Manilla - Barraba - Bundarra (northern NSW)

Just returned from the Manilla - Barraba - Bundarra area (north of Tamworth, west of Armidale) in northern NSW.  The area has been blessed with good rainfall with beautiful green, thigh deep grass the norm (contrasting with Dubbo where there is either no grass or it is a burnt-off brown).

Reinforcing the good conditions were the number of Brown Quail encountered and the widespread occurrence of Plum-headed Finches, with a good number of juveniles among them.

Most of the threatened woodland bird species (Turquoise Parrot, Brown Tree-creeper, Speckled Warbler, Grey-crowned Babbler, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Hooded Robin) were easy to find with Diamond Firetails, in particular, being seen from the moving car at regular intervals.  Despite extensive searches no Regent Honeyeaters were located although this was probably what I expected at this time of year.  Mistletoe was flowering well just about everywhere which meant that Regents would be widely dispersed.  The mistletoe was proving a bonanza for the lorikeets (mainly Little, but Musk were in good numbers towards Bundarra).  Just about everywhere I drove you could hear lorikeets.  This gave the impression that Regent Honeyeaters could well be present but it was like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

At one spot I flushed a pair of small quail within woodland.  Red-chested B-quail was my initial response but after flushing one of them a second time I was starting to think that they may have been more likely juvenile Painted Button-quail (as the habitat suggested) or juvenile Brown Quail, as I had earlier flushed one at the roadside just outside the timbered area.  Regardless, I didn't get as chance to pick up the critical field marks and it will have to remain an open verdict.  It does, however, raise the point that small quail might not be what one immediately thinks of (ie the small button quail) but the young of the more common species.

Cheers

David Geering
Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator
Department of Environment & Conservation
P.O. Box 2111
Dubbo  NSW  2830
Ph: 02 6883 5335 or Freecall 1800 621 056
Fax: 02 6884 9382



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