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Yesterday late
afternoon, I decided to make a brief visit to Prospect Reservoir
(approx. 40 km west of Sydney) to see if I can find any other interesting birds
attracted to the flowering Mugga Ironbarks and Spotted Gums. The only
Honeyeaters I saw feeding from them were the Red and little Wattlebirds, Noisy
Miners and White-plumed Honeyeaters. There were upto 3 Bar-shouldered Doves
feeding alongside the road to the top picnic area.
In the flowering coral trees at the bottom of the
hill were the above Honeyeaters, aswell as Noisy Friarbirds and 3-4 New Holland
Honeyeaters. There were atleast 5 Great-crested Grebes visible close to the
eastern shore of the Reservoir with probably many more further away from this
shore.
What I found surprising (as with my visit last
weekend and on a visit to an area nearby to the Reservoir a few years ago), was
seeing a male Scarlet Honeyeater calling for sometime from an Introduced Pine
Tree. A few years ago, I encountered a few in an Introduced Pine Forest just
east of the Reservoir. Could there be mistletoe growing off the introduced pines
which may be attracting the Scarlet Honeyeaters? Has anybody seen them in
introduced Pine Trees before. These pine trees were not adjacent to any
flowering Eucalypts.
Edwin
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