Greetings all
I took out a small party birding in Royal National Park, Sydney ( southern
edge for those a long way away) today and we visited two sites: the Wattle
Forest area, being regenerated(8.30am - 11.00am), and the Bonnie Vale area
down by Bundeena (1.00pm-3.00pm).
Total bird list was 62 species.
The first area is a regenerated rainforest ... still in the throes of
clearing the lantana, the weeds of all sorts and clings to the Western banks
of the Hacking River upstream from the weir. Indeed the volunteers were
there today. They suffer from knowing that the work they do is often
destroyed by the Rusa Deer, the feral animals that eat the young shoots as
they appear ... all because the government still refuses to take firm action
on a sensible culling program (fear of the "Bambi" factor). Anyway, birding
highlights were the three Green Catbirds, the pair of Fantail cuckoo, the
Lewins Honeyeater bathing, a male Golden Whistler feeding a young bird, the
two active Satin Bowers (one decorated its bower with the yellow crest
feathers of the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo as well as its blue bits), a full
choral display by a Superb Lyrebird, two Grey Fantail on a nest-building
operation (one took material to what appeared to be a well-developed nest
and added it to the interior) and excellent views of Azure and Sacred
Kingfishers.
Down by Bonnie Vale the pond at the entrance, the one with algae growth that
seems neglected by the tourists but much loved by the birds, there are now
roosting Nankeen Night Heron as well as the four Royal Spoonbill, the
Chestnut and Grey Teal, the Little Black and Little Pied Cormorants ... and
on the sand spit there are three Pied Oystercatchers. No sign of Curlew,
Godwit or other waders ...perhaps there are too many people. Nor the Caspian
tern that was there last time I took a party this way. The most annoying
factor remains those jet skis ... with that noise and disruption can there
be hope for waders on the sand spit? Or terns in the waters of the Hacking?
Brian Everingham
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