On this trip we will visit one of the most delightful spots in Namadgi National Park to ascertain which birds may be found in the high country in mid-autumn, and to obtain records for COG’s and Birds Australia’s Ongoing Atlas Project. We will drive to the Orroral Valley. The first part of the walk is uphill on a good track, then we continue along a valley through Black Sallees to Nursery Swamp, a fen at 1,100 metres altitude containing peat that has been dated to 10,000 years BP. The area is of great significance to Aboriginal people, containing both rock art and tool-making sites. Meet at the Kambah Village shopping centre car park (cnr Drakeford Drive and Marconi Crescent) at 8.30 am (Eastern Standard Time) for carpooling. Suggested contribution from each passenger to drivers: $10. We will return in the early afternoon, so bring lunch and water, and be prepared for changeable weather. Registration for this trip is essential.
To register, or to obtain further information, please contact the trip leader, David McDonald, at telephone (02) 6238 3706 or email NS2014@canberrabirds.org.au . Please note that daylight saving ends at 3.00 am on the morning of the trip.
Sunday 6 April – Nursery Swamp
Fourteen COG members and friends participated in this field trip, the first time that COG has been to Nursery Swamp since August 2010. Our leader, David McDonald, briefed participants about the significance of the area, emphasising the special features of the swamp itself and of the Aboriginal heritage of the area. We commenced our walk up the ridge, through scattered Silver Wattles, nocking onto the elusive (on this trip) Crescent Honeyeater. Superb Lyrebirds were calling in the gully and had been scratching along the track, although we did not see any. After a welcome break at the saddle, while descending towards Nursery Creek we encountered a substantial mixed feeding flock, the most interesting member of which was a Crested Shrike-tit, a delightful bird seen reasonably well by all participants. As expected, species diversity and bird abundance was relatively low in the Snow Gum/Black Sallee/frost hollow areas, although a couple of patches of flowering Snow Gums were productive. The countryside was green and the swamp had plenty of water in it, providing a delightful lunch spot. On the way back to the cars, on the downhill section, Sue Lashko heard and recognised the faint contact call of the Spotted Quail-thrush, enabling about half the group to view this elusive species. Three species of robins were observed but, sadly, no Gang-gang Cockatoos. (Don’t they know there is a survey on?) The most abundant species was the White-naped Honeyeater. We observed 36 species in total (35 in the forest area between the car park and the ridge top and 21 in the area south of this down to the swamp), a reasonable list for this time of year.
David McDonald
