Gigerline Nature Reserve

The Wednesday Walk for September will be to the Eastern section of Gigerline Nature Reserve.  Meet at the old service station at Williamsdale (about 15km south of Tuggeranong on the Monaro Highway) at 9am.

.

Eighteen members and guests gathered at Williamsdale in far more propitious weather than our previous visit to this site. Thanks to ACT Parks and Conservation and the Land Development Agency for their support in granting us access.

We followed pretty much the same route as in February with a first pause soon after crossing the small creek. The finches seen previously were absent but a group 3 Varied Sittellas feeding down and up in a large eucalypt made up for this. As we moved off a little further an alert member recognised the ping calls of a Brown Treecreeper emanating from a grove of eucalypt saplings. The bird wasn’t sighted but the call was repeated several times enabling it to be ticked. As we searched for it, 2 Nankeen Kestrels were seen perched on trees and man-made structures.

Sticking with the less common species, and jumping forward a mile or so horizontally, and several 10s of metres downwards, descending to the Murrumbidgee the group was able to observe at least 3 Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters feeding in eucalypts on the banks of the River. Other honeyeaters recorded on the outing included Brown-headed, Yellow-faced Brown-headed Honeyeaters, Noisy Miners, Red Wattlebirds and Noisy Friarbirds.

Many other returning migrants were recorded including Olive-backed Oriole, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Dusky Woodswallow, White-throated Gerygone and Fan-tailed and Shining Bronze-Cuckoos . As well as returning migrants we recorded breeding: Australian Raven (NY) Yellow-rumped Thornbill (NB) and Welcome Swallow (NB).

Overall we recorded 57 species, equalling last visit’s score which I believe to be the best score on a one-day COG outing.