birding-aus

New Year's Day 2007

To: <>
Subject: New Year's Day 2007
From: "Margaret Cameron" <>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 12:19:00 +1000
On New Year's Day (and on 1 July) I do a mini-twitch to see how many bird 
species I can record within 10 km of home. This exercise was started by Roger 
Hicks when he was living in Altona, Vic, and he is still doing it now he has 
returned to England. I did not do it when I lived in Geelong because I was 
rarely at home for New Year, but I have now done it 4 times here in Ipswich Qld.

At home in Ipswich from 5am to 5.45am I got 22 species (Koel, Channelbill, 
Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Pale-headed Rosella, Little Corella, 
Blue-faced and Brown Honeyeaters, Little Friarbird, Silvereye, Superb 
Fairy-wren, Figbird, Torresian Crow, Magpie-lark, Magpie, Pied Butcherbird, 
Kookaburra, Crested Pigeon, Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike, Doublebars, Spotted 
Turtledove, Common Myna).
I added the next 24 (mostly common bush birds but sadly dipping on the local 
Grey-crowned Babblers) in a couple of good spots in the Ripley area south of 
Ipswich; unfortunately a lot of this is soon going to be covered with houses in 
a giant urban development. My usual wader spot near Swanbank is completely dry 
(and I have no other so got almost no waders) but Swanbank itself was good with 
all 4 cormorants including a Little Pied on a nest (and the big Pied sitting 
among the remnants of theirs - they were on them in October), a Darter on a 
nest, and several Great Crested Grebes. Even though it was hot in the middle of 
the day I did well at Kholo Gardens north of Ipswich  - among the usual birds 
were several I haven't recorded there before - Cicadabird, White-bellied 
Cuckoo-shrike, a pair of Little Shrike-thrushes and an immature Spectacled 
Monarch. My last long stop was at College's Crossing (also north of Ipswich) 
where good birds included 2 beautiful adult White-bellied Sea-eagles, a pair of 
Jacanas with a youngster, at least 9 Cotton Pygmy Geese, and Striped Honeyeater.

This was my best result so far with 93 species despite the drought. I really 
don't know the area well yet and tend to think of Ipswich as a good base to go 
to other places like the Lockyer Valley, but I think this is pretty good for an 
area mostly covered with town.

Happy New year to all
Margaret

Margaret Cameron
2 Cintra Street
Eastern Heights
Queensland 4305
Australia
07 3282 9151
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