The cool spring weather has continued over the past few weeks, with some wild winds and storms as well.
Luckily for me I’ve flown to northern NSW to visit a friend, where the weather has been fine, still, and warm, with some overnight rain thrown in. It’s been lovely.
Before flying to NSW, I conducted a ‘birds on farms’ survey in Wallington. It’s always a highlight of every season to walk around the farm and observe the changes in birdlife that occur between the seasons.
The farm that I survey has also had many changes in ecology in that many pine trees have been removed to be replaced by indigenous plants so there appears to be less birds compared to three or four years ago due to the variations in habitat.
The wetland is still very popular for birds, especially pied stilts. The weebills and striated pardalotes that inhabit the yellow gum habitat are still going strong, which is great to see.
The yellow gums in this area have many hollows and one large hollow is inhabited by a pair of sulphur-crested cockatoos, which are obviously nesting. I also spotted a brown goshawk, one sharp-tailed sandpiper and a pair of red-kneed dotterels.
Northern NSW is a haven for birds. I went to a beach called Flat Rocks in Ballina. On the rocks were many terns and migratory waders.
Unfortunately, I was on the beach on a Sunday, so there were also many people clambering over the rocks so the birds were constantly being disturbed, which was a shame for them.
Among the birds seen were sharp-tailed sandpipers, curlew sandpipers, red-necked stints, red knots and one greater sandplover, as well as common, little and crested terns.
I’m staying at my friend’s house which is located in Lennox Head. In her backyard are eastern whipbirds, Australasian figbirds, blue-faced honeyeaters and Pied Currawongs.
I compare this to my backyard in Ocean Grove where the most common birds seen are introduced species, such as spotted doves, house sparrows, common mynas and common starlings. It’s an interesting contrast.
I received an email from my friend Denis, who sent me one of his photos of white-winged choughs. I told Denis that I have never been able to get close enough to this species to take a decent photo of a chough in flight to capture the white wing feathers.
Denis sent me a photo of a few choughs that he took at the You Yangs a few years ago that perfectly captures the wing features plus the vivid red eye of this species.
