Text of Bulletin Article 2010

This is the text of the first article I composed for the local Newspaper now known as the District Bulletin (since it is distributed beyond its original ambit of Palerang Shire).

The Carwoola area is full of birds.   Over the last 3 years I and several other observers have recorded a total of 145 species in the  Carwoola area .  In 2009 138 species were seen -  a pretty good result for such a dry year.

Approximately one sixth of the 145 species are recorded every month.  Many of these regulars (recorded in all months) will be familiar to most folk in the area.  They are: Australian Wood Duck; Galah; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Laughing Kookaburra; Noisy Miner; Grey Butcherbird; Australian Magpie; Pied Currawong; Willie Wagtail; Australian Raven; Little Raven; Magpie-lark; Welcome Swallow;  Common Starling;  House sparrow; (the species in this parenthesis are seen every month but  are mainly “small brown(ish) birds” and may not be so familiar to some people- White-throated Treecreeper; Weebill; Striated Thornbill; Yellow rumped Thornbill; Buff-rumped Thornbill; Spotted Pardalote; White-eared Honeyeater).

We have also recorded 44 species as breeding - defined rather broadly - in the area (33 breeding species in 2009).  Whether birds are breeding in the area or not is particularly important since if they cannot find a place to build their nests the species will not survive.  Many of the breeding observations in the area are of dependent young (for most species, this is when the adults are seen feeding the young birds but in the case of ducks and species like coots it is recorded when the young cannot fly).  The incessant calls of begging juvenile Australian Magpies and Pied Currawongs will again be familiar to most people in the area (as will the swooping of the parents when one approaches too close to the nest site). 

Not all birds are quite so secretive about their nest sites.  The author has greatly enjoyed watching Tawny Frogmouths raise 2 chicks per year in a nest visible from his study and a Grey Shrike thrush raised 2 chicks in an opportunistic site in a garage in Radcliffe Estate after nesting in a pot on the verandah the previous year
Waterbirds in this area have been hard hit by the very dry conditions of the past 12 months, with many dams and lagoons at very low levels.  Pacific Black Ducks and Australian Wood Ducks are still common, and many small dams are still occupied by Australasian Grebes (often breeding).   This emphasises the importance of these dams as refuges of last resort for some birds as well as the stock they were installed to serve.

Birds of prey are well represented in the area with 11 species recorded in the three years.  The Nankeen Kestrel is a common site hovering beside the roads (recorded in 90% of months) and the majestic Wedge-tailed Eagles have been recorded in over 80 of months, often in family groups
Parrots and Cockatoos are amongst the most common (and colourful) species resident in the area.  As well as those seen every month, the area has been recently graced with the presence of Superb Parrots which appear to be extending their range from a stronghold in the Boorowa area to the North-west of Canberra. 
Carwoola is well supplied with cuckoos and  6 species were recorded in 2007 and 2008.  In 2009 an additional 2 species have been recorded, appearing to reflect an increase observed across the Monaro region.

In addition to the species of honeyeaters referred to above the area also records some larger birds in this family, particularly where rich food resources are available.  The Red Wattlebird may migrate or may remain all year while the Noisy Friarbird (or ‘leatherhead) departs with the cooler weather.

There are many good birding spots in Carwoola (and more in the rest of the distribution area of the Bulletin. If you wish to learn more about the birds of the area most good bookshops will sell a range of field guides and the Canberra Ornithologists Group website (http://canberrabirds.org.au/index.htm) includes a very comprehensive range of photographs and recordings of the calls of many of the species found in the area.

December 2009

In December, 96 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette.  Thanks to several observers in: Hoskinstown; the Molonglo Valley, Widgiewa Road, Radcliffe Estate  and Wanna Wanna Road.  The list includes 2 new species for the project:Channel-billed Cuckoo and Black-eared Cuckoo – both are unusual species in the Monaro area. 

The breeding record for Yellow-rumped Thornbill was also remarkable as the chicks fledged after their nest (in a Pinus radiata) was taken in to Canberra as a Christmas tree and returned to this area when the nest was discovered! Another Common Myna has been seen  near Povey Place: I would really like to hear if anyone else spots these rats with wings!

Migrants are shown in italics below and species for which breeding has been observed (a very good list this month) are underlined.

1  Waterbirds:  Australian Wood Duck; Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; Australasian Grebe; Little Pied Cormorant; White‑necked Heron; White-faced Heron; Australian White Ibis; Straw-necked Ibis; Eurasian Coot; Masked Lapwing

2 Birds of Prey:  Black-shouldered Kite; Brown Goshawk; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Little Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Brown Falcon; Australian Hobby; Peregrine falcon.

3 Parrots and Relatives:  Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo; Gang-gang Cockatoo; Galah; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Superb Parrot; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Red-rumped parrot

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Rock Dove; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth; Common Koel; Channel-billed Cuckoo; Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo; Black-eared Cuckoo;Shining Bronze-cuckoo; Pallid Cuckoo; Brush Cuckoo; Southern boobook; Laughing Kookaburra;Sacred Kingfisher; Dollarbird;

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; Welcome Swallow; Fairy Martin; Tree Martin

7 Other, smaller birds:  White-throated Treecreeper; Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; Western Gerygone; White-throated Gerygone; Striated Thornbill; Yellow-rumped Thornbill; Buff-rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Southern Whiteface; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; White-winged Triller; Olive-backed Oriole; Dusky Woodswallow; Skylark; Australian Reed-warbler; Silvereye; Common Blackbird; Common Myna; Common Starling; Mistletoebird; Double-barred Finch; Diamond Firetail; House Sparrow; Australasian Pipit; European Goldfinch

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

Bird of the Month

From the Greening Australia book “Bringing Birds Back”.   Comments in brackets are by this author.  

Weebill: Smicornis brevirostris

Appearance:.Stubby little bird (Australia’s smallest bird) with very short (ie ‘wee’) bill.  Grey-brown above, cream-buff below.

Voice: Loud clear ‘dip-dip weebill’or ‘willy-weet willy weetee’.

Habits:Pairs or small groups, often with other small birds such as thornbills, pardalotes.  Active in and around foliage, sometimes hovers around outer leaves plucking off  lerps (known as ‘helicopter flight).   .

Food: Insects other small invertebrates.

Nest: Like a hanging sock with side entrance; of leaves, grass and spider web hung amongst smaller brances or outer foliage.

Occurrence in revegetation:  Found in 21% of sites from 5 years of age onwards.  Showed a preference for tubestock sites which have a higher ratio of eucalypts  to wattles than direct seeded sites and are therefore more likely to have lerps..

(Garden Bird Survey: Undertaken by COG in the gardens of members of that Group records this species as fairly common, recorded in 68% of sites..  It is recorded in all weeks of the year.)

November 2009

In November 2009 an astonishing 106 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, the highest monthly total since I started recording.  Thanks to several observers in: Hoskinstown; the Molonglo Valley, Widgiewa Road and Wanna Wanna Road.  This includes 5 new species for the project: Great Cormorant; Australian Reed-Warbler; Brown Songlark; Grey Goshawk and most excitingly Superb Parrot (this represents a extension to the known range of this species).   More Common Mynas and a Spotted Dove have been seen  in Hoskinstown: I would really like to hear if anyone else spots either of these rats with wings!

Migrants are shown in italics below and species for which breeding has been observed (a very good list this month) are underlined.

1  Waterbirds:  Black Swan;  Australian Wood Duck; Australian Shoveler; Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead; Australasian Grebe; Darter; Little Pied Cormorant; Great Cormorant; White‑necked Heron; White-faced Heron; Nankeen Night Heron; Australian White Ibis; Straw-necked Ibis; Eurasian Coot; Black-winged Stilt; Black-fronted Dotterel; Masked Lapwing

2 Birds of Prey:  Black-shouldered Kite; Grey Goshawk; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Little Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Australian Hobby; Peregrine falcon.

3 Parrots and Relatives:  Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo; Gang-gang  Cockatoo; Galah; Sulphur^‑crested Cockatoo; Australian King-parrot; Superb Parrot; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Red‑rumped parrot

4  Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Rock Dove; Spotted Dove; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth; Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo; Shining Bronze-cuckoo; Pallid Cuckoo; Fan‑tailed Cuckoo; Brush Cuckoo; Southern boobook; Laughing Kookaburra;Sacred Kingfisher; Rainbow Bee-eater;

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; Flame Robin; Welcome Swallow; Fairy Martin; Tree Martin

7 Other, smaller birds:  White-throated Treecreeper; Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; Western Gerygone; White-throated Gerygone; Striated Thornbill; Yellow-rumped Thornbill; Buff-rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Southern Whiteface; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Spotted  Quail-thrush; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; White-winged Triller; Olive-backed Oriole; Dusky Woodswallow; Skylark; Australian Reed-Warbler; Rufous Songlark; Brown Songlark; Silvereye; Common Blackbird; Common Myna; Common Starling; Mistletoebird; Double-barred Finch; Red‑browed Finch; Diamond Firetail; House Sparrow; Richards Pipit; European Goldfinch

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

Bird of the Month

From the Greening Australia book “Bringing Birds Back”.   Comments in brackets are by this author.  

Pied Currawong: Strepera graculina

(In the Gazette area there is also Grey Currawong: much greyer in colour, no white on the tail and a more ‘chiming’ call.)

Appearance:.Large mostly black bird with robust black bill and yellow eyes.  White base to the tail and white square on wings, most prominent in flight.

Voice: Loud ‘curra-cura-curra’.  Various whistles and other notes.

Habits: Singles and pairs or flocks (up to hundreds if food is abundant)  in autumn –winter.  Noisy bold, tame around settlements (except when young are present when they can be very aggressive).  Feeds on ground on tree trunks, branches and amongst the leaves.

Food: Small mammals, birds, eggs and young, reptiles insects fruits, berries.  (The species coughs up pellets which show what they are eating.  If you wish to keep them away from your area a good tip is to make sure there is no old dog food around.).

Nest: Flattish bowl of sticks in fork of tree, 5 – 15 metres high.

Occurrence in revegetation:  Found in 22% of sites, small and large, but mostly older sites from 8 years of age onwards.  Mostly one-off sightings, regular at only a few sites.

(Garden Bird Survey: Undertaken by COG in the gardens of members of that Group records this species as very common, recorded in all sites..  It is recorded in nearly all weeks of the year.  It has become much more common in the City in recent years.)

October 2009

In October 2009, 91 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, including the species reported by an observer in Hoskinstown, and other observers in Widgiewa Road.  This is the highest monthly total since I started recording!   

The major  news was the sighting of a flock of Masked and White-browed Woodswallows in Whiskers Creek Road.  These were the first report of what has turned out to be a widespread irruption of this species in the Southern Tablelands.   The Common Myna sighting was – fortunately-  a once-off, but I would really like to hear if anyone else spots one of these rats with wings!

Migrants are shown in italics below and species for which breeding has been observed are underlined.

1  Waterbirds:  Australian Wood Duck; Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead; Australasian Grebe; Little Pied Cormorant; White‑necked Heron; White-faced Heron; Australian White Ibis; Straw-necked Ibis; Royal Spoonbill; Purple Swamphen; Eurasian Coot; Masked Lapwing.

2 Birds of Prey:  Black-shouldered Kite; Brown Goshawk; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Little Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Brown Falcon; Australian Hobby;.

3 Parrots and Relatives:  Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo; Galah; Little Corella; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Australian King-parrot; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Red-rumped parrot.

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Rock Dove; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth;  Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo; Shining Bronze-cuckoo; Pallid Cuckoo; Fan-tailed Cuckoo; Southern boobook; Laughing Kookaburra; Sacred Kingfisher; Rainbow Bee-eater;

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

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

7 Other, smaller birds:  White-throated Treecreeper; Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Speckled warbler; Weebill; Western Gerygone; White-throated Gerygone; Striated Thornbill; Yellow‑rumped Thornbill; Buff-rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; Olive-backed Oriole; Masked Woodswallow, White-browed Woodswallow; Dusky Woodswallow; Silvereye; Common Blackbird; Common Myna; Common Starling;  Red‑browed Finch; Diamond Firetail; House Sparrow; Richards Pipit; European Goldfinch

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

Bird of the Month

From the Greening Australia book “Bringing Birds Back”.   Comments in brackets are by this author.  

Red-browed Finch (previously Red-browed Firetail): Neochima temporalis

Appearance:.Small grey-olive finch, bright red bill, eyebrow and rump.

Voice: Very high-piched squeak, almost inaudible.

Habits: Pairs to flocks (up to 20 not uncommon) feeds on the ground but darts to nearby cover when disturbed.  Often associates with waterways especially where grass is long (this also applies to vegie gardens!).

Food: Seeds, insects.

Nest: Large bottle-shaped, made of grass, 1-2 metres above the ground in dense often prickly shrub.

Occurrence in revegetation:  Found in 22% of sites, both small and narrow, and large, sites fro 5 years of age onwards.

(Garden Bird Survey: Undertaken by COG in the gardens of members of that Group records this species as less common, recorded in less than  30% of sites but varying quite a lot between years..  It is recorded in nearly all weeks of the year.)

September 2009

Alas original report lost.  Birdlist to be added soon

August 2009

In August, 73 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, including the species reported by an observer in Hoskinstown, and other observers in Widgiewa Road.  The total has swung up, reflecting the return of some migrants – shown in italics below - probably a bit earlier than usual.  Breeding has also started: those species are underlined.

1  Waterbirds:   Australian Wood Duck; Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead; Australasian Grebe; Little Pied Cormorant; White-faced Heron;  Purple Swamphen; Eurasian Coot; Masked Lapwing

 2 Birds of Prey:  Black-shouldered Kite; Brown Goshawk; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Little Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Brown Falcon; Australian Hobby; 

3 Parrots and Relatives:  Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo; Galah; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Brown quail; Rock Dove; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth; Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo; Pallid Cuckoo; Laughing Kookaburra;

 5 Honeyeaters: Eastern Spinebill; Yellow-faced Honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; White-plumed Honeyeater; Noisy Miner; Red Wattlebird; 

6 Flycatchers and similar species: Golden Whistler; Grey Shrike-thrush; Grey Fantail; Willie Wagtail; Magpie-lark; Scarlet Robin; Flame Robin; Welcome Swallow; Tree Martin

 7 Other, smaller birds:  White-throated Treecreeper; Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; Western Gerygone; Striated Thornbill; Yellow-rumped Thornbill; Buff-rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Southern Whiteface; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Varied Sitella; Olive-backed Oriole; Dusky Woodswallow; Skylark; Silvereye; Common Blackbird; Common Starling; Diamond Firetail; House Sparrow; Richards Pipit; European Goldfinch

 8  Other, larger birds: Grey Butcherbird; Australian Magpie; Pied Currawong; Grey Currawong; Australian Raven; Little Raven.

Bird of the Month

From the Greening Australia book “Bringing Birds Back”.   Comments in brackets are by this author.  

Australian Raven:   Corvus Coronoides

Appearance:.Large ‘crow’ (scientifically they are ravens  not crows), glossy black plumage, eye white. (Obvious ‘hackles’ extended on throat when calling.)

Voice: Strong deep “Aah-aah –aaaaah” late note long and descending.  (The closely related Little Raven – also common in this area - has a higher pitched call with more clipped syllables “aah, aah, aah”.)

Habits: Singly pairs or small groups.  Bold when used to humans, otherwise wary, especially around nest.  (The Little Raven  typically occurs in large flocks – sometimes several hundred.)

Food: Omnivorous – insects reptiles, carrion, fruit.

Nest: Large flattish bowl of sticks lined with bark, hair, in fork in tree or powerlines,  Usually over 10m high. (Old nest sometimes taken over by Australian Hobby.)

Occurrence in revegetation:  Found in 25% of sites, but often only seen once.  Most often found where mature remnant trees are present.

(Garden Bird Survey: Undertaken by COG in the gardens of members of that Group records this species as very common, recorded in 95% of sites.  It is recorded in all weeks of the year.)

July 2009

In July, 65 species of birds have been recorded in the catchment area of the Gazette, including the species reported by an observer in Hoskinstown, and other observers in the Molonglo Valley, Widgiewa, and Plains Roads.   This has ended up not a bad haul considering the time of year and the dryness.

1  Waterbirds:   Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood Duck; Australian Shoveler; Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead; Australasian Grebe; Darter; Little Pied Cormorant; Eurasian Coot; Masked Lapwing

2 Birds of Prey:  Wedge-tailed Eagle; Little Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Peregrine falcon.

3 Parrots and Relatives:  Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo; Gang-gang  Cockatoo; Galah; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella;

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: Rock Dove; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Tawny Frogmouth; Laughing Kookaburra.

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

 6 Flycatchers and similar species: Golden Whistler; Grey Shrike-thrush; Grey Fantail; Willie Wagtail; Magpie-lark; Scarlet Robin; Flame Robin; Welcome Swallow.

 7 Other, smaller birds:  White-throated Treecreeper; Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; Striated Thornbill; Yellow Thornbill; Yellow-rumped Thornbill; Buff-rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Varied Sitella; Silvereye; Common Starling; Red-browed Finch; House Sparrow; European Goldfinch

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

Bird of the Month

From the Greening Australia book “Bringing Birds Back”.   Comments in brackets are by this author.  

White-browed Scrubwren:   Sericornis frontalis

Appearance:.Small  dark brown bird with strong white eyebrow and whisker, black shoulder with white markings and buff underparts. 

Voice: Loud harsh scolding, also clear penetrating calls (the latter are very variable).

Habits: Singly or pairs.  Associated strongly with scrubby habitat (hence the name).  Searches actively on the ground, amongst litter, around logs, in shrubbery.  Bold and Inquisitive, gives harsh scolding when disturbed and will often approach to check out the intruder.

Food: Insects and other invertebrates.

Nest: Untidy, domed of grasses, twigs , leaves, fine roots, well hidden in shrubbery or under grass tussock.  (The nest is always very low down – no more than 50cm from the ground.  This account of nesting is not quite correct: since it was presented many examples have come to light of nesting in items such as clothing and coils of rope hung on walls in sheds etc - sometimes up to 2m off the ground. )

Occurrence in revegetation: Found in 27% of sites.  More common in direct-seeded sites where dense gowth provides suitable habitat after 3 years if growth is rapid but more commonly after 5 years.  Found in narrow windrows and large sites.

(Garden Bird Survey: Undertaken by COG in the gardens of members of that Group records this species as moderately  common.  It is recorded in about  40% of sites. It is recorded in all weeks. )