June 2008

In late May to the end of June 2008, 68 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, including the species reported by an observer in Hoskintown. The most exciting (for me at any rate) sighting was a pair of Brown Treecreepers near the Foxlow Bridge and I’d welcome any other reports of them (or other interesting birds).  Last month I reported a Tawny Frogmouth at our house and I have seen it, perched in our big Yellow Box, on several occasions since then.

Water birds:  Australasian Grebe; Little Pied Cormorant, Black Swan, Australian Wood Duck; Pacific Black Duck; Grey Teal, White-faced heron, Musk Duck, Masked Lapwing

Birds of prey: Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Goshawk, 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; Laughing Kookaburra; Tawny Frogmouth

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

Flycatchers and similar species:  Welcome swallow; Grey fantail; Willie Wagtail; Scarlet Robin; Flame Robin; Golden Whistler; Grey Shrike‑thrush; Magpie-lark,

Other, smaller, birds:   Weebill; Southern Whiteface, Brown thornbill; Striated Thornbill; Buff-rumped Thornbill; Yellow-rumped Thornbill; White-browed Scrubwren; Superb Fairy-wren; Brown Treecreeper, White-throated Treecreeper; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Mistletoebird, Silvereye; Diamond Firetail; Red-browed Finch Common Blackbird; Skylark; 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

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-faced Honeyeater: Lichenostomus chrysops

Appearance:  Plain olive-grey honeyeater, with a yellow line bordered by black extending horizontally across the face.

Voice: Cheerful ‘chick-up, chick-up, chick-up’; in flight a short ‘chip’.

Habits: Singly or pairs but in autumn migrates from the region in flocks of 10s to 100s (these flocks can add up to several thousand passing through a site over 2 or 3 weeks).  Feeds actively amongst foliage: rapid darting flight.

Food:  Nectar, insects, other invertebrates.

Nest:  Deep but thin cup; of grass, bark, moss, and sometimes lichen, slung from horizontal fork.

Occurrence in Revegetation:  Spring/summer migrant usually leaving the region in April –May returning in late August-early September.  Some birds occasionally over-winter.  When migrating the birds will utilise any shrub or tree cover to move through the landscape including small narrow windbreaks.  Recorded in 48% of sites from 5 years of age onwards.

(Garden Bird Survey: This Survey, run in the gardens of members of COG, records this bird as common, being observed in about three-quarters of the sites each year.  It is usually recorded in at least 1 site nearly all weeks of each year.)