This is an area that I have recently discovered and includes the Kaleen horse paddocks and their surrounding vegetation, as well as a network of tracks through Lyneham Ridge. We will take a circular route around the horse paddocks, under Gungahlin Drive and onto the ridge, stopping for morning tea, hopefully in a sunny spot on the ridge, and then back to the cars. A recent visit yielded Scarlet Robin, Speckled Warbler and Golden Whistler as well as the usual winter mixed feeding flock species.
Meet at 9.00am at the dirt carpark on the south side of Ellenborough Street just after it goes under Gungahlin Drive (if you are coming from the west) – 35.232122S 149.119565E. If you look at the satellite view in Googlemaps, you will see that it is about 100m past the Gungahlin Drive bridge. Bring morning tea.
Please register with Sue (smlashko@gmail.com) with your name and number, and the name and number of an emergency contact.
On a mild, overcast morning, 19 members and visitors, including four children, gathered to explore this area which had not previously been visited by COG. A pair of Australian Ravens were busy carrying and then adding sticks to the beginnings of their nest high in a power pylon above the carpark. We began our walk in the horse paddocks south of Ellenborough Street, with birds concentrated in the planted eucalypts close to the road. Weebills showed well and Red Wattlebirds were very actively feeding particularly in branches close to the ground. We added the usual common parrot species, the black-and-white species and others as we continued through the grasslands to total 16 species for this section of the walk.
After using a tunnel under Gungahlin Drive, we entered Lyneham Ridge NR and immediately found White-winged Choughs feeding, before we quickly moved away from the traffic noise towards the ridge track. Bird activity gradually increased with a female Scarlet Robin sitting patiently for excellent views. Soon after we hit a hotspot with Yellow-faced, Fuscous, White-naped and Brown-headed Honeyeaters, White-throated Treecreeper, Grey Shrike-thrush, Striated and Spotted Pardalotes, and a male Golden Whistler. A pair of Buff-rumped Thornbills showed well, but Striated Thornbills were heard only. This section of the walk yielded 26 species, with a total of 33 species seen for the morning.
We enjoyed the company of the children who were interested in everything around them, including rabbit holes, ants, dragonflies, caterpillars, and orange and black horehound bugs (Agonoscelis rutila).
Sue Lashko