During a visit to my parents in Orange, (NSW Central Tablelands) on the
weekend, on Saturday I drove to Forbes and visited the legendary Gum Swamp.
I had a feeling that it would be a good day when I stopped the car to
observe two Apostlebirds and was distracted by what I initially thought was
a out-of-range white backed magpie. As soon as I lifted my binos I knew I
was looking at my first Ground Cuckoo Shrike. What's more it was nesting in
a nearby eucalypt which afforded us great views of its diagnostic features.
The nest was in the fork of a tree appeared to be constructed nearly
completely of wool. It may have had young in it as one of the three GCS
returned to the nest with a grub in its beak.
Gum Swamp is just out of Forbes on the West Wyalong road (you can't miss it)
and is fed by the local sewerage farm, so is not suffering from the big dry.
There was a mass of waterfowl including Freckled, Blue-billed, Pink-eared
and Musk duck. Two White-bellied Sea eagles were nesting in huge nest in a
dead gum and at least four whistling kites and two peregrines were evident.
I also caught a glimpse of a Swamp Harrier. Gum Swamp is surrounded by Grey
Box? woodland and the highlights here were two Crested Shrike tits and
Restless Flycatchers. It must be an awesome place in Spring. I have included
a complete list below of birds seen Orange to Forbes return and Gum Swamp
(marked with an *).
To round off a wonderful ornithological weekend, on the drive back from
Orange to Canberra yesterday afternoon I saw a Black Falcon and Spotted
Harrier about 10 km on the Canowindra side of Cowra. In all I saw 12 raptors
over the weekend, though interestingly only one Wedge-tailed Eagle.
Cheers
Alastair
Australasian Grebe*
Hoary-headed Grebe*
Little Pied Cormorant
Great Cormorant*
Darter
Australian Pelican*
Blue-billed Duck*
Musk Duck*
Freckled Duck*
Black Swan*
Australian Wood Duck
Grey Teal*
Chestnut Teal*
Pacific Black Duck*
Australasian Shoveler*
Pink-eared Duck*
Hardhead*
White-faced Heron
White-necked Heron*
Straw-necked Ibis
Black-shouldered Kite
Whistling Kite*
White-bellied Sea-Eagle*
Swamp Harrier*
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Nankeen Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon*
Purple Swamphen*
Eurasian Coot*
Masked Lapwing
Rock Dove*
Common Bronzewing
Crested Pigeon
Eastern Rosella
Red-rumped Parrot*
Galah*
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo*
Laughing Kookaburra*
Superb Fairy-wren
Striated Pardalote
Buff-rumped Thornbill
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
White-plumed Honeyeater*
Eastern Spinebill
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Noisy Miner*
Red Wattlebird
Crested Shrike-tit*
Grey Shrike-thrush*
White-winged Chough*
Apostlebird
Willie Wagtail*
Restless Flycatcher*
Australian Raven*
Grey Butcherbird*
Pied Butcherbird
Australian Magpie*
Pied Currawong
Magpie-lark*
Ground Cuckoo-shrike
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike*
Common Blackbird
Common Starling*
Welcome Swallow
Tree Martin*
Clamorous Reed-Warbler*
House Sparrow
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