canberra ISSN 0314-8211 bird Volume 28 Number 1 March 2003 notes

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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

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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. M. Lenz chick hatched. While feeding activity checked the nest mostly during morning was at times intensive, the chick(s) sat hours to confirm ongoing presence of the low in the nest, except during the birds and visited the area several times defecation process. after the young had fledged to monitor its progress. Nest-sitting by the adults was almost continuous at the egg and early-chick The nest was suspended from several stage. Generally, one bird would vacate twigs and leaf-stems. Although lightly position only when the other was in or constructed in the sense that light about to enter the nest area. Sometimes showed through the sides, it was strongly both would be at the nest together and woven together and onto the supporting frequently both would be in the nest tree twigs. The nest was composed of flexible at the same time. This would generally dry plant material, stems, rootlets, and be so when other species of bird were in bound by finer material, mainly spider or near the tree. silk. Contrary to other reported nests of this species, the cup was not shallow. Due to the abundant mistletoe in the nest The depth was approximately as great as tree and nearby, the adults did not need the width, and a developed chick, sitting to move far away to gather food, Contact down, .occupied only the bottom half of between the pair was sometimes the cup. The nest-branch would be in maintained by a soft single two-syllable strong motion even in a light breeze (5- phrase. From the alertness of the sitting 10 knots). Stronger, but not destructive, bird to the arrival of the mate, this call winds occurred during the nesting might have been used routinely, even period. The pair continued to bring nest when not audible to the observer. material including small plant material taken from an abandoned nest of a As the breeding cycle progressed the Dusky Woodswallow Artamus birds became, with a few exceptions, less cyanopterus and improved the and less vocal. In the end only brief contact calls were given at changeover

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Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

time at the nest or quiet calls to locate feed on nectar and insects attracted to the the chick (see below). One could spend flowers. They include the larger and long periods in the territory without more pugnacious honeyeaters, in our noticing the birds' presence. Similarly, at region, Noisy Friarbird Philemon Mulligans Flat, T. Green noted that corniculatus, Red Wattlebird birds, once paired, were much quieter. Anthochaera carunculata and Noisy Miner Manorina melanophrys and also Response to/interaction with other the Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus birds sagittatus. All these species could pose a threat in one way or other, including nest Conspecifics robbing, to a breeding pair of Painted Honeyeaters. A few casual observations Apart from intensive chases between from Mt Ainslie (M. Lenz) indicate that rival Painted Honeyeaters at the early at least some of those species can stage of territory establishment interfere with nests of other species. An (Mulligans Flat, T. Green) only one Olive-backed Oriole was seen some observation at Mt Ainslie indicated years ago robbing the nest of a aggressive interactions at the early stage Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum of nesting. On 13 November at Nest 1 by tearing a hole into the lower part of three birds were at the nest, but one of the nest until it could reach the eggs and them actually removed nest material swallow them. Leaden Flycatchers while the other two tried to prevent that Myiagra rubecula raise full alarm and from happening. However, the swoop when orioles approach the nest interference had no lasting impact and tree. A Noisy Friarbird was seen in the two days later the resident pair 2002-03 season investigating and commenced brooding. squatting on a nest of the Olive-backed Oriole. The friarbird returned repeatedly Other species to the nest despite the agitation of the oriole pair. The nest was given up soon Regularly feeding near the nest tree were after the interference. Dollarbirds Eurystomus orientalis and Australian Ravens Corvus coronoides, Mistletoes are also chosen by many with Pied Currawongs Strepera species, including predators, as favoured graculina, Australian Magpies nesting sites: Pied Currawong, Collared Gymnorhina tibicen and Laughing Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrhocephalus Kookaburras Dacelo novaeguineae often and Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus, within 40 to 100 m. Nearby Dusky In fact all nests of the latter two birds of Woodswallow and Western Gerygone prey located by M.Lenz on Mt Ainslie Gerygone fusca nests were predated. over the years were exclusively in mistletoes. A pair of Brown Goshawks Higgins et al. (2001) mention that was breeding in 2002-03 within the Painted Honeyeaters nest in eucalypts foraging range of Painted Honeyeater and casuarinas often supporting Pair 3. However, the female goshawk mistletoe. Many other birds visit made its more aggressive presence flowering and fruiting mistletoes and (towards humans) only felt in early

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January right at the end of the time of mistletoe in a small tree, During the Painted Honeyeaters were present in the next hour, close observations were not area. However, the presence of hunting attempted, but the chick was seen flying Brown Goshawks (and other birds of twice more between mistletoe clumps, prey) would have been a daily feature for attended by its parents, At this stage the the Painted Honeyeaters. wings of the young honeyeater appeared well developed but the tail had grown Not unexpectedly, the pair of Painted only to about a third of that of an adult. Honeyeaters responded to the presence of potential threats to their nest by The family was not located on 20 staying as quiet and unobtrusive as December over a 25-minute observation possible. The incubating bird would not period, but from 22 December until 5 leave the nest even though the partner January one adult and the young were may have indicated by call that it is seen regularly. The last time the adult coming to relieve it. The partner would was recorded was on 9 January, although stay put and silent and not approach the we suspect the young was present as nest until the threat had passed. well.

The main inter-species interaction On all occasions when the young bird involved Noisy Miners. As the nesting was observed it gave no audible calls at period progressed, a group of miners all. Initially, after having fledged, it foraged in the nest tree with increasing resided inside mistletoe clumps. With its frequency. At those times the second brownish head and upper back and quiet (non-brooding) bird would stand guard, behaviour it blended well into inner parts occasionally chasing or being chased by of the mistletoes. In fact, the single adult a miner. Parents would neither leave nor looking after the young often 'lost' the approach the nest when Noisy Miners chick between bouts of collecting food were in the nest tree. Higgins et al. for it, The parent would then call quietly, (2001) report more aggressive The chick responded by moving towards interactions, including giving high- the adult without making calls itself. It intensity alarm calls from the nest, when was only from the calls the adult gave to Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters locate the young that the human observer Acanthagenys rufogularis approached could do likewise. Parent and young nests of Painted Honeyeaters, allowed observers to approach within a few metres without being alarmed. By 5 Behaviour of the young bird January the tail of the young bird had reached full length, and the bird was At 8:00 h on 19 December a single chick very mobile, frequently moving between was found to have left the nest, and was trees over greater distances on its own or clinging to twigs in the same leafy following the adult, but it still gave no branchlet. The adults fed it at that calls. On 9 January the adult called location, but seemed to become agitated briefly early in the morning, covering when Noisy Miners approached, At even greater distances than in the days about 8.30 h the chick took flight, before. It proved difficult to pin down following an adult about 20 m to a clump the location of the adult. It may have

6 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 been looking again for the still silent early during territory establishment, but young. From 7.00 h onwards for 30 once pairs start nesting, calls are less minutes and again later in the morning frequent and movement is more secretive over a period of 35 minutes Painted from sites where nest material is Honeyeaters were neither seen nor heard collected to the nest tree. The call in the area. Searches after that date also frequency declines further once revealed no sign of the species. incubation has commenced, although occasionally the species can still be very At the early feeding stage, insects were vocal and conspicuous at any stage of the brought to the nest. From a photograph breeding cycle, But such bouts are, as a Lindsay Popple has identified one of rule, only brief. For example, the parent them as a female of a Cicadetta species, from Nest 3 at Mt Ainslie on 5 January, Mistletoe berries were the main, perhaps after feeding its young, gave many 'whiu' the only, food given to the nestling in its calls, then flew to the top of a dead last week. The parent fed the fledgling eucalypt and ascended from there to mainly mistletoe berries as is commonly double tree height and flew in wide reported in the literature. However, on circles over the territory for about three several occasions the fledgling was also minutes, and then landed again close to provided with smaller insects and the offspring. It may in part be due to spiders, including insect remains from this change in behaviour, i.e. birds spider webs. The parent was seen a becoming more and more quiet, that couple of times foraging for spiders and despite numerous records of the species insects along dead branches and outer in and around Canberra, including foliage of trees and in dead trees, the groups of up to ten birds (Bounds same substrates that are also searched for 2003b), so little breeding activity was collecting spider silk for nest recorded. It is difficult to believe that construction. with such an abundant mistletoe crop and appearance of birds at many sites, It was assumed that the female (the only a single brood was successful. slightly smaller bird of the pair) stayed with the young, however, there is no Painted Honeyeaters are known to definite proof that it was the female. abandon half-built nests suddenly and Eddy (1961) indicates that in western commence nest construction elsewhere Victoria the male may become quite (Eddy 1961). The nests at Sutton and attached to one fledgling of the second Mulligans Flat were abandoned before brood and migrate with it once it is they were complete and further nesting sufficiently developed. This would attempts were not observed elsewhere. indicate that a single parent is well able However, at Mt Ainslie, all three pairs to raise a fledgling to independence, as produced clutches. Two of the nests were was the case at Mt Ainslie. abandoned for reasons unknown a few days to more than a week after birds had Discussion commenced incubation. In both territories single birds were observed for The Painted Honeyeater is very vocal about a further two weeks after the nests and conspicuous with its display flights were given up.

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There are some indications that Painted Acknowledgment Honeyeaters may visit potential breeding areas for two years in a row if the We thank Barbara Allan for suggesting mistletoe crop is exceptional as it and encouraging us to write up our notes appears to be now in the Canberra on the Painted Honeyeater. Tom Green region. It remains to be seen whether kindly made his observations on Painted Canberra ornithologists will again be so Honeyeaters available to us. lucky and have this rare species of honeyeater present in the 2003-04 References breeding season. Should this happen we would urge observers to plan repeat Bounds J (1994). Painted Honeyeaters in Jindalee State Forest, near Wallendbeen, visits to any site where the species has NSW, and their status in the Canberra been recorded to see whether or not the region. Canberra Bird Notes 19: 53-57. Painted Honeyeater is at any given site Bounds J (2003a). Painted Honeyeaters only transient or a breeding resident. invade the Canberra Region. Gang-gang During the 2002-03 breeding season the February. frequency of visits by observers to Bounds J (2003b). Canberra Bird Notes, in Campbell Park in search of the Painted press. Honeyeaters was exceptionally high, Eddy RJ (1961). Twenty years of Painted really to the neglect of other sites from Honeyeaters. Australian Bird Watcher 1: which the species was recorded. In the 122-128. end we have learnt very little about the Frith HJ ed. (1969). Birds in the Australian High Country. Reed, Sydney. influx of Painted Honeyeaters to our Higgins PJ, Peter JM, and Steele WK eds. region. We only know how long the (2001). Handbook of Australian, New birds stayed and whether or not breeding Zealand & Antarctic Birds, vol. 5: Tyrant was attempted from very few sites. flycatchers to Chats. OUP, Melbourne. Should there be a repeat influx of this Wilson S (1999). Birds of the ACT: two species, one approach may be for centuries of change. Canberra observers (singly or in teams) to indicate Ornithologists Group, Canberra. to COG whether they would be prepared to check, on a regular basis, locations identified as Painted Honeyeater sites. With only a limited level of organisation it should be possible to achieve a more comprehensive collection of data.

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Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

The Painted Honeyeater chick (above); Adult and nest (below) Photos: G.Dabb

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BURNING AND LEARNING: THE AFTERMATH OF THE JANUARY 2003 FIRES IN NAMADGI AND TIDBINBILLA Ian Fraser GPO Box 3268, Canberra, ACT 2601

Background conditions would have ameliorated, rain would have come. Instead, what came On 8 January 2003, following similar ° strikes in the Victorian Alps and the were temperatures in excess of 40 C and western face of Kosciuszko National winds reputed to be well in excess of 100 Park, lightning started five simultaneous kph, What I believe also came was the fires in the Brindabella Range, They 'Broken Cart fire' from northern were scattered along the ACT's western Kosciuszko National Park, roaring up the border from near McIntyre's hut north- steep west slopes of the Brindabellas west of Mt Coree in Brindabella with an intensity that left nothing on the National Park, south to Mt Morgan in ground at all, and consumed much of the Kosciuszko National Park. In between organic content of the soil. It joined with there were three ignitions, all on the the Namadgi fires; when fires combine eastern slopes inside the ACT, above like that, there is a huge upsurge of Bendora Dam, above Corin Dam on activity, hurling burning material well Stockyard Spur and on Mount Gingera. ahead. As the roaring furnace swept down into Over the next eight days the fires the Cotter valley, up over the increased steadily, but not explosively, to Tidbinbillas and into and through the consume 7000 ha — about 20% of the Nature Reserve it hurled brands which area burnt in the 1983 Gudgenby fires to started spot-fires up to 12 km ahead. the south. Then came January 17 and 18. When the main fire 'caught up' the fires again merged explosively and more At the time of writing I do not have the brands were hurled into the air, so the benefit of the detailed analysis which fire moved in surges. It is common for will presumably come out of the intense fires to arrive explosively at enquiries. My interpretation of what ridge tops, hurling firebrands across to happened then and immediately prior to the next ridge. In these conditions fires that is based on what I saw myself in effectively move faster than the wind Tidbinbilla on 24 January and the speed. In addition, of course, natural or Brindabellas on 3 February and 13 constructed containment lines become March, and from discussions with some useless. of those on the ground at the time. I believe that the fires were in the process By the time that rain finally extinguished of being contained — though no-one the last of the fires in southern ACT on claims that that is certain — despite about 21 February, 91% of Namadgi drought conditions which are generally National Park, essentially all of accepted as being the most severe in at Tidbinbilla and the Murrumbidgee River least 100 years. In most other years, Corridor, and 18% of Canberra Nature

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Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

Park had burnt. This represents 88% of ferns Dicksonia antarctica under big the ACT reserve system and two-thirds Ribbon Gums Eucalyptus viminalis and of the whole territory. This is more than Narrow-leaved Peppermints E. radiata, five times the area burnt in any with delightful streams rushing over previously recorded ACT fire. Probably rocks. Or they were. Now stark leafless not a unique event — but certainly so in trunks stand over utterly bare ground and the relatively brief European experience the oozing creek. And nothing else. In here. the worst burnt areas there was not even ash on the ground. Beyond Tidbinbilla of course, none of us will ever need reminding what happened Much of the valley of Lees Creek and next on 18 January, but that story has Bulls Head Creek along Warks Road in been told and will be told many times Namadgi — a favourite COG venue and yet. I have been asked to record some of site of the famous long-term Brindabella my observations from my visits and to banding studies — was in similar try to put them into some sort of context. condition on 3 February. I have attempted to be objective, but such an experience can only ever be very In terms of scale, I can best express it — profoundly personal as well and it is not apart from the sheer area mentioned possible — or useful — to pretend above — by saying that on that day we otherwise. drove (and walked) along Brindabella Road and Mt Franklin Road to the Ginini Scale and intensity Gate, down to Ginini Flat, down to Bendora Dam and out along Warks I am not unfamiliar with fire in forests, Road. This is a distance of some 70 km but was utterly unprepared for the scale and in all that I would not have seen a and intensity that I saw, and in particular square metre of unburnt ground. That for the impact on the wet sclerophyll was also true on 13 March, when we forests of the gullies and sheltered drove south from the Namadgi Visitor slopes. My first experience of the Information Centre, along the Ororral intensity was in Tidbinbilla, and it Valley to Cotter Hut and up to Leura shocked me profoundly. Having tried to Gap, then north along the Mt Franklin come to terms with the horror of Road to Mt Gingera. At this point there watching and gagging on the stench of were a few unburnt sphagnum moss — tea over 600 burnt, dead kangaroos, tree seeps. There are also perhaps a few wallabies, possums and koalas being cut thousand hectares of unburnt wet forest and dumped into a huge trench, I was on the lower slopes of Gingera. This is appalled by the familiar cool green tree- likely to be very significant, as being fern gullies of the walking trails. As I perhaps the only substantial unburnt noted that night 'it's Mordor'. If you don't Namadgi areas north of the southern tip know them, they are densely crowded of the ACT. with soft-leaved understorey shrubs — In some areas — presumably the result of Pomaderris aspera and the giant daisies night burning, both back-burning and Olearia argophylla and Bedfordia wildfires — the canopy was intact and arborescens — and bursting with big tree largely green This includes sections

11 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 downslope of the Mt Franklin Road sign of them. Most of those lyrebirds between Bulls Head and Aggie Gap, on seen seemed to be foraging in roadside both sides of the ridge. This suggests soaks, presumably the only source of some hope for arboreal animals in these ground surface invertebrates. Since then areas. In others leaf fall — the result of I've found a couple of interesting older leaves killed on the trees — had already references to lyrebird behaviour in fires. begun. In yet others — including the koala enclosure at Tidbinbilla — leaves One direct observation of lyrebird were burnt off the trees. behaviour in fire (from LH Smith's Life of the Lyrebird, 1988) comes from One of the worst shocks of the day was central Gippsland in 1932, from a miner the desolation of Ginini Flat. Earlier caught in severe fires. reports had recorded that the fire had not entered the swamp, but obviously the When the fire descended, Mitchell took Broken Cart fire subsequently swept refuge in the river and waited for it to over it and through it. Perhaps 25-30% pass. He was, however, not alone; of the swamp vegetation remains in the because, from eight o'clock in the sections we visited, and saw from the top morning, three hours before the fire reached him, 'the lyrebirds began to flock of Franklin. Of the rest, up to 30 cm of from the higher country to take shelter in sphagnum is burnt. This represents the river and, moreover, they could not be centuries, perhaps a millenium or more, made to move from the positions taken up of growth (see below). immediately on reaching the water'. Impacts on fauna Perhaps all the lyrebirds in that part of Namadgi were able to descend to the Higher up the slopes were Red-necked Cotter (albeit very shallow) or Bendora Wallabies Macropus rufogriseus, lower Dam? Another 1930s account tells of were Swamp Wallabies Wallabia miners sheltering from fire in a mine bicolor. I can't imagine what they'd been shaft, and finding themselves sharing it living on, though along the lower burnt with several lyrebirds. This gives creeks Carex (a sedge) was shooting, credence to the otherwise extraordinary- sounding proposition that they might In Namadgi I saw and heard more bird shelter in wombat burrows. They species (in very low numbers) than I'd certainly do something! have expected in the conditions. In particular, a source of amazement to us Next most widespread were White- all was the number of Superb Lyrebirds throated Treecreepers Cormobates Menura novaehollandiae seen; close to leucophaeus; against the apparent odds, 20 altogether. How the hell (literally,..) invertebrates must be surviving in bark did they survive? Intuitively they would crevices. There were also more Brown seem to be one of the least capable Falcons Falco berigora than I've seen in species of escaping a very intense fast- Namadgi; I'm aware of their reputation moving fire. At the time I had to assume as fire 'associates'. Also in the high burnt that somewhere there were gullies that Snow Gums Eucalyptus pauciflora were the fire leapt over, though we saw no

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Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 small numbers (often just one bird) of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos Cacatua Gang-gang Cockatoos Callocephalon galerita falling dead from the sky,

. fimbiatum, Crimson Rosellas presumably from oxygen deprivation. On Platycercus elegans, Spotted Quail- the other hand, the southern ranges were thrush Cinclosoma punctatum, Flame less intensively burnt and the southern Robin Petroica phoenicea, Striated tip of the territory remained unburnt. Pardalote Pardalotus striatus, Brush This area, and the wet forests on the Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus, lower eastern slopes of Mt Gingera, Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides, a probably contain valuable populations of pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles Aquila species for future colonisation. audax and White-browed Scrub-wren Sericornis frontalis; lower down Furthermore we must take account of the (including at Bendora) were Pied additional impact of the drought. Did the Currawongs Strepera graculina, Sacred small number of Rufous Fantails Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus, Rhipidura rufifrons subsequently

Yellow- faced Honeyeaters recorded in Canberra represent fire

Lichenostomus chrysops, White- eared refugees, or were they fortunate enough Honeyeaters Lichenostomus leucotis and to have been pushed out of the ranges by a Common Bronzewing Phaps the drought a couple of weeks early to chalcoptera. On 3 March I also saw four start their migration — and were thus Brown Goshawks Accipiter fasciatus, saved by the drought? Did some parts of presumably exploiting the lack of foliage the population escape to the east, fleeing cover, and several groups of Grey either drought or fires? Currawongs Strepera versicolor, probably preying on phasmids (stick Perhaps the inward migration of passage insects) in the unburnt foliage. birds next spring (and even the outward movement starting now) will give us The relatively few studies of fire impacts some feeling of the impact, Otherwise it on bird populations in sclerophyll forest will require long-term monitoring of — for instance in heavily logged mixed Namadgi and sites in other areas. wet and dry sclerophyll forests near Eden, in wet sclerophyll in the Otways The fate of the major surviving Northern and in Jarrah in south-west Western Corroboree Frog Pseudophryne Australia — are not likely to give much pengilleyi population at Ginini Flat is a help in predicting the long-term impacts matter of grave concern. This is a species on birds of this much more intense and already seriously Endangered, from extensive fire event, uncertain causes. At the time of the fire males were in their nests deep in the Given the lack of vegetation pockets that sphagnum; while some known territories I saw in both Tidbinbilla and the central were destroyed, a few have subsequently Brindabella Range, I am pessimistic been heard calling. The fate of the about the survival of many birds there. females and immature males, sheltering The likelihood of high death tolls is under logs in the surrounding woodland, underlined by eye-witness accounts from is still unknown. However there may be Tidbinbilla of such powerful flyers as some hope in the observations, on the

13 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 day, of a surprising number of live Rather we should think of it as the one skinks in all habitats, and invertebrates in which has adapted to a regime of most moist soil under logs in burnt Snow Gum frequent fires, In southern Australia dry woodland by Ginini Flat. forests, the current 'serious' fire cycle seems to be from 10-13 years, but it is Impacts on different vegetation types likely that this is more frequent than previously. It is certainly the habitat of There are two fundamental types of plant all those affected which is normally response to fire, Plants are generally likely to recover most rapidly, either 'resprouters' or 'reseeders'. The Dominants in open forests are primarily former, after being defoliated, resprout resprouters; some 65% of species can from shoots either under the bark on recover from a fire without needing to trunk or branches, or underground at the seed. This includes all of the eucalypt base of the stem. In reseeders the plant is species. In this case the situation may be killed by fire, but the population survives complicated by the fact that these forests through the germination of seed stores, tend to grow on the exposed western held either on the plant or in the ground. slopes, which are the ones most intensively burnt, especially on the • Casuarina cunninghamiana riverine western fall of the Tidbinbillas and communities; Murrumbidgee River Brindabellas, Indeed, on 3 March the dry Corridor and Paddys River. Brittle Gum E. mannifera, Broad-leaved Peppermint E. dives, Red Stringybark E. These have been almost entirely burnt, in macrorhynca forests all along the Cotter some places intensively. Some of the less from just below Bendora Dam to the fiercely burnt trees will resprout; most I park boundary are showing almost no suspect will die and regrow from seed. sign of recovery. Although in some side On 3 March there was no sign of gullies the percentages were a little sprouting all along Paddys River. higher, overall less than 1% of trees show any sign of any shooting at all and • Leptospermum there is essentially no ground growth at riverine scrub all. Whether this is simply an indicator communities; along the Cotter below of the enormous intensity of the fire, or Bendora Dam, perhaps of a pronounced rain shadow effect (which ought not to effect These are burnt to the ground and to the epicormic shooting) I cannot yet say. water level. The shrubs are most likely to be resprouters and the first shoots have • Wet sclerophyll forests; along probably appeared by now. sheltered gullies and higher sheltered south- and east-facing slopes • Dry sclerophyll forests; more exposed mid-slopes and lower slopes This is the area which caused me the of the ranges. most concern, though that was probably mostly a result of our inexperience of This habitat is generally described as the such fires in an environment where the 'tfidtd'ft it

14

Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 natural fire regime cycle is probably in • Subalpine systems: the complex of excess of 100 years. Most of the Snow Gum woodlands and dominant eucalypts are again resprouters associated wet heathlands and but a major exception for us is the very sphagnum bogs. important Alpine Ash E. delegatensis forests, which are seeders, being killed These heaths are generally not as well by intense fire and regrowing as an even- fire-adapted as others and do not aged stand from dropped seeds. Many of naturally burn as frequently, Many high the familiar Alpine Ash stands below country species have seeds evolved for Piccadilly Circus date from the 1939 long-distance dispersal. In a 'normal' fire fires (which incidentally only burnt Snow Gums will be expected to reshoot about a quarter of the ACT land that from the trunks in older trees and from these latest fires did). Most of the Alpine the base in younger ones; very intense Ash in the areas I saw will die and seed; fires may be fatal however, Areas like some of the stands south of Bulls Head the summit of Mt Franklin and along the should survive. It will be touch and go ridge to the south of Aggie Gap were whether the 20-year old regrowth to the very intensively burnt indeed, and on 3 south will have yet set seed; if not those March there was surprisingly little sign stands will not survive. of recovery. There was not a sign of shooting in any mature Snow Gums; a In the fern gullies, Fishbone Ferns very small percentage of small trees Blechnum nudum and Shield Ferns shows growth from the base. Perhaps Polystichum proliferum are already this species is a slow responder and the sprouting from rhizomes, while the tree subterranean shoots of big trees are ferns are shooting from burnt trunks — deeper. where these still exist. Where they have been destroyed we must wait for spores A key element of alpine and subalpine to re-enter the gullies. heathlands is the sphagnum moss bogs. The growing moss is just the top layer of With respect to the most intensively the hummocks. The lower layers of dead burnt gullies, a long-term study also in moss form peat, which builds up much Victoria may be pertinent. It tracked more slowly. The accumulation rate changes in plant-species dominance in a given for this (in studies cited in the wet forest, Bracken and the daisy bush Ginini Flat Management Plan) is 0.7 mm Cassinia aculeata dominated initially, a year, i.e. 7 cm a century, but slows as lasting longest in drier sites. (Bracken compaction increases. The Ginini Flat has very extensive and robust rhizome hummocks (mean depth 76 cm) are systems.) After about 40 years, about 3300 years old. These peat bogs Pomaderris spp., Olearia argophylla and are essential to the hydrology of the Bedfordia arborescens take over and heaths, and indeed to lower elevation may do so for a century or so, Finally, stream systems which are fed by them, when the Pomaderris dies, tree ferns and ground ferns begin to increase. It is unlikely that we shall see another event of this scale and intensity in the

15 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

ACT in our lifetimes, and probably not bogs, are likely to be more at the scale of in that of another generation and beyond. centuries. We must find a way to use this However it is important to recall that in huge-scale and lifetime-unique event as the time scale in which forests, their an opportunity. I believe that the context fauna and flora and their fire regimes of such an opportunity will be in learning have evolved, it is something which must more about fire recovery cycles and of have happened many times before. educating ourselves and the community Recovery will occur; much of it will be to the true place of such events as an back to 'normal' in mere decades. The integral part of El Nino-driven full cycle of other habitats, such as tall Australian biodiversity. wet sclerophyll forests and sphagnum

16

Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

A SURVEY OF BIRDS FROM THREDBO TO THE SUMMIT: A SECOND VISIT

Malcolm Fyfe 40 Bourne Street, Cook, ACT 2614

The Kosciuszko Blitz was Australia's the survey method was the same, In first 'Biodiversity Blitz' event and was addition to counting all birds seen or coordinated by New South Wales heard within the 2-ha sites the goal was National Parks and Wildlife Service to identify all birds species present in the (NSW NPWS) to mark the International 2 Year of the Mountains. The goal was to five habitat zones within the 27 km document living organisms, including study area. the bird fauna, using a 27 km2 area Fire damage to the survey sites varied within the Kosciuszko National Park, considerably. In the Alpine zone above from Thredbo village to the summit of the tree line, there was no fire damage at Mount Kosciuszko. A team of nine all. Within the Tree Line zone damage members of the Canberra Ornithologists to the 2-ha survey sites varied from nil to Group (COG) took part, conducting 70% of the site affected. In the Dead surveys over the weekend of 12-13 Horse Gap Trail section of the Forest January 2002 (Davey 2002). zone both sites were partly burnt. In the Merritts Nature Trail section, on the Following the 2002 event the COG team other hand, there was no damage, In the decided that there would be value in Riverine zone all sites were affected, continuing the surveys, possibly on an damage estimated to range between 50% annual basis. However, the disastrous and 95% of the site. The three sites in fires of January 2003, which severely the village environs suffered damage affected a significant part of the study ranging from 20% to 90%. area, prevented any repeat of surveys at that time. But the fire event did create Reports from those conducting the an incentive to revisit the site, since the surveys indicated that there was effect on bird life presented a new considerable evidence of regrowth. perspective for the proposed longer-term Grass tussocks were sprouting and study. epicormic shoots were evident on trees, particularly the Snow Gum Eucalyptus And so seven COG members visited pauciflora. Although in places the shrub Thredbo on 15-16 March 2003 to survey layer had been largely burnt off, for for a second time. The weather was mild example on the river bank along the with a light breeze and no rain. On the Thredbo River Trail, new shoots of a daisy bush Olearia sp. were showing Sunday morning there was early cloud through the otherwise bare soil. cover which soon cleared to a fine sunny day. The team discovered that birds were Surveys were again conducted at all of again using all areas, despite the fire the 35 2-hectare sites set up in 2002 and damage. A comparison of data gathered

17 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 during the 2002 and 2003 surveys However, the most notable case was the follows. Little Raven. In 2002 there were 86 birds counted in Alpine zone sites, 16 in • Of the 35 species recorded in the 27 the Tree Line, 14 in the Forest, 7 in the km2 survey area in January 2002 Riverine and 15 in the Village — a total only one, Superb Lyrebird Menura of 138, In 2003 the total was just 9 birds novaehollandiae, was not recorded counted in the Riverine (8) and Village during the March 2003 visit. (1) zones. • In March 2003, on the other hand, the team recorded 20 species not In the case of birds recorded during the recorded during the first visit (see March 2003 visit that are not listed for Appendix). the area, the survey team reached the • Of these 20, five were recorded only following tentative conclusions. below 1500 m, in the Riverine zone - Buff-rumped Thornhill Acanthiza • It is possible that four species were reguloides and Rose Robin Petroica in the area on this occasion having rosea, or Village zone — Masked been displaced from their normal Lapwing Vanellus miles, Restless range as a consequence of the fires — Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta and Australian King-Parrot Alisterus House Sparrow Passer domesticus. scapularis, Buff-rumped Thornbill, • Of the 15 recorded above 1500 m, Scarlet Robin Petroica multicolor eight were not included in the NSW and Eastern Yellow Robin NPWS Checklist of the bird fauna Eopsaltria australis. It is likely, occurring above 1500 m in however, that normally sedentary Kosciuszko National Park (see populations of these species are to be Appendix). found within a relatively close distance, In the 2002 survey four species were • Three species - Noisy Friarbird identified in all five habitat zones — Philemon corniculatus, Rose Robin Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans, Petroica roseaand Restless Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla, Pied Flycatcher, were possibly on Currawong Strepera graculina and Little migration through the area. Raven Corvus bennetti. In 2003 there However, this raises the question were also four, although not all the same why they have not been recorded in ones — Crimson Rosella, Brown the area previously. Thornbill, Yellow-faced Honeyeater • The Red-browed Treecreeper Lichenostomus chrysops and Flame Climacteris erythrops and the Robin Petroica phoenicea. Pilotbird Pycnoptilus floccosus were identified in forest habitats fairly The total abundance in 2-ha sites typical for these species. In this differed, in some instances quite sometimes-difficult environment it is markedly between the two years. In possible that the birds, both of which 2002, for example, 76 Brown Thornbills are cryptic in their behaviour, are were counted as against 53 in 2003, normally present but go unnoticed

18

Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

and are under-recorded in the area as should be conducted at the same time of a consequence. year as the original Biodiversity Blitz exercise. That being the case there are It was perhaps a little early to expect any plans to survey all sites again in January significant movement of honeyeaters. 2004. Small groups of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were recorded moving up Acknowledgments through the Tree Line zone. In the Alpine zone a party of 16 was observed Dr Ken Green, NSW NPWS, gave approaching Rawsons Gap from the generously of his time to facilitate the north-west. Finding no tree in which to work of the survey team. Nicki Taws, pause they perched briefly atop a large Julie McGuiness, Jenny Bounds, Jack granite boulder before disappearing in a Holland, Bruce Lindenmayer and David south-easterly direction over the summit McDonald scaled great heights, surveyed of Mount Kosciuszko. the birds and together with Chris Davey, commented on a draft of the paper. At this very early stage of the surveys at Heartfelt thanks to all. Thredbo, firm conclusions cannot be drawn about the possible impact of the References fires in the Kosciuszko National Park on bird movements. It is hoped that as time Davey C (2002). The Kosciuszko Blitz: A passes further work in the area will Survey of Birds from Thredbo to the provide a better insight into species that Summit. Canberra Bird Notes 27: 1- I 0. are normally resident and those which Green K (ed) (2002). Biodiversity in the pass through the area on migration. Snowy Mountains. Australian Institute of Alpine Studies, Jindabyne, NSW. After some discussion about timing the team has concluded that future surveys

19 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

Appendix — Birds recorded within the Kosciuszko Blitz study area in March 2003 that were not recorded during the January 2002 event.

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax Brown Falcon Falco berigora Masked Lapwing Yellow- Vanellus miles tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus funereus Australian King-Parrot * Alisterus scapularis Southern Boobook * Red- Ninox novaeseelandiae browed Treecreeper * Climacteris erythrops Pycnoptilus floccosus Pilotbird * Acanthiza reguloides Buff-rumped Thornbill * Philemon corniculatus Noisy Friarbird * Petroica multicolor Scarlet Robin * Petroica rosea Rose Robin * Eastern Yellow Robin * Eopsaltria australis Restless Flycatcher * Mviagra inquieta Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae Grey Currawong Strepera versicolor House Sparrow * Passer domesticus Tree Martin * Hirundo nigricans

* Birds not listed in the NSW NPWS Checklist of the bird fauna occurring above 1500 m in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW. Notes: • Southern Boobook - recorded during the COG 2002 visit but outside the study area. • Tree Martin - the Checklist includes a reference only to Martin spp.

20 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

ODD OBS

A Barn Owl besieged Darters nesting at Molonglo Reach

At about 7:30 h on 20 September 2002, I Two sightings of Darters Anhinga was in the vicinity of Regatta Point melanogaster with dependent young on the northern shore of Lake Burley were made on Wednesday 26 March Griffin when I heard a cacophony of 2003 between 17:45 and 19:00 h at bird calls coming from the carpark. Out Molonglo Reach (opposite Duntroon), from the trees came a mixed flock of By paddling a kayak quietly, it was about 50 birds comprising Pied possible to approach the birds to a Currawongs Strepera graculina, reasonable distance without causing Australian Ravens Corvus coronoides them distress. Both sightings were on the and Magpie-larks Grallina cyanoleuca, south, or Jerrrabomberra Wetlands, side all chasing a Barn Owl Tyto alba. The of the river, the first being only a short Barn Owl flew west and crossed paddling distance from the Commonwealth Avenue, with the other launching/picnic area, The nest was birds in pursuit, and landed in a tree on about 3 m above the water and gave the the far side of the road, However, it was appearance of being crowded with two mobbed and flew off. As the owl flew it white, very fluffy (almost furry looking) was constantly harassed by the pursuing chicks half-exposed and clearly visible, birds. At least three times, ravens There was a male adult bird in grasped the owl from behind in mid air attendance, with two nests of Little Pied and carried it in their beaks for a matter Cormorants Phalacrocorax of metres before letting it drop to the melanoleucos also in close proximity ground, where the owl was mobbed by (about 1 m away). other birds. This behaviour seemed very similar to video footage I had seen of An estimated 500 m closer to Lake frigatebirds pirating food from seabirds Burley Griffin was a second nest, again by grasping them in mid flight and hanging them upside down. The Barn containing two chicks and again with an Owl flew off into another tree by the adult bird in attendance. This time the shore of Lake Burley Griffin where it chicks were more advanced and were was surrounded by two ravens which actually standing in the nest, showing the took turns in pecking at it from above development of a brown tinge in their and below. In trying to save the owl from feathers but still probably a long way its attackers, my actions scared off both short of successfully leaving the nest. the owl and the ravens. It was last seen Rod Mackay heading across the lake toward the 48 Spowers St, Holder, ACT 2611 National Museum of Australia with a sole Pied Currawong in pursuit. A heart-breaking observation Alastair Smith The abundance of animal populations is 6 Henderson Street, Garran, ACT 2605 determined by rates of birth, death, emigration and immigration, yet these

21 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 processes are seldom observed in the pair subsequently fledged a second brood wild. Death by predation or disease may of two young on 12 January 2003, both be observed but in many populations of which were still within the parental animals disappear and the cause of death territory at the end of March 2003. is unknown. Because they are observed Chris Davey infrequently, any sightings of natural 24 Bardsley Place, Holt, ACT 2615 deaths are therefore of note. A pair of Australian Magpie Unusual foraging technique of Gymnorhina tibicen produced three European Goldfinch young that fledged close to the Kippax Health Centre on 11 October 2002. By On 25 January 2003, at 6:40 h, on the 20 October two young had disappeared. southern shore of Yerrabi Pond, Amaroo, On 22 November the remaining young two European Goldfinches Carduelis was observed feeding on the ground. carduelis were seen to come to standing As I stood 20 m away watching the bird dried Phalaris seedheads. Both birds had it suddenly gave a series of loud distress difficulty perching on the brittle stems, calls which caused the adults feeding on but one eventually gained a firm the ground nearby to fly to the foothold and commenced climbing up youngster. By the time of their arrival toward the seedhead. When some 10 cm the young was lying on the ground on its below the seedhead, this bird leant down left side with legs slowly pedalling. The to bite the stem, causing it to fracture, bird was gasping with mucous coming but not break off. The bird then reached from the bill. The adults stood over the down to grasp the hanging stem below bird but did not in any way attack it. The the point of fracture, and pulled the attending adults discouraged me from hanging stem up alongside the standing approaching the young but within two section on which it was perching, minutes it was dead and within five immediately grasping the two parallel minutes the parents had left the scene. stems with both feet. While continuing to grasp both stems, the bird carefully An autopsy by Dr David Spratt of sidled down to reach the seedhead, into CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems revealed which it poked its bill in search of seeds. that there were no items lodged in the Seeds obviously had been shed much trachea or oesophagus but the heart had earlier, so after two pecks without result ruptured with a tear in the left ventricle the bird departed, followed by its wall, In all other respects the bird was in partner, good condition. On numerous occasions, I have observed The apparently healthy bird may have parrots and native estrildid finches taking been suffering from a genetic heart seeds from standing seedheads while defect that for no obvious reason perching immediately underneath the ruptured as I watched the feeding bird. seedhead, or by reaching up from the Although three young fledged the fate of ground to pull down the stem, or by the other two that disappeared within biting off the stem and letting it fall to nine days of fledging is unknown. The the ground. However, on no prior

22 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 occasion have I seen a bird manoeuvre a On 15 November 2002, while on a walk fractured stem so that it could be grasped on the eastern side of Mt. Ainslie with to get at the seedhead. It would be Barbara Allan and Geoffrey Dabb, interesting to determine if this intricate looking for Painted Honeyeaters technique is used regularly by fringillid Grantiella picta, we saw two female finches. king-parrots approach from the south and land in a tall Blakely's Red Gum Joseph M. Forshaw Eucalyptus blakelyi. The birds were very 2 Tarrabool St, Amaroo, ACT 2914 quiet and appeared wary. After watching the surroundings for some time, at least Australian King-Parrots during the one of the females (the second female breeding season in Canberra Nature was not always in full view) briefly Parks entered one of two large hollows located close to each other. The birds flew off Recently Davey (2002) reviewed the soon after. evidence that might indicate breeding of Australian King-Parrots Alisterus On 17 November I saw the two females scapularis in dry sclerophyll woodlands again in the same urea, this time arriving of the Canberra Nature Parks. COG's from the north (I was too far from the Annual Bird Reports provide three actual site to see whether or not they earlier records of birds inspecting paid a visit to the same tree and hollows: 16 October 1994 west of hollows). Curtin; 16 December 1998, on The Pinnacle; and 23 September 2001 on Red Two things are notable about these Hill. There is also Chris Davey's own observations. observation from 2002 of a female entering a tree hollow within the Black • Assuming it was a potential nest site, Mountain Reserve. the birds had selected a part on Mt Ainslie that most closely resembled For the last five years or so I have tall forest. regularly encountered during the • The literature (Higgins 1999) breeding season at least one pair of king- mentions only a simple 'single-pair' parrots in various parts of Mt Ainslie. breeding system for the Australian The birds appear to cover great King-Parrot. The observations from distances, At times they are feeding and Mt Ainslie give rise to some moving casually through the reserve, at speculation. Was the second female other times their flight appears highly a helper? Was the male partnered targeted. In the 2002 breeding season, a with two females (and if the latter, group of one male and two females was did they nest close to each other)? seen several times, mainly on the eastern side of Mt Ainslie. Again, they appeared Definite proof for breeding in the open to cover great distances, at times coming woodlands of Canberra Nature Parks from suburbia in the south or north from remains to be obtained. This in itself is the direction of Mt. Majura. rewarding enough, but at the same time

23 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 we may learn further aspects of king- nest site, so that the bird could be located parrot biology. from a distance without disturbance.

Michael Lenz On 23 November 2002, I returned for a 8 Suttor St. Ainslie, ACT 2602 b etter look with indefatigable [email protected] cameraman Geoffrey Dabb. We found References the right location and by carefully scanning the ground from a distance Davey C (2002). Do Australian King-Parrots were eventually able to distinguish this breed within the Canberra Nature Park? most cryptic of birds amongst the logs Canberra Bird Notes 27: 133. and litter on the ground. We had good Higgins PJ ed. (1999). Handbook of views with binoculars and Geoffrey's Australian, New Zealand & Antartic Birds, vol. 4, Parrots to Dollarbirds. video camera. It was very dark brown- OUP, Melbourne. black in colour, with a very fine patterning of white and black on head A White-throated Nightjar breeding and wings, providing excellent record camouflage. Its eyes were mostly closed, or just opened in a narrow slit. When At about 7:30 h on 17 November 2002, disturbed, it flew with a silent, graceful, while bushwalking in Yanununbeyan but erratic flight. On one occasion it Crown Reserve, near the Queanbeyan perched on a branch, positioning itself River, some 9 km WNW of Captains horizontally and parallel to the branch, Flat, Anthony Scott and I disturbed a and thus resembling part of the tree. White-throated Nightjar Eiirostopodus mystacalis. The bird flew up from The Yanununbeyan Crown Reserve is underfoot when we were almost on top mostly dry sclerophyll forest, and in this of it. It was very dark brown in colour, area is predominantly Broad-leafed roughly magpie-size, but with long Peppermint Eucalyptus dives and Brittle wings, and with no white obvious on the Gum E. mannifera. While understorey wings in flight. We didn't move until we shrubs are sparse, there are many logs had searched the ground from where it and much litter, which is quite suitable had flown, and eventually saw that it had habitat for nightjars. Unfortunately I did been sitting on a single egg about 4 cm not have the time to return regularly to in length, cream in colour with a few see if there was any evidence of breeding dark spots. The egg was just sitting on success. the litter with no apparent 'nest' scraped in the ground or formed out of the litter. This species is very rarely reported from COG's area of interest (see Wilson We returned several hours later to the 1999), and is generally rare west of the same location, but failed to observe it Great Divide (Blakers et al. 1984), The more closely as we only found the bird only previous breeding record from the by flushing it. This time we took very ACT is of a nest with one egg between careful note of features surrounding the Mt Tidbinbilla and Bendora Dam, on 11

24 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

November 1992 (Olsen and Hayes condition, I think it may have been hit by 1994). This site was also dry sclerophyll a car. It now resides in the CSIRO forest of Broad-leafed Peppermint and Australian National Wildlife Collection Brittle Gum with Red Stringybark E. at Gungahlin. macrorhyncha as well. Joan Taylor Nicki Taws 17 Pope St, Hughes, ACT 2605 1 Wybalena Grove, Cook, ACT 2614 The woodswallow influx of 2002 References In 2002, White-browed Woodswallows Blakers M, Davies SJJF and Reilly PN Artamus superciliosus were present here (1984). The Atlas of Australian Birds. in far greater numbers than I reported RAOU, Melbourne. Olsen J and Hayes G (1994). White-throated seeing in 1997 (Canberra Bird Notes 24: Nightjar: a breeding record for the 29-30), and were much more Australian Capital Territory. Australian widespread. My first sighting of large Bird Watcher 15(5): 229. numbers was on 22 October 2002 on Wilson SJ (1999). Birds of the ACT: two 'Woden' rural lease. On that day and the centuries of change. Canberra next I estimated that the population on Ornithologists Group, Canberra. 'Woden', 'Mugga' and 'Callum Brae' was 200-300 White-broweds and up to 20 A dead White-throated Nightjar Masked Woodswallows Artamus personatus. On 1 November, Marnix My regular evening walk takes me along Zwankhuizen reported in the same area the edge of the reserve near Webster and 'hundreds' circling overhead with 'more Maygar Streets in Hughes. On my walk perched' and 'almost 100 Masked'. on Sunday 19 January 2003, I found an unusual, but dead, bird. On closer Those early observations probably examination I thought it may have been a represented birds in transit, as it is young owl. Its markings were so difficult to imagine the available food beautiful I decided to take my husband resources being sufficient to sustain such Vince back to see it, so I moved it off the numbers for more than a few days. Most ants' dinner plate as it was fast being of the feeding I saw was on or near the devoured. We returned armed with ground. On 5 November a group of flyspray and a plastic bag and on the way about 60 ground-feeding woodswallows home dropped in to see Michael Wright on 'Callum Brae' consisted of the two who identified it as a White-throated species in roughly equal numbers. Nightjar Eurostopodus mystacalis and took some photos which were distributed Thereafter the pattern appeared to be as on the COG email list. in 1997 with the large flocks either moving on or breaking up into smaller It was the first time I had seen this stationary groups based on selected beautiful bird and, perhaps not patches of woodland. Over the next two surprisingly, it was the day after the months I observed multiple breeding dreadful fires. Although in good attempts at each of 'Callum Brae',

25 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

Campbell Park, and the Newline Long ago I realised that the ability to paddock. The first two locations identify species correctly by call related produced at least advanced young in the to one's musical ear. Some people have nest. what is known in musical circles as perfect pitch while others are tone deaf There were several other reports of both and cannot sing even the most simple species from other locations posted on song in tune, though generally they are the COG email discussion group. unaware of this. There are many variations between the extremes of tone As in 1997, I did not notice any nesting deafness and perfect pitch. behaviour by Masked Woodswallows, except for a promising site inspection by Of course there is another important one pair at Campbell Park where a factor affecting one's ability to recognise female actually sat in an old cuckoo- calls in the field and that is experience. It shrike nest for some minutes before the is useless having perfect pitch without pair moved on. However, with one plenty of field experience to enable one exception all Masked Woodswallows to become familiar with the calls of the that were observed appeared to be local area. paired. The exception was a group of 10 Masked Woodswallows at Campbell Tone deaf people generally cannot Park in the first week of November, identify the small passerines by call, possibly mainly young birds. They did especially those with high-pitched notes, some hawking but for most of the such as the thornbills, the pardalotes and observation period of about an hour the Weebill. They do better with the rested quietly in the branches of a deeper and louder calls, such as the eucalypt. Unusually, no White-browed Australian Magpie, the Eastern Whipbird Woodswallows were associated with that and the Australian Raven. Volume and group. pitch both seem to be important in the recognition process. Geoffrey Dabb 24 Brockman St, Narrabundah, ACT A related matter is the age of the 2604 observer. It seems that deafness afflicts most people of advanced years and that it Bird watching or bird listening? commences with the highest notes. My own hearing was always excellent but, Having been bird observing with others having passed ninety, I find that I cannot occasionally over many years, I have hear the high-pitched calls. This appears realised that many people, including to be normal in this age group. I recently myself, record species by call and often watched a group of about a dozen small don't bother to use their binoculars to see birds fly into a tree in the garden but the birds. This led to my noting the could not hear a single call — a ability of others to identify species frustrating experience. correctly. Steve Wilson, OAM 56 Harrington Cct, Kambah ACT 2902

26 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

A Nankeen Kestrel in suburbia Magpie-larks Grallina cyanoleuca joined in the chorus, and all repeatedly swooped Both HANZAB and our own Garden the kestrel and its prey. The kestrel Bird Survey assure us that the Nankeen repeatedly mantled the starling to keep Kestrel Falco cenchroides is not the attackers off. uncommon in urban areas. This accords with my experience, as I have frequently Then a cat arrived on the scene, All the seen them hawking over the grasslands birds, including the kestrel, abruptly bordering major Canberra arteries. But I moved to vantage points on the pergola did not regard them as birds of the or the garage, and keenly watched the cat suburbs, until recently. move the by now motionless and silent starling a metre or two, paw and sniff it, The afternoon of 27 July 2002 was then stalk off without it. As soon as the p leasantly sunny, a fact which cat was out of sight, the kestrel dropped encouraged me to engage in one of back down to the starling, fixed it firmly winter's outdoor chores, namely pruning in its talons and flew off, with the black- the fruit trees. My aged Santa Rosa plum and-white brigade in noisy pursuit. And, tree is perfectly positioned overlooking despite its having dined successfully in my neighbours' well-stocked bird feeder, my neighbourhood, the kestrel has which has over the years attracted its fair apparently not returned for a second share of not only parrots, pigeons and helping. sparrows, but also raptors for easy pickings from amongst the feeding birds. I would be curious to know how On this occasion, my attention was first frequently raptors, and which raptors, drawn to my neighbours' yard by a avail themselves of birds feeding at bird piercing, pitiful scream, which on feeders in suburban situations in inspection proved to be emanating from Canberra. At the above-mentioned a Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris, feeder, the accipiters are the usual diners. held firmly upside down on the ground In recent years a Collared Sparrowhawk in the talons of an adult male Nankeen Accipiter cirrhocephalus has attempted Kestrel. The starling continued its to take a Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps screaming and struggling for about a lophotes, and a Brown Goshawk A. minute, during which time the entire bird fasciatus has successfully done so. neighbourhood arrived to see what was going on. Large numbers of Australian Barbara Allan Magpies Gymnorhina tibicen, Pied - 47 Hannaford St, Page, ACT 2614 Currawongs Strepera graculina, and

27 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

CANBERRA ORNITHOLOGISTS GROUP President's Report for 2002

It is a pleasure once again to provide a schools, The kit was designed to assist report on COG and its achievements teachers to organise a bird watching during the last year. I am particularly event, to identify common Canberra pleased to advise that this year we have region bird species, to compare bird made substantial progress on two issues fauna in different habitats, and to run which I mentioned last year would be the exercises on the connection between focus of our activities in the future. birds and their habitats. The kit was These are the implementation of an distributed to every preschool (90), education strategy and a focus on bird primary school (90) and high school (23) conservation in the ACT. in the ACT in the Public, Private and Catholic school systems. Copies were Education also distributed to pre-service science teachers at the Australian Catholic The business plan recognises that COG University. As part of COG's education has an aging membership, and that steps activities for 2003, it is planned to follow need to be taken to attract younger up a number of the schools and assist members. One way of doing this is to teachers and students in the use of the provide education opportunities and kit. materials to schools. Through these mechanisms COG not only encourages Another key initiative was our the conservation of birds in the Canberra involvement recently in a 'biodiversity region through knowledge of the audit' as part of an Eco Snapshot Day at problems our birds have to contend with, two primary schools (Anglican Burgman but it also provides an opportunity to School Gungahlin, and Mt Rogers recruit new members. Community School Melba) in the ACT. The Eco Snapshot Day is part of the This year we have been fortunate in sustainable schools program devised by having Tanya Rough join the committee. SCRAP (School Communities Recycling Tanya has done a fantastic job in All Paper Ltd). Over the past two years progressing a number of education this pilot program has received much initiatives in Canberra schools, and we attention for its innovative approach to have received very positive feedback on teaching and learning about both the initiative itself and the content sustainability. Based on a hands-on of the materials prepared. approach for students, the Eco Snapshot Day is a method of auditing schools' As part of National Science Week in the environmental performance. In a full Canberra region in August 2002, COG day audit of the school grounds, students collaborated with Greening Australia, the and their teachers work with the SCRAP Science Educators Association of the team to discover just how their school ACT and the Australian National ticks - environmentally. From this the Botanic Gardens to produce a Birds and school is provided with a report of the Habitat awareness raising kit for current status of conservation in their

28 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 school. SCRAP follow up the Eco Snap- Other issues shot Day by working with the school to implement the final report. Canberra MOU with Environment ACT birds could benefit from COG's involvement with this program, assisting I am also pleased to announce that COG to identify key bird areas around schools has recently signed a Memorandum of and conserve and enhance these areas. Understanding with Environment ACT (EACT). This agreement looks to Conservation formalise the excellent relationship which both EACT and COG have In August 2002, COG received funding formed in recent years, setting out the from the ACT Government for the roles and responsibilities of both parties second year of our threatened species which will be followed in collaboration woodland bird monitoring project; this on projects of interest. As many of you project has been running for seven years are aware, both organisations now now. The project's current focus is on readily share knowledge and data using existing data to identify and set up relevant to bird conservation in long-term monitoring sites for birds Canberra, and COG's role has been listed as threatened, specifically the formally recognised in Action Plans for Hooded Robin and the Brown threatened birds in the ACT. I look Treecreeper and providing forward to maintaining the cooperative recommendations for ongoing working arrangements that COG has in management. The grant also includes place with EACT and continuing our some funding for a sub-project to collaboration to achieve good consider and nominate additional birds conservation outcomes for the birds of for threatened species status. These the ACT. submissions are being managed by Nicki Taws. A submission on the Diamond Committee Firetail was lodged in July and we hope to complete submissions on another ten The Committee has worked effectively species soon. and I would like to thank all for the support they have given me over the last Julie McGuiness has proved to be a very year. Most Committee members have able Conservation Officer. She has signalled their intent to stand for prepared submissions on a range of Committee again, and I look forward to environmental issues of concern to COG their continuing support. I would like to including the proposed development at especially thank those members who are O'Malley Ridge, the proposed charcoal retiring from committee, Kathy Walter plant at Mogo, and is seeking action by and John Goldie. Kathy will be the ACT Government on the increase in continuing as Gang-gang Editor. New Spotted Turtle-Dove numbers. Julie has policies have been developed or are in also taken the lead in developing progress covering field trips, honorary relevant policies, including the policy on membership, obituaries, introduced birds introduced birds and COG's policy on generally and Common Mynas. Common Mynas.

29 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

An organisation can only be effective if is not possible to thank them all it is financially secure and has an active individually, I would like to mention membership. As will be evident from some names of those who quietly work her report, Joan Lipscombe continues to away in the background. do a great job as Treasurer, and we have a healthy bank account. Thank you Joan Communications and publications for all you have done. And thank you also to Noel Luff, our Honorary Auditor. During the year Kathy Walter did a wonderful job editing and publishing our During the year Michelle Penders newsletter, including some new items resigned from the position of Office and regular columns. Thanks also to Manager, and we subsequently appointed Rosemary Ryan and Lia Battison and the Ann Bray to the position. I would like to team of helpers for distributing our record the committee's gratitude for the publications. Lia has now taken on the excellent work that Michelle did whilst role of coordinating the mailing of working with COG, and for the way in Gang-gang and Canberra Bird Notes, which Ann has quickly picked up the and we thank her predecessor Rosemary role. This is an important position that for her contribution. Harvey Perkins and manages the increasing amount of Barbara Allan continued to do a administrative work required to keep professional job in editing Canberra COG operational and to assist with the Bird Notes. day-to-day operation of the group. Mike O'Shaughnessy maintained COG's Membership increased a little during web site http://www.canberrabirds. 2001-02 but a substantial number of dynamite.com.au. The website presents members have not renewed their information about COG presentations subscription. Regretfully, several long- and field trips as reported in Gang-gang, standing COG members passed away. together with other useful information Among these was Doug Ross, one of our about COG and its activities. Thank you two Honorary Members, and Bryan Mike. Fitzgerald, a former President. We currently have 304 financial members. COG's email discussion list This is broken down as 116 family 'Canberrabirds', managed by David memberships, 166 individual McDonald, continued to operate memberships, 1 life member, and 21 effectively throughout the year. It has organisation memberships. over 90 subscribers and averages about ten messages per day, providing a useful Other business forum for members and friends of COG to discuss topical issues relating to birds It is a unique feature of COG that much and birding in the Canberra region. It of our business is carried out by keen was recently characterised by Topica, the members and project organisers who are company that hosts the list, as being the not members of the Committee, but most useful and informative of the 32 nevertheless make a huge contribution to birding lists that Topica hosts. the success of the organisation. Whilst it

30 Canberra Bird Notcs 28(1) March 2003

After many years of useful service the Atlas, Woodland Survey, Garden Bird COG telephone Hotline was Survey, Waterbird Survey, Databases discontinued earlier this year. There were difficulties in finding a permanent COG runs a number of bird monitoring home for the line, and its declining use projects, some of which have been meant that we could no longer justify its operating for many years. Before cost. Thanks to Ian McMahon and his referring to these projects individually, I predecessor Ian Fraser for managing the would like to thank all those who have service so ably, and to the Environment contributed data to these projects for a Centre who housed the line over a long number of years, and continue to do so. period. The value of these projects relies upon sustained contributions from Outings and field trips participants, and the level of support which we receive in this area is This year, Jack Holland joined the Field remarkable. Thank you to all those who Trips team (Alistair Bestow, Jenny contribute records so diligently. Bounds and David McDonald) and has been managing a number of local and Although the official four-year Atlas weekend events, with assistance and project has ended. COG members are advice from Jenny and Alastair. Once still encouraged to collect records for again, COG ran an extensive range of ongoing monitoring in COG's area of local half- and full-day field trips, interest, especially at regular 2-hectare p roviding members with good sites. It is very important to collect this opportunities to see birds with an data over time. Thank you to all experienced guide on hand to assist with members who continue to collect identification problems. This year, trips records, and particularly those who have were arranged to two of the Greening adopted regular 2-hectare sites. It is Australia revegetation sites which are these sites that form the backbone of part of an ongoing bird monitoring much of our environmental monitoring, program, and several local walks for providing data capable of detecting beginners were on the program. Thank future changes in bird abundance. to all those who led field trips during the year. The other important component of COG's environmental monitoring We always need more volunteers to fill program is the Woodland Monitoring this role and if you are able to assist in Project. COG's surveys in grassy this area, please contact Jack. woodland habitats continued with further Remember you do not need to be an support from an ACT Government expert to lead an outing. It does require Environment Grant. Jenny Bounds some preparation beforehand, an ability coordinates this project with Nicki Taws to lead the group effectively and to draw and myself forming the other members on the skills and knowledge of other of the Management Team. Alison participants on the trip. Rowell was contracted to coordinate the

31 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 quarterly surveys and data collection. species, especially in the rural Surveys are now conducted at 11 grassy community. This pamphlet has been woodland locations in key areas; in all a distributed to rural lessees in the ACT, to total of 113 sub-sites are monitored Greening Australia and Environment every three months. Thank you to the ACT, and to the surrounding Shire people involved in this project, including Councils. Thanks to Jenny Bounds who Jenny Bounds, Paul Fennell, Nicki Taws, came up with the concept and text, and David McDonald, Harvey Perkins, Julie to Kathy Walter who turned this into a McGuinness, Malcolm Fyfe, Kathy very eye-catching design, and to the Walter, John Goldie and Geoffrey Dabb. COG members who provided Currently, all the data collected since photographs, particularly Helen Fallow 1995 are being analysed by an expert and Graeme Stephinson. statistician in biodiversity projects and we expect a report before the end of Preliminary planning has also started for 2002; this will be important to guide a seminar on 22 March 2003 on a future work on the project. woodland birds theme, in conjunction with a meeting of BIGnet, the Bird An element of the Woodland and Atlas Interest Groups Network of NSW; this is monitoring programs is to set up long planned to be a public event as part of term monitoring sites for threatened the Woodland Project, to improve species, the Hooded Robin and Brown community awareness, with a range of Treecreeper, using a selection of existing speakers. woodland and 2-hectare sites where these species have been recorded. COG Thanks to Philip Veerman for his has engaged Nicki Taws to work in continuing work in managing the Garden consultation with Environment ACT Bird Survey, and to Kay Hahne for (ACT Wildlife and Monitoring) to continuing to assist with entering the coordinate this work. Surveys of these data. This project has now been in sites are being conducted twice a year, in existence for over 20 years and is our September and December, using either longest-running monitoring project. the Woodland or Atlas methodology as Philip recently published a report on the appropriate. first 18 years of the survey.

Another element of the Woodland Another long-running project is the Project is the preparation of submissions waterbird survey. Thanks to Michael to the ACT Flora and Fauna Committee Lenz, who not only conceived the idea to nominate a further 11 species of birds for this work, but still continues to for listing as threatened under ACT manage the survey. legislation. Nicki Taws is coordinating this work under contract; a submission Paul Fennell continued to manage on the Diamond Firetail has already been COG's databases, ensuring that data are made and others are to follow. This year effectively curated and files regularly also saw the production of the Caring for backed-up. Purchase of new computing Woodland Birds pamphlet, to improve equipment and software completed awareness of declining woodland bird during the year will ensure COG

32 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 continues to be able to manage its COG administration & the COG growing data collections effectively. Office Special thanks to those members who assisted with data entry during the year, The COG Office is now a focal point for including Tony Harding, Malcolm Fyfe, Committee administration and storage of Alan Ford, Milton Smith, Martyn COG equipment, data sheets, the COG Moffat, who contributed in getting computer and database and the COG record sheets into the database. slide collection. We recently appointed a new Office Manager, Ann Bray, to Annual Bird Reports replace Michelle Penders. This is an important administrative support role in Many thanks to Malcolm Fyfe, David the day-to-day operations of the Group, Purchase, Grahame Clark, Bob Digan, and frees up Committee members to Brendan Lepschi, Ian McMahon, Harvey allow them to concentrate on more Perkins, Nicki Taws and Barbara Allan specialised tasks, such as the who have managed to keep the Annual management of COG projects. Thank Bird Reports up to date. I would you Michelle for your work in this role. particularly like to acknowledge the This year, COG moved its meetings sterling efforts of Malcolm Fyfe who has venue to the Canberra Girls Grammar been COG's records officer now for School theatrette after a long search for a many years. Malcolm has now advised new venue. This is a multi-media venue that he would like a rest from this which opens up many opportunities for position. It is testament to the excellent video and Powerpoint presentations as job that he has done over the years that well as the usual slide shows. COG is finding a replacement has been difficult. very grateful to Sue Lashko for Everyone I speak to about taking the job arranging this venue for COG. We are on acknowledges that Malcolm will be a also very grateful to John and Meg 'hard act to follow'. Gordon for providing interim accommodation at the Acacia Motor Monthly meetings Lodge until a permanent venue was found. Barbara Allan has again organised an excellent program of presentations for David McDonald, Joan Lipscombe and our monthly meetings. The reports in Geoffrey Dabb were always available to Gang- gang and on the COG website provide quality advice on COG's every month attest to the quality of our constitutional and organisational meetings. Special thanks also to Carol framework. Macleay, Ann McKenzie and Louise Muir for running the stall at COG Canberra Birds Conservation Fund meetings, and to Maria Lukacs and others for their assistance with the The Canberra Birds Conservation Fund monthly raffle. Barbara Allan also is able to receive tax-deductible organised the refreshments for the donations from COG members and the meetings. general public, and uses the donated

33

Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 money on activities that help to achieve COG invites all members to make COG's environmental objectives, donations to the fund, and to encourage especially promoting the conservation of other people to do the same. the Canberra region's native birds and their habitats. The fund's first grant was Finally, I would like to thank everyone given to Mr Adrian Manning of the else who has provided with me Centre for Resource and Environmental assistance over the last year when asked Studies, ANU, to assist in a study he is to do so, often at short notice. During a undertaking, entitled 'A multi-scale study period when I was absent from Canberra of the Superb Parrot'. This project aims for many months, I was extremely to examine the impact agricultural grateful for the support given by so many practices are having on the survival of of COG's members to ensure our group Superb Parrots, leading to the continued its good work promoting the development of related conservation birds of Canberra and their conservation. strategies. I look forward to another successful year for COG in 2003. Thanks to the proceeds of a raffle of three beautiful framed bird photographs Barry Baker donated by Steve Stephinson and 14 November 2002 ongoing donations from members there are sufficient funds now available for the next grant to awarded.

34 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

BOOK REVIEW

Birds of Rottnest Island by Denis with two colour photos of typical scenes. Saunders and Perry de Rebeira. There are also maps clearly illustrating Published by the authors, second where the major places and vegetation (revised) edition 1993; 118 pp, 13 colour types are. plates, 6 figures plus a number of black and white drawings. This sets the scene well for the third, and by far the largest, chapter which Why review a ten-year-old book, you describes in varied detail the 49 bird might well ask. The explanation is species that occur regularly on Rottnest, simple. One of the authors (DS) gave a again broken down into sections presentation on Rottnest Island to a COG covering the habitats where they are meeting last year, a presentation which most likely to be seen. The species are so inspired many members that we described with some brief notes in each thought it timely to look again at his case aided by some very presentable published work on the island to assess its coloured illustrations to aid with the continuing place in the literature. identifications. However, for me by far the most interesting information is that Though I grew up on the outskirts of on the species' status with discussions of Perth, I was never a regular visitor to the best places to see them, together with Rottnest Island (Rotto), which lies off the individual species changes over the the coast 18 km west of Fremantle. seasons and over the years. One of the Nevertheless it remains one of my reasons to go to Rotto for bird watching favourite places to go and watch birds is the ease with which many species not close to the Perth metropolitan area. readily seen on the nearby mainland can Sadly most of my visits to the West these be observed, and in this respect the sub- days coincide with the Christmas holiday sections on the Osprey Pandion season when too many people are there haliaetus, Australian Shelduck Tadorna for my liking and that of my family. tadornoides, Banded Stilt Cladorhynchus leucocephalus, Rock The book is made up of four chapters. Parrot Neophema petrophila, Fairy Tern There is a short introduction which Sterna nereis and Red-capped Robin briefly describes the geographical Petroica goodenovii are particularly location of Rottnest, and emphasises its detailed, informative and interesting. special appeal to many West Australians as a place to relax and get away from it The short final chapter summarises the all, where the wildlife is both varied and best places to watch birds at Rottnest relatively tame. Chapter 2 describes in Island, again aided by a map of the some detail the six major habitats, the island where these locations and the coast, the salt-lakes, the freshwater and suggested bird walks are clearly marked. brackish swamps, the woodlands, the heath and the settlements and disturbed Finally there is an appendix comprising a areas, with each habitat well illustrated list and status of all the birds recorded at

35 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

Rottnest Island, as well as a very bird book collector's library, and is comprehensive index. available for $15 at the COG sales desk. For members visiting the west I strongly As was clear from the talk given to COG recommend that you make some time to in June 2002, Denis Saunders has been a visit Rotto, both to sample the relaxed very regular visitor to the island and lifestyle and to see the bird life on offer. regards it as a special place. This self- Be sure to take a copy of this very fine published and impressively presented book to help you find them most book is clearly a labour of love. Due to efficiently. the relatively small size of the island and the small species list compared with the Jack Holland mainland, it serves both as a field guide 8 Chauvel Circle, Chapman 2611 and a 'where to see/find birds' book. It is well worth purchasing for the serious

36 Canberra Bird Notes 28(I) March 2003

COLUMNISTS' CORNER

The views expressed in these columns are those of the authors and do not necessarily represeni the views of COG.

Towards a Canberra bird calendar: Those three-month sections of the year distinguishing the bird observer from are 'seasons' simply because they are the tomato grower declared to be such. They could be called anything and need mean nothing I devote this contribution to the matter of except three-month sections of the year. seasons, and specifically the seasons of Canberra's birds. A simple introduction Seasonal labels are already used in a to the quest for Australia's true seasons different sense from the official one, as may be found in Alan Reid's delightful in: 'We didn't have a Winter this year', little book Banksias and Bilbies. Further 'Spring is late this year', and 'We're discussion of various aspects of the true having a second Summer this year'. But seasons appears in the newsletters of are those labels, even in that broad 'non- Alan's Timelines project. official' sense, appropriate to describe natural trends and events in the local In brief, the four traditional Europe- cycle? Annual natural trends and events derived seasons are not always helpful, and their timing will vary even in in fact sometimes no use at all, in different parts of the ACT, so let's describing the cycle of annual changes consider just the Canberra suburbs and and events in the various regions of their surrounding woodlands, Here we natural Australia. This deficiency is meet an immediate complication, most apparent in the tropical north but has also been noted by southern nature- An inescapable fact is that the planting watchers. Various alternative of exotic tree species, and particularly approaches have been suggested - in deciduous ones, has created a highly Banksias and Bilbies and in the visible and specific annual cycle newsletters - generally involving more imitating that of Europe or North than four seasons. America (or Japan or China). There is a 'false Autumn' when willow, ash and My mention of the tropics draws maple behave as if they were still at attention to the need to focus on a home. Is it not often heard, 'I like particular locality in deciding on Canberra because it has distinct appropriate alternatives. Seasons in seasons'? (Anyone who says that should Canberra are not the same as seasons in sample the July tropical heat, the January Darwin - or in Perth or Adelaide - or Arctic cold, and the startling transitions even in Batemans Bay. We are not of the north-eastern USA or eastern speaking, of course, of the so-called Canada.) 'official' seasons with, for example, Spring beginning on September 1, and Not only that, but Canberra gardeners Autumn comprising no more and no less can and do, in sowing and tending their than the months from March to May. exotic gardens, follow a cycle in which

37 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

spring, summer, autumn and winter Stentoreiis, as will be clear to any make some kind of sense as reference readers of this column, makes no claim points, at least in relation to tulips and to being a practising scientist of any tomatoes. Nonetheless, even for that denomination. That has not been, and is purpose, schedules that refer to months, not now, an impediment to the offering or weeks of months, rather than seasons, of his conclusions. are probably a better guide. First, it does seem to me that the very Even when we get to the native birds, the broad generalisation involved in the idea local blooming and fruiting of exotic of a 'season' makes it permissible to plants has no doubt influenced the regard as of decisive significance one annual movements of some of them, so aspect of a bird's cycle, namely, its their observable cycle may not be in that presence in the Canberra area. sense always truly natural. Then again, some people might reasonably think that When I look at the available information, birds should not be considered in the GBS summaries for example, I find isolation and that the notion of a 'season' that 'presence' or well-defined peaks of only has meaning if it is marked by presence, are of three broad kinds: parallel events, quite possibly related to one another, across the whole natural (a) year-round presence (being of itself, world. These might include the if uniform, no guide to seasonality); flowering and fruiting of eucalypts and (b) presence extending over either the acacias, and emergence of moths, warmer months or the colder cicadas, and Christmas beetles. Note months; and the precise flowering months given in (c) presence concentrated in one or two the publication by Ian Fraser and isolated months. Margaret Mc Jannett, Wildflowers of the Biish Capital. The concentrations represented by (c) are generally due to populations, not being Taking account of all that, Stentoreiis Canberra breeders, moving through or must point out that this publication is seeking food in the area. Examples are: called Canberra Bird Notes, and will confine himself to proposing a bird Rainbow Bee-eater (March) calendar. The basic information for this White-throated Needletail (March) is already available, and more is being Yellow-faced Honeyeater (April) accumulated all the time. It may be Satin Flycatcher (October) drawn in particular from the following Rufous Fantail (November and March) sources: the published 1986-1989 Atlas Little Raven (January) (and in due course more recent Atlas work); Garden Bird Survey data, using The concentrations in (c) are notable Philip Veerman 's handy summary seasonal events in the annual cycle, and (updated in 2003); and postings on the certainly worth plotting on a Timelines COG chatline, a frequent theme there chart. However, they do not themselves being the arrival, the activities and the constitute 'seasons'. They may, but do numbers of our annual visitors.

38 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003 not necessarily, indicate end-points of Stentoreus will concede that the above 'seasons'. names for the new seasons are only tentative and might be improved on. Basing my approach on the presence of However the names used must be the birds, I suggest the following as the distinctive. It is the use of them that underlying Canberra bird seasons: will most surely separate the serious bird observer from the tomato grower. (1) 'Breed'. The warmer months of the year when breeding visitors A. stentoreus are present. (approximately mid- September to a time between mid- Birding in Cyberspace, Canberra January and mid- Style February). Most resident species also breed at this The 18 January 2003 firestorm which time, of course. Non- devastated much of our region has an breeding visitors will be present ongoing impact on both birds and at some time (i.e. trans-equatorial birders. COG was gratified at the migrants). positive response it received to requests for donations of birding books to assist (2) 'Move'. The period when breeding those of our members who lost their visitors move out of the area, out-of-area libraries in the fires. Your columnist has breeders move through it, and some been advised that, among the first to colder-month visitors might move into it respond, were Perth-based authors and (from the end of Breed to about the end photographers Michael and Irene of April). This will always include the Morcombe, who donated copies of bulk of the honeyeater migration. Michael's Field guide to Australian birds (Steve Parish Publishing, (3) 'Colder'. The period between Move Archerfield, Qld, 2000). Presumably and Breed when cold-weather visitors most Australian birders will be aware of will be present but warm-weather the unusual format of the guide, with the visitors will not. colour plates containing both illustrations and text highlighting key The dates of those seasons might vary identification points for each species. from year to year according to weather Another feature, of special interest to patterns or food availability. Refinement cyberbirders and owners of the Field is possible; for particular purposes it guide, is its accompanying web site might be appropriate to refer to 'Early . The site Breed', 'Mid-Breed', or 'Late Breed'. contains lots of interesting material to (For example, cuckoos generally do not supplement that found in the book, call in Late Breed.) The next step will described by Morcombe as follows: be to specify normal (i.e. non-aberrant) definitional events. (Pallid Cuckoo As a special service to anyone with arrivals and magpie swoops can occur in access to the Michael Morcombe Field Late Colder. However, no normal Guide there is an Update information database of bird photos, text, and maps. Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

This is a supplement to the guide book, the world', he continued, 'thanking me cross-referenced, to further assist with for making available such a valuable some of the more difficult-to-identify resource. I think I have got all of two species. Also for users of this guide, is a Photography section, with useful tips emails from Australia. Hence the subject about wildlife photography. In addition, line.' Well John, add this columnist's a Birdfinder database will give users of name to the inundation; the Project is a this guide, information on where to see wonderful endeavour and we are grateful some of the more interesting bird that you have initiated it. John explains species, and especially, information on that he is developing what he expects to current conditions that might influence plans for birdwatching. This should be be 'the most comprehensive database useful for those planning to travel about the birds of the world, both extant around Australia, and wish to be aware and extinct since 1600'. Whilst not all of of options for seeing natural the world's species are yet covered, environment, birds, and wildflowers. many are. They are searchable by species name and by family/subfamily, and the searches return information in the following fields: English name; scientific While on the theme of keeping up-to- name; French name; German name; date by means of the internet, it is Spanish name; Peters family name; interesting to note that birders who Sibley-Monroe family name; Gill (2nd subscribe to the Canberra Birds or ed.) family name; habitat; distribution; national Birding-aus email discussion subspecies; red book status; threat lists were recently appraised of an update criteria; English synonyms; scientific to the official Australian bird list; visit synonyms; generic/subgeneric name; and the fine Birds Australia web site at generic/subgeneric synonym, A . Dated February 2003, it is a draft list updating the 1994 Christidis Do you enjoy on-line magazines? One and Boles list by including new species of the most popular among lexicophiles accepted by the Birds Australia Rarities is the Oxford English Dictionary News Committee since 1994; species splits ; published in HANZAB up to Volume 5; read it online or download it in pdf and a new Albatross taxonomy. People format. The March 2003 issue contains a who keep life lists, and those fascinated feature article on 'Muffles, moreporks, by taxonomy, will find much of interest and ooaas: a foray into the world of bird in this draft list of the Birds of Australia. names'. I won't spoil your enjoyment of 'A prophet has no honour in his own the article by summarising it, but if you country', observed Canberra birder John love both birds and words, run don't Penhallurick in a recent message to walk to this issue! Birding-aus. He was commenting on the And while we are at the Oxford English response to his new internet-based Bird Dictionary, let's see if this grand Data Project, online at resource can help out with the ever- . 'I have been present questions about the collective inundated with emails from the rest of names for birds. At the Ask-Oxford

40 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

website their own ducklings. Their presence is click on 'Ask the experts' and then on undesirable, but they are not nearly such 'Collective terms for animals'. There you a threat as wild-type Mallards, which select the bird of interest from the can and do hybridize with Black Ducks, alphabetical list provided. One entry I as has happened in New Zealand. particularly liked was lapwing: K, K and E Lindsay pointed to potential apparently the collective noun is 'desert' problems of predation: or 'dessert': a desert or dessert of lapwings! Muscovy ducks are a big threat to native ducks, as they are much bigger they Let's close with ducks, domestic ducks, have been notorious for the eating of those big, ugly often white birds that other waterfowl young. And as they sometimes spoil the look of our breed the more Muscovy around the less waterways. A subscriber to the national natives. email discussion list Birding-aus Anthea had the final word in this brief mentioned 'the recent worrying dumping exchange, commenting: of two domestic Muscovy ducks' in Lake Illawarra. He pointed out that 'There is a Good point, Lindsays. I agree that feral healthy population of Pacific Black Muscovies are quite big enough to Ducks and quite a few Hardheads and predate native ducklings - but so are Teals residing on this wetland so I was native Musk Ducks (particularly the wondering if there is a chance of male), Cormorants, and large eels. The interbreeding like what happens with world is not a safe place for ducklings. If Pacific Blacks and Mallards?'. Anthea the Lake Illawarra Muscovies are newly- Fleming replied with some reassuring released tame birds, it should not be too difficult to trap them with a suitable bait, information: and convert them into a satisfactory Muscovy Ducks belong to a quite meal for humans. different genus (Cairina I think) to the dappling ducks Anas to which our native Remember this column's motto: while Black Ducks, Teal, etc. belong. birding in cyberspace abounds with Muscovies can hybridize with Anas variety and interest, collecting, cooking species (wild and domestic) but their and consuming those dastardly domestic offspring will be sterile. Domestic ducks is an environmentally beneficial mallard X Muscovies are called Mules, endeavour. Good Winter's birding and and are a good large eating duck. (A eating to all! domestic Muscovy drake I once knew caused great annoyance to a neighbour T. alba whose aim was to breed pedigree Khaki Campbell ducks...). If the Muscovies are a mixed pair they may of course

Details on how to subscribe to Birding-Aus, the Australian birding email discussion list, are on the web at http://www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html. To join the Canberra Birding email discussion list, send a blank email message to [email protected], or join online at http:// www.topica. com/lists /canberrabirds.

41 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

RARITIES PANEL NEWS

This report covers the summer of 2002- The White-throated Nightjar breeding 2003, a period in which COG's region record, as outlined in Odd Obs, was quite and much of the inland was severely remarkable and mirrors closely a affected by drought. In addition, there November 1992 record of a nest with an were severe January bushfires in the egg west of Mt Tidbinbilla. Perhaps surrounding ranges, fires which reached COG needs more orienteers to scour out- the outer perimeter of south-western of-the-way places! Canberra on 18 January 2003. The presence of many of the species on this A few unusual bird reports are still under list can be attributed to one or other of consideration by the Panel and, if these events. The drought is probably endorsed, will be published in the June responsible for the visits of the Black issue of Canberra Bird Notes. Falcon, the native-hen, the two calidrid species and the Pied and Painted The Panel takes this opportunity to Honeyeaters, while the aftermath of the encourage COG members to submit an fires may have attracted the Black Kite. unusual bird report whenever they believe they may have seen an unusual The influx of the Painted Honeyeater bird. The list of 'unusuals' and the report will be covered in more detail in this and form are both available on the COG subsequent issues of Canberra Bird website www.canberrabirds.dynamite. Notes. Kellys Swamp as the mud receded com.au, from the COG Office or at again provided excellent viewing of meetings. If the Panel does not endorse unusual species, including another the record, it is generally because the Black-tailed Native-hen, but also a single record lacks sufficient detail, and not Pectoral Sandpiper, the first confirmed necessarily because the species has been sighting since 1972, and apparently the misidentified. Thus unendorsed records first ever Long-toed Stint for the ACT. remain a valuable addition to our knowledge of birds of the Canberra region.

ENDORSED LIST 57, MARCH 2003

Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa 2; 29 Sep, 10 Nov 02; Jenny Bounds; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) 2; 2 Nov 02; Julie McGuiness; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax variiis 2; 12 Jun 02; Don Wood; Mayo St, Weetangera (GrJ12) I; 19 Oct 02; Mat Gilfedder; Lake Ginninderra (GrJ12) Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus 1; 23 Feb 02; Lee Halasz; Rose Lagoon (GrU4)

42 Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

Black Kite Milvus migrans 1; 21 Jan 03; Dick Schodde; W of Coolamon Court, Weston (GrJ15) 1; 13 Feb 03; Brendan Lepschi; junction Cotter Rd/Lady Denman Drive (GrJ14) Spotted Harrier Circus assimilis 1; 24 Aug 02; Peter Ormay; 3 km S of Bredbo (GrL30) 1; 1 Sep 02; Jack Holland; Monkman St, Chapman (GrI15) 1; 2 Mar 03; Steve Holliday; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) Grey Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae 1; 16 Mar 03; Brendan Lepschi; Hackett (GrL13) Black Falcon Falco subniger 1; 20 Nov 02; Richard Allen; Peacock Pl, Curtin (GrJ 14) 1; Dec 02; Philip Veerman; Campbell Park (GrM13) 1; 28-29 Dec 02; Bob Rusk; Campbell Park (GrM13) Black-tailed Native-hen Gallinula yentralis 1; 6 Nov 02; David McDonald; Kellys Swamp (GrL 14) 1; 11 Nov 02; Julie McGuiness; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta 1; 6,7 Dec 02; Bob Rusk; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) 1; 7 Dec 02; Cathy Robinson and Mat Gilfedder; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) 1; 7 Dec 02; Sue Lashko et al.; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) 1; 7 Dec 02; Richard Allen; Kellys Swamp (GrL 14) 1; 11 Dec 02; Julie McGuiness; Kellys Swamp (GrL 14) Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos 1; 17, 24 Nov 02; Peter Marsack; Kellys Swamp (Gr L14) 1; 17, 21 Nov 02; David McDonald et al.; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) 1; 24 Nov, 15 Dec 02; Jenny Bounds; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) 1; 26 Nov 02; Philip Veerman; Kellys Swamp (GrL14) White-headed Pigeon Columba leucomela 1; 2 Jan 03; Michael Lenz; Suttor St, Ainslie (GrL13) Long-billed Corella Cacatua tenuirostris 1; 13 Oct 02; Jack Holland; Chuavel Circle, Chapman (GrI15) 1 hybrid Long-billed Corella/Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; 20 Jan 03 onwards; Michael and Linda Milne; Streeton Drive, Stirling (Gr 115) Escapee Major Mitchell's Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri Escapee 1; 29 Mar 03; Steve Wilson; Harrington Cct, Kambah (GrJ16) Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus Escapee 1; 24 Feb 03; Barbara Allan; Hannaford St, Page (GrJ12) Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta concinna 2; 24 Nov 02; Mat Gilfedder; Tuggeranong Town Centre carpark (GrJ17) Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor 2; 24 Mar 03; Alex McLachlan; Pennefather St, Higgins (GrI12) Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae 5-7; 20 Nov 02; Caroline Blackmore; junction Queanbeyan/Molonglo Rivers (GrN15)

43

Canberra Bird Notes 28(1) March 2003

White-throated Nightjar Eurostopodiis mystacalis 1; 17, 23 Nov 02; Nicki Taws; Yanununbeyan Crown Reserve (GrQ20) Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus 2+; 9 Dec 02; Richard Allen; Woden - Lyons (G615) 1; 8 Mar 03; Noel Luff; Tuggeranong Parkway, near aquarium (GrJ14) Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis 2; 2 Feb 03; David and Shirley Purchase; Orchard Place, Melba (GrJ12) Painted Honeyeater Grantiella picta 2-3; 26 Oct 02; Marnix Zwankhuizen; N of Hall Showground (GrJ11) 1; 27 Oct 02; Lee Halasz; Campbell Park (Gr M13) 2; 28 Oct 02; David McDonald et al.; Campbell Park (GrM 13) 1; 2 Nov 02; Julie McGuiness; Campbell Park (GrL13) 1; 6 Nov 02; Rosemary Bell; Campbell Park (GrL13) 3; 10 Nov 02; Jenny Bounds; Campbell Park (GrL13) 3; 24 Nov 02; Jenny Bounds; Mulligans Flat (GrM11) 20; 30 Nov 02; Jenny Bounds; various sites Sutton Rd Gunning/Gundaroo (Grs N3-5) 1; 11 Jan 03; Marnix Zwankhuizen; Mt Taylor (GrJ15) 1; 11 Jan 03; Marnix Zwankhuizen; E of Tidbinbilla Visitors Centre (GrG17) Pied Honeyeater Certhionyx variegates 1 m; 16 Oct 02; Julienne Kamprad; Sheehan Rd, Hoskinstown (GrS 17) Scarlet Honeyeater Myzomela sanguinolenta 1; 2 Feb 03; Steve Holliday; Duffy St, Ainslie (GrL13) White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis 1 (dark phase); 6 Jul 02; Alastair Smith; Henderson St, Garran (GrK15)

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The COG office is located at Room 5, Griffin Centre, Bunda Street, Civic. Opening hours depend on the availability of volunteers. Please call the office on 6247 4996 to confirm that it is open.

Canberra Bird Notes is published by the Canberra Ornithologists Group Inc and is edited by Harvey Perkins and Barbara Allan. Major articles of up to 5000 words are welcome on matters of the distribution, identification or behaviour of birds occurring in the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding area. Contributions on these topics should be sent to Harvey Perkins, 42 Summerland Circuit, Kambah ACT 2902, or via email to [email protected]. Short notes, book reviews and other contributions should be sent to Barbara Allan, 47 Hannaford Street, Page ACT 2614 or via email to [email protected]. If you would like to discuss your proposed article in advance, please feel free to contact Harvey on 6231 8209 or Barbara on 6254 6520.

Canberra Bird Notes 28 (1) March 2003

Articles Breeding by Painted Honeyeaters in the Canberra region during the 2002-03 influx Michael Lenz and Geoffrey Dabb ...... 1 Burning and learning: the aftermath of the January 2003 fires in Namadgi and Tidbinbilla Ian Fraser ...... 10 A survey of birds from Thredbo to the summit: a second visit Malcolm Fyfe ...... 17

Odd Obs A Barn Owl beseiged Alastair Smith...... 21 Darters nesting at Molonglo Reach Rod Harvey ...... 21 A heart-breaking observation Chris Davey...... 21 Unusual foraging technique of European Goldfinch Joseph Forshaw...... 22 Australian King-Parrots during the breeding season in Canberra Nature Parks Michael Lenz...... 23 A White-throated Nightjar breeding record Nicki Taws...... 24 A dead White-throated Nightjar Joan Taylor...... 25 The woodswallow influx of 2002 Geoffrey Dabb...... 25 Bird watching or bird listening? Steve Wilson ...... 26 A Nankeen Kestrel in suburbia Barbara Allan ...... 27

President's Report 2002 Barry Baker...... 28

Book Review Birds of Rottnest Island by Denis Saunders and Perry de Rebeira Reviewer: Jack Holland ...... 35

Columnists' Corner

Towards a Canberra bird calendar: distinguishing the bird observer from the tomato grower A. stentoreus...... 37 Birding in cyberspace, Canberra style T. alba...... 39 Rarities Panel News and Endorsed List 57 ...... 42