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A visit today and yesterday morning at Prospect
Resevoir near Blacktown (approx. 40 km west of Sydney CBD) has produced a
number of interesting birds for this wonderful area on the outskirts of
metropolitan Sydney. I have been surveying the surrounding bushland in the
northern and western areas of the Reservoir and the reservoir itself (after
being granted permission from the Sydney Waterboard and State Government to do
so) and have found my local patch a very productive area for birds
with no fewer than 86 species recorded in a few habitats.
Some of the interesting species seen on those
2 days include 120 plus Great Crested and smaller numbers of Australasian
Grebes, 150 plus Australian Pelicans, a male Darter, a Little Egret, a pair
of adult and a juv. White-bellied Sea-eagle, a Brown Goshawk flying high with 5
Whistling Kites in a thermal, Brown Quails, Black-fronted Dotterels, 1-2
Buff-banded Rails, 2 Latham's Snipe, Peaceful Doves, Pallid and Fan-tailed
Cuckoos, Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoos, Sacred Kingfisher, numerous
White-winged Trillers (very numerous throughout the area with a conservative
number of at least 21 very territorial pairs in the areas I checked),
numerous Rufous Whistlers, a pair of Crested Shrike-tits, several
Variegated Wrens (not typical in the shale areas, saw a very nicely plumaged
male), Rufous Songlark, Varied Sitellas, Brown-headed and numerous Scarlet
Honeyeaters (quite abundant), Striated Pardalotes, Chestnut-breasted
Mannikins, lots of Olive-backed Orioles and White-throated Gerygones
and Weebills.
The calls of White-winged Trillers, Rufous
Whistlers, Olive-backed Orioles, Grey Shrike-thrushes and Scarlet Honeyeters
certainly dominated the scene and this truly made it like spring. Many were
present in recently burnt areas. However in a few parts unfortunatley, many
Australian Ravens and Noisy Miners were dominate.
I also saw a nice sized Laced Monitor, a Jacky
Lizard and some Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Dwarf Green Tree Frogs (Litoria fallax)
were also heard during the day in the reeds (great food for Little Bitterns
which I wound imagine be also present around the Reservoir).
There is very good reed cover in the western
sections of the Reservoir which looks good for all 3 species of Bittern, Rails
and Crakes and the wet grass nearby good easily have King Quail or Red-backed
Button-quails. Pheasant Coucals are also meant to be in the thick vegeation
(seen fairly recently closeby at Greystanes) and I am hoping Speckled Warblers
and other endangered Sydney woodland birds maybe still around.
A wonderful time exploring and surveying my
local patch.
Edwin Vella
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