May 2015

The month seemed to be rather quiet for birds, with migration having finished and no breeding activity.  However, the diversity was quite normal:

In fact May is about the most consistently recorded month in terms of numbers of species.  Over the past 6 years the number of species recorded has been 80 (3 years) 81 (twice)or 82 (once).

The numbers of birds seen has been interesting in some cases.

• An observer on Captains Flat Rd reported  a 'flock' of grey shrike thrushes here on 4 May . Maybe 10-15 birds all very vocal and active for maybe about 4 hours.Bit unusual I thought Also as last year a large flock of welcome swallows (100 birds+-) roosting in the dry cumbungi in a gully off a largish dam here. 
•  While walking from our mailbox a flock of 30 Crimson Rosellas shrieked past me.  I assume a Goshawk was in the area.
• On 9 May I saw 127 Australian Magpies in a paddock beside Briars-Sharrow Rd.  While impressive in its own right that was the day of the eBird World Wide Big Day and that was the High Count.  So on that day Carwoola had the biggest flock of Australian Magpies anywhere in the world!
• Dozens of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos were observed in the pines along Wanna-Wanna Rd.

An observation causing me some reflection was a Grey Butcherbird immature reported from Pony Place.  This species is quite regular around Whiskers Creek and occasionally they appear in family groups.  However, I wonder, why have I never found a nest?

Thanks to observers in Widgiewa Rd, Hoskinstown (Plain and village); Knox Close, Pony Place; Captains Flat Rd 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; Australian Shoveler; Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead; Australasian Grebe; ;Little Pied Cormorant; Great Cormorant;  White‑necked Heron;  White‑faced Heron; Eurasian Coot; Black‑fronted Dotterel; Masked Lapwing; 

2 Birds of Prey:   Wedge-tailed Eagle; ;Nankeen Kestrel; Brown Falcon; Australian Hobby; 

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; ;Laughing Kookaburra; 

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

7 Thornbills, Finches and similar species:  Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren;Weebill; WStriated 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;Varied Sitella; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; , 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