Dear all
Took a small group of people to Saltwater Creek, Old Bar, not far from
Taree and north of Forster, last Sunday. Only bird of note was one
Wompoo Pigeon at the Aboriginal meeting place, sitting looking very
content in a small fig tree with lots of figs. No raptors, only one
Black-fronted Dotterel in the inlet and no mangrove herons.
The birds in my back garden in Gloucester are well into spring time
activity, despite the frosts each morning. Yellow-rumped Thornbills are
nest building in a bottlebrush street tree; Magpies have a newly fledged
and demanding youngster, a female (presumably) Satin Bowerbird was
collecting nesting material and flew off to the thickly treed area
behind my garden; Red Wattlebirds are courting and fighting with
intruders, a male Rufous Whistler was in the mulberry tree last week,
bobbing up and down in courting mode but no sign of a female and no
calling, and Eastern Spinebills are courting. The local pair of
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes seem to have had a tragedy, the female with a
white chin flies around calling but no sign of hubby - this has been
going on for at least 2 months. Hopefully she'll find a replacement in
time for the real spring.
Two juvenile Pied Butcherbirds were playing in the back garden, rolling
on the ground and grappling their claws in the sunshine. They then
turned up in the front garden later and mobbed an escapee Cockatiel
which I had to rescue and am still trying to find the owner. If owner
doesn't appear, it will go to the local garden centre that has a large
aviary in which it can have company of other cockatiels and room to fly.
The 2 butcherbirds appear to have separated from parents that must have
starting to breed back in June - we had a false spring then, now winter
is really here with frosts each morning for the past 2-3 weeks. Good
for the soil, keeps the bugs are bay and hopefully the cane toads.
Back in June, actually Tuesday 10th, walking in The Glen Nature Reserve,
Craven (south of Gloucester) best bird was a Grey Goshawk (white morph)
and 3 snakes soaking up the sun on the side of the path - a Tiger, a
Red-bellied Black and a Diamond Python.
This nature reserve has some interesting birds, such a Pale-yellow
Robins, Sooty and Powerful Owls, and Barking Owls have been reported.
National Parks are slowly tidying up and increasing access on the
walking tracks, and there's some good rainforest vegetation. You can
camp there but no facilities at all.
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