October 2014

The big news this month is the addition of Black Kite to the overall list for the area.  We don't have a photo of this bird, but I have compiled an ad-hoc post covering the species.

In terms of overall count we did pretty well with 102 species recorded for the month.  This is 12 up on September 2014; 5 down on October 2013 and 1.6 below the average for the last 5 years.

The migrants are nearly all here now, with the late ones seeming to be missing or late in the Canberra area generally.

Breeding has been booming this month with 22 species observed undertaking some part of the procreative process.  The most exciting has been a Little Eagle nest found on a property on the Hoskinstown Plain.  After an initial visit in which an adult bird was seen in the nest the weather got a tad unpleasant and they have hopefully been well hunkered down.  (As the nest is several metres up a Brittle Gum it isn't easy to see into.)  Breeding birds are marked in red below.

This seems a good place to insert a photo of Welcome Swallows from the Plain.  Note the yellow on the chick's bill: this stimulates the adult to insert some second hand insects therein.

For September I thank observers in Widgiewa Rd, Knox Close, the Plain, Pony Place, Captains Flat Rd and Wanna Wanna Rd.for their efforts in reporting.   I'm always happy to hear of other sightings of interest to you, in the current season especially of breeding actvities or first sightings of migrants, by email to martinflab@gmail.com.  

1  Waterbirds:  Musk Duck; Black Swan;  Australian Shelduck; Australian Wood Duck; Grey Teal;  Pacific Black Duck; Hardhead; Australasian Grebe; Little Black Cormorant; Little Pied Cormorant; Great Cormorant;   White‑necked Heron; White‑faced Heron; Straw-necked Ibis;  Eurasian Coot; Masked Lapwing;

2 Birds of Prey:  Black-shouldered Kite; Black Kite, Brown Goshawk; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Little Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Brown Falcon;.

3 Parrots and Relatives:  Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo; Gang‑gang Cockatoo; Galah;  Little   Corella; Sulphur‑crested Cockatoo; Australian King‑parrot; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Red-rumped parrot

4 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds:  Stubble Quail; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon;  Tawny Frogmouth; Shining Bronze‑cuckoo; Pallid Cuckoo; Fan‑tailed Cuckoo;  Southern Boobook; Laughing Kookaburra; Sacred Kingfisher; 

5 Honeyeaters: Eastern Spinebill; Yellow-faced Honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; Noisy Miner; Red Wattlebird; New Holland Honeyeater;  Noisy Friarbird; 

6 Flycatchers and similar species: Rufous Whistler; Grey Shrike-thrush;Grey Fantail; WillieWagtail; Leaden Flycatcher; Magpie-lark;Scarlet Robin; Red‑capped Robin, Flame Robin; Eastern Yellow Robin; Welcome Swallow; Fairy Martin; Tree Martin

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

8 Other, smaller birds:  White-throated Treecreeper; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; White‑-winged Triller; Olive‑backed Oriole;Dusky Woodswallow;  Skylark; Golden-headed Cisticola; Australian Reed-warbler; Rufous Songlark; Brown Songlark; 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