Yellow-faced Honeyeaters heading south

[Denis Wilson <>]

For those COG members who like to look out for migrating Honeyeaters.

This is a note of my first sighting for 2011 of returning Yellow-faced Honeyeaters passing through Robertson, NSW (180 KM N-E from Canberra)

This afternoon (a bright warm sunny day) I noticed a small flock (about 15 birds) of YFHEs heading south, in a hurry.
Clearly a migrating group.

• Not a resident species here anyway,
• also the flight call ("chip, chip"), not the feeding call, being used.
• flew straight through the Rainforest country here, heading towards Belmore Falls and Kangaroo Valley (nearest feeding grounds en route to mountain breeding grounds).
• This is a normal event (that they pass over Robertson, but do not stop here). There are very few nectar producing native trees here). But the flight path from Shoalhaven Valley to the huge expanse of the Woronora Plateau is a mere 10 Km over relatively unsuitable habitat for them. Both those areas are currently replete with flowering Banksias. So they pass over Robbo quickly, to get back to feed plants.
  

I expect to see Red Wattlebird flocks any time soon, if this balmy weather holds up.


Denis Wilson
"The Nature of Robertson"
www.peonyden.blogspot.com