Warks Rd – Wednesday walk

Wed 21 January 2015 08:00am

Martin Butterfield

I suggest carpool from Stromlo Forest Park (SFP), car park behind Grandstand, departing promptly at 8:00.  Note that the roads leading to SFP have been realigned due to the Molonglo effort so allow extra time.  Bring lunch and water.

 Note that the walk will be cancelled if there is a total fire ban. 

Post event report

Twenty-four members and guests assembled at Stromlo Forest Park to car pool for the drive to Warks Road in the Brindabellas.  As the weather forecast was still a tad iffy , it was decided to go directly to high areas and if time and energy permitted stop off at Uriarra Dam on the way back.

 

Or first two stops were on Blundell’s Creek Rd where Rufous Fantails were seen.  A Brush Cuckoo and a Superb Lyrebird were heard and, on driving off, some people saw a Satin Bowerbird cross in front of the cars.

 

We stopped at the junction of Blundells Creek and Warks Rds and – in a break with tradition – headed downstream for a while.   As usual at this time of year honeyeaters, including Yellow-faced, White-naped and White-eared, were active in the canopy.

 

Returning to the junction we headed uphill.   We were soon getting interesting breeding records.  Possibly the highlight of the day was a male Rose Robin flying into a nest decorated with lichen and three hungry mouths.   An Eastern Yellow Robin was seen in the gully feeding its young.  A Satin Flycatcher was seen on its nest and some members spotted two small heads therein.  The last of the ‘specials’ of the area was two Crested Shrike-tits.

​Much debate occurred with respect to an obviously young and heavily striated  bird ​begging on a branch.  It was being fed and the feeder eventually revealed itself as a female Rufous Whistler.  So the default position is very recently fledged Rufous Whistler; some photos were taken and research will happen..

 

We then moved up the road towards Bendora Dam Rd stopping at the first intersection for a foray in this drier woodland.  We had good views of a Sacred Kingfisher and a Flame Robin was seen feeding young.

Our final stop was at the Uriarra Homestead Dam.  The dam was not as well plastered with birds as usual, the highlight being Tree Martins hawking over the water.  As the weather finally seemed to have got rainy we didn’t stay long.

 

49 species were recorded on the day.

 

Martin Butterfield

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