February 2008

In February 2008 I recorded 73 species of birds in the catchment area of the Gazette (this month the list benefits from a large list of species reported by an observer in Hoskintown).  A hash (#) in the list below indicates a species reported to me by someone else. An * shows those species which have been noticed undertaking breeding activities which usually means seeing an adult feeding a dependent young bird. 

Water birds:  Australasian Grebe^#; Little Pied Cormorant; Australian White Ibis^#; Australian Wood duck; Pacific Black Duck; Grey Teal^#

Birds of prey: Brown Goshawk, Wedgetailed Eagle^#, 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; Laughing Kookaburra; White-throated needletail^#; Pallid Cuckoo^#; Fan-tailed Cuckoo; Brush Cuckoo

Honeyeaters:, Brown-headed honeyeater; Eastern spinebill; Yellow-faced Honeyeater*; White-eared Honeyeater; Noisy Miner; Red wattlebird*; Noisy friarbird*

Flycatchers and similar species:  Welcome swallow; Tree Martin; Dusky Woodswallow*; Rufous Fantail*^#: Grey fantail*; Willie wWagtail; Leaden Flycatcher”; Scarlet Robin; Flame Robin; Rufous Whistler; Grey Shrike‑thrush; Magpie-lark,

Other, smaller, birds:  Spotted Quail-thrush^#; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; White-throated Gerygone; Western Gerygone; Weebill*; Striated Thornbill; Buff-rumped Thornbill*; Yellow-rumped Thornbill; White-browed Scrubwren; Superb Fairy-wren; White-throated Treecreeper; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Silvereye; Richards Pipit, Double-barred Finch; Red-browed Finch*; Diamond Firetail^#; Olive-backed Oriole; 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

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

Straiated Pardalote: Pardalotus striatus.

Appearance:  Small stubby bird, pale olive back, black wings with white streak, black cap with white streaks (striations), strong white eyebrow and yellow throat.

Voice: Hard two note “chip-chip” or stuttered note “wid-a wit”.  (The three note call is sometimes represented as “rig-by dick” while the similar, albeit more colourful, species Spotted pardalote has a call with different stress “Sleep Ba-by”)

Habits: Singly, pairs or small groups, may form larger groups in autumn-winter with other small insect-eating birds.  Difficult to see amongst foliage, usually located first by calls or the sound of the beak clicking as it picks lerps off the leaves.

Food:  Insects, particularly lerp and scale insects, other small invertebrates.

Nest:  Cup or dome shaped, of grass or bark shreds (but rarely seen as it is made) in hollow of tree 10 metres or higher or (less commonly in this area) in burrow in earthbank.

Occurrence in Revegetation:  Found in 57% of sites, both large and small but rare in narrowest of windbreaks.  Found in fast growing tubestock sites from 3 years of age onwards, other sites from 5 years onwards, increasingly common as trees mature (note preferred breeding sites?)

(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 about  75% of sites each year and usually recorded in at least 1 site every week of the year.)