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Hello Trish,
Yes you are
right. On average there is little difference in abundance of the RW through the
year, in Canberra. Of course some sites my have absence for a short time and
then they can appear to reappear. I would say your observation of having them through winter is typical. Or
it is more typical than that they be absent during winter. Here is
the relevant text from the GBS Report:
Red Wattlebird Anthochaera
carunculata
Our most
conspicuous honeyeater, it is noisy, bold, active and aggressive. This species
being a resident and the largest and most rambunctious honeyeater, may take over
a site that provides a rich food supply and exclude other species. It is among
the most recorded species in the count and the breeding list. It is common all
year. Over the years the monthly pattern has changed, with a reduced seasonal
variation. The same happened with the Noisy Miner. For the first seven years
seasonal variation was marked, with a strong autumn to winter peak and a summer
minimum, then the next about eight years the extent of this seasonal pattern was
reduced. Since 1995 the earlier pattern appears to be occurring again (see extra
graph). When all years are combined, the monthly variation is minimal.
>From July to February is stable, then from March to May the abundance rises when
this species migrates, it then declines in June. During migration, groups of up
to 50 may be observed. Long-term the species has had a steady increase,
its abundance has more than doubled.
There are some
early observations of nest building or copulation in late June or in July but
most breeding records start after early August. Most records are of dependent
young, rather than activities at nest. From the few records that chronicle a
whole breeding event, the duration is from 10 to 12 weeks. The breeding period is long and with
considerable overlap of nest period and the time that young are dependent. There
may be more than one breeding pair simultaneously at many sites, there is also a
strong suggestion of double nesting. Mostly activities at nest have ceased by
end of December with dependent young from late September till end of February
with a few observations as late as early April.
Graphs on
pages: 90 and 98, Rank: 6, Breeding Rank: 3, Breeding
graph on page: 106, A = 2.00051, F = 97.36%,
W = 52.0, R = 74.847%,
G = 2.67.
Blackbirds do
not move away for the winter they just are less obvious. Their recorded
abundance actually hardly changes
through the year. They only sing in spring
which appears to be what you are noticing . Again here is the
relevant text:
Common Blackbird Turdus merula
This is a
species that is common and conspicuous. Males sing during the early mornings of
spring time. At any time the species’ clanking flight and alarm calls are easily
detectable. This bird is at home in gardens, either open lawn or amongst messy
leaf litter, feeding on soil invertebrates and soft fruit. It has a very regular
monthly pattern, though with a minimal amplitude. There is a low in February
then increases to a December peak then decreases down to the February level. It
is quite common to find dead adult males during the midsummer heat, though that
seems unlikely to have such a dramatic impact on the total numbers. Abundance
increased smoothly from Years 1 to 10 and then has only marginally declined over
the last six years, though the range has been small. As the species is
widespread, this is clearly a true result.
This species
is unusual in that the number of observations at the nest far exceed the number
of observations of dependent young. This is probably because it commonly breeds
in well hidden nests in vegetation very close to houses and dependent young are
not especially conspicuous for long. Breeding records consist of activities at
nest over a broad period from mid August to late January and dependent young
from mid September peaking in December to late February.
Graphs on page:
105, Rank: 15, Breeding Rank: 6, Breeding graph on
page: 107, A = 1.73186, F = 91.96%, W = 52.0,
R = 72.172%, G = 2.40.
Philip Veerman
24 Castley Circuit
Kambah ACT 2902
02 - 62314041
Hi all,
As a new COG
member and with this being my first time I have written on the chat-line, I
am bravely asking a question!
RE: Red wattle-birds
I think I read
earlier this week on the chat-line, that red wattlebirds are back but
I have had red wattlebird(s) around my
house throughout winter.
Is this unusual?
Also,
blackbirds depart for winter and return when Spring arrives, don't
they?
When are they likley to return? I love their
sound.
Enjoying the chat-line and learning
lots,
Trish
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