Chestnut-rumped Heathwren in Wamboin - UPDATE [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Marnix Zwankhuizen <>]

UNCLASSIFIED

I think you are right about the eye colour. It must be the light. I suspect there may only be a single bird.

 

Yep the Hooded Robin group was the same one I saw.

 

Cheers

Marnix

 

UNCLASSIFIED

From: David Cook [
Sent: Saturday, 14 March 2009 9:03 PM
To: Marnix Zwankhuizen
Cc: Canberra Birds
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Chestnut-rumped Heathwren in Wamboin - UPDATE

 

Glad you got this one Marnix. I don't know if there's more than one but the two I've taken photos of seem to have different eye colour. Here is a shot showing the pale iris typical of an adult:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kookr/3349874679/

 

I also saw (probably) the same group of Hooded Robins - Male, imm. Male, Female and 2 DY, on block 16. Both adults and the immature male were actively feeding the juvs.

 

Some HR pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kookr/3350972850/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kookr/3350147595/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kookr/3350972160/

 

16, 17 and 18 are really nice block if anyone has a few dollars to spare and want to move out this way (I'd hate to see horses or trail bikes trash these near-pristine blocks).

 

David

----- Original Message -----

From:

To:

Cc:

Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 7:44 PM

Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Chestnut-rumped Heathwren in Wamboin - UPDATE

 

I popped past Bircham's Estate after work today (5.30-7pm). A beautiful location. Lot 17 was where all the bird activity was. It took me quite some time to track down the heathwren. It eventually sat half way up a small dead euc amid a clump of dead mistletoe. It was busy preening in the last rays of sunlight but never once made a sound. As far as I could tell it was an adult bird with a dark iris, but then my binos aren't the best. As the sun started to drop it made its way higher up into a dense clump of dead moss-covered twigs. This was nearly two metres above the surrounding dense tea-tree.

Species List : Lot 17, Yuranga Drive, Birchams Estate

• Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (1 ad.)
• Diamond Firetail (>6) - included at least 1 imm.
• Southern Whiteface (>20) - this loose flock is the largest I have ever recorded.
• Hooded Robin (5) - 1 ad. male, 1 imm. male, 1 ad. female, 2 begging juv. being fed by either male.
• Dusky Woodswallow (30) - huddled together initially, then hawking over tea-tree; many youngsters.
• Brown-headed Honeyeater (5) - 1 begging juvenile.
• White-eared Honeyeater (4)
• Little Raven (~6)
• and scrubwrens, thornbills, fairy wrens, fantail, treecreeper, crimson rosellas.

Cheers

Marnix

On Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 9:56 AM, David Cook <> wrote:

I went back yesterday afternoon between about 2 and 4 to try and relocate the heathwren, after an unsuccessful search on Sunday, and found at least one (or as many as three - 1 bird seen 3 times). With Hazel and Allan Wright we had great views (a lifer for them, I think). From the photos I took, it seems to be a different bird to the one from last Friday as it definitely has the pale iris of an adult, whereas Friday's appeared darker, and the legs on this one were pinker, although HANZAB states that immatures are indistinguishable from adults. Possibly just different light and conditions on the 2 days. It was in the same area as previously stated - this one was making a scolding call like a scrubwren which alerted me to it initially.

 

For those interested, photos are at:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kookr/3347916839/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kookr/3348765452/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kookr/3348772486/

 

David

----- Original Message -----

From:

To:

Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 4:30 PM

Subject: [canberrabirds] Chestnut-rumped Heathwren in Wamboin.

 

Following on from David McDonald's report of Hooded Robins, Southern Whiteface and Diamond Firetails in the new Birchman's Estate in Wamboin, we paid a visit this morning and in addition to finding all of those species in abundance, we also happened upon a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren. If anyone is interested in trying to find it, it was on Block 17 (across the road from Block 14 where David McD reported the other species). I can give better directions if required.

 

The bird had a dark eye rather than the usual pale iris of adults (may have been because it was in shadow), so maybe a sub-adult?

 

I have put a photo of it up on my Flickr site here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kookr/3332628126/

 

David

 

 

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