November 2008

In November 2008, 84 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, including the species reported by observers in Hoskintown, Whiskers Creek Road and Stoney Creek Place.   We have also added 3 species to the list: Black-winged Stilt, Rainbow Bee-eater and Fairy Martin. I have underlined breeding birds (where there has been evidence of this). An unusual breeding record is a domestic goose adopting some Australian Wood Duck ducklings!  A very pleasing breeding record is the brood of 3 Black-fronted dotterels at a farm dam off Whiskers Creek Road.

Waterbirds: Purple swamphen; Australasian Grebe; Little Pied Cormorant; Masked Lapwing; Black-fronted Dotterel; White-faced heron; White-necked Heron; Australian Wood Duck; Pacific Black Duck; Grey teal.

Birds of Prey: Brown Goshawk; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Brown Falcon; Nankeen kestrel.

Parrots and Relatives: Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo; Gang-gang Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Galah; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Red-rumped parrot.

Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Brown Quail; Common bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Feral pigeon;  Southern Boobook;  Tawny Frogmouth; Dollarbird; Laughing Kookaburra; Sacred Kingfisher; Rainbow Bee-eater; Pallid Cuckoo; Brush Cuckoo; Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo.

Honeyeaters:  Brown-headed honeyeater; Eastern spinebill; Yellow‑faced honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; New Holland Honeyeater: Noisy Miner; Red wattlebird; Noisy friarbird.

Flycatchers and similar species: Welcome swallow; Tree Martin; Fairy Martin; Grey fantail; Willie wagtail; Leaden flycatcher; Golden Whistler; Rufous whistler; Grey shrike thrush; Magpie-lark

Other, smaller birds: Black-faced cuckoo-shrike; White-winged Triller; White-throated gerygone; Western gerygone; Weebill; Striated thornbill; Brown thornbill; Buff-rumped thornbill; Yellow‑rumped thornbill; White-browed scrubwren; Rufous Songlark; Superb Fairy-wren; Dusky woodswallow; White-throated treecreeper; Mistletoebird; Spotted pardalote; Striated pardalote; Silvereye; Richards Pipit; Olive-backed oriole; Common blackbird; Skylark; House sparrow: European goldfinch;  Common starling.

Other, larger birds: White-winged chough: Pied Currawong; Grey currawong: Grey butcherbird: Australian Magpie; Australian Raven; Little Raven

Bird of the Month

From the Greening Australia book “Bringing Birds Back.  Comments in brackets are by this author.  

White-eared Honeyeater:  Lichenostomus leucotis

Appearance:  Distinctive olive-green honeyeater with black hood and large white ear patch.

Voice: Variety of calls including loud, full ‘beer-brick, beer-brick’ and rapid but mellow machinegun call.

Habits: Ususally seen singly, active and bold, forages amongst leaves and under bark.  Rapid flight with distinctive “flop-flop’ sound. 

Food:  Insects and other invertebrates, also nectar but less than other honeyeaters.

Nest:  Deep cup of grass and bark shreds bound with spider web, lined with hair and wool; slung from small branches amongst foliage, 1-3 metres high

Occurrence in Revegetation:  Recorded at least once in 32% of sites . Found in small and large sites from 3 years of age onwards, but not recorded in the narrowest windbreaks.

(Garden Bird Survey: This Survey, run in the gardens of members of COG, records this bird as moderately common, being observed in about 40% of sites, and every week of the year.  However it is unusual in the urban area other than in Winter, and most of the records for the rest of the year come from the area covered by this blog.)

October 2008

In Octber 2008, 84 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, including the species reported by an observers in Hoskintown and Widgiewa and those seen on a COG excursion to Wanna Wanna Road.).  This is the highest number recorded in the 20 months I have been recording here.   We have also added 2 species to the list: White-necked Heron and Glossy Black-Cockatoo. I have underlined breeding birds (where I have seen evidence of this).

Waterbirds: Purple swamphen; Australasian Grebe; Little Pied Cormorant; Masked Lapwing; White-faced heron; White-necked Heron; Australian Wood Duck; Australian shelduck; Pacific Black Duck; Grey teal.

Birds of Prey: Collared sparrowhawk; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Brown Falcon; Nankeen kestrel.

Parrots and Relatives: Glossy Black-Cockatoo; Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo: Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Galah; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella.

Kingfishers and other non-songbirds:   Common bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Feral pigeon;  Southern Boobook;  Tawny Frogmouth; Dollarbird; Laughing Kookaburra; Sacred Kingfisher; Pallid Cuckoo; Fan‑tailed Cuckoo; Brush Cuckoo; Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo; Shining Bronze‑Cuckoo.

Honeyeaters:  White-naped honeyeater; Brown-headed honeyeater; Eastern spinebill; Yellow‑faced honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; New Holland Honeyeater: Noisy Miner; Red wattlebird; Noisy friarbird.

Flycatchers and similar species: Welcome swallow; Tree Martin; Grey fantail; Willie wagtail; Leaden flycatcher; Scarlet robin; Eastern Yellow Robin; Rufous whistler; Grey shrike thrush; Magpie-lark

Other, smaller birds: Black-faced cuckoo-shrike; White-throated gerygone; Western gerygone; Weebill; Southern whiteface; Striated thornbill; Brown thornbill; Buff-rumped thornbill; Yellow‑rumped thornbill; White-browed scrubwren; Superb Fairy-wren; Dusky woodswallow; White-throated treecreeper; Spotted pardalote; Striated pardalote; Silvereye; Richards pipit; Diamond Firetail; Red‑browed finch; Olive-backed oriole; Common blackbird; House sparrow: European goldfinch;  Common starling.

Other, larger birds: Satin bowerbird; White-winged chough: Pied Currawong; Grey currawong: Grey butcherbird: Australian Magpie; Australian Raven; Little Raven

Bird of the Month

From Greening Australia.  Comments in brackets are by this author.  

Buff-rumped thornbill:  Acanthiza reguloides

Appearance:  (Archetypal small brown bird!)  Small, fairly non-descript bird.  Olive grey above, yellowish below; the yellow-buff rump most visible when flying.

Voice: Musical tinkling call, rapidly repeated.  (Some observers say it is like two coins clinked together.).

Habits: Pairs or groups.  Feeds on the ground or amongst shrubs and lower parts of trees. Constantly active, hopping quickly over ground or around branches.  Often with other small ground feeding birds.

Food:  Insects, and other invertebrates.

Nest:  Untidy, domed; of grass, bark and spider web.  On the ground or in tree fork.

Occurrence in Revegetation:  Found in 40% of sites.  More often in tubestock sites than direct seeded and in oolder sites where ground layer developed.

September 2008

In September 2008, 78 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, including the species reported by observers in Hoskintown and Widgiewa.).  Clearly, species diversity continues the seasonal rise reflecting the return of migrants.  We have also added 3 species to the list: White-bellied Sea-eagle, Royal Spoonbill and New Holland Honeyeater.  A great joy was seeing a brood of 13 baby Shelduck on a dam off Woolcara Lane: a very unusual event in this area.  I have underlined breeding birds.

Waterbirds: Pacific Black Duck; Grey teal; Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood duck; White-faced heron; Royal Spoonbill;Masked Lapwing; Little Pied Cormorant; Australasian Grebe.

Birds of Prey:             Brown Goshawk, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle; Little Eagle, Brown Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel

Parrots and Relatives: Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Galah; Sulphur-crested cockatoo;

Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Crested pigeon; Common bronzewing; Brown quail; Laughing Kookaburra; Pallid Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo; Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo; Southern Boobook.

Honeyeaters; Brown-headed honeyeater; White-naped honeyeater; Eastern spinebill; Yellow‑faced honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; New Holland Honeyeater, Noisy Miner; Red wattlebird, Noisy Friarbird.

Flycatchers and similar species: Magpie-lark; Grey fantail; Welcome swallow;        Tree Martin; Willie wagtail; Scarlet robin; Golden whistler; Rufous whistler; Grey shrike-thrush

Other, smaller birds; White-throated treecreeper; Silvereye; Weebill; Buff-rumped thornbill; Brown thornbill; Striated thornbill; Yellow-rumped thornbill; White-browed scrubwren;  Western gerygone, Hhite-throated Gerygone; Superb Fairy-wren; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; Olive-backed Oriole; Spotted Quail-thrush; Striated pardalote; Spotted pardalote; Dusky Woodswallow; Mistletoebird; Richard's pipit; Skylark;  Diamond Firetail; European goldfinch; House sparrow; Common starling; Common blackbird;

Other, larger birds; Satin bowerbird; Pied Currawong; Grey currawong; Australian Magpie; White-winged chough; Grey butcherbird; Little Raven; Australian Raven

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.   I have departed from the main section of the book, to “birds to look out for” for this month since I feel the constant calls of the Pallid Cuckoo truly make it a bird of the month!

Pallid Cuckoo:  Cuculus pallidus

Appearance:  Slender long-tailed cuckoo, grey with faint dark curving line through eye, prominent white markings on edge of tail.  In flight underwings speckled white and tail barred white.  Immatures grey with buff, black and white mottling.

Voice: Call of the male is ascending scale of 8 – 10 notes. Female has harsh whistle.

Habits: Single or pairs.  Usually first noted by call. Swift undulating flight.  (They parasitise many species, but most commonly Honeyeaters.)

Food:  Insects, especially hairy caterpillars – one of few birds able to eat these.

Nest:  Parasitic bird lays one egg in the nest of host species (see above).

Occurrence in Revegetation:  Found in 9% of sites from small and narrow to large, from 4 years of age onwards. 

(Garden Bird Survey: This Survey, run in the gardens of members of COG, records this bird as uncommon, only being observed in about 10% of the sites, and about 10% of week of the year.  The low rate probably reflects them being recorded when calling mates in the early breeding season.)

August 2008

In late July to the end of August 2008, 73 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, including the species reported by observers in Hoskintown and Wanna Wanna (especially the Olive-backed Oriole).  Clearly, species diversity is on a seasonal rise reflecting the return of migrants (and the birds being more obvious as they advertise the boundaries of their territories – notably Skylarks).

Waterbirds: Pacific Black Duck; Grey teal; Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood duck; White-faced heron; Masked Lapwing; Little Pied Cormorant; Australasian Grebe; Purple swamphen

Birds of Prey: Collared Sparrowhawk, Wedge-tailed Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel

Parrots and Relatives: Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Gang-gang Cockatoo; Galah; Sulphur-crested cockatoo; Yellow‑tailed black‑cockatoo;

Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Crested pigeon; Common bronzewing; Rock dove; Brown quail; Laughing Kookaburra; Tawny Frogmouth; Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo

Honeyeaters; Brown-headed honeyeater; White-naped honeyeater; Eastern spinebill; Yellow‑faced honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; Noisy Miner; Red wattlebird

Flycatchers and similar species: Magpie-lark; Grey fantail; Welcome swallow;        Willie wagtail; Scarlet robin; Flame Robin; Golden whistler; Rufous whistler; Grey shrike-thrush

Other, smaller birds; White-throated treecreeper; Silvereye; Weebill; Buff-rumped thornbill; Brown thornbill; Striated thornbill; Yellow-rumped thornbill; Southern Whiteface; White-browed scrubwren; Superb Fairy-wren; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; Olive-backed Oriole; Striated pardalote; Spotted pardalote; Dusky Woodswallow; Richard's pipit; Skylark;  Diamond Firetail; European goldfinch; House sparrow; Common starling; Common blackbird;

Other, larger birds; Satin bowerbird; Pied Currawong; Grey currawong; Australian Magpie; White-winged chough; Grey butcherbird; Little Raven; Australian Raven

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. 

Silvereye: Zosterops lateralis

Appearance:  Small silvery-grey and yellowish-olive with distinctive silver eye-ring (hence the name!).  See also comment under habits.

Voice: When breeding beautiful warbling song, some mimicry; (otherwise) thin sometimes mournful contact calls.

Habits: Pairs when breeding; otherwise in flocks, moving actively together through trees and bushes, calling constantly.  Migratory species.  Local birds leave in autumn but are replaced by Silvereyes from Tasmania (which show a chestnut patch on their flanks).

Food:  Insects, berries, fruit, nectar.

Nest:  Delicate cup, of grass, moss horsehair, bound with spider web; suspended from thin twigs usually hidden in low shrub.

Occurrence in Revegetation:  Found in 41% of sites from small and narrow to large, older than 4 years of age. 

(Garden Bird Survey: This Survey, run in the gardens of members of COG, records this bird as  very common, only being observed in over 90% of the sites, and in every week of the year.)

July 2008

In late June to late July2008, 59 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, including the species reported by an observer in Hoskintown.

Waterbirds: Purple swamphen; Grey teal; Australasian Grebe; Little Pied Cormorant;           Masked Lapwing; Pacific Black Duck; White-faced heron; Australian Wood duck

Birds of Prey:             Little eagle; Brown Falcon; Nankeen Kestrel

Parrots and Relatives: Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Galah; Sulphur-crested cockatoo; Yellow‑tailed black‑cockatoo;

Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Crested pigeon; Common bronzewing; Rock dove; Brown quail; Laughing Kookaburra; Tawny Frogmouth

Honeyeaters; Brown-headed honeyeater; White-naped honeyeater; Eastern spinebill; White-eared Honeyeater; Noisy Miner; Red wattlebird

Flycatchers and similar species: Magpie-lark; Grey fantail; Welcome swallow;        Willie wagtail; Scarlet robin; Golden whistler; Rufous whistler; Grey shrike-thrush

Other, smaller birds; White-throated treecreeper; Silvereye; Common blackbird; House sparrow; Yellow-rumped thornbill; European goldfinch; Weebill; Buff-rumped thornbill;  Brown thornbill; Striated thornbill; Striated pardalote; Spotted pardalote; Richard's pipit; Superb Fairy-wren; Common starling

Other, larger birds; Satin bowerbird; Pied Currawong; Grey currawong; Australian Magpie; White-winged chough; Grey butcherbird; ; Little Raven; Australian Raven

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. 

Yellow Thornbill: Acanthiza nana

Appearance:  Plain dull yellowish Thornbill, with faint streaking on the ear-coverts.

Voice: Brisk, repeated “chi-chit”.

Habits: Characteristic of trees with feathery or needle-like foliage such as wattles (especially black and silver wattles) and she-oaks. Singly, pairs or in small groups usually with other insect feeding birds including Brown Thornbills and Superb Fairy-wrens.  Constantly moving through the foliage or hovering outside to pick off insects.

Food:  Insects and other invertebrates.

Nest:  Untidy dome with side-entrance; of grass, shreds of bark, moss and lichen, bound with spder web, usually suspended high in foliage or outer branches.

Occurrence in Revegetation:  Found in 45% of sites from 4 years of age onwards.  More common in direct-seeded sites which tend to have a higher proportion of wattles than tubestock sites.  Foud in small narrow sites as well as large sites, wherever feathery wattles occur.

(Garden Bird Survey: This Survey, run in the gardens of members of COG, records this bird as uncommon, only being observed in about 10% of the sites, and in about half the weeks each year.  This probably reflects the habitat needs of the species, not commonly satisfied in gardens.)