Regent Honeyeaters return to the Capertee Valley

Timothy Hyde asked about the Regent Honeyeater returning (?) to his place in the Capertee Valley.

This is indeed the first Regent reported from the valley this spring.  I've been waiting for this bird (any Regent come to that!) to be reported in the valley as the number of Regents at the Hunter Valley site reported by Alan Morris had fallen dramatically over about a week.  I always maintained they were somewhere between Cessnock and the Capertee Valley.

In short, my money is on Timothy's bird being the first of a larger number returning to the valley.  Whether they breed is another matter entirely as conditions are not good - little bud on the eucalypts and the Needle-leaved Mistletoe (their primary nectar source in the valley at this time of year) has been reduced significantly by the run of severe frosts in the winter of 2002 combined with prolonged drought.

Cheers

David Geering
Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator
NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 2111
Dubbo  NSW  2830
Ph: 02 6883 5335 or Freecall 1800 621 056
Fax: 02 6884 9382



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