August 2013

Update from last month: as a result of my trip away I omitted to include as a significant observation a report of Superb Lyrebird heard displaying in Cuumbeun Nature Reserve.

The exciting observation this month begin with a Nankeen Night-Heron seen in a garden in Clydesdale (thanks Terry and Ellie).

August is the month in which we can hope to see or hear the first returning migrants.  They are beginning with the first Pallid Cuckoo call coming on 20 August and being heard daily from then on, Yellow-faced Honeyeaters being seen from mid-month; the first Rufous Whistler on 29 Augusut; and several Dusky Woodswallows on the 31^st.

Some breeding records are beginning to be reported as shown in the list below.  I am delighted that for the 6th year in a row the Tawny Frogmouths are building a nest at our place.  I have written a special post about the timing of breeding in our patch.

The number of species observed is again a good bit lower than last year (but does show the seasonal kick from the depths of July.

An analysis of (some of) the reasons for the decline is in a separate post.

Thanks to observers in Wanna Wanna Rd, Clydesdale, Captains Flat Rd, Widigiewa Rd and the Molonglo Valley for August reports. Please let me know if you see evidence of breeding, or other interesting birding sightings, by email to martinflab@gmail.com I'd stress that observations of what you think of as 'ordinary birds' because they are common on your patch can be very useful particularly when observers are few.

Breeding species are marked in red below and migrants are in italics.

1  Waterbirds: Musk Duck; Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood Duck; Grey Teal; Pacific Black Duck; Australasian Grebe;  Little Pied Cormorant; White‑necked Heron; White‑faced Heron; Nankeen Night Heron;  EurasianCoot; Masked Lapwing; Banded Lapwing;

2 Birds of Prey:  Brown Goshawk; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Brown Falcon;  Peregrine Falcon.

3 Parrots and Relatives:  Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo;Gang‑gang Cockatoo; Galah;   Sulphur‑crested Cockatoo;  Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; 

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: ;Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon;  Tawny Frogmouth; Pallid Cuckoo; Laughing Kookaburra; 

5 Honeyeaters: Eastern Spinebill; Yellow-faced Honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; Noisy Miner; Red Wattlebird; New Holland Honeyeater;  Brown‑headed Honeyeater.

6 Flycatchers and similar species: Golden Whistler;Rufous Whistler; Grey Shrike-thrush;  WillieWagtail; Magpie-lark; Jacky Winter;Scarlet Robin;  Flame Robin; Eastern Yellow Robin; Welcome Swallow; Tree Martin

7 Thornbills, Finches and similar species:  Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; Striated Thornbill;  Yellow‑rumped Thornbill; Buff‑rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Silvereye;  Red‑browed Finch; Diamond Firetail; House Sparrow; European Goldfinch

8 Other, smaller birds:  White-throated Treecreeper;Varied Sitella; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike;  Dusky Woodswallow; Skylark; Common Blackbird; Common Starling; Mistletoebird; Australasian  Pipit;

9  Other, larger birds: Satin Bowerbird; Grey Butcherbird; Australian Magpie; Pied Currawong;Grey Currawong; Australian Raven; Little Raven; White-winged Chough