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Made a short visit today after lunch to
Prospect Reservoir (approx. 40 km west from Sydney CBD) to see what birds are
currently about there. There were 200 Great-crested Grebes
(this is probably the only place currently in Sydney where you
can see, what I believe, one of Australia's most beautiful birds. They
were pairing or in loose groups, and I even saw a pair display with head-shaking
movements. Also I have never seen them in these numbers at any location within
Australia before), around 100 Black Swans, a Swamp
Harrier, a Whistling Kite, 2 Whiskered Terns
(good to see something different amongst the hundreds of Silver Gulls)
skirting over the water and reeds, as well as some Brown Quail
calling amongst the side of the reservoir. The Whistling Kite was seen
having a go at an injured? Silver Gull in the middle of the reservoir, and the
Kite managed to pickup the Gull for a little while but dropped it, made some
more attempts to pick it up again, but for some reason eventually gave up and
soared off.
In the parkland nearby was a Peregrine
Falcon soaring low over some Welcome Swallows and Fairy Martins, a
Brown Goshawk flying over the canopy, a
Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo calling from overhead wires, a
Fan-tailed Cuckoo or two also heard, several Scarlet
Honeyeaters feeding on flowering red Coral Trees and Bottle Brushes, as
well as the usual abundant Red-whiskered Bulbuls. Despite Scarlet Honeyeaters
being a common-abundant Sydney bird, I never get sick of seeing these beautiful
gems close at hand, and was impressed to squeak in and then be surrounded within
a couple of metres from a number of them.
There were still some flowering Mugga Ironbarks
beside the picnic area car park at the top of the hill and where attracted by
both Little Wattlebirds and White-plumed Honeyeaters. I have checked these a
couple months back for both Regent Honeyeaters and Swift Parrots but without any
success this year (the later species turns up on occassions at the right time in
the area).
Edwin Vella
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