Wanna Wanna Nature Reserve, Carwoola

Sun 19 February 2023 08:00am

Sandra Henderson
Sunday 19 February – Wanna Wanna Nature Reserve, Carwoola

Description: This well-hidden, small reserve is the place I’ve had my best ever views of  Painted Button-quail, so we’ll obviously keep these in mind. We’ll be looking for small bush birds, and there may be a few waterbirds on a dam visible from the perimeter.

Meeting time and place: Meet at 8am at Pony Place at Carwoola. To get there, travel through Queanbeyan onto the Kings Highway.  Turn right onto Captains Flat Road, then right again onto Clydesdale Rd after about 6km. Turn left onto Pony Place after about 1km and look for my car (white SUV) parked roadside. The nature reserve entrance is well hidden.

Walking distance: No more than 2km

Degree of difficulty: Medium. There are no tracks apart from the entry between farm.  The reserve is undulating and there are fallen limbs and rocks.

End time (approx.):11am

What to bring: water, sturdy footwear, hat, sunscreen.

Participants must register with the leader, providing their name and mobile number, and the name

and mobile number of an emergency contact.

 

Name of leader and contact details: Sandra Henderson, shirmax2931@gmail.com

Post event report

Five members met at 8.00 a.m. at the reserve entrance along Pony Place to explore a site new to most of us. Sandra Henderson led us on a circular tour of the reserve, which consists of native dry forest, bordered in places by pines on adjacent private properties. Weather conditions were warm and still. At first, birds were few, apart from some cackling Noisy Friarbirds and the odd Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, but butterflies were plentiful everywhere. A Sacred Kingfisher was calling in the distance and a Fan-tailed Cuckoo showed itself nicely in a eucalyptus along our track. A moist gully in the forest proved more productive for small passerines: Grey Fantails were active everywhere and difficult to count but the agreed estimate was 25. White-Throated Treecreepers called regularly and one or two showed themselves. Thornbills were represented by good numbers of Buff-rumped and a few Brown Thornbills. Later we added Yellow-rumped Thornbills. Honeyeaters were not numerous, but a few Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and Eastern Spinebills were heard as well as a single White-Eared Honeyeater. The undoubted highlight of the morning was a Southern Boobook, seen well by all and photographed by some as it cast a baleful glare over the assembled observers. We inspected two small dams just outside the boundaries of the reserve but found them empty of birds. A total of 26 species was recorded. Our thanks to Sandra for leading the walk and sharing her knowledge of the area.

Kevin Windle

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