Gang-gang Novem ber 2003 News letter of the Canberra Ornithologists Group Inc. THE BIRDS ‘From the ANNUAL membership officer’ Our pallid winter days are marked, commas around a phrase, rom time to time I receive muted GENERAL by a passing flock F of yellow-tailed black cockatoos. whispers that people haven’t Bold and clamorous they fly – received their monthly newsletter MEETING towards the sun at first light, Gang-gang. While I do my best to back through the western sky at dusk. ensure that a mailing label is Wednesday 12 November created for all current members We wake to the sound of squeals, each month, I do make mistakes. Details pg 3 contact calls, as they beat a path Most often this is caused by a to the forest rim on Mugga ridge. delay in the processing of Moving and murmuring, they work over tree after tree, subscriptions and me updating the membership database. To a lesser Contents strip the bark for grubs in red-gums and gorge themselves on pine-cones. extent this happens because no mailing label is created for a As the day draws in we hear them, particular member due to some Field trip reports 2 shrill and pure as children’s play; vagary in Microsoft Access. For Future field trips 9 the sated birds flap slowly home those affected I apologise. From your committee 9 to gullies in the hill behind us. Draft Field Trips 2004 12 Their shapes define our limits: Another reason you may not have AvIan Whimsy #15 15 warn of the time to embrace COG information 16 the other world; received your Gang-gang is or when to lower blinds, because your subscription has build up the fire expired. All memberships run on a and crowd together in the roost. financial year basis, i.e. from 01 July to 30 June, irrespective of Suzanne Edgar 1/10/03 when the subscription is paid. The committee allows 3 months grace, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo but after 30 September each year, (Calyptorhynchus funereus) members who have not paid their Photo courtesy Geoffrey Dabb subscription are made inactive. The currency of your subscription Gang-gang November 2003 1 throated, Whited-throated, B r o w n & B l u e - f a c e d Honeyeaters among the earliest callers soon joined by Bar- shouldered Doves, Orioles and Pardalotes. A Blue-winged Kookaburra started to wind up, but after a few brief notes quickly realised how out of tune he was with all the others, and gave up. The light increased and birds started to come in for a drink. Eight Pale-headed Rosellas decorated the limbs of a dead tree, displaying their creams and blues to perfection in the growing light. A little to the right three Red- winged Parrots arrived to add a splash of brilliant colour. Pink-eared Duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus) Photo courtesy Geoffrey Dabb Then a quiet voice behind me, “The first pair have arrived - on appears on each and every mailing your left”. Klaus had told us label so please take a moment to Field Trip Reports earlier that the parrots, if they read the label. What you can do to came in to drink, would probably GOLDEN SHOULDERED help me is to ensure your come to one of the trees near the PARROTS - NOT JUST A membership remains current is to dam, sit around for a while, come TICK pay your subscription before the down to drink, and when all were end of the financial year. This done, fly off to feed. So head What more auspicious start to an year, less than half the COG adventure could there be than to swivelled as far to the left as I m e m b e r s h i p p a i d t h e i r see Geoffrey Dabb, in full birding could get it, I glimpsed the hint of subscription by the June deadline. gear standing at the entrance to the a bird up high. A minute or so Often I receive membership park giving us a dignified and later, “They are coming in, from renewals right up until Christmas. correct military salute in farewell! behind. Don’t bother to crick your neck.” Six/seven minutes and At any time, if you do not receive A couple of days later, just before about 10 or more (I was too busy a Gang-gang or Canberra Bird dawn, four of us were installed in looking to count!) moved to a Notes, in the first instance please comfy chairs beside a dam on small tree at the edge of the call me on 0401 993 381 or email waterhole, right where my chair Cape York hoping that Golden- me at [email protected]. I was pointed. shouldered Parrots would come can tell you on the spot if you are in to drink soon after dawn. The a current member and if a mailing waiting was time for a wonderful After giving us a reasonable view label was printed for the offending concert of one of the best dawn they flew down to join the other mailout. If there has been a choruses I have ever heard. (I parrots and doves drinking. The problem I can then take action to must admit that for a bird watcher, females and juveniles went first, ensure a copy is sent out to you. I am not always good at rising with a full coloured male early enough to actually hear this appearing to supervise or stand Regards guard from the rear. Most of the aural delight.) I heard Yellow- Alastair Smith Membership Officer parrots had taken their drink when Gang-gang November 2003 2 suddenly all the birds left the Shrike-tits at the same site, six water’s edge in a great hurry and Masked Woodswallows on the returned to their previous perch. eastern side of the reserve (a flock Annual General Everything went so quiet, so quiet of 20 had also been reported on Meeting I felt I should hold my breath. the COG email list in the weeks 8 pm Then in swooped a Peregrine before the survey), Speckled W ednesday Falcon. The Golden-shouldered Warblers and Scarlet Robins at did not move – no alarm 12 Novem ber Parrots several sites, and Latham's calls, no agitation, just stillness. Snipe, a Hoary-headed Grebe Canberra Girls Grammar School and a Little Corella at the large cnr Gawler Cres and Melbourne A long time after the brief visit of dam, which has some water in it Ave, Deakin the Peregrine Falcon a juvenile now even though the wall is not AGM Agenda male and a full coloured male flew yet repaired. Interestingly, I saw 1. Opening of meeting down for their drink, then returned one Red-necked Wallaby at the 2. Apologies for non-attendance to the tree. Instead of going off to northern end of the reserve near 3. Confirmation of the minutes feed all the parrots decided to stay site 10; I have occasionally of the previous Annual Gen- in the safety of the tree. We were recorded this species before at eral Meeting (copies of the able to watch and quietly pass the Mulligan's but not for several minutes will be available at scope from one to the other to years - it has commonly been the door) identify the juveniles and full found in the forest areas of the 4. Presentation of Annual Re- port coloured adults. Brindabella ranges. Thanks to all 5. Adoption of Annual Report the volunteers who assisted with 6. Presentation of Treasurer's We also kept an eye on a pair of the survey, now in its 9th annual statement of accounts Striated Pardalotes busy with year. The next survey is Sunday (enclosed in this Gang-gang) their nest in the bank of the 30 November, volunteers please 7. Adoption of Treasurer's an- waterhole in front of us. leave a phone message for me on nual statement of accounts 6288 7802 in the week before the 8. Election of officers Eventually all the parrots survey if you are available - bring (President, Vice-president, Treasurer and Secretary) and departed. How fortunate we had mug for morning tea, clipboard, ordinary committee members been, not only to see the birds but pencil etc, and wear sturdy shoes. 9. Other matters for which no- to have circumstances such that tice has been given they stayed so long. Finding the Jenny Bounds 10.Closing of meeting…then on Golden-shouldered Parrot was not to the fun stuff… just another tick, but an NEWLINE SURVEY unforgettable two-three hour SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER The main speaker will be COG member experience. 2003 Reid McLachlan, on 'Identifying ducks in flight'. Reid has been involved in water- Mary Jones Sue Lashko assisted me to survey fowl identification testing for the nine sites at Newline, on a sporting shooters in New South MULLIGAN'S FLAT SURVEY cold and windy afternoon - the Wales and will show us video SUNDAY 28 SEPTEMBER only time I had available in my footage used in the process 2003 schedule. It was relatively quiet, and highlight the finer points of with only 35 species recorded and identification. The spring survey was in fine and few spring migrants around. The Geoffrey Dabb will follow with a Round Hill video sunny weather, after a cold big highlight was four Brown extravaganza. night. 59 species were Treecreepers in the front paddock recorded. Highlights were a pair (usually we get a pair there, and of Hooded Robins back at site 21 occasionally more, maybe they Don’t miss it! (we had not recorded them there have bred recently?), plus for a while), and a pair of Crested Speckled Warbler, Southern Gang-gang November 2003 3 Whiteface, Jacky Winter common bird species.