Hoskinstown Plain this morning

[martin butterfield <>]

Julienne Kamprad and I went for a prowl around a property on the Hoskinstown Plain this morning.  (We basically visit this private property about once every three months.)  We observed 30 species on the property, adding Australasian Reed-Warbler and Brown Songlark to the list for the general area of Carwoola.  

The Songlark was an interesting challenge: it was a long way from any trees with some rather long grass in the vicinity.  It's song was almost exactly as described for Brown Songlark and unlike the song of the Rufous Songlark, but delivered from a perch on a wooden post rather than in display flight (unfortunately I can't remember whether the tail was cocked or not)!  The rump was brownish, but the bird was not as dark as might be expected for a breeding male Brown Songlark.  It seemed a larger bird than would be expected for a Rufous. 

A couple of kms down Plains road the colony of Fairy Martins  noticed last year is back in business.

Martni