Birds after the inferno

We were not much in Carwoola for the first few days after the fires tore across our block.  We actually moved back home on 24 February.  So here are my recent observations

From the first 24 hours we were back.

Around the house we have had a surprising number of the smaller birds.  The most obvious, and in greatest numbers have been Superb Fairy-wrens.  They and the thornbills and scrubwrens seem to be finding plenty to glean on the ground and we are providing water for them.  Quite a few bushes still have leaves so they have had shade on the hot days.

Medium-sized birds, especially nectivores have been thin on the ground.  The only honeyeaters seen or heard have been Red Wattlebirds and, up the top of the block, Noisy Miners.  No Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Noisy Friarbirds nor Eastern Spinebills.  Two Rufous Whistlers were calling this morning and a couple of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes were seen on Widgiewa Rd.  Grey Fantails are evident as always.

I assume these latter species are dining on the dead insects around the area.  There are plenty of former grasshoppers (and still a surprising number of live ones: how did they survive?)  Also I have just removed the leaves from our gutters and it seemed that dead Christmas Beetles made a significant contribution to the biomass.

Parrots and their relatives have not been around much.  I have heard a few Galahs and some Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos have been the only participants from this family group.

The dominant species generally appears to be Little Ravens.  As we finished the dog walk this morning a flock of 50 of these raucous birds were carrying on alarmingly by the Creek.  Other large birds seen have been several family (? - I didn't check their DNA)  groups of Australian Ravens; good numbers of Australian Magpies; a pair of Magpie Larks; a Collared Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel were the contributions form the raptor family.  Finally while on the roof a clan of about 6 White-winged Choughs went by.

Not a bad haul in the circumstances.

Later sightings

The next morning 5 Australian White Ibis flew over: great scavengers (a common name in Sydney is Bin-chook) they'd undoubtedly got the word that grasshoppers were easier to spot!  Masked Lapwings were down at a dam.  Noisy Friarbirds made their presence known and a flock of 12 Dusky Woodswallows were hawking off the power lines.  The latter species have been thin of the ground this season.

Subsequently Grey Shrike-thrushes have been everywhere.  A Sacred Kingfisher flew across our block and a pair (OK, two) of Grey Currawongs were grazing on our lawn.  The choughs are patrolling every day (and causing hypertension when they kick up a cloud of smoky dust).

The biggest surprise was a juvenile Nankeen Night Heron perching briefly in a tree outside our sun room,  As I commented in a message to the COG chatline "I had to check the bottle of Shiraz to make sure I had only had one glass!"

Other eyes

A number of other folk in the area report birds they have seen to me, which helps keep tabs on what is happening.  

Since the fire one neighbour reported, through Facebook, a quail on their lawn.  This resolved to a Painted Buttonquail.  The observer commented that they knew there were quail in the paddock but hadn't seen them at the house before.

Another observer commented :

I have seen copious magpies, ravens, crimson rosellas, superb blue wrens and red browed finches….but none of our white browed scrubwrens (we had HEAPS) and it is noticeably quieter :-(   I can’t hear any of our usual wattle birds, honeyeaters or noisy friars…it’s really quite depressing :-(

I have seen quite a few raptors since the fires though - brown goshawk, wedgies and what I think was actually an Australian Hobby….I can’t think what else it could have been. I haven’t seen one here before!  

Lastly, put me down for a white faced heron from the other day and a black faced cuckooshrike as well - just saw it this morning.  Oh and a bunch of maned ducks - there’s a family group at the end of Widgiewa that I’ve had to wait numerous times whilst they waddle across the road.  One was hit the other day by a car in front of me and I got out and moved it to the side of the road - was hard watching the family try and process what had happened when they got to the body :-(

Comparisons

A Canberra friend commented that soon after the 2003 bushfires he visited the Bullen Range (across the 'bidgee from Kambah) and the only bird he saw was a Superb Lyrebird.  Several months later when I returned to Australia and visited the Brindabellas the only birds in numbers were Flame Robins: I think we counted 25 in 1km of Warks Rd.

Egret identification

I saw an Egret on the Plain yesterday and on peering closely determined it was an Intermediate Egret rather than the more usual Great Egret.  As, when not in breeding plumage, they are basically white water birds it is a bit tricky to tell them apart I thought I'd share a couple of poor photographs.

If you are lucky enough to get the two species close together the Great is clearly the larger of the two.  However it is against the Rules of Nature for birds to be so cooperative!  I did get some snaps of a Great Egret at Kellys Swamp on Valentine's Day and have used them below.

The two best field marks are:

• the length of the neck relative to the body.  These are about equal in the Intermediate Egret

•  but the neck is much longer in the Great Egret.

 .. when it is not twisted!

• If you get a close look the bare yellow skin does not go past the eye in the Intermediate Egret 

 This intermediate was also at Kellys.

In the Great Egret the yellow clearly goes past the eye.

There are two other Egret species possible in this area.

• The Little Egret is smaller again (about the size of a White-faced Heron) but has a dark bill.  They are quite rare in this area.
• Cattle Egrets are easy in breeding plumage as their wings are an orangey colour.  In non-breeding plumage they are distinctly dumpy in shape, rather than the fairly graceful profile of the other species.  They are also usually found in pasture (rather than water) associating with bovines!  They are becoming more frequent in this area..