Chifley Chronicle #1

Last week of April 2006
This past week has seen the temperature range from a low of 0ºC to a high of 17°C with some fine still days - notably last Tuesday which was a glorious autumn day; cloudless with a clear blue sky. This morning there was a light fog at dawn but it soon cleared. Rainfall since early February has been about 6mm in total with a light shower or two on Saturday adding another miserable 5mm. THAT'S what we might call a drought!

While having a BBQ beside Lake Burley Griffin in the early afternoon on Tuesday a White-bellied Sea-Eagle passed by at some distance. Not exceptional, but an uncommon observation in Canberra most times. Occasionally, however, a bird takes up temporary local residence.

A group of Noisy Miners seems to have moved into my neighborhood while I have been away. There are 10-15 of them, I guess, and they cause some consternation because they are very aggressive honeyeaters: very boisterous and bullying to other birds. They have been coming in to my birdbath most days. One of their sharp calls is rather like a muted version of the 'ke-wick' call of the Tawny Owl. The Common (Indian) Myna, unrelated and introduced to Australia, is also present and I have heard them chuckling away in the tall Monterey Pine Pinus radiata at the bottom of the garden. There is not much song to be heard at this time of the year and the Australian Magpies are not very vocal but they are in very smart plumages. Moult, at least for most adults and both for non-passerines and passerines, by and large, takes place at the end of summer. By now the Magpies are handsomely black and white. I still have a couple of Pied Currawongs about the place - at least I take it to be two, although I have only seen a single bird at any one time. They too are in fresh plumages. They have been calling a little but mostly this has been towards dusk. A pair of Currawongs bred last summer in the garden and I am sure it is these birds that are resident hereabout near the house.

An exception to the general quietness of the birds is the relentless calls from the Red Wattlebirds that are a constant component of my neighborhood. At times passage birds briefly supplement them as these roam by (often on migration through the city) but even without them the sharp 'don't do that' is heard from dawn to dusk at the moment.

Red Wattlebird, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra - July 2004

A small group of Crested Pigeon hangs about the street and my garden. Their soft, almost apologetic and surprised 'whoo' call often betrays their presence. Also, the whistling sound of their wings as they dart off in flight is particularly distinctive once you know it.

Some parrots are still visiting my feeder (supplied with sunflower seed). A few Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, some Crimson Rosella and an occasional King Parrot but not much else. In the last few days a party of Crimson Rosella is systematically stripping the seed clusters left exposed on my Tulip Tree (Liriodendron sp.) now that its leaves have mostly fallen. Galah have no longer got whingeing young constantly giving their peevish calls while demanding food. They have now reached some independence, though still often associating in family groups. I did see a small party of Easter Rosella nearby one morning. These parrots are less common in these parts nowadays so it was good to see what I take to be a family party in my area.

Signs of autumn movements were evident shortly after I came home because there was a White-eared Honeyeater skulking in the garden. This is a winter visitor to me at my home, although it is plentiful in summer in the Bridabella Mountains to the west of Canberra. The Tidbinbilla NR is in these mountain and these robust honeyeaters are common there most of the year.

White-eared Honeyeater (West Wyalong, NSW; May 2004)

My Claret Ash (Fraxinus sp.) is just starting to drop its leaves and the Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), I am sure, will shortly do so. It tends to drop most of its leaves all on the one day!

Mike and Colleen Crowley (from Moruya Heads NSW) visited both weekends past and over the last three days we made two short visits to a wetland area - Kelly's Swamp and some nearby sewage ponds. On the first occasion, last Friday, in the early afternoon and on the way back from Canberra airport, we saw at least two Spotless Crake and at least one Spotted Crake together (in the same field of view in the telescope!) but there may have been more. I understand from recent sightings noted on the COG chat line (Canberra Ornithologists Group) that several of both have been seen lately at this site. Yesterday, mid morning, we checked out some of the sewage ponds near Kelly's Swamp to find that a good concentration of waterbirds was present. Most numerous was Australasian Shoveler at about 180+ with Pink-eared Duck next at 70+. Also seen were Hoary-headed Grebe (c50); Hardhead (30+); Grey Teal and Chestnut Teal (both c20); Coot (c20); Pacific Black Duck (c10); at least 3 male and 2 female Blue-billed Duck but possibly more; and one, but likely several more, Australian Little Grebe, Black Swan, Swamphen and Dusky Moorhen and a dozen or so Australian Magpie-larks. Not a bad sample of the Australian waterfowl and considering that 500+ Maned Duck are grazing the lawns in front of the Old Parliament House, in central Canberra, right now, it would have been possible to see about half of the Australian indigenous waterfowl in this city this week! Two splendid Little Eagles were also seen at the ponds at close range; both pale morphs. They were sitting in trees although one started to circle low as if to be looking for some thermal activity but finding none returned to the treetop. Mike thought he heard a Whistling Kite a couple of times but we could not locate it.

Monday, May 1, 2006