Outing to Tallaganda, Bald Hill Fire trail.

[martin butterfield <>]

Gang-gang editors may wish to use the next three paragraphs as the trip report.

12 members and guests travelled to the Bald Hill Fire trail in Tallaganda National park on 17 September.  We undertook 4 2Ha searches along the trail and a 500m Survey along Jinglemoney Trail before lunch.  While not a great number of birds were seen clearly (most preferring to stay high in the canopy) including call records we recorded 36 species in total.  Good views were obtained of a male Spotted Quail-thrush and a Wonga Pigeon was heard.  Three Robin species (Eastern Yellow, Scarlet and Flame were recorded.  The lyrebirds of the area were totally silent, but several display mounds (some composed almost entirely of small rocks) were located.

Two 'brown' Flame Robins were building a nest from cobwebs in a tree cavity very close to the track while a Striated Pardalote was flying in and out of a hollow carrying nesting material.  At our final stop (a gully close to Lowden Forest Road) Striated Thornbills were observed copulating.

Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were the most widely recorded species and Grey Fantails were recorded at most sites.  It did seem however that many migrant species had not yet made it up to the 1100m elevation of this area.  The group felt the area deserves another visit so next year we might leave it until later in the season when more flowers are in blossom (and this more arthropods are around to serve as a food source).

Martin Butterfield

Some further details and a few images (mainly of vegetation) are at http://franmart.blogspot.com/2011/09/cog-does-bald-hill-fire-trail.html