Archive for October, 2007

2007 New South Wales trip report #23

During our stay with our son and daughter-in-law in Artarmon (north Sydney) I didn’t do any intensive birding as such, except for several day walks. My son is sufficiently aware of the birding life around his place to recognise most of the common species and he often comments on changes to the birdlife, or some special sighting.

In the streets around his home the most common bird appears to be the Rainbow Lorikeet. A considerable number make a terrible noise every evening as they settle to roost in the foliage of several palm trees just up the road.

Rainbow Lorikeet

Another common species throughout this area is the Noisy Miner. This species seems always to be in conflict with the local Pied Currawongs, Australian Ravens and the occasional Laughing Kookaburra who dares to wander into the garden.

Less common species in the immediate area include Australian Magpies, Magpie Larks, Welcome Swallows and Indian Mynas. On several occasions I saw small numbers of Galahs, but my son assures me that he does not see them very often around here.

Of particular delight was hearing a Southern Boobook owl calling outside our window late one night. My son has also had Tawny Frogmouths in the garden trees on a few occasions. He is very familiar with this species from home in Murray Bridge and also on many camping trips in South Australia.

I’m sorry I do not have a photo of the owl to show you. My bed was too comfortable.

2007 New South Wales trip report #22

We left the Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens and headed off towards Sydney. We had one small incident on the way in; we missed the entry ramp for the M2 motorway so we needed to do a little meandering around a nearby suburb before getting on to the correct road. It just shows a vast lack of knowledge and inexperience in driving in Sydney.

I navigated while my wife drove. I had very little opportunity to look out for birds along the way. I did see one important one and I’m not sure which family of birds it belongs to. Going past the Richmond RAAF* base we saw Airforce 1 sitting on the tarmac. USA President George W. Bush was in town for the controversial APEC Conference. I guess there are those who think that bird should be extinct. I will refrain from making terrible puns about a bird in the bush.

We arrived safely at the home of our son and daughter-in-law without further incident, albeit about half an hour later than anticipated.

The following afternoon my wife and I decided to take a ten minute walk to the Chatswood shopping centre. We enjoyed looking at the beautiful plants and flowers in people’s front gardens.

Artarmon garden flowers

Along the way I watched out for birds. The bird life around here is not all that prolific. There are plenty of Rainbow Lorikeets everywhere; they are very noisy at dawn in the nearby trees. Pied Currawongs are also plentiful and very bold, being used to people all around. Several times we’ve heard Laughing Kookaburras and seen Noisy Miners.

Pied Currawong

It seems strange to have Australian Ravens and Galahs in the heart of such a large metropolis but there are here. I usually associate these birds with the farming areas in the country. My son said that the Galahs are not all that common around this part of the city.

*Royal Australian Air Force

2007 New South Wales trip report #21

A short distance on we stopped at the Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens. It had been raining off and on since lunch and was still quite overcast during our visit but we didn’t need our umbrellas. The gardens are very interesting with quite a few plants flowering already. During the next few weeks the whole area should become even more beautiful as many more plants begin flowering.

Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens, NSW

During our meanderings through the gardens I added several more species to my trip list, including the very endearing Superb Fairy-wren. I thought I’d taken several good shots of the colourful male but his constant hopping around proved he was being a little difficult.

Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens, NSW

Later I added Little Wattlebird to the list. Several White-browed Scrubwrens skulked in the undergrowth, scalding me for daring to come so close. An Eastern Spinebill entertained us for a minute or two but he wouldn’t stay still enough in the open for a photo.

One species I added to the list by call alone was an Eastern Whipbird. I looked for it but it escaped my search. I am sure I’ll have more opportunities over the coming days.

2007 New South Wales trip report #20

The bird life along the road to Bathurst turned up nothing new. We saw plenty of Australian Magpies, Australian Ravens, Crested Pigeons, Galahs and a large flock of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos feeding in a paddock. We stopped briefly at Bathurst to refuel before heading off to Lithgow. We had hoped to take an alternative route but must have missed the turnoff.

A few minutes out of Bathurst we took a side road through some farming country and found a nice spot for morning tea well away from the noise of the traffic. We saw several Australian Wood Ducks, Masked Lapwings, Red-rumped Parrots and more Galahs. Several Striated Pardalotes called from the nearby gum trees.

Near Bathurst, New South Wales

Further along we saw more Crimson Rosellas, Crested Pigeons and saw Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos for the first time on the trip. Also added for the first time was a Myna. I wasn’t aware this pest introduced species had spread so far from Sydney.

Probably the most distressing sight along this stretch of road was a dead Wombat on the side of the road. Another sad victim of road kill.

Just out of Lithgow we stopped at the railway station of the unique Zig – Zig railway. This railway was built by early convicts to take the railway line over a very steep mountain range. We would have liked a ride on the train but were running out of time. We found a spot nearby for lunch. During our lunch break I added White-eared Honeyeater to the trip list.

2007 New South Wales trip report #19

For the fifth day in a row on our trip the day dawned sunny and clear of clouds. We had breakfast and packed the car. We were just about to leave when we struck up a conversation with a permanent resident of the caravan park in Cowra. She occupied the cabin next to us and had lived there for several years since the death of her husband.

She had established a small native plant garden around her cabin and she was quite knowledgeable about the birds of the area as well. On the front porch she had two pet Cockatiels that had been injured and rescued some years before. We were amused by the Red-browed Finches that would come in, land on the cage of the parrots and then proceed straight through the bars, into the cage and help themselves to a free feed. This was another new species to add to my trip list.

Red-browed Finch

This friendly woman also commented that Double-barred Finches also came into her little garden. I’ve only ever seen this species once before so I was keen to hang around for a while. Alas, they didn’t show up. Nor did the Crested Shrike-tits and the Azure Kingfishers she said were regular visitors. [Postscript: I didn’t see any of these three species on the rest of the trip. You get that. It merely illustrates the sometimes hit and miss aspect of birding.]

But there were several major bonuses to spending about a half hour talking to her. Two Superb Parrots flew overhead. This was a lifer* for me and one of the species I was keen to see on this trip. I also added Noisy Friarbird in the trees in the caravan park. Yet another Brown Songlark was calling nearby and Eastern Rosellas flew through the park. Crested Pigeons came into to drink from the bird bath and White-plumed Honeyeaters were busy feeding in the tree foliage overhead.

Earlier in the morning I was delighted to hear a Peaceful Dove calling nearby. I tired a little with its call as it went on and on while I was trying to get a few extra minutes of sleep.

*Lifer: a bird seen for the first time in my life. (For a better explanation click here).