Text of Bulletin Article 2011

This is the (slightly edited) text of the second article I composed for the local Newspaper now known as the District Bulletin (since it is distributed beyond its original ambit of Palerang Shire).

Following the wonderful rains of the past 12 months there have been many reports of bird diversity decreasing as those forced East by the drought return home.  In contrast, the Carwoola area is still full of birds, with 146 species recorded in 2010.  Over the last 4 years, I and several other observers, have recorded a total of 161 species in the Carwoola area.  

In 2010 we recorded 42 species every month of the year.  It is convenient to group these common birds according to categories: waterbirds (4 species); birds of prey (2 species); parrots and cockatoos (6 species); Kingfishers and other non-songbirds (3 species); Honeyeaters (6 species); Flycatchers and similar species (5 species); Thornbills, Finches and similar species (7 species); Other smaller birds (2 species); and Other larger birds (7 species).

Over the 4 years of recording we have also recorded 64 species as breeding - defined rather broadly - in the area (40 breeding species in 2009).   Although some nests are found, such as the Grey Fantail chicks shown in the image, many of the breeding observations in the area are of dependent young (for most species, this is when the adults are seen feeding the young birds).    

Again a pair of Tawny Frogmouths raised 2 chicks in a nest visible from the author’s study .  When the chicks leave the nest they travel around with their parents for a few months “learning to be Frogmouths”.  Sometimes this provides great photo opportunities!. A Grey Shrike‑thrush again raised 2 chicks in an opportunistic site in a garage in Radcliffe Estate and White-browed Scrub-wren utilised a coil of rope hung in a shed on Hoskinstown Plain.  

The deluge of 2010 caused many species of waterbirds  to head for the (no-longer-dry)  inland swamps and lakes.  Pacific Black Ducks and Australian Wood Ducks continued to be common, and many small dams are still occupied by Australasian Grebes (often breeding).   As the floods retreat the waterbirds will come back to the dams, emphasizing their importance as refuges of last resort for some birds as well as the stock they were installed to serve.

Parrots and Cockatoos are common (and colourful) in the area.  The two Rosella species and 4 species of Cockatoos were recorded every month in 2010.  Two species of naturally occurring pigeons are frequently seen in the area, including the very colourful Common Bronzewing. 

Possibly reflecting the relatively warm winter and good rainfall (foreshadowing an early start to a promising breeding season for their host species) the Fan-tailed Cuckoo and Pallid Cuckoo began to be seen and heard from July onwards.

 One of the obvious outcomes of the good season has been a huge amount of flowering grass.  As this goes to seed it is likely that the finches which feed on grass seeds, such as the Red-browed Finch will have a bumper season in 2011.

 

The Canberra Ornithologists Group website includes a very comprehensive range of photographs and recordings of the calls of many of the species found in the area.  A website launched last year by the Atlas of Living Australia  provides very useful features including an ability to obtain a list of species recorded within 5 km of your address.