Gang-gang MARCH 2014 Newsletter of the Canberra Ornithologists Group Inc. MARCH MEETING What to watch out for this month Wednesday 12 March 2014 After four months of almost unprecedented reports of special birds, some of them rarely recorded in the ACT 7.30 pm. before, I guess it was inevitable that, as far as I’ve been Canberra Girls Grammar School, Multi- able to ascertain, there weren’t any new ones reported in media centre, corner Gawler Cres and Melbourne Ave, Deakin. February. I suspect this is due, at least in part, to the drought being severe enough by mid-January to make the ACT no longer the oasis it was earlier in the drying cycle. There will be three shortish presentations this month. The most interesting unusual sighting, by Kym Bradley on 10 February, was of nine Black Kites to the south of The first speaker will give a presentation Canberra, easily the most ever seen together here. A lone on an aspect of COG’s history in relation Swift Parrot was also seen in Cook at the end of January, th to COG’s 50 Anniversary celebrations. a rare summer record for this winter visitor from Tasmania. Continued Page 2 This will be followed by Laura Johnson, an Honours student at the ANU, on 'Koel, Calm and Collected' – responses of naive Canberran wattlebirds to an unfamiliar enemy. Finally Geoffrey Dabb will give the very topical presentation entitled “A few points about Canberra’s Gang-gangs”. As identification is not really an issue with this species, this talk will look at occurrence, evolution, plumages and food preferences. It will draw on images obtained over many years observing the local comings and goings. Everyone welcome Swift Parrot Photo: Geoffrey Dabb 1 Gang-gang — March 2014 What to watch out for this month—continued from Page 1 There were still isolated sightings of some of the area of interest (AOI) as this is the last date that I special birds. On 29 January there were two can find for reports of the following three species. Purple-crowned Lorikeets seen at the same spot At the same spot near Gundaroo mentioned in Cook, and on the same day Michael Lenz found above Michael Lenz found a pair of Rufous four Black Honeyeaters near Gundaroo, feeding in Songlarks, the female with distracting display and flowering mistletoe and hawking for insects. At the male singing and warning; no doubt he felt the end of the first week in February Wayne there was a juvenile close by. He also observed a Gregson reported a single Painted Honeyeater female White-winged Triller with 2 dependent still at the Stoney Creek Nature Reserve, and in young. mid February Steve Wallace located the Singing Honeyeater again at the West Belconnen Ponds, including visiting the Kangaroo Paws and other Michael also recorded about 20 White-browed flowers planted around the bordering houses. As Woodswallows, including several young close to I noted in last month’s column this is the least independence. Interestingly Jude Hopwood nomadic of the above species and therefore may reported to me in early February that her White- stay around longer, perhaps even until winter. browed Woodswallows left on this same day. She noted there was a dreadful commotion in a group of Tasmanian Blue Gums on her place As reports of these special species dried up, a which turned out to be a Laughing Kookaburra feature a number of members have mentioned to jumping from branch to branch of each tree while me has been return of birds to their gardens, with loads of adult woodswallows protected Satin Bowerbirds, Gang-gang Cockatoos and juveniles. The noise went on ALL day until 4 pm, Australian King-Parrots coming in to drink or but she had not heard a sound nor seen a bringing in dependent young. This has been woodswallow at her place since. There was still a accompanied as well by a return of smaller birds; pair of birds hanging around that she’d seen in my garden this seems to be related to the lack further towards Goulburn but that was all. of the usual aggressive Red Wattlebirds, which seem to have been too busy feeding two broods Continued Page 3 of their own young as well as two separate Eastern Koel fledglings to defend their territories, including their favourite feeding plants. The lack of special/unusual birds allows me to focus more this month on which species have probably by now all departed, those for which a few are still around but will probably be gone by mid-March, and those that will have gone by the end of next month. There have been no reports of the Brown Songlark or the Horsfield’s Bushlark since early January, nor surprisingly of the Brush Cuckoo, which usually can still be found during February. January 29 seems to have been an important date for species departing the COG Rufous Songlark Photo: David Cook Gang-gang — March 2014 2 What to watch out for this month—continued from Page 2 Australian These are the last reports I can find from my usual sources Ornithological Services P/L but that of course doesn’t mean that there might still be some around, particularly the White-winged Triller. Indeed PO Box 385 South Yarra 3141 in a late report Steve Read still found a male at the Namadgi Victoria Visitors Centre on 23 February, as well as possibly a female or Tel: 03 9820 4223 it may have been a Rufous Songlark. So continue to keep an Mob: 04173 10200 eye out for these two species, which can be very hard to identify when quiet and/or in eclipse plumage. Other species [email protected] that leave by early March include the Dollarbird which has been reported coming into gardens as they often do post- 2014 tours breeding. Rainbow Bee-eaters also often leave by mid- March and can be quite spectacular as they move through, Special Plains-wanderer Weekend including high over where their call and orange wings are in conjunction with NSW Parks diagnostic. Watch out for these birds as well as the Sacred Week 8 — 9 March Kingfisher, which also often has left by the end of the first two weeks of March. 19 — 26 April Alice Springs and West MacDonnell Ranges Other birds that usually mostly leave by the end of March include Leaden Flycatcher, Latham’s Snipe, Australian Reed- 25 May — 8 June Warbler (also often very quiet this month), Tree and Fairy Top End including Martins and cuckoos. Amongst all the riches it seems it’s Mitchell Plateau/black grasswren option been a pretty poor season for martins (none reported of 12 — 27 June either species since mid-January) and cuckoos, with the latest Queensland’s Gulf of Carpentaria observations for the Pallid Cuckoo and Shining Bronze- & Atherton Tablelands Cuckoo I can find being 10 January, and 11 January for the Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo. This is most unusual (perhaps 3 — 10 August the dry was too severe for their liking) and a complete New Caledonia contrast to the Eastern Koel, another cuckoo which has been 6 — 25 September Continued Page 4 Strzelecki Track 35th tour The four states outback expedition 30 September — 8 October NSW Central Coast. Gloucester Tops NP, Barren Grounds NR, Tapin Tops NP. 10 – 19 December SW Western Australia Plains-wanderer Weekends 2014 25 & 26 October 2014 6 &7 December 2014 Please see itineraries, checklists and latest news on our website Sacred Kingfisher Photo: David Cook www.philipmaher.com 3 Gang-gang — March 2014 What to watch out for this month—continued from Page 2 Finally there have already been a number of reported widely throughout suburban Canberra, reports of that autumn phenomenon the mixed with some people thoroughly tired of it keeping feeding flock (MFF), including several small ones them awake at night and wanting the authorities in my garden. These can have unusual or to take action. It should be gone by mid to late unexpected compositions, so watch out for these; March after another very good breeding season nothing in bird watching gives me a bigger thrill with a large number of young reported (I’ve had 3 than a MFF and looking out for the unexpected different fledglings in my local patch of Chapman/ species lurking quietly in amongst all that activity. Rivett), all as far as I’m aware hosted by Red Wattlebirds. So watch out for these MFFs forming around your area and the species mentioned above in March. As I noted in last month’s column White-throated It will also be interesting to see whether the Needletails and the less common Fork-tailed recent rain triggers some autumn breeding or Swifts are also most often sighted in February affects the numbers of inland waterbirds, and March on their return migration, and the last Freckled and Pink-eared Ducks, Australasian of them will be seen by the end of the month. Shovelers and Hardhead that continue to be There was a cluster of reports, including for some reported, as well as Plumed Whistling Ducks (41 of the latter round the beginning of the month, reported in late February) and Australian and then with the rain mid-month, but Shelduck (up to 85 now seen together) that are surprisingly none that I can find with the storms still at their usual spots near Bungendore. As and heavy rain on 19 February. usual always please ensure that all significant observations end up on the COG database. Some species will be seen in Canberra during March as “passage migrants” as they move north Jack Holland from their breeding sites in the mountains.