Wednesday Walk, Australian National Botanic Gardens, 18 July

[sandra henderson <>]

23 members and guests enjoyed this outing on a clear brisk morning.  We started off by heading for the CSIRO gate hoping for the Rose Robins, and they did not disappoint, with both male and female birds putting in an appearance in trees over the path.  White-naped Honeyeaters and an Eastern Yellow Robin were also seen at the same stop. Close to the Sydney Gully a very obliging Easten Spinebill sat at eye level no more than a metre from the path, posing for the admiring throng - it had clearly not yet been to the standard "How to frustrate photographers 101" course because everyone had a good look at this fellow and the photographers got great close-ups while it continued to sit there. Wood Ducks were seen in several trees, a couple of Crimson Rosellas munched on the correas while we admired them at close range, and in one of the several groups of White-winged Choughs an immature bird was being fed by two of the adult birds as they foraged along the path. Lindell pointed out the new Satin Bowerbird bower, and a number of the birds were seen and heard nearby, including one blue-black male.

Other species for the morning: Gang-gang, Red Wattlebird, Pied Currawong, Australian Rave, Superb Fairy-wren, Spotted Pardalote, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Galah, White-browed Scrub-wren, White-throated Treecreeper, New Holland Honeyeater, Silvereye, Brown Thornbill, Grey Fantail, Blackbird, King Parrot, Kookaburra.

 

sandra henderson