Spring woodland bird surveys in the northern part of Goorooyaroo NR were held on a sunny but cold morning. The reserve is looking dry (understandably) but there is more grass cover and wildflowers than I have seen in many other reserves
around Canberra. Perhaps there is better control of herbivore pressure than in other reserves. Bird activity was fairly busy with 48 species in total. Highlights for the survey were 2 male
Red-capped Robins duelling, Superb Parrots at 2 sites and 2 Southern Whiteface, a species not commonly encountered in the surveys here. Most of the spring migrants were recorded;
Pallid and Shining Bronze-cuckoos, White-throated and Western Gerygones, Noisy Friarbird, one
White-winged Triller, Olive-backed Oriole, Dusky Woodswallow, Mistletoebird, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
and Rufous Whistler. White-eared Honeyeater and Golden Whistler were still around but no
Sacred Kingfisher, Leaden Flycatcher or Rufous Songlark were recorded. No
Yellow-faced or White naped Honeyeaters, only Brown-headed and
White-eared and one Red Wattlebird. The two raptor species recorded,
Brown Goshawk and Nankeen Kestrel, were breeding, as well as Striated Pardalote, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, White-throated Gerygone, both
Rosellas and Starlings.
Cheers
Nicki Taws
0408 210736
