birding-aus

Probable Fruit Pigeon at Taggerty, Vic.

To: Birding Aus <>
Subject: Probable Fruit Pigeon at Taggerty, Vic.
From: Ian May <>
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:42:06 +1030
g'Day all

On Monday 9th, and Tuesday 10th March while visiting Pat's brother at Taggerty, Victoria I could hear the call of what was almost certainly a fruit-pigeon emanating from deep within the neighbouring rainforest property known as "The Poplars" (approx. 2 ha of dense manicured temperate rainforest) located on the west side of the Maroondah Highway approx. 0.4 km south of the Eildon/Alexandra road junction.

The voice of this bird was a repeated soft monotonous "Coo Coo" repeated at approx. 15 second intervals, in sessions lasting from two or three minutes separated by a minute or two of silence. The call tones were somewhat reminiscent of Rose-crowned Fruit-Pigeon, a species that I am familiar with from previous experiences of living in the Kimberley but the repeated pattern was not the same. However the call appears to match published descriptions of the Purple-crowned Fruit-Pigeon, a species I am not so familiar with.

First heard at about 4,00 pm on Monday evening, the bird called continually from the forest canopy for more than two hours and again the next morning for about an hour from about 8.00 am. Frustratingly the bird would not reveal itself and I was unable to locate it after several times walking the eastern and northern boundary of the private property. As nobody appeared to be home and I was unable to obtain permission to enter the property, in spite of my best efforts from the boundary, eventually we had to leave.

However if anyone is travelling past Taggerty it could be worth a look as there is probably a fair chance the bird will remain in the area until the weather breaks. On the east side of the highway adjacent to a running creek opposite to the "The Poplars" there is a picnic reserve and the distinctive call was easily heard while sitting at that picnic table.

At present within the unburnt areas of riverine forest habitat around Taggerty, bird abundance and diversity appears greater than usual including numbers of Satin Bowerbirds and also Lewin's Honeyeaters amongst many probable refugees from the nearby burnt out Black and Blue Range forests




Regards

Ian and Pat May

currently at Price SA

Mob:   0428337956
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