Hi all,
A great day out birding yesterday the 9th of September.
Myself and Jill Gautreaux, a visiting birder from the states, spent a few
short hours casually birding along the Cowan to Jerusalem bay leg of the
great north walk.
At Cowan station we were greeted by large numbers of Red-whiskered Bulbul
calling loudly and chasing each other through the street trees, we crossed
the train tracks and headed down to the start of the track.
Near the beginning of the trail we experienced clear views of numerous
White-eared and White-cheeked Honeyeater as well as a lone New Holland
Honeyeater and numerous courting pairs of Spotted Pardalote.
Good numbers of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters darted around amongst the banksias
as Grey Shrike-thrush and Golden Whistler rang loudly through the forest.
Silvereye were moving through all day.
Variegated Fairy wrens were in full display, and Brown Thornbills sang
continuously as they flitted about the mid-story.
The wildflowers were in full bloom, rich with the yellows, purples, blues
and pinks of all different flowering plant species.
Down-slope towards the creek, the first of many Lewin's Honeyeater were seen
as well as Eastern Yellow Robin and Striated Thornbills calling in the
canopy of a tall Syncarpia glomulifera. But no Lyrebirds were seen or heard!
Futher along the track, down by the estuary more Lewin's and Yellow-faced
Honeyeaters were seen along with a small flock of Varied Sittella.
White-naped Honeyeaters were also heard calling on the hill slopes.
In the area around the Jerusalem bay lookout, two Glossy Black Cockatoos
were watched as they quietly cracked away at the large supply of fruit on
the surrounding Casaurina.
After this nice find, we watched in awe as a lone Wedge-tailed Eagle
leisurely glided high with the thermals above a single Little Pied Cormorant
busily fishing in Jerusalem bay.
The constant calls of Shining Bronze Cuckoos convinced us it was spring time
as did the high pitch 'falling leaf' song of a male Scarlet Honeyeater
singing atop a Syncarpia.
On the return walk I was hoping we would locate the two target species of
the day - Superb Lyrebird and Rockwarbler (Origma).
Within the last 100 metres of the track I heard a familiar 'kissing' call
which turned out to be a pair of Origmas who went about their duties as we
watched them, scaling the sandstone boulders on the hillslope.
By the end of the walk we dipped on the Lyrebird but had a good days birding
nonetheless with over 30 species in all.
Regards,
Kurtis Lindsay
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
===============================
|
