At 1837 hrs this evening the “?local” male Pacific Koel flew past my neighbours house. I don’t know if this is the same bird as reported for Giralang earlier. We do get a bird that appears to move over the small ridge between Kaleen and
Giralang. Look out if you are a Red Wattlebird!!
On Sunday I took a visiting Canadian birder and his grandson out to the Brindabella Ranges in search of some more lifers for him. We initially stopped in at the car park at Casuarina Sands on the Murrumbidgee looking for the Double-barred
Finches reported on the chatline last week. I missed them earlier in the week when I took the Canadian out but did find him a Restless Flycatcher that I thought may have been nesting, as well as a pair of Olive-backed Orioles nest building and a very obliging
Grey Currawong. This time we found the finches and we also found the flycatcher’s nest, high in a Casuarina in the car park. Other sightings of interest were two separate Wonga Pigeons high on the ridge along Wark’s Road near the turnoff to New Chums Road
and a very nice male Crescent Honeyeater on Blundell’s Creek Road. Unfortunately we spent quite a bit of time in fog and cloud so missed a lot of species as very little was calling.
On the downside were three Common (Indian) Mynas feeding on the roadside near the turnoff to Camp Sturt above Uriarra Crossing. I have seen the species almost at Tharwa and some time ago 11 km along the Boorowa Road from the Hume Highway
junction so they are spreading into the bush It is a pity that nothing was done way back when the species was first introduced into the ACT but the then people responsible for running the ACT were concerned that people might get upset if they destroyed them!!!.
Unfortunately, despite the valiant efforts of CIMAG, I think we will lose the battle against this pest.
All the relevant records will be placed into the COG database.
Mark
