It certainly looks like Spring outside, so I went for a stroll in one of the
local bits of bush to check it out. My conclusion is that though there are
some Spring-ish things going on, it's definitely still "late Winter,
pre-Spring" in southern Victoria.
My walk was at Woodlands Historic Park next to Melbourne's Tullamarine
Airport. I've mentioned it before, but as a brief summary the park is half
farmland - half grassy woodland. The predator-fenced nature reserve (the
back paddock) has woodland of River Red Gum, Grey Box and Yellow Box, with
the odd Red Box, Drooping Sheoke, etc. The birding is quite good at times;
which explains why I've been there regularly over the last 2 years or so.
Unlike many degraded woodland remnants, the LBJs (little brown jobs =
thornbills, etc.) are doing quite well, with thornbills & allies represented
by Brown, Striated, Yellow and Yellow-rumped, Weebill and sometimes Western
Gerygone. I've now found 4 pairs of Red-capped Robins there, which must be
the closest resident RCRs to the Melbourne GPO (???).
Interestingly, today I recorded my first White-throated Treecreeper in the
reserve - a male gathering nest material. Treecreepers (White-throated &
Brown at least) are very difficult to overlook, so I'm curious about whether
this represents a recent recolonisation of the area. My RFI is to other
birders who know this area - have you recorded WTTC (or BTC) there before?
If so, when?
Now to the pre-Spring vs. Spring question. Undoubtedly there are a few
Spring-ish activities afoot, but equally there are still some winter
migrants present, and few of the summer migrants have arrived. Magpies and
treecreepers are nest building; many birds are singing; RCRs are defending
territory; etc. Horsfield's and Shining Bronze-Cuckoos are calling, but
these are probably overwintering birds rather than recent arrivals. Golden
Whistlers are still abundant in the woodland, but there are no Rufous
Whistlers yet. Crimson Rosellas are still present in the woodland.
Striated Pardalotes are still represented here by three forms - two resident
and one (Yellow-tipped) Bass Strait migrant. The single White-winged
Triller looks like a bit of a ring-in! Tree Martins are about, but then
they always are here - when the change over between Tasmanian and other
birds occurs (as suggested by Schodde & Mason in 'the directory') is hard to
gauge.
My morning's list follows.
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus
Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrhocephalus
Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides
Australian Hobby Falco longipennis
Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes
Galah Cacatua roseicapilla
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Purple-crowned Lorikeet Glossopsitta porphyrocephala
Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans
Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius
Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus
Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaeus
Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus
Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus
Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus
White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris
Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla
Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana
Striated Thornbill Acanthiza lineata
Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata
White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus
Brown-headed Honeyeater Melithreptus brevirostris
Red-capped Robin Petroica goodenovii
Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera
Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica
Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca
Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa
Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
White-winged Triller Lalage sueurii
Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
Little Raven Corvus mellori
Red-browed Finch Neochmia temporalis
European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena
Tree Martin Hirundo nigricans
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis
Common Blackbird Turdus merula
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
Short-beaked Echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus
Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula
Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus
Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
Common Eastern Froglet Crinia signifera
Spotted Grass Frog Limnodynastes tasmaniensis
55 species
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L A W R I E C O N O L E
2/37 Myrnong Crescent, Ascot Vale, Victoria 3032 AUSTRALIA.
Phone AH (03) 9370 3928; BH (03) 9510 5750; Mobile (0419) 588 993.
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Web page: http://www.bluep.com/~oco/
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