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Morning everyone
I noticed from a big sign at the entrance to the area that it is now called the Majura Training Area. I would make a terrible witness in any legal action because I hadn’t noticed the sign before, but
I couldn’t say how long since it was the Majura Firing Range.
For the first time in 20 years we made some concession to the season and started half an hour later, being at the first site, the Grenade Range, at 8:15. It was a beautiful winter’s morning, bright and
sunny, and almost still, with just the faintest hint of a breeze from time to time.
However, all to little avail, since the birds were few and far between, making it probably the poorest return in all the years we have surveyed there. From
memory, we scored 24 species in or around sites and 4 between sites: Superb Fairy-wren, White-winged Chough, Masked Lapwing and Australian Wood Duck.
The slightly outstanding sighting was the first bird we saw on arrival - an Australian Hobby perched high on a dead tree overlooking the
first site. After that it was all down hill, with only a few of the more common species seen at each site. A lonely pair of Grey Teal on Mick’s Lake (more like a puddle at the moment) as well as a Kookaburra. Weebills were a little more prevalent than usual,
a Scarlet Robin heard in the distance at one site, plus a couple of White-eared Honeyeaters in similar circumstances. A single Common Bronzewing zoomed through one site, while there were a couple of Magpies here and there, with one or two Spotted Pardalotes,
a few Noisy Miners, the odd Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, and a Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo head far away.
On the other hand, it was truly a magic morning weather-wise, and very relaxing, with so few birds troubling the scorer.
We can only look forward to spring.
Paul Fennell
Editor, COG Annual Bird Report
0407105460
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