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After a very quiet 3 month period in my local patch
of NW Chapman/Cooleman Ridge, activity has really picked up over the past couple
of weeks, starting before the welcome rain on Friday evening but really boosted
by it over the weekend.
Many of the species seen on the ridge were the
first records for 2009, including 4 Brown Quail, a group of about 8 Dusky
Woodswallows, separate and well spaced sightings of 1 or 2 Southern Whiteface, a
Rufous Whistler and a Grey Shrike-thrush. Also present this morning
were 3 separate male Scarlet Robins about 500 m apart, the last with a
female. Three species of finch (Red-browed, Double-barred and Diamond
Firetail) have also been sighted, a couple of times together.
My GBS site has regularly had over 30 Silvereye,
Superb Fairy-wrens seem to be everywhere, as are calling Spotted Pardalote, I've
had my first White-eared Honeyeater for the season, and a small party of
Brown-headed honeyeaters has been around. Today I also had my first Grey
Fantail for this GBS year (very few in the garden since the fires), and over
past weeks Red-browed Finches have visited for the first time since we moved
back.
However, the prize for the weekend was a Restless
Flycatcher, with a light buff wash in the upper chest. I took some time to
locate it after being alerted by a couple of half-calls, but once found it
allowed a very close approach, and inter alia performed its scissors
grinder call while hovering close to the ground within a few metres of
me.
Like Gorooyarroo my patch no longer seems to
be within the honeyeater migration zone, unlike when we first bought the block
way back in 1974 when even on windy afternoons birds used to stream
through. Only a single yellow-faced was seen, though a distant small party
early yesterday and late this evening were suspected migrating
birds.
Jack
Holland
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