Early nesting / Royal NP

[Andy Burton's Bush Tours <>]

Morning all,

Keith Brandwood's posting re. early nesting has prompted me to mention a walk I made through the Royal NP last Saturday, July 8th. Walked the Coast Track from Garie Beach up to and across Curra Moors, and return; a walk of about 8 km. Ca 34°  10´   151°  05´.

A cloudless, still day with a maximum temperature of 20° C; how good can mid-winter get?

In the main the habitat was exposed, low heath on the cliff tops and in some areas there were stands of Whipstick Mallee Ash Eucalyptus multicaulis and Port Jackson Mallee E. obtusiflora. There were also some swampy areas of grasses and sedges.

Although the number of species seen was small, there were large numbers of birds present. Highlights for me included:

Raptors: a pair of adult White-bellied Sea-eagles asserting their territorial needs over a Wedge-tailed Eagle, which they drove off, a Little Eagle, a probable Brown Falcon, and a Peregrine Falcon swooping across the cliff top.

Rockwarbler - A single bird on the cliff top

New Holland Honeyeater - Abundant, a few immatures seen.

Tawny-crowned Honeyeater - Common; this is one of the few areas where this species can be easily found  in the Sydney area.

Beautiful Firetail - nest building. A partially completed nest in the outer foliage of an Allocasuarina distyla  on the cliff top; nest facing north, possibly to protect it from the chill blast of the southerlies.

Mystery bird, possibly a Little Grassbird - The three-note call of a Little Grassbird coming from low, dense heath only metres from the cliff top. There was no apparent wetland nearby. Is there another species with an almost identical call or are Little Grassbirds known to frequent this habitat?Any comment?

Other animals seen during the walk included a 1.5 m Red-bellied Black Snake and a cetacean, presumably a Hump-back.

The next day walked Northbridge Park, a small bush reserve on Middle Harbour (33°  49.0´   151° 13.4´). A pair of Australian Ravens were refurbishing an old nest. I believe that this nest previously belonged to a raptor, possibly one of the local Whistling Kites.

Regards, Andy

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