The spring survey of Red Hill was done under perfect conditions, mild and calm, on Saturday 24 September. The whole site was quite active, and we rang up a total of 37 species (26 or 70% of them within sites), above the average of 33.9
over 17 surveys. Although larger birds again predominated, especially cockatoos & parrots, and magpies, currawongs and ravens, there was a smattering of smaller bush birds including both pardalotes and three thornbill species, a couple of Golden Whistlers
and a pair of Rufous Whistlers, and a residue of Grey Fantails. Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were evident with several small groups of 2-6 birds moving through, even before our 7:00 am start. Olive-backed Orioles also heralded the spring weather, with 6 recorded
(the highest number recorded to date during these surveys), and a Sacred Kingfisher was heard over towards the golf course. Magpie-larks also topped their recorded numbers with 17, as did Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes with 13 recorded. Only Crimson Rosellas,
Eastern Rosellas and Noisy Miners showed any inclination towards nesting. Sadly, White-throated Treecreepers appear to have disappeared from the site – they were regular from the first survey (September 1998) through to autumn 2010, but since then there has
only been a single record, on 29 March 2015.
Dr Harvey Perkins
CRC Programme Operations
AusIndustry – Business Services
Phone +61 2 6213 7472
Email:
m("industry.gov.au","Harvey.Perkins");">
Internet: business.gov.au
Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
Level 9, Industry House
10 Binara Street, Canberra ACT 2601
GPO Box 9839, Canberra ACT 2601
ABN 74 599 608 295
