Birds South East
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Birds South East Number 66 June 2013 Dawn Chorus breakfast site in Snow Gum Native Forest Reserve 6.20am with their very loud bush laugh then soon to follow Dawn Chorus at Snow were the peeps of the Eastern Yellow Robin, song of the Blackbird and Bassian Thrush, and then the 'chuck' of White- Gum eared Honeyeater. The rear group were greeted by the pair of Powerful owls offering a sillouette as they continued to duet right through til nearly 7am. What a treat!! Sunday May 19th, 2013 Spotted pardalote, Brown and Striated thornbill's, Grey Thirty participants made it out to the Caroline Forest by 6am currawong, White-browed scrub-wren, White-throated tree- on a beautiful Sunday morning for a fabulous dawn chorus of creeper all managed to be heard but not yet seen as the bird song in Snow Gum Native Forest Reserve. dawn darkness rapidly lightened. We welcomed the gathering and highlighted that our event Over 25 species were heard during the short walk into the was in recognition of the BirdWatch Ireland Dawn Chorus middle of the reserve where bacon and eggs were sizzling on being held on the same day. With that we played a chorus the barby around an inviting camp fire. This is where the from Christopher J Wilson at 'The Raven' near Wexford (Ireland) of Wren, Blackbird, Robin, Song Thrush, Hooded Crow and Pheasant. At Tintern Abbey (Ireland) their event Contents started at 4.30am (which was 7 hours behind ours). Over 1. Dawn Chorus at Snow Gum sixty participants turned up well before 4.30am and enjoyed a still and beautiful walk listening to the cacophony of the 2. Another Postcard from Julatten spring morning’s Irish dawn chorus. For a beaut summary of 3. Female Chauvinists – Painted Button Quail the Tintern Abbey event from CJ, click on the link below; http://www.wildside.ie/read.php?art=268 4. Outing to Muhovics Srub and Mills Swamp Back to SA, while still in the carpark a pair of Powerful owls 5. Malleefowl at Timberoo called only a few hundred metres away. At 6.15am we split 6. Wader News up into three groups lead by Sue, Bob, Bryan and Vicki and headed into the reserve. 7. Nature’s notes A family of Laughing Kookaburra's continued the chorus from 8. Calendar of Events, Contacts and Sightings Birds South East vehicle pull up but no sound from Bill the dog. I went outside to see Del being enthusiastically greeted by Bill who remembered him over the six years since our last visit. We shook hands and told each other that we both looked older. Del tried to ask me to dinner, but I demurred. I knew that he had flown from Brisbane that morning and driven up to Julatten that afternoon, so I said that I would be around after dinner. We had a long catch up and Del insisted that we were going birding in the morning. Del was at the caravan park by 7 o'clock sharp in his new van and we were off to the Mount Lewis track. Half way up to the clearing we stopped to ogle a Pied Monarch and then on towards the clearing. Just before we got there, there was a movement in the grass at the edge of the track and Del stopped and we waited. All of a sudden a Parrot Finch popped on some dead twiggy growth in among the grass and began feeding. Then another and then a third. They might have been twenty feet away. We got out and onto the track very slowly and quietly, but the normally impossibly shy parrots ignored us. They were wholly engrossed on feeding on the grass seeds which must have been at just the right morning chorus ended and breakfast took over, provided by stage for them. All three finches were now right out in the ForestrySA Rangers Mark and Toby. open and only about ten feet away. When we inched closer they didn't flush or fly away, but just moved back a couple of The lure of a roosting Powerful owl was too strong after feet. We had them in the binoculrs for over 15 minutes, breakfast so about a dozen keen observers headed off into although binoculars were not really necessary, they were so SG 4 and 5 for a hopeful look. However, with plenty of close. Del took photos. suitable roosting sites on offer we were unsuccessful. The quantity of large living and dead standing trees with massive Eventually the Parrot finches moved off and we carried on hollows was extremely encouraging and is likely the main the short diatance to the clearing where we met another reason why the critically endangered Yellow-bellied gliders birdo who had been there since before dawn waiting for a still occur here. Parrot Finch. He hadn't seen one. We saw Barred Cuckooshrikes and a female Victoria's Riflebird at the A big thankyou to all involved on the day especially Becky clearing and finally got back to the caravan park for a very McCann from Nature Glenelg Trust/DEWNR for taking this late breakfast. At Del's insistence, I had dinner with him at event on as part of the Autumn Biodiversity event series and his caravan that night. for ForestrySA for sponsoring the breakfast. The next morning it was an early start with a present of By Bryan Haywood some delicious home grown bananas from Del and overnight at the famous Rollingstone, a freeby. Staying the extra night allowed me to catch up with Del and also obtain crippling views of the normally impossibly shy and cryptic Blue-faced Parrot Finches. That was the absolute highlight of the trip. ANOTHER POSTCARD FROM By John Berggy, Rainbow, 9 May 2013. JULATTEN I had seen my Parrot Finch, although a poor view and I could not find another. Christmas, for what it is worth, had come FEMALE CHAUVINISTS and gone and I had no idea when Del Richards would be back. With the wet season looming I decided to cut my losses and head south. I paid up to date and also the next day and I'm glad I'm not a Painted Quail started tidying up in preparation for leaving the next morning. It was just about beer-o'clock when the heavily For in this species it's the male pregnat manager of the caravan park came panting up the Who broods the eggs and rears the young hill. "A message for you" she panted, "from someone who called himself Lord Nelson". This would be startling if it was While females go off having fun true, but it was more likely to be Lloyd Nielson who I knew had been in touch with Del in Western Australia. "You're not to leave yet" she had recovered her breath "Del's on her way From 'Bird Baths of Umbigumbi' Poems by Graham Alcorn, and should be here tomorrow". "Thanks" I said. "I'll fix up Three Sisters Productions, 1987 before I leave". By Vicki Natt I was glad that I would be able to catch up with Del, we go back a long way. Next afternoon I was inside the caravan when I heard a 2 June 2013 Birds South East Pat and Bob discussing the days plans especially when it got a bit wet and we could sit inside OUTING TO “MUHOVICS” SCRUB around the fire and have lunch. We made a short trip to Mill AND MILL SWAMP, SW VIC - 13 Swamp before lunch which was cut short when the rain came, highlights from there were four Whistling Kites circling APRIL 2013 and calling, a Little Grassbird that kept us intrigued for a while as it refused to give us a clear view, and back at the cars we had White-throated Treecreeper and Varied Sittella Eighteen people joined us for a visit to the private scrub showing nicely for all to see. block of Pat & Dennis Muhovics at Wilkin in western Victoria. A big Thank You to Pat & Dennis for allowing us to visit and Passing a pair of Brolgas on the way down was special for for Pat showing us around on the day, a really nice spot and those that saw them. something you can be proud of. Pat gave us a run down on the history of the property before By Bob Green we set off to investigate, Pat showed us an area where a spring trickles down through the vegetation and a small dam had been created, making a permanent watering point for the local wildlife and we were assured this was a great spot to see many of the resident birds. One of the first and perhaps most surprising birds of the day was the appearance of a small but very vocal group of Black- chinned Honeyeaters that refused to sit still long enough for good views by the entire group, fleeting glimpses was about the best you could hope for. We wandered south through the scrub passing another spring watercourse that was dry at the time, it was quite strange to see these springs on a ridge and in amongst the surrounding vegetation like they were. The bird list grew steadily as we went, at one spot stopping to look at Brown-headed Honeyeaters and a couple of Crested Shrike-tits materialised as well. Both Pied and Grey Currawong could be heard calling, and Red-browed Finches were flitting around near the huts. Once reaching the boundary at the top of the hill it opened out to a heath covered area where Southern Emu-wren were heard but as they often do refused to show themselves, walking back along the boundary a beautiful male Golden Whistler sat in an exposed spot for a great view, and Yellow- tailed Black-Cockatoos did a fly over.