The spring survey in the southern half of Goorooyarroo was done by myself, Prue Buckley, and David and Kathy Cook this morning. It was quite cool and cloudy to start but warmed up during the morning, with
increasing wind. As has been the case on recent surveys the reserve was looking dry and overgrazed, with dams either empty or with low water levels. There was little in the way of spring wildflowers. We recorded 54 species during the morning, with 47 of those
during our 10 minute counts.
Nothing unusual but it was pleasing to find Speckled Warblers in a couple of places as they have been scarce in recent surveys. There was a very vocal Brown Goshawk at site 7, a bird seen high overhead later
may have been the same individual. Other raptors seen were Wedge-tailed Eagle and Nankeen Kestrel. There were reasonable numbers of small birds such as thornbills (4 species), pardalotes, Grey Fantails, Weebills and Superb Fairy-wrens. Summer migrants included
Sacred Kingfisher, a Mistletoebird, Pallid and Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoos, Western and White-throated Gerygones, Rufous Whistlers and Dusky Woodswallows. Small numbers of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and Noisy Friarbirds were seen passing through. Masked/White-browed
Woodswallows were heard at one stage but as we were unable to see them so couldn’t identify to species. All breeding records were of parrots inspecting or coming out of hollows, species involved were Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Little Corella, Superb Parrots
and Eastern and Crimson Rosellas.
Mammals included a couple of Red-necked Wallabies; the only reptile seen was an Eastern Bearded Dragon.
Steve
