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Hi Birders,
Chris Ross reports that Fantailed Cuckoos have been
calling at Cape Solander, Botany Bay NP, Kurnell (NSW) for the past four weeks
and wondered whether they were planning to take advantage of the New Holland
Honeyeater breeding. Maybe they will, but the main hosts for Fantailed Cuckoos
in this part of NSW are the White-browed Scrub-wren and the Brown Thornbill.
Both of these species are resident and their breeding commences with the
lengthening of the daylight period, in other words already, these two speciews
are going through courtship and have probably commenced nest building. The
Cuckoo needs to be on hand early to co-incide its egg laying with its host's
first clutches!
The cuckoo most likely to parasities the New
Holland Honeyeater is the Pallid Cuckoo, not due on the coast until late August.
However Pallid Cuckoos tend to favour White-plumed, Yellow-faced and
Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters more so than some other similar species, and the New
Holland therefore is well down the list!
Alan Morris
Records Officer, Birding
NSW
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