Had the great fortune to spend a week in the Capertee Valley from 1 to 8
October. Almost starting to suffer withdrawal symptoms after living in the
valley for the past four spring/summers. The purpose of the trip was more
or less to check out the Regent Honeyeater situation, get a few more
colour-banded and search for previously banded birds. This was with the
assistance of the Australian Bird Study Association. While there, we were
planning to also gather data on breeding behaviour in different habitat
types to explore whether life is "easier" in certain habitats.
Unfortunately the best laid plans do occasionally come a cropper and the
birds were far from co-operative. Few Regents were located and those
present were showing no inclination to breed. Why was this so? The few
birds could be explained by the, apparently, good season with birds
dispersed widely over central NSW. The lack of breeding is more difficult
to explain. The primary resource used in past years, mistletoe in River
Oak, was flowering prolifically and many honeyeaters and lorikeets were
using the resource. There were more Noisy Friarbirds than in the past two
seasons but far fewer than observed in 1995 when Regents bred very
successfully. Nectar supply may have been a problem but we have no
benchmark to compare this with and it should not be a problem given the
amount of rain over the winter. It all remains, at this stage, a great
mystery.
Not withstanding the problems associated with the lack of Regents in the
valley, those people who had not visited the valley all went home as
converts. Although a substantial part of our time was spent in "Regent
country" (for those not familiar with the valley - grazing land with
mistletoe infested River Oak) a very nice bird list of 129 species was
accumulated over the week. A new species, to my knowledge, for the valley
was seen - Bassian Thrush. Not bad considering the lack of hard core
twitching.
Present were: Graham & Annete Cam (and the Camettes), Julie Dale, Keith
Egan, Graham Fry & and Liz Cameron, David Geering, Sue Kozianski, Alan
Leishman, Stuart Pell, Dean Portelli, John & Joy Ross and Hal Wooton.
Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora
Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata Breeding
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa
Grey Teal Anas gracilis Breeding
Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
Brown Goshawk Accipter fasciatus Breeding
Collared Sparrowhawk Accipter cirrhocephalus
Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax
Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides
Brown Falcon Falco berigora
Australian Hobby Falco longipennis Breeding
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides
Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa
Painted Button-quail Turnix varia
Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles Breeding
Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera
Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes
Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida
Galah Cacatua roseicapilla
Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta concinna
Little Lorikeet Glossopsitta pusilla
Australian King-Parrot Alisterus scapularis
Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans
Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius
Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus Breeding
Turquoise Parrot Neophema pulchella Breeding
Pallid Cuckoo Cuculus pallidus
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus
Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae
Barking Owl Ninox connivens
Barn Owl Tyto alba
Australian Owlet-nightjar Aegotheles cristatus
Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea
Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sancta
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis
Superb Lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae
White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaea
Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus Breeding
Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus Breeding
Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti
Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus
Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus
Rockwarbler Origma solitaria
White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Hylacola pyrrhopygia
Speckled Warbler Chthonicola sagittata
Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris
Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca
White-throated Gerygone Gerygone olivacea
Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla
Buff-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza reguloides Breeding
Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa Breeding
Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana
Southern Whiteface Aphelocephala leucopsis Breeding
Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata
Striped Honeyeater Plectorhyncha lanceolata
Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus
Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia
Bell Miner Manorina melanophrys
Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala Breeding
Yellow-faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops
Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops
Fuscous Honeyeater Lichenostomus fuscus
White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus
Breeding
Black-chinned Honeyeater Melithreptus gularis
Brown-headed Honeyeater Melithreptus brevirostris
White-naped Honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus
Painted Honeyeater Grantiella picta
New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans Breeding
Red-capped Robin Petroica goodenovii
Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata Breeding
Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis Breeding
Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis
White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus
Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus
Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera
Crested Shrike-tit Falcunculus frontatus
Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris
Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica
Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula
Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta Breeding
Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca Breeding
Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa
Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys Breeding
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis
White-winged Triller Lalage sueurii
Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus
Dusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus Breeding
Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus
Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis
Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen Breeding
Pied Currawong Strepera graculina
Australian Raven Corvus coronoides Breeding
Little Raven Corvus mellori
White-winged Chough Corcorax melanorhamphos
Singing Bushlark Mirafra javanica
Richard's Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae Breeding
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata
Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii
Plum-headed Finch Neochmia modesta
Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis
Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata Breeding
Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum
White-backed Swallow Cheramoeca leucosternus
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena Breeding
Tree Martin Hirundo nigricans
Fairy Martin Hirundo ariel Breeding
Clamorous Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus
Rufous Songlark Cinclorhamphus mathewsi
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis
Bassian Thrush Zoothera lunulata
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Breeding
Number of taxa 129
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