Howdy All
I have seen Horsfields Bronze-Cuckoos feeding on the ground quite a number
of times in the arid northern areas of SA. This has invariably been in
localities of luxuriant ephemeral growth after rain. The general scenario is
of one, sometimes two cuckoos feeding on the ground amongst green herbage
and flowering daisies and the like with sometimes 100s of white-browed and
masked woodswallows, several white-winged trillers (males and females)and
numerous crimson and orange chats in association with them.
Now that I am back on Kangaroo Island, the memories of the last 11 years
spent working in the N and far N of SA are truly great ones-none better than
a glorious spring day in a location where recent thunderstorms have carpeted
the ground with flowering ephemerals and the above birding scenario being
played out in front of the fortunate observer.
Now, I must confess I am getting a little bit nostalgic. I am beginning to
relive other wonderful bird visions. Forgive me for recounting just one more
wonderful memory. Quite often profuse flowering eremophilas (eg: E. duttoni,
E. maculata, E. glabra) provided wonderful birding experiences due to their
nectar rich flowers attracting feathered "sweet tooths" that I have a
particular soft spot for - that is, the magnificent pied and black
honeyeaters, woodswallows and chats. What a wonderful spectacle they
provide. I have approached stands of profuse flowering E.duttoni and E.
maculata in the NE of SA (Plumbago, Bimbowrie and Mulyungarie Stations)only
to have scores of pied honeyeaters, a few black h/eaters and hundreds of
white-browed and masked woodswallows and crimson and orange chats lift up
out of their foliage and flowers all the time calling noisily overhead. Just
something very special.
Anyway enough of that. I really only wanted to mention the cuckoo feeding
but memories of them prompted me to get a little carried away.
Cheers
Chris Baxter
"Panorama Park"
Kangaroo Island
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