G'day all
I can think of a few garden specials. My house is on the sothern edge of
Hamilton city and overlooks a stream valley with swampy paddocks. The small
front garden has exotic plants and the large rear garden is all natives. Most
nearby gardens are exotic. The stream valley seems to be a regular flyway and
we get quite a few odd birds moving through.
My highlights:
1. November 1988. I staggered out of bed one morning and stood at the kitchen
window while filling the kettle. Two metres from me in the front garden was a
Little Button-quail. My first! This bird stayed in the front garden area for 6
days. I asked neighbours with aviaries but no-one kept this species. Early in
January 1989 I saw 2 on a road a few km from home.
2. July 1989. I went home for lunch and my wife mentioned a funny looking
Long-billed Corella that was being harassed by New Holland Honeyeaters. I
didn't think much of it but just as I was heading back to work Jenny said
"There's that funny Corella" and I looked up to see a "White" Goshawk cruise by.
This was my first record of the species and since then I've seen them near home
during the winter months in a few years.
3. Nov 1998 - Jan 1999. A Koel was never seen in our garden but was heard
calling close by on numerous occasions.
4. Other miscellaneous records of note - Brush Cuckoo (Oct 98), Yellow-tailed
Black-Cockatoos destroying a Banksia (Feb 98), Fork-tailed Swifts (Feb 90),
White-throated Needletail (Mar 91), Flock of Latham's Snipe flew over house (Sep
98), Varied Sitella flock (Sep 92), White-browed and masked Woodswallows
flocking overhead (Oct 91), White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike (May 92), Red-browed
Finch - six briefly visited (Apr 90).
Cheers
Steve
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Steve Clark
45 Carmichael Street, Hamilton, Victoria, 3300
www.ansonic.com.au/clarks/sw_birds.htm
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