April 2015

In case you wondered how pine trees spread!  Check the left claw!

Although Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos are recorded every month, they seem to have been more obvious - noisier and in larger groups - in April.

The most exciting sighting was the appearance of 4 Cattle Egrets on the Plain.  This is the third record in the area, and the first since May 2012.  The bids seem to be wandering from their breeding grounds at this time of year.  Other more interesting sightings have included:

• An Eastern Barn Owl seen several times on the Plain (including fluttering at a window apparently attempting to assail a child's stuffed rabbit toy);
• Pink-eared duck at several dams on the Plain;
• Black-fronted Dotterel on the Plain; and
• Golden Whistlers and Flame Robins descending from the higher country.

In total 91 species were recorded in the month.  While this shows the expected drop from March 2015 it is well above the average for the last 6 years (but I am not sure why).

Out-migration continued in the early parts of the month, and I compiled a note on an unusual behaviour of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters.  On one day the migrating honeyeaters included a large flock of White-naped Honeyeaters: this is quite typical for out house.

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: Musk Duck; Black Swan;  Australian Shelduck;Australian Wood Duck; Pink-eared Duck; Australian Shoveler; Grey Teal; Chestnut Teal;Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead; Australasian Grebe; Little Pied Cormorant; Great Cormorant; White‑necked Heron;  Cattle Egret; White‑faced Heron; Australian White Ibis; Straw-necked Ibis;  Eurasian Coot; Black‑fronted Dotterel; Masked Lapwing; 

2 Birds of Prey:  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;  Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Red-rumped parrot

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Stubble Quail; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth;  Southern Boobook; Eastern Barn Owl; Laughing Kookaburra;  Dollarbird

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

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; Fairy Martin; 

7 Thornbills, Finches and similar species:  Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; Striated Thornbill; Yellow‑rumped Thornbill; Buff‑rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Silvereye;  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 Myna; 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