White-browed Woodswallows and Rufous Songlarks, Narrabundah Hill, Duffy [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

["Jack and Andrea Holland" <>]

I had a small group of woodswallows pass over my GBS site round 6 pm this evening.  This is less than 2 km from Dan's observation of last night.  Too high to count, or to identify, but from their calls white-browed/masked rather than dusky.  This happens 1-2 times a year, but settling here (NW  Chapman/Cooleman Ridge) is very rare, the only time I can recall is 2-3 years ago during the blitz when a small group of 2-3 birds made some nesting preparations and sat for a while, but abandoned after a few weeks.

 

The Rufous Songlark has been in this area since the beginning of the month, just 1-2 and rather quiet, only giving half songs occasionally.  Certainly more in this area than last year (when there were none), but so far less than the years previous to that when there were up to 10 or more spread over this corner of the old Narrabundah Hill pine plantation and NW Cooleman Ridge.  The warmer weather of the past few days may increase activity, with the wet cool start to October many species seem to have been rather quiet and cryptic.

 

I haven't seen any White-winged Trillers here so far this year (just a few last year and again well down from previous).

 

Jack Holland