Good birding at Prospect Reservoir - 2nd July 2005

["Edwin Vella" <>]

I had a good couple of hours birding in the picnic grounds of Prospect Reservoir (approx. 40 km west of Sydney CBD) yesterday (2^nd July 2005) with the following highlights:

 

Hoary-headed Grebe (a single tight raft of 50 birds)

Great Crested Grebe (200 birds in total – seen in 3 separate groups including one raft of around 150 birds)

Plumed Egret

Grey Goshawk (a large sized female flew over the picnic area)

Whistling Kite (10 seen at the same time)

White-bellied Sea-eagle (one adult soaring in a thermal over some Silver Gulls)

Peregrine Falcon

Coot (4,000 birds present)

Silver Gull (800 forming a carpet of white on the water)

Peaceful Dove

Bar-shouldered Doves

Crested Shrike-tits (a very obliging pair)

Scarlet Honeyeaters (a few birds feeding in the flowering Coral Trees in with the Little Wattlebirds and New Holland Honeyeaters)

Chestnut-breasted Mannikins (20 in the reeds comprising both adult and young birds)

Olive-backed Oriole

Dusky Woodswallows (8 birds in their usual hang out along the powerlines. A few birds appear to stay at Prospect all year).

 

A total of 62 species of birds recorded in about 2 hours

 

Edwin Vella