November 2007

In November 2007 I have recorded 69 species of birds in a 3 hectare area around our house on Whiskers Creek Road (or, for those in brackets, other parts of the area).  An * in the list below shows those species which I have noticed undertaking breeding activities, while a ^# indicates a species reported to me by other observers.

Water birds:  White-faced heron, Australian wood duck, (Little pied cormorant, (Masked Lapwing, Australasian grebe*, Pacific black duck, Grey teal, Nankeen Night-heron^#)

Birds of prey: Little Eagle, (Brown goshawk, Nankeen kestrel)

Parrots and relatives:, Sulphur-crested cockatoo, Galah*, Crimson rosella*, Eastern rosella, Gang-gang cockatoo, Yellow-tailed black-cockatoo.

Kingfishers and other non-songbirds:, Pallid Cuckoo*, Sacred kingfisher, Crested pigeon, Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo, (Laughing kookaburra , Southern Boobook, Australian Owlet-nightjar, Dollarbird)

Honeyeaters:, White-eared honeyeater, Yellow faced honeyeater, Red wattlebird, Noisy friarbird, (Noisy Miner, Brown-headed honeyeater ).

Flycatchers and similar species: Rufous whistler, Welcome swallow*, Willie wagtail, Grey fantail (Tree martin, Dusky woodswallow,  Scarlet robin, Magpie-lark, White-winged Triller, Rufous songlark⁾

Other, smaller, birds: Western gerygone, ,White-browed scrubwren, Weebill, Striated thornbill, Yellow-rumped thornbill, Buff-rumped thornbill* , Superb fairy-wren, White-throated treecreeper, Silvereye, Spotted pardalote, Striated pardalote*, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Olive-backed Oriole, Red-browed finch (Common starling, House sparrow*, Richard’s Pipit, White-throated Gerygone, Speckled warbler,  European goldfinch)

Other, larger, birds: Pied Currawong*, Grey currawong, Grey butcherbird, Australian Magpie*, Australian Raven, Little Raven (White-winged chough, Satin bowerbird^#)

Bird of the Month

This is based upon material in the very good book “bringing birds back” published by Greening Australia.  Comments in brackets are by this author.

Brown thornbill: Acanthiza pusilla

Appearance: One of a group of small grey‑brown birds, this one distinguished by dark streakings on the chest, dark brown eyes and tawny brown rump. (Perhaps the archetype of “small brown bird” this author finds that the ‘plainer’ brown crown is also helpful.)

Voice:.Wide range of calls from a loud deep song to fussy squeaks and a harsh scolding.  Also an excellent mimic.

Habits: Common in shrubs and understorey.  Singly pairs or small groups often with other small insectivorous birds.  Constantly active, feeding in shrubbery, hanging from foliage, fluttering after insects.  Bold and curious, often attracted to a disturbance , scolding loudly ar intruders.

Food:  Insects and other invertebrates

Nest:  Untidy dome with side entrance; of grass, shreds of bark green moss bound with spider web, usually near the ground.

Occurrence in Revegetation:  Found in 66% of sites from 3 years of age onwards including small and narrow sites, isolated sites and large sites. 

(Garden Bird Survey: This Survey, run in the gardens of members of the Canberra Ornithologists Group, shows that the bird has increased steadily in numbers from the start of the Survey in 1980 and continues to do so.  Perhaps this reflects the increasing scrubbiness of gardens?.)