I spent a good couple of hours or so birding this morning (23/6/07) in
Greystanes (approx. 40km west of Sydney CBD) and was successful again in
finding more Swift Parrots. This time along Hyland Rd, where a number of
Eucalypts (mainly planted Mugga Ironbarks and Spotted Gums) were in flower.
This time I watched a flock of 12 Swift Parrots land in a eucalypt. They
were relatively quiet during that time and not feeding (this eucalypt was
not in flower) and hadn't I notice them fly in, I could have easily walked
passed without noticing them. Unlike Lorikeets, they can be very quiet birds
when perched as I have found them to be on other occasions. However their
calling is much noticeable when they take off. I watched these Swifties
perched and preening for about half an hour until a Pied Currawong found
them and then the parrots disappeared.
There was a lot of bird activity along Hyland Rd and other interesting
sightings included a Spangled Drongo keeping an eye on the large flocks of
finches consisting mainly of Double-barred and Red-browed Finches as well as
several Chestnut-breasted Mannikins all moving about together in the grass
beside the road; lots of honeyeaters including a few Fuscous Honeyeaters
feeding on the flowering eucalypts with Yellow-faced and New Holland
Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebirds and Rainbow Lorikeets; a Fan-tailed Cuckoo
calling low in the acacias; a few Dusky Woodswallows perched on the
telegraph wires beside the road; and hearing Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo, a
Rose Robin and Bar-shouldered Dove. There were also both Little and Musk
Lorikeets in other parts of Greystanes. I had recorded 5 species of finches
and 10 species of parrot around Greystanes in the 2 hours I was there this
morning and I did not see a single Crimson Rosella which are usually there.
There are quite a number of trees (both Muggas and Spotted Gums) in flower
or just starting to flower around Greystanes and the Swifties may stick
around to the end of the season.
Edwin Vella
==============================www.birding-aus.org
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