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The woodland bird surveys of northern Goorooyaroo
were carried out this Friday morning in fine and still conditions. Interestingly
the mistletoe Amyema pendula was in good flower attracting numerous butterflies
and a few Eastern Spinebills. These woodlands don't seem to feature on the
honeyeater migration and today was no exception with only a handfull of
Yellow-faced Honeyeaters sighted, even though there seem to be many
honeyeaters moving through southern Canberra today.
As is usual for this time of year, the small birds
were in large mixed feeding flocks which makes the survey sites either deadly
quiet for small birds or frantically busy. These flocks are invariably made up
of Buff-rumped and Striated Thornbills, Weebills and both pardalote species,
with variable additions of Grey Fantails, Scarlet Robins, Yellow-rumped
Thornbills, gerygones, Rufous Whistlers and a few other species.
An interesting surprise on one of the otherwise
deadly quiet sites was a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike dark morph. I passed
through one of the usual haunts of Hooded Robins but didn't find any for the
third season running. I was beginning to despair of seeing this species again at
Gooroo when at the second last site I hit the jackpot with a Hooded Robin,
Red-capped Robin and Scarlet Robin all within the site (plus Speckled
Warbler).
cheers
Nicki Taws
02 6251 0303
0408 210
736
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