November 2017

It is astonishing how often clicking the button to send the brief report to the Editor of the Gazette causes an exciting bird to appear.

I still think our second-ever report of Scarlet Honeyeater (image from Avibase)  ...

.. has to be bird of the month.  Two birds were seen on Wanna Wanna Rd.  They have been seen regularly in Canberra this season.  (Further afield there is a massive irruption in  Victoria.)

However to hear that Banded Lapwings have been spotted on the Plain (Western side this year) was a big surprise.  4 birds were seen on 30 November, and 5 on 1 December.  Some of the birds appeared to be sticking to one spot so may be nesting, despite the paddock being well-endowed with cattle.

With those as highlights there were a bunch of other goodies also seen:

• Cattle Egret,  Brown and Rufous Songlarks on the Plain;
• Brush Cuckoo, Eastern Koel Red-capped Robin and Nankeen Night-Heronat Whiskers Creek Rd; and
• Masked Woodswallow at Knox Close.

Given this extensive list of " unusuals" it was a bit weird to find the overall diversity a little below average.

It appears that the major group of MIAs are waterbirds.  Of the 38 species seen at least once in November only 16 (42%) seen in 2017.  Numbers and diversity have been very light on Foxlow Lagoon and some of the other hot-spots have become physical and metaphorical dry-spots!  It is particularly noticeable that most Herons and their relatives (Ibis; Spoonbills) are missing.  Presumably they are still undertaking procreational duty at the swamps of the Riverina.

Nearly all migrants have arrived, with Western Gerygone (hard to identify),  Rainbow Bee-eater (which often travels up the Molonglo as a passage migrant, but not this year) and the very uncommon Channel-billled Cuckoo the only ones yet to be reported.  Of the 29 species 17 arrived on time, 6 were early and 2 arrived late.

23 species were observed breeding.  I was excited to see Sacred Kingfishers starting to excavate a nest hollow in a Yellow Box near our house ...

 ... which counts as a possible breeding record.  They appear to have given up, which has made our live a lot quieter.  However a pair have taken up occupancy of a hollow in Knox Close.  My family of Tawny Frogmouths have left the nest ...

..  as have broods in Knox Close and Wanna Wanna Rd.

Breeding species are shown in red text in the list below.

As always, thanks to the observers who have provided reports to me for the month.  These have covered sites in Douglas Close, Whiskers Creek Rd, Widgiewa Rd, Knox Close, Wanna Wanna Rd, Molonglo Valley, and Hoskinstown Village and Plain.  Please pass on interesting sightings to me by email to martinflab@gmail.com.  

1  Waterbirds (pt 1):  (pt 2); (Pt 3); (Pt 4): Black Swan;  Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood Duck;  Grey Teal;  Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead; Australasian Grebe; Hoary-headed Grebe; Little Black Cormorant; Little Pied Cormorant; Cattle Egret; White‑faced Heron; Nankeen Night Heron;  Eurasian  Coot;  Masked Lapwing; Banded 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;  Little   Corella; Sulphur‑crested Cockatoo; Australian King‑parrot; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Red-rumped Parrot

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds (Pt 1) (Pt 2) (Pt 3): Stubble Quail; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth; Common Koel;  Shining Bronze‑cuckoo; Pallid Cuckoo; Fan‑tailed Cuckoo; Brush Cuckoo; Southern Boobook;  Laughing Kookaburra; Sacred Kingfisher; Dollarbird

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

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

7 Thornbills, Finches and similar species (Pt 1) (Pt 2):  Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren;  Weebill; White-throated Gerygone; Striated Thornbill; Yellow‑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; White‑-winged Triller; Olive‑backed Oriole; Masked Woodswallow; Dusky Woodswallow;Skylark; Australian Reed-warbler; Rufous Songlark; Brown Songlark; 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