April 2013

This month we have recorded 91 species, down from 105 in March 2013 and 2 less than the soggy March 2012.  (An update has increased that to 92, which I do not feel significant enough to revise the analysis which  follows.) It would certainly seem that the dry weather is having an effect: apart from my own analysis of the weather, the Waterwatchers of the Molonglo Catchment group have commented that they have recorded 10 months in a row of below average rainfall.

The comparison of April 2012 and April 2013 is quite interesting in that it shows that the difference of 2 species is very much a net figure with about 30% of the species only being recorded in one year.

Of the 34 species seen in only one month I regard

• 10 as unusual (thus expected to be 'patchy' in occurence); 
• 8 as waterbirds (evenly split between years);
• 5 as migrants (4 missing in 2013  - left early?  harbingers of a cold Winter or just going somewhere wetter with more bugs?);and 
• 4 are raptors (3 missing in 2013 -has the dry weather reduced the amount of prey?); leaving
• 7 evenly split between the years, none of which are very common and evenly split between years.

Having started to obsess about that I decided to repeat the exercise comparing March and April 2013.

7 of the 19 missing species from April are migrants (so no surprise); and
8 are relatively rarely reported (no surprise again) and
4 are just 'missing'!

The 5 not reported in March were all more or less unusual birds although Shelduck have been regular on the Plain recently.

Thanks to observers from  Widgiewa Rd, Hoskinstown Plain and Village, Wanna Wanna Rd,  Radcliffe generally and Nummerak Close.

The only breeding record this month was a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo exploring a nesting hollow.

1  Waterbirds:  Musk Duck; Black Swan;  Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood Duck; Australian Shoveler; Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead;Australasian Grebe; Hoary-headed Grebe; Little Black Cormorant; Little Pied Cormorant; White‑necked Heron; White‑faced Heron;  Australian White Ibis;  Royal Spoonbill;  Eurasian Coot;  Black‑fronted Dotterel; Masked Lapwing; 

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

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

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

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

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

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; Spotted  Quail-thrush; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; Dusky Woodswallow; Skylark; Common Blackbird; Common Starling; Mistletoebird; Golden-headed Cisticola, Australasian  Pipit;

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