Wednesday Walk at Campbell Park

Meet at the North end of the car park at 0830.

It will still be fire season, and the outing will be cancelled if there is a total fire ban in the ACT.

19 Members and guests gathered at the appointed tie and place and headed off along the Eastern boundary of the reserve.The birding was rather famine or feast, with periods with few birds followed by several species in a mixed flock.

One exception to that rule was Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike with an eventual estimate of 9 birds being recorded. Rather than the pre-migration gatherings for which this species is known that represents several pairs or single birds. A second exception was Common Bronzewing with a 7 birds recorded: one group of three and 4 singles. They were flying from the paddocks into the woodland: possibly they were gleaning seeds in the dense crop of St Johns Wort?

Large flocks included 18 White-winged Choughs and 16 Crimson Rosellas. Needless to say Noisy Miners were in small numbers everywhere.

The first mixed flock had Spotted and Striated Pardalotes (the latter including a flock of 20 birds), Buff-rumped and Brown Thornbill and Western Gerygone.

After a (largely bird-free) bush-bash up to the middle track a Painted Button-quail was flushed. A couple of platelets were found but the bird landed in an dense expanse of Chrysocephalum semipapposum and could not be re-located.

As we descended back towards the horse style we struck a second mixed group. This included Rufous and Golden Whistler, Speckled Warbler, at least 6 Grey Fantails, female Leaden Flycatcher, 2 White-eared Honeyeater and White-throated Gerygone. A Wedge-tailed Eagle patrolled by overhead and then 6 White-throated Needletails zoomed past.

Breeding activity observed was limited to a very fluffy Willie Wagtail (clearly recently fledged, but no food transfer seen) and 2 Australian Ravens making sufficiently nice to be regarded as Courtship behaviour.

The final list totaled 40 species.