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Hi Birders,
The migration of Yellow-faced
Honeyeaters got underway on the Central Coast of NSW on 1 April 2003 when small
numbers were seen in all my Spotted Gum, Scribbly Gum and Bloodwood
Woodland sites within Wyong Shires. In some of the 20 minute survey sites, up to
22 birds have been counted in the 20 minutes of my 2 ha surveys. The birds
at this stage are feeding in flowering Red Bloodwood Corymbia gummifera
and in a few scattered flowering Spotted Gum C. maculata. As yet I
have not seen them feeding on the nectar of Banksia oblongifolia and
Lambertia formosa, both of which are also in flower on my survey sites.
Some White-naped Honeayters and Silvereyes, Spotted and Striated Pardalotes
appear to be part of the movement.
However elsewhere on the Coast, there
is much flowering of Red Bloodwood and Blackbutt Eucalytpus piluraris,
and large numbers of Little Lorikeets and Musk Lorikeets are utilising
these trees.Now the Swamp Mahogany E. robustus has just commenced
flowering so that there should be many nectar resources for the small
honeyaters, and the Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters if they decide to come.
Much of the Banksia ericifolia heaths have been burnt in the recent
bushfires so that resource will not be available this season although I
believe that more Bloodwoods & Blackbutts are flowering this year
compared to last year, and the Forest Red Gum E. teriticornis &
Swamp Mahogany all look to be heavily in bud indicating a good year for them
too.
We look forward to getting some of
those Victorian Swift Parrots.
Alan Morris
Central Coast group, Birding
NSW
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