March 2015

After several years of increasing numbers in Bungendore, Plumed Whistling Ducks have finally made it down Hoskinstown Rd.  This makes 188 species recorded in the project.  Other interesting sightings for the month have been:

1. White-bellied Sea Eagle seen at Foxlow Lagoon ;
2. Eastern Barn Owl and Eastern Koel seen on the Hoskinstown Plain.  The latter is a very late sighting.

In March 2015 we recorded 101 species.  This is one fewer than Febriary 2015 and 1 more than March 2014.  It is well above the 6 year average for the month!

Several species are still engaged in breeding activities including a Red-browed Finch nest with young in our garden, and a Wedge-tailed Eagle feeding a juvenile.  Species reported breeding are marked in red below..

The other, more typical, seasonal aspect is that massing migrant species are starting to move, with small flocks of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters going through most days at the end of the month.  Looking at my detailed chart of departures only a couple of species seem to have stayed on beyond expectations while several others have disappeared a tad early - possibly a result of the very dry end of Summer.

Readers might enjoy this post from my general blog, from which I take this image of a Gang-gang using haws.

Haws are also popular with Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (image from Hoskinstown).

Thanks to observers in Widgiewa Rd, Hoskinstown (Plain and village); Knox Close, Pony Place and Wanna Wanna Rd.  Please pass on interesting sightings to me by email to martinflab@gmail.com.

1  Waterbirds:   Plumed Whistling-duck; Freckled Duck; Musk Duck; Black Swan;  Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood Duck;Australian Shoveler; Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead;Australasian Grebe; Hoary-headed Grebe; Darter; Little Pied Cormorant; Great Cormorant;  White‑necked Heron;  White‑faced Heron; Nankeen Night Heron; Australian White Ibis; Straw-necked Ibis; Eurasian Coot; Masked Lapwing

2 Birds of Prey:  White-bellied Sea-eagle; Brown Goshawk;Spotted Harrier; Wedge-tailed Eagle;  Nankeen Kestrel; Brown Falcon;  Peregrine 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: Stubble Quail; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth; Australian Owlet-nightjar;White-throated Needletail; Common Koel; Fan‑tailed Cuckoo;  Southern Boobook; Eastern Barn Owl; Laughing Kookaburra; Sacred Kingfisher

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

6 Flycatchers and similar species: Rufous Whistler; Grey Shrike-thrush; Grey Fantail; Willie Wagtail; Leaden Flycatcher; Magpie-lark;Scarlet Robin; Eastern Yellow Robin;Welcome Swallow; Tree Martin

7 Thornbills, Finches and similar species:  Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren;  Speckled warbler; Weebill;  White-throated Gerygone; Striated Thornbill; Yellow 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; Dusky Woodswallow; Skylark;  Common Blackbird; Common Starling; Mistletoebird; Australasian  Pipit;

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