Report on May WW

[Martin Butterfield <>]

The editors of Gang gang may wish to use what follows as the trip report.

20 members and guests negotiated the traffic on William Hovell Drive to get to the foggy start of the outing. 

Following the markers across the aptly named Frost Hollows we found a good array of birds.  Both smaller species of Cormorants were perched on a dead tree by a dam while 4 Purple Swamphens grazed beside the dam, much to the surprise of members.

 

A good range of bush and grassland species were observed as the boundary to the bush area was approached.  These included the first two Scarlet Robins and, right on the boundary a Speckled Warbler.  On the far side of the barbed wire fence – which, strangely, was no barrier to the birds – 2 more Speckled Warblers were noted.  Our first Buff-rumped thornbills and Grey Fantails were flittering in the bushes on the far side of the fence in the vegetation remaining after a conflagration.

 

We moved up the hill, noting the decline in numbers and diversity of birds as we moved away from the boundary area.  Numbers and variety of birds increased as we descended the hill, perhaps suggesting that elevation rather than degree of incineration was determining the diversity.  On the Caswell Drive side of the slope we noted more Scarlet Robins, White-plumed Honeyeaters (surprisingly far from water), Brown-headed Honeyeaters and Golden Whistlers.

Crossing back into the grassland a Collared Sparrowhawk caused much consternation and then some members found a large Mixed Flock including a Yellow Thornbill. 

We totaled 39 species – several in both habitats - and a list showing observations separately for the two habitats will be posted in the trips area of the website soon.

A copy of the trip list is attached and could please be posted to the website as prophesied above.  My photographs of the day were rather boring and thus I haven't blogged about the event.

The editors of Gang-gang may wish to add to the forthcoming trips area.  (I have checked that the third Wednesday is the 18th.)

The June walk will be to Lyneham Ridge on 18 June, meeting at 9am.  The precise meeting point will be advertised in an email closer to the date.

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/

140521 COG Aranda.xlsx
Description: MS-Excel 2007 spreadsheet

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