August 2007

During the month of August 2007 I have recorded 57 species of birds in a 3 hectare area around our house on Whiskers Creek Road (or, for those in brackets, other parts of the area). 

The month has been notable for warmer weather and the return of the migrant species.   As I noted last month some birds are getting down to breeding: I have put an asterisk in the list below for those species which I have noticed undertaking such activities (mainly nest building thus far).

Water birds:  White-faced heron, Australian wood duck, Pacific black duck, (Little pied cormorant  Masked Lapwing, Australasian grebe, Purple Swamphen, Musk duck)

Birds of prey: Wedge-tailed eagle, Brown goshawk, (Nankeen kestrel, Black‑shouldered kite)

Parrots and relatives:, Sulphur-crested cockatoo, Galah*, Crimson rosella, Eastern rosella, Gang-gang cockatoo (Yellow-tailed black-cockatoo).

Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Laughing kookaburra, Common bronzewing, Pallid Cuckoo*, Crested pigeon (Horsfield’s bronze-cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo)

Honeyeaters: Eastern spinebill, White-eared honeyeater, Yellow faced honeyeater, Red wattlebird, Noisy Miner.

Flycatchers and similar species: Golden whistler, Magpie-lark Welcome swallow (Willie wagtail, Flame robin,)

Other, smaller, birds: White-browed scrubwren, Weebill, Striated thornbill, Yellow-rumped thornbill, Buff-rumped thornbill, Superb fairy-wren, White-throated treecreeper, Silvereye, Spotted pardalote, Varied sittella, (Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Olive-backed Oriole, Common starling, , Skylark, , House sparrow, Richard’s Pipit)

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

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.

(This month sees the first appearance in this column of a member of the thornbill family: often regarded as the typical ‘small brown birds’.   Clues to identifying the various members of the family are given by the details of appearance and the habits (especially the level at which they feed).)

Yellow-rumped thornbill: Acanthiza chrysorrhoa

Appearance: Small but distinctive with butter-yellow rump (very obvious when flying away), black crown with delicate white spots and white eyebrow.

Voice: Bright tinkling song.

Habits:  In small flocks, sometimes with other small insectivores including other thornbill species.  Feeds mostly on the ground (more so than other thornbills), bobbing and jerking as it hops along.  Frequently seen feeding in open paddocks, flying for shelter when disturbed.

Food: Mostly insects and small invertebrates.

Nest:  Domed with a hidden side-entrance.  And with an open cup like ‘decoy nest on top; made of grass bound with spider web.  In shrubbery or low foliage of trees

Occurrence in Revegation:  Found at least once in 91% of revegetation sites, of all shapes and sizes from 3 years of age onwards.