December 2007

In December 2007 I have recorded 68 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.

It has been notable that this year I have recorded 6 species of cuckoo along Whiskers Creek Road.   Also worthy of note has been the reduced number of ‘obvious’ small birds in our garden as the young Pied Currawongs have fledged.  Hopefully sightings will return to their previous levels in the near future.

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

Birds of prey: Collared sparrowhawk;  

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

Kingfishers and other non-songbirds:, Pallid Cuckoo; Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo; Common Bronzewing, Laughing kookaburra:  Southern Boobook (Brush cuckoo, Crested pigeon,  Common Koel)

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

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

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)

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. 

Willie Wagtail: Rhipidura leucophrys (When visiting this area some years ago Bill Oddie, of TV Goodies fame, found it hard to believe that a bird was called Willie Wagtail!)

Appearance:  Black with white underparts below the breast and white eyebrow.  Long black fanned tail wagged from side to side.

Voice: Cheerful song ‘sweet pretty creature’; also scolding rattle ‘chicka-chicka-chicka’.

Habits: Familiar farm bird, particularly near dams.  Bold and active, perches on fences and low branches, launches into twisting flight after insects, takes them from foliage or chases them along the ground.

Food:  Insects (they have a big job in front of them this year!)

Nest:  Neat cup; of fine grass and bark covered on the outside with spider web until grey and smooth, lined with hair, wool and feathers; on a small horizontal branch from 1-15 metres high

Occurrence in Revegetation:  Found in 60% of sites from small narrow windbreaks to the largest sites, from 3 years onwards.  Seen perched at the edge or chasing insects out over the paddock returning to shelter when disturbed.

(Garden Bird Survey: This Survey, run in the gardens of members of the Canberra Ornithologists Group, records this bird as fairly common, being observed in 60 – 70% of sites each year.)