The Pound is a fascinating area of woodland, deep in the ‘seahorse’s snout’ – that is, the far east of the ACT. It is a small TSR on a disused section of the Kings Highway, with a nice selection of bushland birds, including thornbills, honeyeaters and (possibly) sittellas. Mixed feeding flocks are a possibility. So far, eBird lists 50 species from there, and we may add to that list.
Numbers limited to 20 participants. Please bring morning tea and the usual water, sturdy shoes, sunscreen, hat. We will be walking off-track, but through very light understory.
Registration is essential, to David at david.dedenczuk@gmail.com (or 0417 222 154); please provide your name and mobile number, and the name and number of an emergency contact.
From the Canberra direction on the Kings Highway, take the Sparrow Hill Road into Kowen Forest, and drive to the carpark end of the road. Meet there at 8am.
David Dedenczuk
Sixteen COG members gathered on a sunny mild-ish morning at the car park at the western end of the Pound TSR in Kowen Forest. The site is in what my son Dec describes as the ‘Seahorse’s Snout’, in the far east of the ACT. The Solsticetide Sun was low in the sky at 8.00 am, obscuring party members’ views of the many birds in attendance. The shade of nearby pine trees offered little relief, as the cool of the shade brought a different kind of discomfiture. As a result of recent rains, some patches of ground were very soggy underfoot. These challenges notwithstanding, we persevered, and went on to encounter many fine woodland birds. Highlights included Yellow-faced Honeyeaters taking nectar from flowering bushes of Urn Heath. Weebills hovered in the foliage of small eucalypts in close proximity to the party. We encountered at least one mixed feeding flock, featuring Scarlet Robins, a Golden Whistler, Buff-rumped Thornbills and a White-Eared Honeyeater. While we did not find Varied Sittellas at ‘Sittella Corner’, Archer saw one nearby in the ecotone between pine forest and eucalypt woodland. All up, we identified 36 species for the morning, including two species that are new to the Pound eBird hotspot list – those being Australasian Grebe and Red-browed Finch. A very successful and enjoyable morning.
David Dedenczuk
