Kooyoora State Park (central Victoria) - 20/09/03

[Chris Tzaros <>]

Dear birders,

Briefly visited Kooyoora State Park on Saturday 20/09.  Was a
glorious morning for birding - lots of sunshine, no wind.  I was
actually on a photographic mission, capturing the flowering of the
Wallowa Acacia calamifolia that forms such a beautiful golden
understorey contrasting with the Red Ironbark and Yellow gum
trunks.  An array of other plants were also flowering well,
including numerous ground orchids (Waxlip, Golden Moth, Blue Caladenia,
Leopard Orchid, several greenhoods).  

Was difficult to focus purely on photography with so much bird activity
going on around me.  Among the highlights were:

- Swift Parrots (about 50 in total), at 3 locations (Kingower Forest,
Aldridges Track in Kooyoora, Grassy Flat Track in Wehla Forest). Best
views were of birds foraging low in Hill Red Gum, gleaning lerp from
foliage.
- Southern Scrub Robin (male singing on dead branch above flowering
wattles).  There is an isolated pop. of this species in the
Wedderbun-Inglewood area, and where I saw the bird in Kingower Forest
would probably be about the southern limit.  Usually seen in thick
broombush mallee but this bird was in open ironbark forest, but with
dense thickets of Wallowa.  Heard two others calling nearby.
-  Black-chinned Honeyeaters (seen and heard everywhere)
-  Several Little, Purple-crowned and Muck Lorikeets feeding in
flowering White Box, seen from close quarters.
-  Western Gerygone, Rufous Whistler, Shining Bronze-cuckoo (summer
migrants making their way down south.

The bush was very lively, almost as if there was never was a
drought.  Pools of water lying about, lots of insects.  Species
diversity was very high, reflecting the change of seasons (still winter
migrants present, ie. swift parrots, yellow-faced honeyeaters, plus
arrival of summer migrants).  Be a great spot for any twitchathon
team to include in their route!

Regards,

Chris

Chris Tzaros
Research and Conservation Officer
Birds Australia (Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union)
National Office
415 Riversdale Rd
Hawthorn East, Vic., 3123
Ph: 03-9882-2622
Fax: 03-9882-2677
Email:
Website address: http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au
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