birding-aus

Glossy Afternoon

To: Rotamah Island Bird Observatory <>
Subject: Glossy Afternoon
From: Merrilyn Serong <>
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 11:53:35 +1100
Hi Craig
Any chance of the Cockatoos that you saw being Gang Gangs.  Their call
is a bit like the Yellow-tailed Blacks, and they are smaller with dark
tails.  Also re Pilotbirds and Lyrebirds, I have never seen them
together either.  All the Pilotbirds I see in Toolangi Sate Forest and
Yarra Ranges National Park (Victorian Central Highlands) are quite
independent and able to find their own food!
Cheers,
Merrilyn

Rotamah Island Bird Observatory wrote:

> Spent a few hour today at the Den of Nargun area of the Mitchell River
> National Park.  A beautiful area for a swim on a warm day.  The birds
> were a bit quiet, but I was there between 11am and 2pm, so I guess
> it's to be expected.  On previous visits there, I've seen Spotted
> Quail-thrush running around the car park and Pink Robins in the
> gully. There were a couple of interesting things however.  The first
> was several lyrebirds, four in all, but two we're being 'tended' by
> White-browed Scrubwrens as Pilotbirds are supposed to do (although
> I've never seen this myself).  The scrubwrens would hold back, about
> two feet from the lyrebird then as soon as it moved, the scrubwren
> would be in there, going through the turned over leaf litter.  I
> wonder if this is common and if other forest floor birds do the
> same? The second sighting was a flock of black-cockatoos flying
> overhead.  I had already seen and heard some Yellow-tailed Black
> Cockatoos but my attention was drawn to a cockatoo-like call that was
> weaker and slightly higher pitched.  I was unable to get a good look
> at the birds, they were flying overhead and the vegetation gaps were
> few, but there were five of them.  They looked smaller than the
> typical yellow-tailed and all definietly had all dark tails which led
> to me deduce that they were probably Glossy Black Cockatoos.  I don't
> have a tape of the call handy to check whether this description fits
> their call but it was noticeably different to a yellow-tailed call
> which I am very familiar with from here on Rotamah.  Does anyone know
> if these birds regularly move this far east, I'm told it happens, just
> very rarely. While taking that swim of mine, I was also able to watch
> three Wedge-tailed Eagles soaring majestically overhead.  I would
> highly recommend this area, not far at all from the Princes Hwy and
> easy to access.  This is the first time I've visited and not seen
> several Pink Robins and Crescent Honeyeaters.  Full species list
> below. Craig Doolan Little Pied CormorantWedge-tailed
> EagleYellow-tailed Black-cockatooGlossy Black-cockatooSuperb
> LyrebirdWhite-throated TreecreeperSuperb Fairy-wrenWhite-browed
> ScrubwrenStriated ThornbillBrown ThornbillGrey FantailEastern
> WhipbirdYellow-faced HoneyeaterLewin's HoneyeaterEastern
> SpinebillGolden WhistlerRufous WhistlerSilvereyePied CurrawongSatin
> BowerbirdAustralian Raven

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