canberra ISSN 0314-8211 bird Volume 28 Number 1 March 2003 notes Registered by Australia Post — Publication No. NBH 0255 CANBERRA ORNITHOLOGISTS GROUP INC PO Box 301 Civic Square ACT 2608 2002-03 Committee President Barry Baker 6274 2402 (w) Vice-President Nicki Taws 6251 1879 (w/h) Secretary Doug Laing 6287 7700 (h) Treasurer Joan Lipscombe 6262 7975 (h) Members Barbara Allan 62546520 (h) Jenny Bounds 6288 7802 (h) Paul Fennell — Databases management - 6254 1804 (h) Jack Holland — Field trips — 6288 7840 (h) Sue Lashko - Meetings venue - 6251 4485 (h) David McDonald - COG chat line - 6231 8904 (h) Julie McGuiness — Conservation officer - 6249 6491 (w) Tanya Rough Gang-gang editor — 6161 0151 (h) Other COG contacts COG sales Carol Macleay 6286 2624 (h) Garden Bird survey Philip Veerman 6231 4041 (h) Meetings (speakers) Barbara Allan 6254 6520 (h) Membership inquiries Alastair Smith 6281 3221 (h) Mulligans Flat survey Jenny Bounds 6288 7802 (h) Office 6247 4996 Rarities Panel Grahame Clark (Chairman), Barry Baker, Jenny Bounds, Mark Clayton and Dick Schodde; Barbara Allan (Secretary) 6254 6520 (h) Waterbird survey Michael Lenz 6249 1109 Web pages Mike O'Shaughnessy 6258 7130 Web site www.canberrabirds.dynamite.com.au Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 BREEDING BY PAINTED HONEYEATERS IN THE CANBERRA REGION DURING THE 2002-03 INFLUX Michael Lenz' and Geoffrey Dabb2 '8 Suttor Street, Ainslie, ACT 2602 224 Brockman Street, Narrabundah, ACT 2604 Introduction COG records officer, only few breeding attempts were observed. We summarise The Painted Honeyeater Grantiella picta here all available observations on is described as a rare migrant in the breeding activity by Painted Honeyeaters ACT, spending only short periods of during the 2002-03 influx to the region, summer in the region. According to although we believe these observations Wilson (1999), 'Numbers seen in the may have captured only a small portion ACT have declined alarmingly [over of breeding events. recent decades]', a conclusion also made by Bounds (1994) in a more detailed Locations and characteristics of account of the status of the species in the breeding territories Canberra region. In the 1950s Painted Honeyeaters were recorded breeding in In the past, breeding of this species River She-Oaks Casuarina within the ACT was observed only along cunninghamiana along the the Murrumbidgee River. In 2002-03 Murrumbidgee River. and observations in nesting (or at least attempted nesting) later years only related to birds passing was confined to savannah woodlands. through the area (Bounds 1994). However, there may have been a precedent with the species recorded for From late October 2002 until January several weeks in 1962-63 in woodlands 2003 an unprecedented influx of Painted on the eastern slopes of Mt Ainslie Honeyeaters occurred in the Canberra (Wilson, in Frith 1969). region. Birds appeared in many sites within the ACT and its wider Breeding activity in 2002-03 was noted surroundings. The movement was no at the following locations: doubt drought-induced, although the unusually rich crop of mistletoe berries 1. Mt Ainslie, lower eastern slopes in late 2002 may have been the final around Campbell Park; Yellow trigger for birds to settle here (Bounds Box/Blakely's Red Gum/Apple Box 2003a). Interestingly, the honeyeaters woodland; visited only grassy woodlands of various 2. Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve; the types. Riverine habitat failed to attract area of Yellow Box/Blakely's Red the species (Bounds 2003b; reports on Gum grassy woodland around posts COG's email discussion list). 5 and 6 (see pamphlet Birds of Mulligans Flat, Environment ACT Despite numerous records of single 2000); birds, pairs or small groups which were 3. Mixed eucalypt woodland (mainly reported on the COG email list and to the Yellow Box/Stringybark) to west of Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 Sutton Road, adjacent to Travelling few days earlier; later in day three Stock Reserve 51. birds at the nest, but one of them actually removed nest material while Chosen territories were in very open the other two tried to prevent that woodland or close to the edge of from happening (T. Green) woodland. As common features they had • 14 - 17 November: several numerous large eucalypts, each host to observations of the pair extending one or several mistletoe plants. Trees the nest or being present near the with mistletoes were usually situated in a nest clump. Sites included mature eucalypts • 21 November (7.07-7.22 h): one bird and stands with younger trees and sitting on nest, one change over at saplings. Spider silk for nest building incubating was often collected among the foliage of • 23 November (12.30 h): one bird on younger trees and from the dead nest branches of trees of various sizes. Larger • 24 November (morning hours): no dead eucalypts or live trees with dead top bird on nest, at least one bird still in branches served as vantage points for area including within nest tree; song and from which to take off for similar observations for several more display flights. Dead branches were also days searched by one adult for collecting • 8 December: last observation of one spiders to feed its dependent young. bird in this territory (B. Whitworth). At Mulligans Flat and at Mt Ainslie Nest 2 many other areas appeared to be suitable as breeding sites for the species. What • 29 October and subsequent dates: factors determined the final choices for two birds in an area about 1km NW nest sites remains unknown. from Nest 1 • 7 November: one bird collecting Chronology of breeding events spider silk • 9 November: nest discovered in Mt Ainslie, Campbell Park Yellow Box about 12 m up (G. Dabb) • 15 November: birds incubating Nest 1 • 17 November (8.07-8.23 h): one bird • 27 October: up to three Painted sitting on nest, one change over at incubating Honeyeaters in the main Campbell • 24 November: no sign of birds, nest Park area (M. & C. Gilfedder) probably abandoned • 12 November: one bird in a tall • 26 November: one bird some Yellow Box about 100 m N of the distance from nest, display flight, car park many calls; • 13 November: pair builds nest in • 8 December: one bird recorded, last same tree, about 12 m up, ESE observation for this territory (B. orientation (G. Dabb, M. Lenz), Whitworth). construction would have started a 2 Canberra Bird Notes 280) March 2003 Nest 3 • 24 November pair in same area, but birds very quiet with no sign of • 12 November: nest located in an area nesting S of Campbell Park; nest in Apple Box, about 10 m up, SE orientation Territory 2 (Nest 1) (M. Lenz) • 14, 15 November: pair extending the • 20 November: one bird calling nest persistently east of the southern • 15 November: birds incubating border of Territory I; at one point • 17 November: birds incubating in this bird was vigorously pursued by morning; several changeovers at 10- a bird from Territory 1. Two other to 15-minute intervals Painted Honeyeaters, in all • 21 — 26 November: birds incubating likelihood the partners, appeared and • 6 December: birds feeding young in watched the chase, giving a total of nest four birds, i.e. two pairs with • 19 December (8.30 h): one young adjoining territories. Some time after fledges from the nest, led by parents the pursuit had finished the bird from into group of mistletoes some 30 m Territory 2 called again and began away from nest nest construction in a Blakely's Red • 22 December: only one adult with Gum, pulling leaves together and the young binding them with spider silk. The • 5 January: last sighting of the young nest site was only about 6m up in the with its sole parent tree in the outer foliage of a small • 9 January: last sighting of the adult, branch overhanging the boundary although young probably still in area track. (see below). • 24 November: no sign of nest; only one bird located. Mulligan's Flat (all observations by T. Green) Note that many others have also recorded Painted Honeyeaters at Territory 1 Mulligans Flat, however, the observations by T. Green are the only • 9 November: single bird in area from ones that indicate the presence of two Point 5 of the bird walk south to pairs occupying a territory and a nesting reserve boundary attempt by at least one of those pairs. • 18 November: two birds in same area, favoring one particular Yellow Sutton Road Box with mistletoes (but also visiting other mistletoe-infested • 1 December: birds discovered (M. trees) Zwankhuizen) • 20 November: pair in same area (see • 3 December: 1 pair (G. Dabb) also below); • 9 December: pair building nest in a dense mistletoe 10-12 m up in a Yellow Box at the interface of rich 3 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 woodland with good scrub camouflage of the nest by binding the understorey, and pasture with overhanging foliage together more scattered eucalypts tightly with spider silk well after • 19 December: nest abandoned. incubation had commenced. Of the three nests from Mt Ainslie, Nest 3 had the Notes on breeding behaviour of best covering foliage, at least when Painted Honeyeaters at Nest 3, looking at it from the outside. From the Campbell Park inside of the tree, standing close to the tree trunk and looking towards the outer This pair was the only one seen that foliage, the nest was more readily completed the nesting cycle and raised detectable. one young to independence. G. Dabb spent a total of 6 hours filming and Both sexes shared in nest-building, observing the parents at the nest, mostly brooding and feeding. It was not possible during the time of incubation and raising to determine whether more than the one the young to the fledgling stage.