COWRA COMMENTS An occasional newsletter of the Cowra Woodland Birds Program
ISSUE Thirteen – December 2012 NSW and ACT Twitchathon The Cowra Woodland Birds Program is a series of projects PRIZEWINNERS aimed at reversing the decline of woodland birds in the region. The 2012 was again the biggest NSW/ACT twitch ever with 173 projects are focused on scientific research and the management of participants in 48 teams. Most of the prize winners for the birds in their woodland habitats. Twitchathon 2012 have now been decided. The big news is that They involve the local already $13975 of the expected $26,000 has already been landholders and managers, the received at the Sydney Birdlife Office for this year’s project Cowra Shire Council as well as "The Cowra Woodland Bird Project ”. The winners of the local birdwatchers and members of BirdLife Southern NSW Main Race were the Menacing Monarchs (Robert McDonald, (previously known as Birds Michael Kearns & Robert Struik) who with 225 species, were Australia Southern NSW & ACT) 4th time winners! Runners up were the Hunter Home Brewers and other birding clubs. (Mick & Steve Roderick & Lucas Grenadier) who saw 224 species, while another Hunter Team, the Dodgy Drongos 2012 CWBP committee (Grant Brosie, Nick Livanos, Robert Kilkenny and Max John Rankin - Chair rd Sue Proust Vice chair Breckenridge) saw 223 species thus capturing 3 prize in the Neale Coutanche Main Race. The Prize for the team with the lowest ratio of kms Garry Germon travelled per bird seen (minimum 180 species, excluding 1 st & Nick Nicholls 2nd place getters), went to the Complete and Utter Bustards Joy Pegler team (Peter Higgins, Julian Wall, Phil Gilmour & Peter Madeleine Rankin Julian Reid Richards) who saw 184 species in 292 kms travelled. Across the Rosemary Stapleton board, the number of species seen by all teams was well down Maret Vesk on recent years, do doubt due to the dry spring right along the Coast. Malcolm Fyfe – survey Winners of the Champagne Race were the Night Poirots (Peter co ordinator West, Sue Proust, Clive Meadows and Louise Earnshaw) with
Contact: John Rankin 150 species, while second prize went to the Raven Lunatics Phone: (02) 6342 9282 (Bill Moller, Nella Smith & Ada Stoll) with 148 species. The [email protected] prize for the team with the lowest ratio of kms travelled per bird seen in the Champagne Race was the Which Is It? team or (Margaret & Kay Pointer, Michael Breheny) with 144 species BirdLife Southern NSW Phone: (02) 9647 1033 seen in 140 kms. [email protected] In the Children’s Section, Dollarbirds Division, the Malcom’s Falcons Team (Jack and Kate Malcolm) won with 70 species Postal Address: while Megan, Paige & Bridie Tilse of the Galloping Grebes CWBP, team, took out the prize for the most funds raised with $231. In BirdLife Discovery Centre, Newington Armory the Little Curlew Division, the Noisy Minors team (Eleena & 1 Jamieson St Alex Cheers Flavell and Pixie & Reuban Hayman) won by Sydney Olympic Park 2127 seeing 59 species, while Kate Richards of the Young Young- ones, raised $100. Independent expert Dion Hobcroft chose the 12 Pied Honeyeaters, seen at the Woggoon NR west of Condobolin as the “Rarest Bird” for the Rare Bird prize, by Neale Coutanche of the Cowra Woodland Birdbrainers Team; The Biggest Dip Prize went to Darren Lyons of the Dry-throated Buzzards , Newsletter editor: whose team failed to find a Leaden Flycatcher. The Lucky Maret Vesk Twitchers Prize was won by Robert Kilkenny of the Dodgy [email protected] Drongos Team. The latter two prizes were drawn from the hat
at the Christmas meeting of Birding NSW Central Coast by Allan Richards, a former president of BNSW. EVENTS
Summer survey weekend Dion Hobcroft, Judge for the Rarest Bird prize wrote “The 19 & 20 January 2013 NSW Twitchathon certainly racked up an amazing number of great sightings. Some of these included previously reported Saturday 19 th January rarities like the Stockton Banded Stilt, the long staying evening barbeque at the Bulahdelah Radjah Shelducks and the fabulous female Painted Pridham Centre – BYO Snipe at Sydney Olympic Park. In my final analysis I went for everything! sighting of the Condobolin Pied Honeyeaters as the Rarest Bird. We had planned to have a These are scarce irruptive nomads and particularly scarce this talk on habitat restoration in far east. Next was the Port Macquarie Beach Stone Curlew at January but couldn’t resist Pelican Island as this species has a tiny population in NSW and the opportunity to hear this location is not a regular haunt for this bird. Third place was about West Papua from for the Australasian Bittern at Campbells Swamp, Griffith, Chaddy, John (French) and always a major rarity, Congratulations to all the birders who Fiona. Don’t be worried participated and discovered so many great birds”. It was Neale about coming along as John Coutanche (Cowra Woodland Birdbrainers) who saw the Pied assured me later they won’t Honeyeaters first; David Whitfield (Bassett’s Allsorts) who be wearing the traditional saw the Beach Stone curlew, and Max O’Sullivan (Silly dress of the villagers they Galahs) who spotted the Australasian Bittern. visited. As the sponsorship funds don’t have to be acquitted until 30 Survey dates for 2013 January 2013, it is not possible to say for certain who has won 20 & 21 April the prizes for the most money raised, however Warren Chad 20 & 21 July ($3895), Tiffany Mason ($1678) & Margaret Harmon 12 & 13 October ($1399) are the leaders so far in respect for money received. Other people who have raised over $1000 include Alan Morris Contact Malcolm Fyfe on ($1108) & Neil Coutanche ($1050). So far the Cowra (02) 6253 0772 or Woodland Birdbrainers have remitted $5895, an exceptional [email protected] effort, while the Wooden Spoonbills have forwarded $1719!
From the Editor - A big thank A big thankyou to our major sponsors, Swarovski Binoculars, you to all the contributors to Alison Green T Shirts, Andrew Isles (Booksellers), Fred Van this issue – what bliss to Gessel Professional Wildlife Sounds, Chorleywood B & B receive so many articles! Moss Vale, Cockatoo Ridge Wines (Barossa), & Follow That Elisabeth Karplus reports on Bird Tours and a special thanks to all the team members and the Grenfell survey page 3. their sponsors too for making this, a most successful twitch!
In the last issue, Julian Reid In 2013 it will be the members of Birdlife Southern NSW asked “Are there Inland Branch who will be putting their thinking caps on to give Thornbills in the Cowra consideration to proposing the bird conservation project for Survey Region?” Read what which the Sponsorship Funds can be directed. he found when he ventured forth in October – page 4. Alan Morris . Why is it important to report NSW & ACT Twitchathon Co ordinator your bird sightings ? Tiffany 10 December 2012 Mason explains on page 5.
Read all about the Twitch from our ‘local’ team on page 9.
2 Important Bird Area survey around Grenfell in November 2012
Elisabeth Karplus
On the weekend of November 3 and 4, 2012, 14 surveyors in Grenfell for the third IBA survey. New surveyors included Joanne Lenehan and Dan Florance from Cowra. As well as doing the surveys, we took part in the Weddin Bird Forum organised by Mikla Lewis of the Lachlan Catchment Management Authority (CMA). The Forum was sponsored by the Lachlan CMA and by Weddin Landcare. The Forum was attended by 65 people including the Deputy Mayor, John Niven, and three councillors. We heard talks on the Biodiversity Corridors Project linking isolated remnant woodlands in the Lachlan area (Gus Arnott), the Important Bird Areas project (Elisabeth Karplus), long term bird monitoring in Warraderry State Forest (Graham Fry) and Noisy Miner Management for the conservation of woodlands and woodland birds (Damon Oliver). Afterwards we all enjoyed a barbecue. On Sunday, Allan Richards and I led an outing to Weddin State Forest and 10 members of the local community, including Mikla, Mark Shortis, Graeme and Ros Schneider and Jenny Hetherington, joined us. We were able to show people Red capped Robins, Rufous Whistlers and Red rumped Parrots as well as a Black eared Cuckoo. Graham Fry had invited people to join him at a bird banding session in Warraderry State Forest – seven people took up the offer. Tim Wood, on whose property we had surveyed, brought his children, Hugo and Arabella both got to hold and then release two Rufous Whistlers.
We surveyed for birds at 24 sites including five new sites on private land. My thanks go to Allan Richards, Graham Fry, Jill Molan and Ted Nixon, who led groups. Eleven sites are in Weddin, Warraderry and Bimbi State Forests, eight sites are on private land and the remaining sites are along roads where Superb Parrots have been seen. Many of the sites are in areas listed on the Bird Trails of Weddin Shire. In addition to the 20 minute surveys, we recorded incidental sightings of birds listed as vulnerable in NSW. In total we recorded 76 species including 10 species not seen in previous surveys. The number of species seen per site varied between three and 25. Of the four target species, Superb Parrots were seen at five sites with the largest numbers of 17 and 18 seen at Dodd’s Lane and Abbot’s Lane respectively. Superb Parrots were seen in two non survey areas. We did not see Diamond Firetails, Swift Parrots or Painted Honeyeaters during the survey though a Diamond Firetail was seen at Warraderry State Forest on November 2. We have now seen 94 different species during three surveys at the designated survey sites. Birds not seen at survey sites but seen during the weekend included Budgerigars, a Gilbert’s Whistler and a Crimson Chat seen in Warraderry State Forest and a Black eared Cuckoo seen in Weddin State Forest.
The next IBA survey will take place in May 2013. We hope that our existing volunteers and new volunteers will take part in the next survey. In particular we hope that some people from Grenfell will join us on the surveys. Please contact Allan Richards ( [email protected] ) or me ([email protected] ) if you are not already on our contact list and would like details of the next survey.
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No Brown/Inlands but Spotted “Cutey” at Conimbla NP, October 2012 Julian Reid Having just interrogated Maret’s marvellous survey database, I see we have only two incidental records of Spotted Quail thrush (both in 2009 – one spotted by Neale and Janeen while wandering around the park, the other by Maret while actually looking for Glossy Blacks), and none at survey sites (Fiona, John – what have you been doing?). During October’s survey weekend I spent a night at Conimbla NP (free camping is allowed there, no need of prior notification), hoping to see lots of Brown/Inland Thornbills in the Callitris habitats similar to where I saw heaps of Browns around Wyangala in July (see last Cowra Comments article). Not a skerrick despite the glorious, still, cloudless spring morning, just plenty of Buff rumps, Striated and Yellows in the Callitris and ironbark, tumbledown and western scribbly gum habitats between our ‘Ironbark car park’ and ‘Park Entrance’ sites.
I did however stumble across a female Spotted Quail thrush (Q t, cutey, get it?) on a dry ridge exactly halfway between the two sites and about 150 m S of the Barryrennie Road (just where the short stretch of bitumen starts as one ascends a hill, heading west) – see location on the Google Earth screendump below. The species’ preferred habitat is litter strewn, grassy open forest floor on dry stony ridges, and if you have not met this shy but delightful bird you could search for it in this area. The bird I saw did not call – usually one is alerted to a (any) quail thrush’s presence by their sharp high pitched hiss/squeak (inaudible to older folk with any hearing loss) – but it pottered steadily along the ground hiding behind rocks and logs as is their wont; she eventually flew off as I approached, alighting briefly on a low branch in a tree before flying further away. However, I did hear in the dawn chorus a ringing song which was probably the species, to the south west of the Ironbark car park, i.e. different birds. There is a fire access management track which heads south from the car park, parallel with the walking track to Cherry Creek falls, and so these tracks might be productive places to seek out the species if you can’t find them on my ‘dry ridge.’
I have a personal affinity with the Spotted Quail thrush because I was probably the last person to knowingly see one in the Mount Lofty Ranges before that isolated subspecies went extinct in the late 1970s or early 80s. Three other species that used to be common in dry open forests in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges around Adelaide (before my time) were the Swift Parrot (non breeding winter visitor), Regent Honeyeater (breeding visitor) and Black chinned Honeyeater. The 4 last, a sedentary species like quail thrushes, is now critically Endangered in the Mount Lofty Ranges, while the first two visit no more and as we know are nationally listed as Endangered species. The demise of six species from the Mount Lofty Ranges – others were the Ground Parrot and King Quail – serves as a reminder that species can easily slip away to local extinction, much as the Malleefowl and Crested Bellbird in the Cowra region, and hence my concerns over species such as the Spotted Quail thrush and Black chinned Honeyeater (and Gilbert’s Whistler and Chestnut rumped Thornbill), because it is usually the same species that are affected adversely by excessive clearance and fragmentation throughout their geographic range. Good luck cutey hunting!
Why it’s important to report your sightings Tiffany Mason
Although I would classify myself as having been a serious birder for the past 15 years, it is only in the past 6 years or so that I’ve bothered to report any of my sightings to organisations that might be interested. What triggered the change and why is it of any interest to you? Well, as birders I suggest that we all have not only an interest in seeing and ticking off particular species – we have, at the very least, some concern for their plight. And in order to be of some help to better the plight of birds, we need to let those folk in a position to do something about it know: reporting your sightings is one of the best ways to do so. Between 2006 and 2009, I was working for what was then the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) on recovery programmes for a number of threatened species, one of which was the Regent Honeyeater. There has been a fair amount of research done on this species since its decline was first noted in the late 1980s (see, for example, Webster & Menkhorst, 1992 ; Geering & French, 1998; Oliver, 2000 etc.) all of which boils down to: • The Capertee Valley, Baraba/Bingara region and Chiltern, Victoria are the three major breeding areas (the Hunter Valley has become increasingly important in recent years); • Regent Honeyeaters prefer Yellow Box, Mugga Ironbark, White Box and Blakely’s Red Gum nectar over anything else; and • We don’t know very much about where they go, or what route they take, when they leave these key areas. A highly mobile species with a low population is difficult to track (despite the advances in the technology, they still don’t make GPS trackable transmitters small enough for passerines). Much of what the recovery team knows about where birds are (and where they’ve travelled from) comes from sightings, particularly of banded birds, reported to the National Recovery Coordinator (currently Dean Ingwersen, at BirdLife Australia in Melbourne). Banding Regents is not an easy task, as they tend to spend much of the time feeding in the canopy, and coaxing them into a mist net takes considerable guile. If you don’t have current recordings of Regent songs from the area you are trapping in, then the birds will ignore the lure. Vicki Powys, a wildlife sound recordist in the Capertee Valley, recently discovered that Regents change their whole repertoire every 6 7 years and that the calls of a Capertee Regent is different to an Armidale Regent, both of which are different again to a Chiltern raised Regent (Powys, 2010). The best way, therefore, to band a Regent Honeyeater for future field identification is to get them when they’re young, that is, after fledging. Information about nesting Regent Honeyeaters is, therefore, of great importance to the recovery team.
Dean Ingwersen puts a bit of ‘sparkle’ into a Regent Honeyeater’s life on the Capertee River, September 2012.
5 In the spring of 2008, an experienced birder, who knew about the efforts of the recovery team, contacted the then coordinator, David Geering, to tell him that the breeding pair of Regent Honeyeaters he’d been watching for the past 10 weeks had successfully raised 3 chicks, all of which had since left the nest and departed for who knew where. Well, the birder had certainly done the right thing in reporting the breeding event, but given this particular person’s familiarity with the recovery programme, why had they not done so 10 weeks previously and given David Geering the opportunity to band them? Perhaps the birder had heard some horror stories about what torture it is for birds to be captured and manhandled by a stranger wielding pliers. The reality is that birds have been banded for centuries and the huge volume of research done on the effect that bands have on a bird’s life, all types of birds in many countries around the world, clearly shows that they cope just fine with a bit of bling…The consequence was that we lost the opportunity to band 5 birds (which is significant in a national population which may be as low as 500 individuals) and perhaps discover their fate. This is the event that really brought home to me how important it is not only to report your sightings, but also to be prompt about it.
I am currently working with a small organisation called the Nature Conservation Trust of NSW (NCT) and we help people protect areas of high natural heritage value on their properties through conservation covenants. Recently, I’ve been involved in a project called Woodland Birds for Biodiversity (WBfB), which has been funded by Commonwealth Government money provided through the Caring For Our Country (CFOC) programme. The WBfB project’s aim is to protect high quality woodland bird habitat throughout Tasmania, Victoria and NSW. The focus of the project was on woodland birds because they are good indicators of environmental health. For example, a stand of trees with only introduced grasses in the understorey is likely to be home to a group of Noisy Miners and not much else, whereas a patch of bush with a complex vegetation community of native grasses and forbs, shrubs and trees plus fallen timber on the ground can support a much more diverse suite of fauna, including declining or threatened birds. Ground foraging birds in particular are a group that has suffered not only from habitat loss, but the simplification of habitat – the „tidying up the bush‟ factor – which greatly reduces the number of prey items available; they have also suffered from the introduction of feral predators (such as foxes and cats). So the aim was to protect already existing high quality habitat (which is very difficult and time consuming to create from scratch), with a multi structured flora community, tree hollows, plenty of logs on the ground, to ensure a good chance for woodland birds (and other animals) to survive in the future.
In order to target high quality woodland bird habitat, BirdLife Australia developed a prioritisation system based on BirdLife’s Atlas records of declining and threatened species across NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. Each species was given a score and from this information, a series of prioritisation squares (each 5 x 5kms), based on the combined scores of records within each square, was extrapolated and overlain on the map to work out where to focus our attention and whether proposed sites were suitable for the project. In April, the WBfB project received an expression of interest from Cowra Woodland Bird Group stalwarts John French and Fiona Lumsden, whose bush block “Kooragindi” lies just north of Koorawatha. Once their property was digitised in a map and the prioritisation squares added, it was obvious that they would be prime candidates for the programme: the records from Spring Forest, contributed by the CWBG surveys, indicated that there were plenty of worthy woodland birds in the area. Almost immediately, I began work on a conservation covenant for them, to protect their land in perpetuity.
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“Kooragindi” (in pink) lies within a ‘Very High’ prioritisation square ( i.e. high number of threatened & declining woodland bird records – green dots). It was an obvious choice for the Woodland Birds for Biodiversity project.
At around the same time, a landholder north of Manildra had contacted me in the hope that the NCT could help her protect a bush block of more than 600 hectares that she owned at Gumble. The NCT works in partnership with a number of different government and non government organisations so that, where possible, the cost of a registering a conservation covenant is not borne by the landholder. It was with this in mind that I decided to fit the Gumble block into the WBfB project. Once inserted into the map, however, things weren‟t looking so rosy. Although the nearest square to the block was a high priority habitat area (with one Superb Parrot record), the majority of squares (and there weren‟t many) within a 15 km radius were medium to very low, indicating that it was probably pretty poor in terms of woodland birds. The landholder, however, reported having Glossy Black cockatoos not only on the property, but breeding there as well, plus she had seen Grey crowned Babblers and Diamond Firetails, all threatened species.
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“Wongaburra” (in pink) lies within a landscape of very few declined and threatened woodland bird records. Despite the large size of the remnant and its connectivity with Goobang National Park to the north-west, the prioritisation squares are telling us there’s little of interest here
I went for a look…and clocked up a few more species of note, including the declining White browed Babbler and the threatened Speckled Warbler. In total, we found 6 declining and 6 threatened wood land birds, quite enough to make this block a candidate for the project. If I had been relying solely on records and not had the chance to visit the site, however, it wouldhave been a completely different story: the property would not have been considered for the WBfB project and I would have had to look elsewhere for funding to complete the covenant (not always an easy task!). So, now you can see why I think it’s important to record and report your sightings and why the data that the CWBG has been submitting since its inception is so valuable to conservation. Both groups and individuals can provide a wealth of information to scientific research and conservation organisations that will greatly assist in the protection, and contribute to the knowledge, of individual species and communities. It is becoming simpler to do so with the advent of on line portals, such as BioNet and the electronic version of the BirdLife Atlas. Your voice can help make a difference to the plight of birds, so don’t be shy – report that sighting!
References Geering, D.J. & French, K. (1998). Breeding Biology of the Regent Honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia in the Capertee Valley, NSW. Emu 98 , 104 116. Oliver, D.L. (2000). Foraging Behaviour and Resource Selection of the Regent Honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia in Northern New South Wales. Emu 100 , 12 30. Powys, V. (2010). Regent Honeyeaters – mapping their movements through song. Corella 34 , 92 102. Webster, R. & Menkhorst, P. (1992). The Regent Honeyeater (Xanthomyza phrygia): population status and ecology in Victoria and New South Wales. Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Technical Report Series No. 126. Department of Conservation and Environment, Victoria. 8
2012 Twitchathon
Neale Coutanche
The call went out from HQ that CWBG should enter a team for the 2012 Twitchathon. Our Chief hand picked a team he thought had the best chance of establishing the status he felt deserving of his group. As it happened none of them wanted to know about it so he went off in a huff, leaving Chaddy with instructions to get any riff raff he could, and he did an excellent job …. riff raff was a perfect description. A broken down builder, a lost taxi cab driver, a frustrated cocky and a sexual health professional. The birds didn’t stand a chance! During the lead up to the weekend Chaddy found himself in the middle of a media storm after an overtly sexist comment suggesting Leonie was only there to provide the tucker. The resulting furore saw the program’s advertisers pull out en mass and he was subsequently suspended indefinitely from ABC radio. The impact on facebook and twitter was immeasurable, largely because none of us have been able to work out how to use it. Fortunately not ll his team were implicated, as at the time he couldn’t remember all their names. In the end Leonie and a distant emu proved the difference between equal second and outright third. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhOaiUvQDnY&feature=plcp The big day came and Chaddy’s research was paying dividends, they had hardly left town and the Birdbrainers had 40 species within ½ an hour. Birding was beginning to feel like an extreme sport and a century looked to be in the bag before the end of the days play. They headed out of town to a secret spot within a relayed throw of a cricket field from Chaddy’s misspent youth. He had that look in his eye…just like the day he put that menacing quick, Steve Goddard back over his head for six into the ladies toilet. The oval now looked more like one of our earlier reveg sites with an amenities block. Was this an indication of how distant his cricketing days really were? Maybe that one should be let go through to the keeper. Chaddy’s regaling of both his cricketing and birding exploits seemed to strangely gel with the bulldust getting deeper and deeper as they drew closer and closer to the infamous location of his run in with the NP&WS. Although missing a prized and much hoped for
9 Malleefowl at this site (it was there yesterday, guys) the impact of numerous small flocks of Black, Painted and Pied Honeyeaters quickly made up for any initial disappointment.
. The daylight was beginning to dwindle and so too were the chances of claiming either a Hooded Robin or a Speckled Warbler for the day but the distinctive calls of the crested bellbird and fan tailed cuckoo compensated their loss and it was determined to head to the final site for the day. On the way there a cry of ‘budgies’ rang from the front seats, followed sometime later by a somewhat plaintive ‘Could we please stop; I haven’t seen budgies before’ from the back seat. A quick U turn and Frenchy had another tick on his list. Frenchy was in danger of making a small puddle on the tar as the birds seemingly heard his pathetic cry for them to come back and almost by magic did a U turn and a flyby that would have made the Roulettes proud. Last sight for the day was of Roger Todd’s prize winning canola crop.
After dragging Neale kicking and screaming from the windrows and having their ears chewed off about how much better crops were in Cowra, they still had a White Fronted Chat to find. Just when it was thought they were done and dusted the birding gods smiled upon them once again, the Chats were in the bag. The mandatory smoko break would now be even sweeter as they spent the rest of the evening drinking beer and wandering aimlessly around a farmer’s backyard with a spotlight. #$@%& Frogmouths …. where do they go??? It was the after 10pm activity that was truly unusual. How many of us can honestly say we’ve been to a surprise wedding with a Rocky Horror theme, chainsaw wielding zombies and a stripper pole? Chaddy please tell us you weren’t just in one of Frenchie’s dreams and how is that even possible!! Frenchy has since confirmed it was not possible. There were definitely no dreams. His roommate’s snoring (and it wasn’t Leonie) had him up most of the night recounting images of his tormented youth living in a shipping container between the Great Western train tracks and the Parramatta to Kickatinalong tram line. A shipping container……luxury!!….. all we had was a cardboard box, and when it rained ………….
10 The next morning it was a long drive to Frenchie’s secret birding spot – so secret in fact that up until that time he himself didn’t even know it existed. Why is this so? Well, it would appear that this was the perfect ‘photo op’ for a Scrub Robin and guess who had the camera.
For all those keen to see the culprit, he’s on the internet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vLdKqFdiHc&feature=plcp . If you listen closely to the background noise you will hear Chaddy explaining his theory about birds, cameras and how only amateurs would bring a camera along on a deadly serious twitchathon. Then it was off to Lake Cargelligo the home of the mighty Swans (AFL). They quickly ticked off numerous ducks and dotterels, coots, cormorants and crakes, avocets, grebes, herons, egrets, stilts, gulls and terns but swans….not one swan…Mighty Swans!!!….I don’t think so…they were obviously not back yet from their end of season trip..
Unfortunately Frenchy’s rendition of a snow angel on the lawn by the lake didn’t count as a bird species.
As you can tell, when you get near the end of the 24 hours it becomes very frustrating when birds that you expect to be ‘dead cert’s’ just don’t appear. I swear every Brown Falcon within 200km disappeared for two weeks around the end of November. They’re sitting on every 2nd power pole any other time of the year. Where do they go!!!! Chaddy had some theory about the erratic maniac in the black Landcruiser wagon. But they really knew they’d hit rock bottom when they found themselves at the Condo sewerage plant, lamenting the disappearance of a Shoveler Duck (it was there yesterday, guys). The realization dawned on them as one, here they were, four mature adults wandering aimlessly around a fetid smelling water hole contemplating what might have been. The relief was palpable when 4pm finally came around and they turned back into semi normal people again. Never the less, God help any Brown Falcon on the trip back to Cowra. 11 For those of you keen on stats the Cowra Woodland Birdbrainers recorded 148 species, which placed them equal second, 2 behind the eventual winners of the Champagne Race (I’m told it’s not. what you know, it’s who you know). They travelled 440km during the allotted time and in the wash up the Birdbrainers picked up 3 prizes the most funds raised by a team $6000, the most funds raised by an individual $3975 (Chaddy) and the rarest bird – pied honeyeater not bad for twitching virgins! And thanks for that image from the radio interview, Chaddy.
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