Planning for the Mountain Creek Road Expedition

The COG mid-month walk planned for 20 October 2010 is a repeat of that undertaken in about this season 2009.  It visits 3 TSRs along Mountain Creek Rd (in NSW, just over the Murrumbidgee at Urriarra Crossing).

We will meet at Stromlo Forest park (on Uriarra Rd, opposite Coppins Crossing Rd) for car pooling, planning to leave there at 9:00am.  Members may wish to arrive a bit earlier for a (traditional) hunt for White-fronted Chats in the grass there.

The location of the TSRs is shown in this extract from Google Earth.
The three Reserves are shown together with the COG grid squares.  The marker in square F12 is at the junction of Fairlight and Mountain Creek Roads: this has been a fruitful spot in the past and it might be worthwhile stopping there for 20 minutes on the way back.

I expect it to be about 30kms from Urriarra Crossing to Cavan TSR (where we will start our birding).  Most of this will be on bitumen with a little on good dirt roads.  2WD will be adequate.  According to my odometer the track leading into Cavan TSR is 20.5km from the junction of Fairlight and Mountain Creek Rds: it is in a low point between two ridges and on the RHS of the road.  (The other two Reserves are easily visible from the road.)

Frances and I visited Cavan on October 5 this year.  There were a good lot of birds there and the displays of native flowers were excellent - and likely to be better in two weeks.

The table below lists the birds seen in each of the Reserves in the course of:
  1. a visit by ANPS in 2008;
  2. the COG mid-week walk in 2009; and 
  3. some additional visits by myself and Francesin 2010.

tbl 3 Reserves
RAOU NEW_NAME Cavan Tinkers Creek Mullion
43 Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon Crested Pigeon
202 Australian Wood Duck

Australian Wood Duck
211 Grey Teal

Grey Teal
221 Brown Goshawk
Brown Goshawk
268 Gang-gang Cockatoo
Gang-gang Cockatoo
269 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
273 Galah Galah Galah Galah
281 Australian King-Parrot Australian King-Parrot Australian King-Parrot
282 Crimson Rosella Crimson Rosella Crimson Rosella Crimson Rosella
282 Crimson Rosella Crimson Rosella Crimson Rosella Crimson Rosella
288 Eastern Rosella
Eastern Rosella Eastern Rosella
295 Red-rumped Parrot
Red-rumped Parrot Red-rumped Parrot
322 Laughing Kookaburra
Laughing Kookaburra Laughing Kookaburra
326 Sacred Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
329 Rainbow Bee-eater Rainbow Bee-eater Rainbow Bee-eater
337 Pallid Cuckoo Pallid Cuckoo Pallid Cuckoo Pallid Cuckoo
338 Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Fan-tailed Cuckoo
342 Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
357 Welcome Swallow
Welcome Swallow Welcome Swallow
361 Grey Fantail Grey Fantail Grey Fantail Grey Fantail
364 Willie Wagtail Willie Wagtail Willie Wagtail
365 Leaden Flycatcher Leaden Flycatcher Leaden Flycatcher
380 Scarlet Robin
Scarlet Robin
381 Red-capped Robin
Red-capped Robin
392 Eastern Yellow Robin Eastern Yellow Robin

401 Rufous Whistler Rufous Whistler Rufous Whistler Rufous Whistler
408 Grey Shrike-thrush Grey Shrike-thrush Grey Shrike-thrush Grey Shrike-thrush
415 Magpie-lark Magpie-lark Magpie-lark Magpie-lark
424 Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
430 White-winged Triller White-winged Triller White-winged Triller
453 White-throated Gerygone White-throated Gerygone White-throated Gerygone White-throated Gerygone
463 Western Gerygone
Western Gerygone Western Gerygone
465 Weebill Weebill Weebill Weebill
470 Striated Thornbill Striated Thornbill Striated Thornbill Striated Thornbill
471 Yellow Thornbill

Yellow Thornbill
475 Brown Thornbill Brown Thornbill Brown Thornbill
484 Buff-rumped Thornbill
Buff-rumped Thornbill Buff-rumped Thornbill
486 Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Yellow-rumped thornbill Yellow-rumped Thornbill
488 White-browed Scrubwren White-browed Scrubwren White-browed Scrubwren
504 Speckled Warbler Speckled Warbler

529 Superb Fairy-wren Superb Fairy-wren Superb Fairy-wren Superb Fairy-wren
558 White-throated Treecreeper White-throated Treecreeper White-throated Treecreeper White-throated Treecreeper
564 Mistletoebird Mistletoebird Mistletoebird
565 Spotted Pardalote
Spotted Pardalote Spotted Pardalote
574 Silvereye Silvereye Silvereye
614 Yellow-faced Honeyeater Yellow-faced Honeyeater Yellow-faced Honeyeater Yellow-faced Honeyeater
625 White-plumed Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater

634 Noisy Miner

Noisy Miner
638 Red Wattlebird Red Wattlebird Red Wattlebird
645 Noisy Friarbird Noisy Friarbird Noisy Friarbird Noisy Friarbird
662 Red-browed Finch
Red-browed finch
671 Olive-backed Oriole Olive-backed Oriole Olive-backed Oriole Olive-backed Oriole
679 Satin Bowerbird Satin Bowerbird Satin Bowerbird
693 White-winged Chough White-winged Chough
White-winged Chough
694 Pied Currawong Pied Currawong Pied Currawong
702 Grey Butcherbird
Grey Butcherbird Grey Butcherbird
705 Australian Magpie Australian Magpie Australian Magpie Australian Magpie
728 Restless Flycatcher Restless Flycatcher

930 Australian Raven
Australian Raven Australian Raven
976 Striated Pardalote Striated Pardalote Striated Pardalote Striated Pardalote
991 Common Blackbird

Common Blackbird

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