Dear all
A very successful surveying weekend (15/16/17 Oct) in the
Bathurst/Portland/Sunny Corner State Forest area was carried out by members
of the NSW FOC (Field Ornithologists Club) with the first sightings of
Painted Honeyeaters (a pair in mistletoe just north of the Sydney/Bathurst
highway near Glanmire) and Curlew Sandpipers on a dam very near the city.
Yellow-box is in flower in remnant woodlands either side of the highway
but nothing up in the forest areas, no doubt the reason for the following.
Things were fairly quiet honeyeater-wise in the forests with small numbers
of Brown-headed, White-naped, White-eared and Scarlet, reasonable numbers
of Noisy Friarbirds and Red Wattlebirds, and lots of Yellow-faced which
were usually the first birds one heard on leaving a vehicle to commence
surveying. Striated and Spotted Pardalotes were everywhere, as well as
Pallid, Horsfield and Shining-bronze cuckoos. Scarlet, Hooded and Flame
Robins were around, and the migrants were back - Rainbow Bee-eaters, Sacred
Kingfishers (excavating a hole in a dead tree), Dollar birds, Clamorous
Reedwarblers plus Western and White-Throated Warblers singing - with many
species brooding, feeding or constructed nests. Two Painted Button-quail
were seen on a road near the Kirkconnell Correction Centre, Hobbies on the
track to the Pyramid Fire Trail, a flock of around 250 magpies in a
paddock on Tarana Road, another of about 40 Little Ravens north of
Portland, several pairs of Grey Currawongs and far too many Pied
everywhere. One pair of Spotted Quail-thrush sighted on the Pyramid Fire
Trail.
Parrots included King, Eastern and Crimson Rosellas, Red-rumps, and
cockatoos Gang Gangs, Yellow-tailed Blacks and Sulphur-crested - nothing
special there.
The weather was fine, sunny and warm during the day, with only a dash of
rain late afternoon. We were too knackered to go spotlighting at night so
night bird records are rare although I heard an Owlet Nightjar at the
Yetholme Community Hall where we bed down for two nights.
We covered 42 (4 sites per grid @ 20 minutes per site) of the 77 grids; a
further 20 will be done by club members this week or next (weather
permitting) and Andrew Fisher of Charles Sturt University
will organise to finish whatever is left.
All records eventually go to the BA Atlas.
If any reasonably competent birders are interested in taking part, please
get in touch. The project has a further 5 surveys to conduct in January,
April, July and October and January 2001 and we could do with more help.
Penny Drake-Brockman, Examination Recitals Co-ordinator, Sydney
Conservatorium of Music.
Tel: 02 9351 1254.
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