Fan-tailed cuckoos, Tuggeranong Pines

[sandra henderson <>]

Neighbour John and myself spent time this morning at the old Tuggeranong Pines plantation on the Monaro Hwy. we skirted around the plantation, and between the Melrose TSR (now part of Canberra Nature Park) and the plantation. There were at least 2 fan-tailed cuckoos calling in the pines, a host of yellow robins, as well as striated and brown thornbills, fairy wrens, crimson rosellas and white-browed scrub-wrens.  walked along the Old Tuggeranong Rd to a point overlooking the old Tuggeranong railway siding -while it was fairly sheltered in and near the pines, it was rather breezy on the more exposed areas. Did not go into the old TSR, which has a locked gate with no step-thru, but clearly signposted as being part of Canberra Nature Park and looked to have ideal habitat for species such as speckled warblers. The back of the TSR has fencing which has fallen down, so will explore at some stage, but does anyone know anything about why it is locked?

Sandra H