It was very hot and a bit windy,
but I managed to see some good birds.
Pallid cuckoo, koel, olive backed
oriole, white throated gerygone, dusky woodswallow, mistletoe bird and grey
butcherbird. I also heard grey currawong but it was on private property. Also in
the distance my eyes were drawn to a jizz that stood out and seemed to be
sittellas. Then they fle over me (I think there were 4- I left my notes at
home). Another day I also saw a large MFF of various thornbills, including
begging youngsters (buff rumps), fantails, rufous whistlers, GST, BFCS, the
usuals. Although one bird was really different, high in the canopy. It took me a
while to work out it was a wwt female. After, I heard chup chup chupping and
thought ‘must be some brown headed honeyeaters’. Then I heard ‘mew, mew, mewing’
and a flock of 6 white napes flew off east, so thought I must have been
mistaken. But no, about 10 minutes later a flock of 4 brown-headeds flew west.
Whats else?? Hmmm- a flock of about 30 little ravens, choughs, I missed out on a
wedgie this time.
My friend’s husband said he often
saw a heron with a white neck. I said ‘naah’ as their property is pretty well
surrounded mainly by bush with a few small hobby farms. But the next day I was
wrong again and a pacific heron glided in, much to the annoyance of the noisy
miners. Later on in the day I got good views of the comparison with the white
faced heron, as 2 flew in. Their size and behaviour are quite different. Also a
large flock of white ibis flew in.
I think all-up I got about 60
species, with 5 threatened species and another 5 rare ones.
Also, found some lemon beautyheads,
chocolate lilies, sticky paper daisies, clustered and common everylasting
daisies and lots of Vittidinia in flower- including a variety I didn’t
recognise.
Benj
Whitworth
