hill (Kowen South, grid Q15).  I rode around some of the CORC single track today and would rate the whistlers as the most common bird.  That comment must be assessed against me not focussing greatly on birds, being more concerned about keeping my gluteal and cranial regions separate from the rocks.  I did find some interesting dams along the aptly named  "Rigour Mortis" track and will include them on next years Blitz.  (As an aside the trails are mainly single track and often rocky, but there is lots of shade and it is great fun for MTB riding if you don't mind getting banged about a bit.)

This afternoon I thought I heard a Fan-tailed Cuckoo calling.  However it turned out to be a bit of auto-suggestion from Tonya's message. The actual birds were a family (?) of 4 White-throated Treecreepers making a litlle trill call to keep in contact as they shuttled aroud th yellow box in our garden.

The retraction also concerns a call record.   A couple of days ago I claimed a Barn Owl which was calling ad nauseam when we went to bed.  I "recognised" the call when I listened to my BOCA discs the following morning.  However, the next evening I hard the call a little earlier when I had my spotlight to hand.   To my surprsie the call was coming from a Tawny Frogmouth rather than a Barn Owl.  The confusing call is on the BOCA Tawny Frogmouth track, but only briefly and right at the end after the more common calls. 

Martin