Monga National Park Field Meeting, April 2012

Monga National Park field meeting, April 2012 It was a fine but chilly morning when we met at Batemans Bay to plan our day, and I could see mist shrouding the top of the mountain as we set off up the Clyde. We reassembled at Dasyurus Picnic Area in Monga National Park where, Adrienne informed us, it was 8 degrees, compared with 13 degrees at the bottom of the Clyde. A fine misty rain fell, so we put on our raincoats and walked to the start of the Corn Trail. After the recent rain, the Mongarlowe River was flowing well and the stepping stones across the river were under water. We considered crossing but decided not to risk getting wet and even cooler. We started to walk up the track that led back to the road and Ian, borrowing the phrasing of the well known poem “The Man from Snowy River”, remarked “There was movement in the tree- tops, coz the natural history herd had come to Monga forest – they were looking for a bird.” It seemed an appropriate choice for Ian as he wore a three-quarter length raincoat. The mist lifted and the sun began to break through, which seemed to stir the birds. We discussed a call – was it a Grey Currawong, a Grey Shrike-thrush or a Crimson Rosella? A little later, after some searching, Dianne spotted some large birds near the tops of the trees and we saw three Grey Currawong; they were a beautiful shade of steel grey and quite distinct from their more regularly observed cousins. Further along the road, a number of Golden Whistler called but, despite extensive searching by all, none were seen at this spot. Next we drove to the Mongarlowe River picnic area and had our lunch, making the most of the sunshine that found its way into the small clearing. Afterwards, we walked toward the river and then along a new track that ran along the river’s edge. We found a small waterfall and stopped to watch the water as it cascaded down the rocks. Some of us searched hopefully for platypus, to no avail. There were many groups of White-naped Honeyeater migrating north. Among one party, we saw at least four Crescent Honeyeater that signaled their presence with their signature “e-gypt” call. Eastern Yellow Robin were about everywhere we went and Malcolm remarked how cooperative they were as they fed on the track in front of us. Further along the road, we heard the distinctive “guinea-a-week” call of the Pilotbird. As we walked towards Penance Grove, small birds fed low in the tree ferns and the vegetation underneath. Identification of these fast moving birds was difficult – as soon we could get our binoculars on one, it would scoot away – but our persistence was rewarded, and we had some good views of Large-billed Scrubwren. The plumage of this scrubwren is quite plain, brownish-olive above and a lighter grey-olive below. It can be distinguished by its long and slightly up-tilted black bill. Dianne and I noticed the large dark eye and the light-coloured eye ring. The boardwalk at Penance Grove takes you through cool temperate rainforest that contains plants closely related to those in other southern hemisphere continents. The fossils of plants related to the Pinkwood and tree ferns have been found in Antarctica, providing evidence of Australia’s link to Gondwanaland. For younger visitors, the information boards also featured details of fairies and gnomes that inhabited the rainforest. We didn’t see either but at the final bird call, Malcolm said he was sure he’d heard a gnome! A total of 33 species for the day, including a good view of the Grey Currawong, and an opportunity to walk through some magnificent forest with a group of inquisitive people - what more could you ask for? Julie Morgan. .

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