COG has a most excellent day at Bungendore

As I left home this morning the excellence began with my first sighting this Spring of a Waxlip Orchid (Glossoidea major) along the road.

Moving right along I decided to go into Queanbeyan to get some diesel.  This sight greeted me at the bottom of the hill:

Obviously the Morrisset St bridge was flooded.  A small diversion followed and then on towards Bungendore. There was obviously a good flow in the Molonglo at the Burbong Bridge.

Despite these risks to transport, 11 optimistic members and guests partook of this month's mid-week walk.  

At the appointed meeting spot, at the start of Lake Rd Bungendore, an early highlight was  Grey Shrike-thrush carrying food.  As Lake Road was wet and a tad slippery after yesterday's deluge we decided to visit the Big Dam and then go to Brooks Hill Reserve.

At the now water-replenished dam the obvious highlights were Pink-eared and Freckled ducks, with counts giving 25 of each.  One male Chestnut Teal was certainly present and 4 other birds lurking with Grey Teal were considered to also be Chestnut Teal out of breeding plumage.  Here is a sample of the head-hiding hordes:

Both Red-kneed (2) and Black-fronted (1) Dotterels were lurking on the water's edge.  At least 2 White-fronted Chats were seen on the island and a flock of 15+ Double-barred Finches briefly visited the group.  They were on this tree 0.1 seconds before the camera fired.

No-one was to mention the descendants of Red Junglefowl walking about on the road.

Once we had identified the full 33 species of birds in the area we moved on, passing by the small dam on Trucking Yard Lane which was, astonishingly, almost free of birdlife.  2 Australian Shelduck were seen on the far side of the paddock and another 2 as we drove away.

Our final stop was Brooks Hill Reserve (thanks to David McDonald for that suggestion).   The walk up the old highway was rather quiet, both actually and metaphorically.  A large clump of Clematis microphylla was very pleasant.

However near the top of the road a Speckled Warbler was first heard and then seen feeding on the ground.  A cuckoo was seen and after a hunt on the nearby hillside seen and identified as a Fan-tailed Cuckoo.  

Note the yellow eye ring.  As the rufous colouring is limited to the breast I suspect this is a female.

Although bird-calls remained few we struck a good area with most of the group getting good views of a male Mistletoebird, and all seeing a male Scarlet Robin.  Other than the red birds a small flock of Brown-headed Honeateyers were spotted as were a pair of Varied Sitellas, building a nest high in a eucalypt.  

Back near the cars a White-throated Treecreeper emerged from a hollow and was recorded as a breeding record. The total for the site was 32 species.

With very different habitats it was not surprising there was little overlap between the two areas.  In total we recorded 58 species for the day.