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.)
