Wattle Flat, Audley, Royal National Park

["Brian Everingham" <>]

Over the past week I have visited the Wattle Flat area in Royal National Park on the southern edge of Sydney and have a few comments that might be of value.

Birds missing:

1. No sign of the Catbirds

2. No sign on either day of Superb Lyrebird either! Amazing. Not even any sounds. They must have dispersed and are being very shy.

3. On 7th April there were no Satin Bowerbirds. We did see them today but high in the eucalyptus trees and not in their usual haunts in the rainforest along the Hacking River.

 

Birds of note:

1. Pilotbird, heard and seen, on April 7th at about 12.30pm.

2. Crested Shrike-tit, a pair, seen in low eucalytpus along the Hacking and just above the rainforest canopy, tearing at bark. Good views. April 13th

3. Rufous Fantail, a solitary but active bird that was scared up out of bracken fern near to where we saw the Pilotbird. April 13th. This bird at least then did perform as it should and was in the vicinity of Grey Fantails. It would appear to have been rather late and I thought it might have moved on by now.

4. A flock of about a dozen Topknot Pigeons, moving rapidly north just above the cabbage tree palms. Maybe that's why Marc Anderson has spotted a Grey Goshawk in Royal this last week!

5. On both days there have been numbers of Large Billed, White Browed and Yellow Throated Scrubwrens as well as brown Gerygones.

6. A flock of seven Australasian Little Grebe together, and including four adult males! April 13th

7. An obliging pair of Azure kingfisher, April 13th.

 

The other birds seen were nothing unusual or surprising. However it is always a delight to spend and early morning here in this location.

Brian Everingham
PO Box 269
Engadine
NSW 2233
Australia
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