Hi all,
Had a really nice late morning walk with my dog (Kuma) along the tracks above the Murrumbidgee upstream from Casuarina Sands. You can park in the Detour Car Park on the left off Cotter Road (if heading towards the Brindabellas), shortly after passing the Camp Cottermouth turn-off. The turn-off isn't signed but the very small gravel car park does have a sign at the end of the short, steep entry road and then a series of arrows show the detour walking route thats eventually brings you back down to the river. Some of the slopes are a bit steep so this walk is probably not suitable for less agile birders.
I walk here semi-regularly with my dog and we nearly always see a nice mix of woodland birds.
Today, the first 50 metres from the carpark was alive with a nice mixed feeding flock of Striated Thornbills, Yellow-rumped Thornbills, White-throated Treecreepers, Spotted Pardalotes, Grey Fantails, Silvereyes, Superb Fairywrens, and a female Rose Robin. As bright as male Flame and Scarlet Robins can be, I reckon Rose Robins leave them for dead with pure personality. Today's bird was typically full of 'nervous' energy, constantly flicking its wings and long tail and coming right in to my squeaking for a good look. I haven't seen nearly as many Rose Robins in Canberra as I was use to in Brisbane but the seasonal variation is very similar. In Brisbane, Rose Robins are a localised breeding species in some of the higher forests but turn up in woodlands all around the fringes of the city during the autumn and winter - even getting to within a few kilometres of the city centre in the mangrove-fringes along the Brisbane River.
Next good bird for the morning was a calling Yellow-tufted Honeyeater but it had gone (or gone silent) by the time Kuma and I caught up to it. A small number of Yellow-tufted Honeyeater spent most of last winter along this stretch of the river so it was good to know that at least one bird was back again.
Most of the rest of the walk was just the usual Thornbills, Weebills, Fairy-wrens, a few Scrub-wrens, White-eared Honeyeater every hundred metres, a lone female Satin Bowerbird and a few Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Spinebills and Silvereyes.
As I was approaching the back of Cottermouth Camp (there are a few buildings and it is clearly marked as private property so need to go within a few hundred metres), I saw a rather long-tailed Honeyeater fly to the top of a dead tree - sure enough another Yellow-tufted Honeyeater. So definitely a few are back again this winter.
The walk back was interrupted by a family (?) group of Speckled Warblers (5 birds) complaining about my presence with their usual buzzy scold.
So, a very nice morning walk to a good birding spot where you are pretty much guaranteed to have the area to yourself. I think I have seen one other person here in the last 18 months!
Cheers Dan
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