Tidbinbilla and a walk to Yankee Hat
Monday 2nd October 2006
Today I took some good friends with me to Tidbinbilla while I collected this weeks sample of recorded sounds from the equipment box in our lyrebird study site. Ian and Maureen Chatten are visiting Canberra from their home in Helensburgh, Scotland. Many years ago Ian crewed with me for a season at the Canberra Yacht Club in a Seafly dinghy, Gadfly (260). He was in Australia at that time on exchange, working with the Royal Australian Navy but based most of the time in Canberra. We have kept in touch but this was his first trip back to Australia in almost 20 years and I had never before met Maureen.
We were at the Camel Back Trail car park at Tidbinbilla by about 1015 and then walked up the hill to the recording site. Spotted Pardalotes and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were calling here and there and at the site we heard nearby calls from a Pilotbird. A splendid male Golden Whistler and his partner came in close as we dismantled and removed the recording gear. The tape had run successfully giving an 8 day sample of the sounds to be heard at this time of the year in these mountain-side forests. A Grey Shrike-thrush was calling and a few Crimson Rosella were heard but luckily a Superb Lyrebird started singing in a desultory manner from the creek just below us. In fact we heard at least three different males calling and found a fresh display mound alongside the track on our way out and down the hill. Most of the lyrebird song was soft mimicry but an occasional territorial call was heard along with a few alarm calls.
After spotting a male Emu with eight striped chicks on the grassy slopes at the start of the Gibraltar Rocks trail we drove to the Namadgi Visitors Centre where we had our picnic lunch under the gum trees before moving on down to the car Park at Yankee Hat. At the visitors centre a pair of Magpie-lark had finished building their nest and they were shuffling on and off it in turns. It seemed likely that they were at the final stages in preparation for laying. Also present was a pair of Willie Wagtail that I am sure had a nest under construction and a pair of Welcome Swallow was circling the centre but we could not find the nest site. Several Dusky Woodswallows were also present. A Single White-faced Heron stood beside the pool in front of the Centre.
On the way into the Yankee Hat valley and as we crossed the ford we flushed a Swamp Harrier that was promptly seen off by some Australian Ravens! Large numbers of Eastern Grey Kangaroo were present. At least 500 probably many more. We found several nests of Little Raven in a woodland patch about half way along the trail to the rock shelter with the cave paintings. This is on the first hill after passing over the boardwalk crossing Bogong creek. Small groups of Little Raven were feeding out on the grasslands or in Bogong swamp. Many were brown eyed youngsters. Late in the afternoon many Little Raven gathered noisily in this woodland. Several Flame Robin, Grey Fantail and a Rufous Whistler were seen and heard and White-throated Treecreeper called several times. Groups of Sulphur-crested Cockatoo were feeding on the ground at several places within the valley together with a few Galah. We saw several pairs of Easter Rosella. Other species noted at Yankee Hat included Laughing Kookaburra, Australian Pipit, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Superb Fairy-wren, Brown and Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Brown-headed Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Red Wattlebird, Starling, Pied Currawong, and Australian Magpie. Most spectacular was a group of Diamond Firetail finches at the car park as we were preparing to leave. At least 5 individuals. Great day out but no signs of a Wedge-tailed Eagle all day!
Today I took some good friends with me to Tidbinbilla while I collected this weeks sample of recorded sounds from the equipment box in our lyrebird study site. Ian and Maureen Chatten are visiting Canberra from their home in Helensburgh, Scotland. Many years ago Ian crewed with me for a season at the Canberra Yacht Club in a Seafly dinghy, Gadfly (260). He was in Australia at that time on exchange, working with the Royal Australian Navy but based most of the time in Canberra. We have kept in touch but this was his first trip back to Australia in almost 20 years and I had never before met Maureen.
We were at the Camel Back Trail car park at Tidbinbilla by about 1015 and then walked up the hill to the recording site. Spotted Pardalotes and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters were calling here and there and at the site we heard nearby calls from a Pilotbird. A splendid male Golden Whistler and his partner came in close as we dismantled and removed the recording gear. The tape had run successfully giving an 8 day sample of the sounds to be heard at this time of the year in these mountain-side forests. A Grey Shrike-thrush was calling and a few Crimson Rosella were heard but luckily a Superb Lyrebird started singing in a desultory manner from the creek just below us. In fact we heard at least three different males calling and found a fresh display mound alongside the track on our way out and down the hill. Most of the lyrebird song was soft mimicry but an occasional territorial call was heard along with a few alarm calls.
After spotting a male Emu with eight striped chicks on the grassy slopes at the start of the Gibraltar Rocks trail we drove to the Namadgi Visitors Centre where we had our picnic lunch under the gum trees before moving on down to the car Park at Yankee Hat. At the visitors centre a pair of Magpie-lark had finished building their nest and they were shuffling on and off it in turns. It seemed likely that they were at the final stages in preparation for laying. Also present was a pair of Willie Wagtail that I am sure had a nest under construction and a pair of Welcome Swallow was circling the centre but we could not find the nest site. Several Dusky Woodswallows were also present. A Single White-faced Heron stood beside the pool in front of the Centre.
On the way into the Yankee Hat valley and as we crossed the ford we flushed a Swamp Harrier that was promptly seen off by some Australian Ravens! Large numbers of Eastern Grey Kangaroo were present. At least 500 probably many more. We found several nests of Little Raven in a woodland patch about half way along the trail to the rock shelter with the cave paintings. This is on the first hill after passing over the boardwalk crossing Bogong creek. Small groups of Little Raven were feeding out on the grasslands or in Bogong swamp. Many were brown eyed youngsters. Late in the afternoon many Little Raven gathered noisily in this woodland. Several Flame Robin, Grey Fantail and a Rufous Whistler were seen and heard and White-throated Treecreeper called several times. Groups of Sulphur-crested Cockatoo were feeding on the ground at several places within the valley together with a few Galah. We saw several pairs of Easter Rosella. Other species noted at Yankee Hat included Laughing Kookaburra, Australian Pipit, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Superb Fairy-wren, Brown and Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Brown-headed Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Red Wattlebird, Starling, Pied Currawong, and Australian Magpie. Most spectacular was a group of Diamond Firetail finches at the car park as we were preparing to leave. At least 5 individuals. Great day out but no signs of a Wedge-tailed Eagle all day!
posted by Ardenna at 1:00 AM
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