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.
