It was quite a good morning for surveying on Tues Mar 28, although the sun was just up at 7:30. Not muddy at all despite some recent rain, A bit overcast in parts, but no breeze. Then
some sunny spots.
Barbara Allan and I identified 40 species at sites and 8 between sites only: wood duck; black duck; crested pigeon; nankeen kestrel; pied currawong; willie wagtail;
welcome swallow; and Australian.pipit.
The highlight of the day were 5 Grey Currawongs, calling loudly as they flew overhead at site 7 at the northern end of the range in open woodland, There were birds
in some numbers at some of the sights, particularly at site 8, the dam at the far north of the range, where we counted 25 species some in feeding flocks: 20 Buff-rumped thornbills, 20 Spotted and 20 Striated Pardalotes, 25 Grey Fantails and 10 Superb Fairy-wrens, not to
mention the Speckled Warbler, the Yellow-faced and White-eared honeyeaters and the Scarlet Robins.
There appear to be more Grey Butcherbirds about than in previous years.
A welcome sight was a single Australian Hobby at the Grenade Range at the southern end of the range; hobbies have been seen there occasionally in the past, inspecting
tree hollows in the spring. At Site 10, Whitehead’s Ridge Dam, the only species seen or heard on the site were 10 White-winged Choughs moving through. Rufous Whistler and Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike were seen at site 3, together with Speckled Warbler, White-eared
Honeyeater, Scarlet Robin and Western Gerygone. Other species worth mentioning were the now not so Common Bronzewings, Willie Wagtails, White-throated Treecreeper, Eastern Spinebill, Masked Lapwing, Laughing Kookaburra and Noisy Miner,
We felt quite pleased with our four hour jaunt around the 8 scattered sites which produced more species and more birds than we might normally see in this area.
Paul Fennell
Editor, COG Annual Bird Report
0407105460
