Pinnacle- Winter 16th July

["boy nature" <>]

I was too late for the Pinnacle outing on the 16th July, run by Rosemary. yet I decided to do a wander anyway.
There were a lot of birds, perhaps due to the nice day- following so many miserable days.
Down at the dam I saw 2 white eared honeyeaters, 2 GST, a pair of scarlet robins, and a MFF flock including striated thornbills (7) dive-bomb bathing in a small puddle, aparently oblivious to my prescence. A large MFF surrounded me, including 2 speckled warblers.
What I found most unusual were 5 brown-headed honeyeaters (which are very rare for this site).  Also 3 yellow-faced honeyeaters, 2 white napes, plus 3 swallows 'figure of 8ing' the area, when last year there were none.  A grey currawong ripped apart the bark layer from some regrowth gum trees, while a grey butcherbird called very loudly, stridently, from bare branches. Wanting a mate??
Alarm calls made me wonder whether a raptor was around, until I got good views (and mediocre photos) of a pair of Wedge-tailed eagles circling over.
At least 2 kookaburras were calling from the 20 yo plantings West of the dam.
The Kangaroo grassland looks good. Finally.
Plus good levels of cryptogams, including Lichen, moss, and the species which forever surprises me, the Rock Fern, burgeoning from nothing.