May 2012

This is a full report to supplement the summary to be published in the Gazette.

The cold weather expected in Winter really kicked in for May and many species took the hint.  This includes Homo sapiens as many of the observers seem to have found a need to be somewhere warmer for at least part of the month.  As a result the number of species observed has dropped from 93 in April 2012 to 81 in May 2012.  That is one more  than the number of species reported in May for the last two years!  The following image shows the number of species reported in the last year (ie June 2011 to May 2012) and the average of all available months.

Highlights in the month were: 

• Cattle Egret and Spotted Harrier on Plains Rd; 
• Black Swan nesting near Mills Cross (see image below -the only breeding record for the month); 
• Yellow-tufted Honeyeater at Hoskinstown, 
• continued presence of New Holland Honeyeater in a birdbath at Widgiewa Rd

The low point was a sighting of a Common Myna at the Eastern end of Plains Rd.

Migrant birds are shown in italics below and the breeding species in red. Thanks to several observers in the Molonglo Valley, Forbes Creek, Hoskinstown, and Widgiewa Rd.

1  Waterbirds:  Musk Duck; Black Swan;  Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood Duck;  Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; ; Australasian Grebe; Little Black Cormorant; Little Pied Cormorant; Cattle Egret; White‑faced Heron; Eurasian Coot; Black‑fronted Dotterel; Masked Lapwing

2 Birds of Prey:  Black-shouldered Kite;  Brown Goshawk; ;Spotted Harrier; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Brown Falcon;

3 Parrots and Relatives:  Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo; Gang‑gang Cockatoo; Galah; Sulphur‑crested Cockatoo;  Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Red-rumped parrot

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Stubble Quail; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth; Australian Owlet-nightjar; Eastern Barn Owl; Laughing Kookaburra;

5 Honeyeaters: Eastern Spinebill; Yellow-faced Honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; Yellow-tufted Honeyeater; Noisy Miner; Red Wattlebird; New Holland Honeyeater; Brown‑headed Honeyeater; White-naped Honeyeater; 

6 Flycatchers and similar species: Golden Whistler;Grey Shrike-thrush; Grey Fantail; WillieWagtail; Magpie-lark; Scarlet Robin; Flame Robin; Eastern Yellow Robin; Welcome Swallow; 

7 Thornbills, Finches and similar species:  Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; Striated Thornbill; Yellow‑rumped Thornbill; Buff‑rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Southern Whiteface; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Silvereye; Double‑barred Finch; Red‑browed Finch; Diamond Firetail; House Sparrow; European Goldfinch

8 Other, smaller birds:  White-throated Treecreeper;  Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike;   Common Myna; Common Starling; Mistletoebird; Australasian  Pipit;

9  Other, larger birds: Grey Butcherbird; Australian Magpie; Pied Currawong; Grey Currawong; Australian Raven; Little Raven; White-winged Chough

Green birding 2012

For the last 2 years a group in North America have promoted green birding and this has led an affiliated (or at least like-minded - I am unsure of the formalities or politics) set up a Big Green Day event.  The basic idea is not to use petrol etc while doing your birding.  It doesn't have to be a full day and for the Carwoola part my contribution started at 5pm on 6 May and finished at 1pm on 7 May (when I took the car into town).   Basically there were two bits to my observations:

1. a walk round our property starting at about 8am; and
2. a bike ride from our place to Hoskinstown(ish) starting about 10am. 

I wrote down 44 species in that time.  Quite a few usual suspects were not seen (Crested Pigeon, Red Wattlebird; Masked Lapwing; Weebill, ...) and next year I must give it a better go!

Australian Shelduck, 2 flying over Briars-Sharrow Road
Australian Wood Duck
Pacific Black Duck
Australasian Grebe
Tawny Frogmouth, 2 Whiskers Creek Rd
Little Pied Cormorant
Little Black Cormorant, 2 on dam in middle of Plains Rd
Black-shouldered kite, at least 3 at various spots on the Plain
Nankeen kestrel
Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo
Galah
Sulphur-crested cockatoo
Crimson Rosella
Eastern Rosella
Red-rumped parrot, 6 flew over Windemere Cottage, Plains Rd
Laughing Kookaburra
White-throated treecreeper
Superb Fairy-wren
White-browed scrubwren
Yellow-rumped thornbill
Buff-rumped thornbill
Brown thornbill
Spotted pardalote
Striated pardalote
Eastern spinebill
Golden whistler
Grey shrike-thrush
Australian Magpie
Pied Currawong
Grey currawong
Willie wagtail
Australian Raven
Little Raven, app 50 at various spots where they could scrounge food along Plains Rd
Magpie-lark
Scarlet robin, male, Plains Rd
Flame robin, female, Plains Rd
Eastern Yellow Robin, WhiskersCreek
Welcome swallow
Common starling
Double-barred finch
Red-browed finch
Diamond Firetail, about 5km down Plains Rd
House sparrow
Australasian pipit

I also fitted in a couple of episodes in Sri Lanka - worrying a little that flying to Sri Lanka is hardly Green.  But my hair shirt is a tad thin these days!

April 2012

Report compiled by Julienne Kamprad (thanks Julienne) 

During April a very respectable number of 93 bird species were recorded in the catchment area
of the Gazette. This is only 2 less than the total of the previous month March and 18 more than in April last year. There were no breeding records for the month. The one cuckoo I have seen, a Shining Bronze-cuckoo, was not calling but quietly accompanying a mixed feeding flock of small birds. Right on target the Flame Robin and Golden Whistlers have arrived although not all of the summer migrants have left. Several Red Wattlebirds, Noisy Friarbirds and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters remained to feed on and around the abundantly flowering Brittle Gum.

April’s special sightings
Black Falcon, Spotted Harrier and numerous Black-shouldered Kites graced our sky once again this
month.  Also of note were groups of 4 Cattle Egrets, 4 Varied Sittella, 20 Gang-gang Cockatoos, 20 Crested Pigeons, 50 Southern Whitefaces, 50 Silvereyes, 15 Masked Lapwings, 6 White-faced Herons and 300-400 Little Ravens.

Full List-
Migrant birds are shown in italics below. Thanks to several observers in the Molonglo Valley,
Forbes Creek, Hoskinstown, and Widgiewa Rd.

1 Waterbirds: Musk Duck; Black Swan; Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood Duck; Grey Teal;
Pacific Black Duck; Australasian Grebe; Darter; Little Pied Cormorant; Cattle Egret; White-faced Heron; Australian White Ibis; Purple Swamphen; Dusky Moorhen; Eurasian Coot; Masked Lapwing.

2 Birds of Prey: Black-shouldered Kite; Brown Goshawk; Collared Sparrowhawk; Spotted Harrier; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Little Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Brown Falcon; Black Falcon, Peregrine Falcon.

3 Parrots and Relatives: Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo; Ganggang Cockatoo; Galah;
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Red-rumped parrot

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Stubble Quail; Rock Dove; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth; Shining Bronzecuckoo; Eastern Barn Owl; Laughing Kookaburra.

5 Honeyeaters: Eastern Spinebill; Yellow-faced Honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; Noisy Miner;
Red Wattlebird; New Holland Honeyeater; Brownheaded Honeyeater; White-naped Honeyeater;
Noisy Friarbird

6 Flycatchers and similar species: Golden Whistler; Rufous Whistler; Grey Shrike-thrush; Grey Fantail; Willie Wagtail; Magpie-lark; Scarlet Robin; Flame Robin; Hooded Robin; Eastern Yellow Robin; Welcome Swallow

7 Thornbills, Finches and similar species: Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; White-throated Gerygone; Striated Thornbill; Yellowrumped Thornbill; Buffrumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Southern Whiteface; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Silvereye; Doublebarred Finch; Red-browed Finch; Diamond Firetail; House Sparrow; European Goldfinch

8 Other, smaller birds: White-throated Treecreeper; Varied Sittella; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; 
Olive-backed Oriole; Dusky Woodswallow; Skylark; Common Blackbird; Common Myna; Common Starling; Australasian Pipit;

9 Other, larger birds Grey Butcherbird; Australian Magpie; Pied Currawong; Grey Currawong; Australian Raven; Little Raven; White-winged Chough