birding-aus

Needletails and forest birds

To: birding-aus <>,
Subject: Needletails and forest birds
From: Merrilyn Serong <>
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2001 20:00:20 +1100
Hi People

This morning (7 Feb) when in Black Range State Forest at 37 26 31 S, 145
37 33 E (Vic Central Highlands) I saw a couple of White-throated
Needletails, then on looking at them with binoculars, I suddenly saw
about 70 more.  These were quite invisible to the naked eye as they were
very high and distant.  It makes me wonder how often I miss seeing them
when they are there in reasonably large numbers.  There were a few Dusky
Woodswallows flying mostly below the Needletails, but I didn't see any
Tree Martins, and there are usually many in this area at this time of
year.  The Needletails were there from at least 8.25 to 9.40 am (summer
time).  Sometimes several would fly down quite low and close to me then
disappear again.
One of the Woodswallows dive-bombed me a couple of times, but it was
about as dangerous as being chased by a butterfly.... speaking of which
there were many very large ones about today, and have been in recent
days or weeks.  I was impressed by how quiet the Woodswallow was even
when quite close to my head.  There was no sound from its wings at all.
The area where I was has regrown after logging in 1996.  There were
several Pilotbirds about, two of which obligingly came out of the thick
vegetation and foraged on the track several m in front of me.  I saw
Grey and Rufous Fantails, heard a Golden Whistler and saw just one Grey
Shrike-thrush. A few Satin Flycatchers were using a couple of old stags
to sally out from after insects.  There were a few Yellow-faced
Honeyeaters and several Crimson Rosellas, one Eastern Yellow Robin, a
Rose Robin, and both Brown and Striated Thornbills as well as
White-browed Scrubwrens and Silvereyes.  I could hear White-throated
Treecreepers, Red Wattlebirds and Crescent Honeyeaters in on older area
of forest next to the logged area.  Somewhere there were Brown-headed
Honeyeaters, but I didn't see them.
Black Range and Toolangi State Forests as well as Yarra Ranges National
Park have been really dry this summer, with previously 'permanent' deep
puddles drying out.  The bonus for me has been a huge reduction in leech
numbers, but there has been an increase in extremely annoying march
flies: torture by a thousand pin pricks!  Heavy rain several days ago
has revived the area remarkably and brought back to life the leeches of
course, and this week there have been less march flies.
That will do for now.
Happy birding,
Merrilyn.

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