Blitzing Black Mountain was a mournful affair today. Tree deaths combine
with burned leaf litter layer in a lot of the Reserve. Brown-headed
Honeyeaters and Varied Sittellas appear to have abandoned the northern
sections of BMNR in the past year or two, along with Little Eagles,
Dollarbirds and Hobbies, all of which bred there in recent seasons. It
is a while since I recorded a Grey Currawong - another ground feeder
that might be feeling the control burn pinch. Painted Buttonquail appear
to have been driven out by the controlled burning program which destroys
their food source. It is a couple of years since I last saw any
platelets in BMNR. (All the locations in which I recorded platelets have
been controlled burned). A single pair of Speckled Warblers is hanging
on. White-winged Chough, another ground feeder, is also much reduced in
numbers. I recorded no Common Bronzewings - another ground feeder. I
trust the western and southern ends of BMNR are faring a bit better. The
only honeyeater family bird I recorded was a single Red Wattlebird.
Of the migrants: Noisy Friarbirds were common; a single Fantailed
Cuckoo; a couple of pairs of Olive-backed Orioles, several pairs of
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, a single Leaden Flycatcher, a single
Mistletoebird and a single Sacred Kingfisher. None of the remaining
migrants.
Hunted high and low for a whistler but could not find one.
Buffies, Crimsons and Superb Fairy-wrens were common.
Anyway, blitzed it. The odd record out today was a single Restless
Flycatcher - the first I have seen in BMNR in 30 years.
regards
Con
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