Red Hill Winter WOO Survey

["Harvey Perkins via Canberrabirds " <>]

I did the Winter Woodland survey at Red Hill on the morning of Monday 29 June in a brief rain-free window of opportunity. Conditions were very dull with some light drizzle/mist early on, but bird activity was generally good. 

Diversity (32 species) and total numbers (292) were both pretty typical for a Winter survey (means over 28 years of 29.4 and 293), with 27 species recorded within sites and an additional 5 between sites. 

Activity at sites varied quite significantly (not unexpected) with site 4 this time providing most excitement due to a mixed feeding flock - Spotted Pardalotes, Brown and Buff-rumped Thornbills, Silvereyes, an immature Golden Whistler, a male Scarlet Robin, a White-eared Honeyeater and two Yellow faced Honeyeaters. The cooperative spirit was only bolstered by their detection and very vocal concerted mobbing of a Collared Sparrowhawk which eventually flushed and flew off. 

Five species of honeyeater were recorded: Eastern Spinebill, White-eared and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebird, and Noisy Miner.

Diversity and numbers of small bush birds was probably better than normal, but parrot/cockatoo numbers, which are generally a feature of Red Hill surveys, were surprisingly low. A quartet of corellas (Little, long-billed and Little x Longbilled hybrid) was again staking out the hollows in the large Blakeley's Rd Gum at site 9. Other early suggestions of breeding intent included several pairs of Australian Wood Ducks up in trees, including one being seen off by an indignant Galah. 

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