On Monday 20 June, Barbara Allen and I surveyed the Majura Training Area between 8.00 and 11.00 am. Conditions were a little bleak, with early mist and overcast all morning. There was no wind.
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species were observed at the sub-sites with 7 species observed in transit between them, including: Willie wagtail, Scarlet robin, Magpie-lark, Purple swamphen, White-winged chough, and Masked lapwing. What was notable was the high level of activity at the
Canberra Airport, quite a difference from the peaceful times of the last two years of Covid.
Despite the season and the conditions, it was an interesting morning, mostly usual suspects, but with a few surprises. Most unusual sighting was of Brown quail, with 5 flushed at sub-site 3 on the southern
end of the Range and 2 at sub-site 8, several kilometres away, at the northern end. As far as we can recall, this is a first for the area. Common Bronze-wing were observed at a couple of sub-sites. Also seen was a White-faced heron, a species rarely observed
here despite the prevalence of small dams across the site. Other local rarities spotted were the Purple swamp-hen and a Nankeen kestrel. Ten wood ducks were inspecting hollows at the Grenade Range sub-site near the airport. Some Pacific Black ducks and another
4 Wood ducks were seen on Micks Dam, but the Australasian grebe usually there, were not.
There were cockatoos and parrots around, with 82 Sulphur-crested feeding on the ground near Micks Dam at the northern end, 45 at another site, and small numbers at other sites. There were 25 Red-rumped
parrots at the Grenade Range together with 10 Eastern rosellas and 4 galahs. Not many honeyeaters except for Noisy miners and the odd White-eared honeyeater and Eastern spinebill.
There were few little brown birds apart from sub-site 3 where we observed 15 Weebill, 10 Striated, 20 Yellow-rumped and 2 Buff-rumped thornbills. Superb fairy-wrens were seen also. Magpies were observed
at a number of sub-sites, while Laughing kookaburra and Grey shrike-thrush were heard at a number of places.
So all in all, a rewarding morning in good birding territory.
Paul Fennell
