March 2014

Notes on birds March 2014

The most exciting sighting this month was a Red-kneed Dotterel  ...

..  on a farm dam on the Hoskinstown Plain.  This was an addition to the list for the project, which now stands at 185 species seen since February 2007.  Any anatomists amongst you should note that the red element of the leg is actually equivalent to the human ankle (note the way it bends).

As suggested in my previous column White-throated Needletail Swifts appeared on 15 March (but not bringing rain).  There have been a number of interesting ‘repeat offenders’.  Rufous Fantail turned up at Whiskers Creek;  a male Red-capped Robin turned up on Wanna-Wanna Rd and the Powerful Owl has continued to be heard in that area.  A Southern Boobook was observed in that area early one morning.

We scored about 5 species less than in March 2014 but only 1 less than for February 2013 but are well above the 5 year average for March.

Autumn migration is starting up with small (an un-small flock of about 100 birds - mainly Yellow-faced but including some White-naped - was reported on April 1 from the Plain ) flocks of Honeyeaters and Silvereyes moving through.

Most dam’s water levels have improved in the last few weeks (and it’s raining as I type) so hopefully waterbirds will return.  Please advise any interesting sightings to me at martinflab@gmail.com.

I have recently done a bit of updating of my links to photographs.  They now cover 85 of 185 species.  I will try to do a bit more updating in the near future, as I am sure I have images of some of the MIAs.

1  Waterbirds:   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; Great Cormorant;  White‑necked Heron;  White‑faced Heron; Australian White Ibis; Straw-necked Ibis; Yellow-billed Spoonbill; Eurasian Coot; Black-winged Stilt; Black‑fronted Dotterel; Red-kneed Dotterel; Masked Lapwing;

2 Birds of Prey:  Black-shouldered Kite;  Brown Goshawk; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Little Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Brown Falcon; Australian Hobby; Peregrine 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; White-throated Needletail; Southern Boobook;Powerful Owl; Laughing Kookaburra;

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

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

7 Thornbills, Finches and similar species:  Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; White-throated Gerygone; Striated Thornbill; Yellow Thornbill; Yellow‑rumped Thornbill; Buff‑rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; 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;  Dusky Woodswallow; Golden-headed Cisticola; Common Blackbird; 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