On Saturday 5th Oct, Aidan Sudbury and I went birding on a number of sites
in state forests, on the north facing side of the dividing range, between
Bendigo and Heathcote. The mission was to try and see black eared cuckoo and
spotted quail thrush. (Thanks to Chris Tzaros for the location details).
First up was a small state forest at South Mandurang, within the first ten
minutes Aidan had picked up on a Painted Honeyeater calling. I finally saw
the bird flying away from us, a good enough view to identify it. two minutes
later the bird returned at ground level, giving both of us a great view for
five minutes or more. Also seen here were white winged choughs, grey
currawong, fuscous honeyeater, olive backed oriole, restless flycatcher,
striated thornbill, mistletoe bird, superb fairy wren.
We then went to the Whipstick SF just North of Bendigo to check out a
spotted nightjar site. At the whipstick we heard a Gilberts Whistler
calling, but the brush was to thick to get into. After a while we managed to
find the nightjar site, a large cleared area that looked ideal if we came
back at dusk. We had a walk round the edges of the cleared area. Not much
about, saw yellow thornbill, grey fantail, spotted pardalote and red capped
robin. Some woodswallows too high to identify.
Next stop was Crosbie SF near Toolleen, The predominate trees here are
ironbarks. we saw very little, Grey Shrike Thrush and yellow tufted
honeyeater, and white winged choughs.
Then over to Cornella SF, This was more productive, got good views of black
chinned honeyeater, white plumed honeyeater, white bellied cuckoo shrike,
dusky wood swallow, common bronzewing, kookaburra and crimson rosella.
Finally we drove south to a state forest between Redcastle and Costerfield.
Stopping on Jim track , we set off on a circuit. We saw scarlet robin,
yellow thornbill, buff rumped thornbill, fuscous honeyeater.
After an hour and within sight of the car (I had by this time mentally given
up on any new ticks), I spotted a bird fly up off the ground and land back
on the ground a bit further away. This had to be a quailthrush. Directing
Aidan toward the pair of Ironbarks the bird had landed between, we
approached from opposing sides. The quail thrush
kept moving along the ground (as they do) and we got good enough views to
identify it. It then flew up into a tree. There was the bird twenty feet up
a tree, allowing us perfect views of the bird from every angle. After about
ten minutes it flew down away from us and we left it feeling well satisfied
(us - not the bird!).
Also seen whilst driving between sites, grey butcherbird, red rumped parrot,
eastern rosella, long billed corella, brown falcon and the usual suspects -
magpies etc.
The blackeared cuckoo will keep.
Regards
Giles Daubeney
Manufacturing Manager
John Crane Australia
(P) + 61 3 9289 4777
(F) + 61 3 9289 4788
email
The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to
which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged
material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or
taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or
entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received
this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any
computer.
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
