New Holland arrival - why?

[martin butterfield <>]

Our garden has the best display of red-hot pokers we have had since moving here 4 years ago.  They have been very popular Noisy Friarbirds and Eastern Spinebills.  I suspect this is due to the flowers providing a good supply of nectar from tubular flowers and, as shown in the attachment, a ready supply of ants to balance the diet.  

Possibly that is what has attracted the New Holland Honeyeater (which with a long term rank of F at 82) is not really a common species in a Canberra garden.  The Yellow-faced Honeyeater (rank18) and Eastern Spinebill (rank 17) are clearly amongst the commoner garden birds.

Martin

On Fri, Dec 31, 2010 at 1:57 PM, Philip Veerman <> wrote:

I wonder whether you have been home more than usual. But then again I wouldn't read too much into 3 individuals of common species as a sudden influx. According to The GBS Report, all these three species do occur year round in Canberra gardens, but the usual pattern for all of them is to be at their lowest numbers in mid summer (like now). So likely it is an unusual coincidence.

 

The weather has been very strange the last month.

 

Philip

 

-----Original Message-----
From: casburnj [
Sent: Friday, 31 December 2010 8:56 AM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] New Holland arrival - why?

This has been an unusual week for honeyeaters arriving through my garden near the top of Duffy – not too far from the Murrumbidgee and near Narrabundah Hill.  I have not seen HE’s for many months since Banksias finished flowering – apart from a White Eared HE that stopped coming after the Calistemons stopped flowering. 

 

This morning 7.45am approx a New Holland landed briefly on Red Hot Pokers – also yesterday I posted that a Yellow Faced HE had made it’s presence heard and seen and earlier in the week the Eastern Spinebill reappeared.  These will be in the GBS survey.

 

However I am wondering why this sudden influx?  Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

With thanks if you can help

jean

 

 

-----

No virus found in this message.

Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

Version: 10.0.1191 / Virus Database: 1435/3349 - Release Date: 12/30/10

Attachment:

*******************************************************************************************************
This is the email announcement and discussion list of the Canberra 
Ornithologists Group.
Please ensure that emails posted to the list are less than 100 kb in size.
When subscribing or unsubscribing, please insert the word 'Subscribe' or 
'Unsubscribe', as applicable, in the email's subject line.
List-Post: <>
List-Help: <>
List-Unsubscribe: <>
List-Subscribe: <>
List archive: <http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds>
List manager: David McDonald, email 
<>