A short walk on Mtn Creek Road
Actually it was three short walks and a reasonable drive between them. However, a blog has to have a title and I like the allusion to Eric Newby's book about the Hindu Kush. I have posted earlier about the arrangements for this trip and a sight enjoyed by Frances and myself on a recce.
I had a cow of a trip from home to the start point. Every major road in the ACT (and nearby NSW) was full of road works. Why can't these buffoons get it right the first time! Anyway, I made it to the authorised point more or less on time, as did everyone else and we set off. The interesting stuff started as we crossed the Murrumbidgee at Urriara Crossing. the downpour which - in relative terms - just missed Carwoola last weekend had really hammered the 'Bidgee and caused a lot of uprooting of the Allocasuarinas growing in the stream.
Obviously this was well out of our way so we pressed on up Fairlight Rd. Cast a rock at the corvids!! There were road works up there, in the shape of a dude with a grader. Fortunately everyone was driving Foresters so was able to jump the pile of gravel to overtake the grader when necessary.
I will put a full list for the trip later in this post and add photographs of birds (or links thereto) as they become available. Thanks to Julian (aka aardvark) for the linked images below. The next few paragraphs will comment of some specific points of interest for each venue (and/or points in between).
After a few more uneventful kilometres we came upon Cavan TSR. The "track" in was even more overgrown than when Frances and I visited two weeks earlier and also a tad soggy (see preceding references to weather). However as everyone was driving Foresters we made it to the designated (by me) parking spot.
There was a whole lotta birdcall going on. Much of this was large honeyeaters squabbling in the blossom of a eucalypt (which has been identified as E albens - thanks ANPS and Mike for making the connection). As found on our recce there was a lot of stuff of botanical interest including Broom rape (which looks very like asparagus).
There were a couple of orchids which we identified. Stegostyla ustulata (see link) and Pterostylis nutans - the Nodding Greenhood.
Overall we saw 30 species of birds in this Reserve, adding 11 to my previous compilation list. We only recorded one species as breeding: White winged Chough on a nest. (Interestingly this was a different nest to the one Frances and I found earlier, so there there seems to be at least two clans operating in this quite small area.) A final botanical point was the scent of the Bulbine Lilies (Bulbine bulbosa) which at times competely saturated the air: another indication of an excellent year for plants.
Moving on to the Mullion (at which point some discussion arose about when and where to eat lunch) and we set off to tour the Reserve. Matters botanical took a back seat since it was largely a grassland (and as far as I could judge "improved" grassland at that). The sheep were less judgemental than me and kept on munching.
We recorded 35 species of which 7 were additions to the site list and 6 were engaged in breeding activity. Highlights were excellent views of a White-throated Gerygone nest building: see this and this, a family of Flame Robins with Dependent Young and a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike feeding young in a nest. Other breeding records were Weebill (DY) and Australian Magpie (ON) and a prolonged demonstration of CO - this is a family oriented blog so I will leave it to the reader to imagine the remaining letters - by two consenting adult Crimson Rosellas.
On returning to the road side some members munched their lunch. As did I after photographing a reptile.
While not as exciting as those predicted in an email post it was still rather good to see. In fact as demonstrated by one image and another, this beast just aboiotu defines "flat out like a lizard drinking" - even though it was in fact sleeping.
It was then on to Tinkers Creek and our final formal stop. 33 species were recorded adding 7 to the composite list. The highlight was the very large number (at least 10) of Leaden Flycatchers. Since the males were in full song and tail wagging, with the females observing this and/or flying in to get a closer look I have decided it could be regarded as DIsplay behaviour. Other breeding records were Grey Fantail (NB) and Varied Sitella (DY). Here is an image (taken by Lindell) of the Varied Sitellas.
Adding to the variety of nature seen on the trip we had a Rosella with odd yellow feathers and a swarm of bees!
Overall 10 species were added to the list of species recorded in the Reserves. The total is now 70 species. Herewith the composite list for this trip.
Unlike Eric Newby's book referred to in the opening paragraph of this post, it doesn't finish with a famous Brit questioning my masculinity! Merely a comment that it was an excellent day: thank you to all participants.
I had a cow of a trip from home to the start point. Every major road in the ACT (and nearby NSW) was full of road works. Why can't these buffoons get it right the first time! Anyway, I made it to the authorised point more or less on time, as did everyone else and we set off. The interesting stuff started as we crossed the Murrumbidgee at Urriara Crossing. the downpour which - in relative terms - just missed Carwoola last weekend had really hammered the 'Bidgee and caused a lot of uprooting of the Allocasuarinas growing in the stream.
I will put a full list for the trip later in this post and add photographs of birds (or links thereto) as they become available. Thanks to Julian (aka aardvark) for the linked images below. The next few paragraphs will comment of some specific points of interest for each venue (and/or points in between).
After a few more uneventful kilometres we came upon Cavan TSR. The "track" in was even more overgrown than when Frances and I visited two weeks earlier and also a tad soggy (see preceding references to weather). However as everyone was driving Foresters we made it to the designated (by me) parking spot.
There was a whole lotta birdcall going on. Much of this was large honeyeaters squabbling in the blossom of a eucalypt (which has been identified as E albens - thanks ANPS and Mike for making the connection). As found on our recce there was a lot of stuff of botanical interest including Broom rape (which looks very like asparagus).
Moving on to the Mullion (at which point some discussion arose about when and where to eat lunch) and we set off to tour the Reserve. Matters botanical took a back seat since it was largely a grassland (and as far as I could judge "improved" grassland at that). The sheep were less judgemental than me and kept on munching.
We recorded 35 species of which 7 were additions to the site list and 6 were engaged in breeding activity. Highlights were excellent views of a White-throated Gerygone nest building: see this and this, a family of Flame Robins with Dependent Young and a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike feeding young in a nest. Other breeding records were Weebill (DY) and Australian Magpie (ON) and a prolonged demonstration of CO - this is a family oriented blog so I will leave it to the reader to imagine the remaining letters - by two consenting adult Crimson Rosellas.
On returning to the road side some members munched their lunch. As did I after photographing a reptile.
It was then on to Tinkers Creek and our final formal stop. 33 species were recorded adding 7 to the composite list. The highlight was the very large number (at least 10) of Leaden Flycatchers. Since the males were in full song and tail wagging, with the females observing this and/or flying in to get a closer look I have decided it could be regarded as DIsplay behaviour. Other breeding records were Grey Fantail (NB) and Varied Sitella (DY). Here is an image (taken by Lindell) of the Varied Sitellas.
Overall 10 species were added to the list of species recorded in the Reserves. The total is now 70 species. Herewith the composite list for this trip.
| C&B 2 Code | Cavan | Mullion | Tinkers Creek |
| 32 | Australian Wood Duck | ||
| 222 | White-faced Heron | White-faced Heron | |
| 244 | Brown Goshawk | ||
| 254 | Nankeen Kestrel | Nankeen Kestrel | |
| 259 | Peregrine Falcon | ||
| 410 | Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo | ||
| 415 | Galah | Galah | Galah |
| 419 | Sulphur-crested Cockatoo | Sulphur-crested Cockatoo | Sulphur-crested Cockatoo |
| 436 | Crimson Rosella | Crimson Rosella | Crimson Rosella |
| 437 | Eastern Rosella | ||
| 470 | Shining Bronze-cuckoo | ||
| 474 | Fan-tailed Cuckoo | ||
| 493 | Laughing Kookaburra | Laughing Kookaburra | Laughing Kookaburra |
| 511 | White-throated Treecreeper | White-throated Treecreeper | White-throated Treecreeper |
| 527 | Superb Fairy-wren | Superb Fairy-wren | Superb Fairy-wren |
| 556 | White-browed Scrubwren | ||
| 568 | Weebill | Weebill | Weebill |
| 573 | Western Gerygone | ||
| 578 | White-throated Gerygone | White-throated Gerygone | White-throated Gerygone |
| 580 | Striated Thornbill | ||
| 582 | Yellow-rumped Thornbill | ||
| 584 | Buff-rumped Thornbill | Buff-rumped Thornbill | |
| 589 | Brown Thornbill | ||
| 594 | Spotted Pardalote | Spotted Pardalote | Spotted Pardalote |
| 597 | Striated Pardalote | Striated Pardalote | Striated Pardalote |
| 608 | Yellow-faced Honeyeater | Yellow-faced Honeyeater | Yellow-faced Honeyeater |
| 626 | Noisy Miner | ||
| 633 | Red Wattlebird | Red Wattlebird | Red Wattlebird |
| 659 | Brown-headed Honeyeater | ||
| 666 | Noisy Friarbird | Noisy Friarbird | Noisy Friarbird |
| 688 | Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike | Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike | Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike |
| 702 | Rufous Whistler | Rufous Whistler | Rufous Whistler |
| 711 | Olive-backed Oriole | ||
| 716 | Dusky Woodswallow | ||
| 719 | Grey Butcherbird | ||
| 722 | Australian Magpie | Australian Magpie | Australian Magpie |
| 723 | Pied Currawong | ||
| 730 | Grey Fantail | Grey Fantail | |
| 733 | Willie Wagtail | Willie Wagtail | |
| 737 | Australian Raven | Australian Raven | Australian Raven |
| 744 | Leaden Flycatcher | ||
| 753 | Magpie-lark | Magpie-lark | |
| 757 | White-winged Chough | White-winged Chough | White-winged Chough |
| 769 | Flame Robin | ||
| 776 | Eastern Yellow Robin | Eastern Yellow Robin | |
| 793 | Rufous Songlark | ||
| 799 | Silvereye | ||
| 806 | Welcome Swallow | ||
| 818 | Common Blackbird | ||
| 824 | Common Starling | ||
| 839 | Red-browed Finch | Red-browed finch |
Unlike Eric Newby's book referred to in the opening paragraph of this post, it doesn't finish with a famous Brit questioning my masculinity! Merely a comment that it was an excellent day: thank you to all participants.
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