I was on Kings Tableland (south of
Wentworth Falls in the upper Blue Mountains) on Tuesday 19/4/05 looking for
Southern Emu-Wrens (found a group of 5) when I
flushed a Rufous
Fantail out of low dry heath of mostly Allocasuarina nana and Petrophile ssp. It flew a short distance down the track and then dived
for cover into the heath again. Apart from being extremely late it seemed to be
out of its normal habitat even for migration.
Also today in Blue Gum Swamp,
Winmalee (80 km west of Sydney) two male Superb Lyrebirds (one pursued by the other) glided
from the eastern escarpment and through the upper branches of trees in the
valley in an apparent territorial dispute. They both landed on an upper branch
in a tall Blue Gum. The second bird rushed along the limb at the other bird and
chased it into the undergrowth using loud mimicry.
Neil Kirby
