Hi all
I visited parts of West Head in Ku-Ring-Gai NP (N Sydney) with my family
(wife, kids, parents) on 15 November for a barbecue. Dad and I left ahead
of the others to sneak in some extra birding. In particular, we explored
the casuarinas near the Resolute Picnic area and the Koolewong track for
Glossy Black Cockatoos - all we found were some recently chewed casuarina
nuts and no GBCs (sorry Dad - dipped again!).
We did see 2 Whistling Kites doing battle with a very aggressive Peregrine,
a Sea Eagle, a great male Mistletoebird (quite low and in full sunshine), a
Common Bronzewing (I nearly stepped on it before it exploded out of the long
grass and made me jump a mile!) and, most surprisingly, a Pheasant Coucal
(picked up by the mobbing of 2 Noisy Miners - as they were at ground level I
was expecting to see a goanna or a snake, not a male coucal - I think the
coucal was as surprised to see us!) While coucals can be found in a range
of habitats, I wouldn't have thought dry open sclerophyll forest on a
sandstone boulder strewn slope was one of them - however, as he sat in a
tree and allowed himself to be watched for a few seconds before heading off,
we got a good look at the bird and there was no doubt that was what he was.
Cheers
Tom Wilson
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