COG will continue with the K2C surveys that have been running since April 2010. The surveyed properties have healthy populations of many of the rarer woodland birds such as Diamond Firetail, Hooded Robin and Speckled Warbler. We will be visiting the same sites to continue the monitoring and see if we can add to the property lists with autumn-winter migrants. If the weather is suitable the honeyeater migration can be spectacular at many of the sites. The surveys will be undertaken in ‘blitz’ fashion; that is, observers in small groups will visit a number of sites on one or more properties before regrouping for lunch and a sharing of the survey’s findings. Less experienced observers are welcome to join in the survey as each team will have at least one experienced observer.
Anyone interested in participating is asked to contact Nicki Taws. Email: ntaws@bigpond.com or Ph. 6251 0303, mob.0408 210736.
Sunday 13 April – K2C surveys
The ninth bird survey in the K2C region between Williamsdale and Bredbo was held on 13 April. After a couple of weeks of soaking rains we were fortunate to have dry conditions for the morning to survey 40 sites across 21 properties. It turned out to be a day of robins with Scarlet Robin seen on 14 properties, Flame Robin on three, Hooded Robin on four and Eastern Yellow Robin on five properties. Brown Treecreeper was found on six properties, Diamond Firetail on five and Restless Flycatcher on three. The best site of the day was perhaps one of the most unassuming – a riparian planting with four-year-old trees and shrubs on “The Creek”. The trees are only just reaching the height at which small birds will use them and often there are only a few Superb Fairy-wrens and Yellow-rumped Thornbill in the site. However, during the survey the planting was full of these more common species but also 15 Diamond Firetail, 4 Flame Robin and 2 Scarlet Robin, while nearly 400 Yellow-faced Honeyeater passed through the site. This was the highest number of honeyeaters recorded during the survey. In more favourable conditions during past autumn surveys this number has been recorded at many sites as the birds stream across the Murrumbidgee River but conditions for this survey were generally too windy or overcast. The 15 birders enjoyed sharing the morning’s results over a barbeque lunch at the shearing shed on Bush Heritage Australia’s Scottsdale Reserve. Thank you once again to the landholders for access, to Bush Heritage for covering the lunch and the COG members for helping with the survey. The next K2C bird survey is on Sunday 12 October.
Nicki Taws
