Hi
everyone!
I
usually don’t write much to Birding-aus, as to me any email might look
like advertising, but there are exceptions.
This
is one of them, as it is an important sighting.
Cape York, Red Goshawk site
near Musgrave/Lotus Bird Lodge
9.7. 2005
Observers:
Peter and Annette O’Reilly
At
about 10.00 am while waiting at the nest site for the Red Goshawk an immature
Gouldian Finch was spotted on the ground. Peter and Annette couldn’t
believe their eyes, and while watching a group of about 12 flew of the ground
into the tall gum trees. While looking for the group of finches in the tree one
red faced Gouldian was seen, others had black faces.
They eventually
landed on the ground again and fed on the ground before flying off after about
8 – 10 minutes observation.
Peter
and Annette rand Sue Shephard from Artemis Station to tell the news.
Sue
told me about the sighting on the 11.7., and it sounded unbelievable, as the
habitat is so different (very tall and quite dense gum trees, spaced almost
like rainforest trees, not like open woodland at all) from their normal
preferred areas.
Still,
how could you mistake Gouldian Finches, and specially from birders like Peter
and Annette. I had no time to check it out, as I had to be at Iron Range
the following day.
19.7.
2005
Observers:
Brian & Coralie Holmes, Heatherbell Mellor, Martha Vincinus, Nancy
Symonds and myself.
On
return with my group from Iron
Range we also stopped as
usual at the Red Goshawk site. At 16.15 while waiting for the Goshawk and
always looking for movement we saw a group of about 12 small birds flying into
a tall gum tree. It took a while with the scope to find them, but luckily with
the wind blowing we could see Gouldian Finches perched between the leaves. At
least one red faced and 3 black faced finches were in the scope, and several
juveniles. The most we saw in the scope at a time were 7 finches. Delightful!
After
about 20 minutes the flock flew off.
I am
not sure, but Ron Stannard recons, that these sightings are the first since
about 1970 of Gouldian Finches on Cape York.
Isn’t
it great!!!
Happy
birding,
Klaus
P.S.
Yes, the Goshawk did turn up for Peter and Annette plus for our group. Let’s
hope they don’t hunt Gouldians!!!!
Klaus
& Brenda Uhlenhut
Kirrama
Wildlife Tours
PO Box
1400
Innisfail
QLD 4860
Australia
Ph:
07 4065 5181
Fax: 07
4065 5197
Kirrama
Web Page:
http://www.kirrama.com.au
Web
Directory:
http://www.ausbird.com
