birding-aus

Brown SongLark now a Grassbird

To: greg clancy <>, <>, "" <>
Subject: Brown SongLark now a Grassbird
From: martin cachard <>
Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:15:51 +1100
Hello all again,

This second image that Mark has posted almost looks a different individual - it 
does appear more like a Little Grassbird just on this second image, however the 
first image I have no doubt whatsoever is of a Tawny. 
I'm thinking that if the images are definitely of the same individual, then I'm 
still confident it is a Tawny - the first shot is in my opinion NOT a Little, 
while the second shot could well be of a young Tawny, some often not having a 
fully-grown tail.

I just can't accept that first image being of a Little. If I'm wrong then so be 
it, but I've never seen a Little like that first image...

Cheers,
Martin Cachard
Cairns

> From: 
> To: ; 
> Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:50:40 +1100
> CC: 
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Brown SongLark now a Grassbird
> 
> Mark,
> 
> Your bird matches the painting in HANZAB Volume 7 Part B opposite page 1720 
> of a juvenile Little Grassbird, including the pale edging to the 
> secondaries/tertials and the lack of marking on the throat.  I have photos 
> of adult and juvenile Tawny Grassbirds that I could send you off list.  They 
> have longer tails and are more rufous in the plumage.  The calls are a good 
> way to distinguish them as well as the Little Grassbird has a mournful 
> two-note plaintive song and the Tawny has a much more excited and rich 
> display flight and bomb-dropping song as well as 'chuck chuck ' type contact 
> calls.
> 
> Greg
> Dr Greg. P. Clancy
> Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide
> PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460
> 0266493153  0429601960
> 
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Mark Young
> Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2012 1:11 PM
> To: Nikolas Haass
> Cc: Birding Aus
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Brown SongLark now a Grassbird
> 
> Hi Nikolas,
> 
> I use the terms of calls and song interchangeably. That's very poor of
> myself I know. But what I heard would be better described as a song. Now
> that I think about it, I didn't see this bird make any noise, but I
> assumed the noise/song I heard came from this bird as I could see no other
> bird nearby.
> 
> Regards,
> Mark
> 
> 
> 
> On Sunday, December 16, 2012, Nikolas Haass wrote:
> 
> > Looking at the last picture alone I would say Little Grassbird. In one of
> > your earlier pictures there is also some streaking on the lower flanks. 
> > You
> > are saying call but what you are describing seems to be rather the song 
> > and
> > not a call? Can you describe that a bit more detailed?
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Nikolas
> >
> > ----------------
> > Nikolas Haass
> >  <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', ;>
> > Sydney, NSW
> >   ------------------------------
> > *From:* Mark and Amanda Young 
> > <<javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 
> > ;>
> > >
> > *To:* 'Birding Aus' < <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
> > ;>>
> > *Sent:* Saturday, December 15, 2012 8:20 PM
> > *Subject:* Re: [Birding-Aus] Brown SongLark now a Grassbird
> >
> > G'day everyone,
> >
> > Thanks to all those people who've replied about this bird. Most people 
> > have
> > said it's a Tawny Grassbird, but a few think it might be a Little
> > Grassbird.
> >
> > There are a still points about this bird that have me confused. The white
> > fringing on the tertials(?), the slight dark streaking to the crown, (as
> > evident in the second image) and the dark line running through the eye 
> > seem
> > to suggest Little Grassbird.
> > But the lack of streaking on the breast leads it towards a Tawny 
> > Grassbird.
> > Is it possible this might be a young bird, or a hybrid of the 2?
> >
> > When I saw this bird it was at the bottom of a small gully feeding in
> > between some grasses. Not the sort of habitat I've seen Little Grassbirds
> > in
> > when I've seen them (which is no more than 10 times all up).
> > What attracted me to it was it's call. I was looking in that area for
> > Pipit's which are usually around there, when I heard the bird. I remember
> > it
> > having an attractive call with multiple notes. Sorry about the vagueness 
> > on
> > that point, but I don't remember anymore about it's call.
> >
> > Here's a link to another image showing the crown and back. I don't have a
> > better photo of the breast that I could post.
> > Link: http://bit.ly/ZtuImt
> >
> > Regards,
> > Mark
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Mark and Amanda Young 
> > <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 
> > ;>]
> >
> > Sent: Friday, 14 December 2012 7:13 PM
> > To: 'Birding Aus'
> > Subject: RE: Brown Songlark
> >
> > G'aday everyone,
> >
> > I saw this small bird this morning at Long Reef Golf Course this morning. 
> > I
> > wasn't too sure what it was when I saw it in the field. I thought it might
> > have been some unusual grassbird, but that didn't seem quite right. The
> > underside and head reminded a bit of a Reed-warbler, but those upper
> > feathers didn't seem right either for it to be a Reed-warbler.
> >
> > Now that I've gotten home and had a chance to look it up in Morcombe's, it
> > looks very similar to a female Brown Songlark. But I've only ever seen a
> > male Brown Songlark, and that was a few years ago, so I'm would love to 
> > get
> > the opinion of others as to what they think this bird might be.
> >
> > Link: http://bit.ly/TRM4D1
> >
> > Regards,
> > Mark
> >
> >
> >
> > ===============================
> >
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> > to:  <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
> > ;>
> >
> > http://birding-aus.org
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> >
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