BIRDING IN ROYAL PARK

Recently I joined the Friends of Royal Park on a bird survey. We started at Trin Warren Tam-Boore, where we noted all the usual suspects: Red Wattlebirds, Noisy Miners (of course!), Rainbow Lorikeets, magpies, Magpie-larks and Willie Wagtails. Welcome Swallows swooped over the water and the exotics were present in good numbers: mynas, Spotted Doves, Rock Doves. The glorious song of Grey Butcherbirds took my mind off these interlopers. A noisy white cocky drowned out the butcherbird, but I was busy adding Australasian Grebe, Grey Teal, swamphens and moorhens to my list. The best bird from my point of view, was a Tawny Frogmouth roosting in a gumtree near the carpark. In fact there were two. The Friends said that they were often there.

We did not see any fairywrens, but the Friends told me an interesting story. There is an old female Superb Fairywren who has started to exhibit male characteristics who lives at Trin Warren Tam-Boore. She has a blue tail and, in the breeding season, a little blue colouring on her head. The Friends told me that, because she is old, her testosterone levels have built up, thus giving her some male features. She has been nicknamed Dame Edna. (Which, of course, is back to front: a male masquerading as a female, rather than a female masquerading as a male.) I would like to meet Dame Edna.

We walked on into an area the Friends called 'Skink Habitat.' We saw kookaburras, House Sparrows and New Holland Honeyeaters. Then we were entertained by a wonderful display of several hyperactive Grey Fantails with both Striated and Spotted Pardalotes. They brought a smile to my face. Of course there were Pied Currawongs and Crested Pigeons. We heard Bell Miners (only appropriate, as that's what Trin Warren Tam-Boore is named after) and had great views of a female Australian Golden Whistler. Nothing too exciting, but an enjoyable walk with like minded people. Last Saturday I was pleased to attend a meeting conducted by the Friends of Royal Park, to learn about three projects presently underway: one studying Superb Fairywrens, one about White's Skink and the third about a matchstick grasshopper. Numbers of both grasshoppers and skinks are declining and causing concern. But of course I was there to learn about fairywrens. I was hoping to learn more about Dame Edna, but I did not.

This lovely photo of Dame Edna was taken by Peter Petinatos, and I'd like to thank him for it. The fairywren project at Royal Park is being jointly undertaken by the City of Melbourne, Birdlife Australia, Melbourne University and RMIT. We were told that fairywrens are vulnerable everywhere around the city because of loss of habitat and predation by cats. (I was interested that foxes were not mentioned.) Fairywrens breed every year and females disperse after breeding, moving up to eight kilometres away. Where do they go? Fairywrens require dense vegetation, and the project aims to discover whether revegetation will facilitate movement of fairywrens. Will the population increase, and, if so, where will these birds come from? All the fairywrens in the area have been banded. They have a blue metal band on their left leg and a unique two colour combination plastic band on their right leg. Birders are requested to report sightings of banded fairywrens. There was great excitement this week when the first banded fairywren was reported from the zoo. Forty-four designated sites have been selected. Birders are asked to go to a site, sit still for 5 minues, then count birds for 10 minutes. Report finds to superbcitywrens.com. I certainly plan to contribute to this project. Anything we can do to help save our small birds is worth doing!

BURKE ROAD BILLABONG

What a wonderful day! I had intended watching 'Insiders' (compulsory viewing for me, with or without an election), then spend the rest of the morning reading. But the sun came out and insisted that I go for a walk. I should have known it would be a beautiful day, when I saw the spectacular sunrise on my morning walk. All those pink fluffy clouds made me feel good to be alive. So, as soon as 'Insiders' was over, I grabbed my binoculars and set off. Although it is the 29th of May, I had not visited Burke Road Billabong this month, so that was my destination. To get there, I go via Hay's Paddock, then along the Koornung Trail to the billabong reserve. Unfortunately, I had a disagreement with a particularly ugly, but far too friendly dog in Hay's Paddock. I changed direction three times, I swore at it, but it was determined to accompany me. So I strode off out of Hay's Paddock into unknown suburbia. Only then did its unhelpful owner think the dog should be accompanying her rather than me, and half-heartedly voiced her disapproval. Meanwhile, I strode off unhappily up a hill, not usually part of my itinerary. Go home! a voice in my head, urged me. You're out to have fun, and if it isn't fun, you should turn back. I walked around a few corners and eventually arrived at a street I recognized. This was my opportunity to turn for home. However, I thought I'd just walk on a little more and then decide whether to proceed. I'm so glad I did! My monthly total of birds was 136, so I did not expect to see anything new for the month. However, I did! Inevitably, the first bird I saw when I arrived at the reserve was a Noisy Miner - a bird hardly likely to lift my spirits. Then there was an uncooperative White-browed Scrubwren and some hyperactive Grey Fantails. They always make me smile. The correas were in flower, and, much to my delight, playing amongst them were several Eastern Spinebills. I have been missing these beautiful birds from the streets of Kew. It is uplifting to know they are still around in the Burke Road Billabong Reserve. They were a new bird for my May list. And to think I might have turned back and missed them.

This beautiful photo was taken by Ken Haines. Very soon afterwards, I saw another new bird for my May list: an Australian Golden Whistler. This photo is also by Ken Haines.

I never get a particularly large bird count at Burke Road Billabong. I am usually only there for half an hour. Today I recorded 14 species. There were swamphens and moorhens on the golf course today, so that boosted my total. However, there was nothing on the river, but, just as I was about to leave, I saw the third new bird for me for May: a Crimson Rosella, another species that I have been missing from my daily walks. It is good to know that they, too, are still in Kew. I enjoyed my walk. And I was absolutely delighted to see spinebills and Crimson Rosellas, birds I have not seen here for many months.

A YEAR BACK IN KEW

It is now a year since I have returned to live in Kew, or, more correctly, moved to live in Kew East. I am lucky because I can walk to Burke Road Billabong, and Wilson Reserve is not far away. However, I confess that I do not visit Willsmere Billabong as often as I'd thought I would when I moved here, because the birds are not as prolific there as they used to be. When I moved in I was delighted to see black cockies and Crimson Rosellas every day. Sadly, they soon moved on. I had hoped that they would return this year, but alas! that has not been the case. I do see Eastern Rosellas sometimes. They manage to get onto my birdlist every month, but they are nowhere seen reliably. I am very disappointed that the small birds have disappeared. With the notable exception of Brown Thornbills, all the small birds that used to give me such pleasure, have simply deserted Kew East. We used to have Silvereyes, White-plumed Honeyeaters, and best of all, Eastern Spinebills. I did see a Spotted Pardalote a couple of times last summer, but they are rare here. The birdlist for my house now comprises 28 species, the most surprising being a Whistling Kite that appeared once last October, and a Grey Fantail that appeared for a few days last April. (The beautiful photo below was taken by Ken Haines.) Otherwise the list includes all the usual suspects (Noisy Miners and Rainbow Lorikeets, introduced mynas, starlings, Rock Doves, and blackbirds, and magpies, currawongs and butcherbirds). The only honeyeaters are wattlebirds, both Red and Little. Crested Pigeons are uncommon, but Galahs are not. We have both Little and Long-billed Corellas, but I've just noticed that Long-billed have not yet made it onto my house list. Silver Gulls and Australian White Ibis occasionally fly overhead and once, a Maned Duck landed on the neighbour's chimney. Black-faced Cuckooshrikes are around more often in summer.

I walk every day: either north, south, west or east. My walk list now comprises 48 species. This number is boosted significantly by waterbirds, as my north walk incorporates Hays Paddock. Hays Paddock is a local reserve, with a couple of footy ovals, an adventure playground for kids of all abilities, a small lake and a creek meandering through on the south. I see ducks and occasionally cormorants in the creek, ducks, moorhens, and coots on the lake, and there are usually swamphens wandering on the grass beside the lake. My walks are all quite short, designed to take half an hour in a loop. I try to record 15 species each walk. If it is not raining, this is usually achievable. My best walk was a north walk in spring with 24 species. West walks (to the Harp Junction, along suburban streets) are consistently the lowest scoring. Apart from black cockies, which I haven't seen for some time, the best bird on my walk list is the Australian Reed Warbler, which I did not see, but I heard last summer at Hays Paddock. Just once I recorded White-browed Scrubwren, again at Hays Paddock, but I have not managed to see them again. Masked Lapwing sometimes appear on the ovals, sometimes they fly overhead, calling. Recently I added Red-rumped Parrot and White-faced Heron to the list, which are lovely, but I'd really like to add some small passerines. I have planted natives in my front yard and I have both wattlebirds visiting every day. If I thought it would attract spinebills, I'd go against my principles and plant exotics (I tried Mexican sage at my Kew address - it didn't work!). If I thought Silvereyes would visit, I'd plant fruit trees. But I believe they would have to be in the vicinity to drop in. I'd have to conclude that, so far at least, the move back to Kew has been a success. I do enjoy being able to walk on footpaths. I enjoy being able to walk to the river. I love seeing magpies and Little Wattlebirds every day. I adore sighting the occasional Australian King Parrot and Laughing Kookaburra. It is special to see different lorikeets visit the flowering eucalypts and to mark the seasons with the appearance and disappearance of Welcome Swallows. And, perhaps because they are the last remaining small bird, I think the Brown Thornbills are very precious.

PETER WAANDERS WESTERN SPECIALTIES AND SPLITS TOUR MAY 2022

I have just returned from Peter Waanders Western Specialties and Splits tour - a remarkably successful trip. There were six of us on the tour and I believe all of us came away satisfied. We were all a bit disappointed that we did not visit the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens in Port Augusta, as this was mentioned on the itinerary and we'd been looking forward to it. However, that is a minor complaint in the great scheme of things and you can't often boast 100% success. Most people wanted photographs of birds which can be extremely difficult to see, let alone photograph. All I wanted was to see a Rufous Grasswren. I saw that - and a whole lot more. I'd done this tour before - in July 2017. On that occasion all I wanted to see was a Naretha Blueboneet. We had excellent views of bluebonnets so I came away quite pleased with myself on that occasion too. This time I needed the Rufous Grasswren, which wasn't recognized as a separate species in 2017. On this occasion the tour started in Adelaide, stayed overnight in Port Augusta, Kimba, Ceduna, Nullarbor, then back to Ceduna and finished with two nights in Port Lincoln. I saw a total of 105 birds for the trip. Others managed more: the trip total was 124. Of course the highlight for me was the Rufous Grasswren, my 830th Australian bird. It wasn't easy, but grasswren are usually notoriously difficult. My grasswren was in dense mallee in Yumbarra Conservation Park, and it took us a few hours of very patient looking and listening and waiting. I had a very good (but VERY brief) look at the bird. Peter Waanders made a disparaging remark about my sighting being merely 30 seconds, but in fact it was a lot less than that - perhaps 10 seconds, perhaps less. But it was a good unobstructed view of the whole bird in good light and I was very pleased. Afterwards I had several glimpses of the bird hopping between vegetation and I was quite delighted that I didn't have to rely on them to tick my lifer.

Apart from the Rufous Grasswren, I had wonderful views of the Western Grasswren at Wild Dog Hill in Whyalla Conservation Park. I had less perfect but still acceptable sightings of the Naretha Bluebonnet (not nearly as good as in 2017) and the White-bellied Whipbird (which we didn't see in 2017, but which I saw with Phil Maher in Innes National Park in 2011). Other great sightings were of Southern Scrubrobins, Rock Parrots, and Tawny-crowned and Purple-gaped Honeyeaters. We glimpsed Southern Emuwren, enough to admire the male's pretty blue throat, but not really a good enough look had it been a lifer. I was interested to watch Inland Thornbills with their cocked tails - I'd forgotten this behaviour. We had wonderful sightings of Western Yellow Robins on more than one occasion, although we initially had some difficulty in locating one. Major Mitchell's Cockatoos are always spectacular - even the western race without yellow in the crest. Of course we saw quailthrush - both Nullarbor and Copperback. We had poor views of Nullarbor Quailthrush at night, then saw nine more the following morning. I'm afraid it was a matter of quantity not quality: none of my sightings were particularly good. However, I had the best possible views of a family of Copperback Quailthrush - parents with a young bird still sporting some down and being fed by its parents. We also had a fascinating experience when we were looking for the Copperbacks. We heard the call. It sounded fine to my amateur ears, but Peter Waanders shook his head doubtfully: 'It doesn't sound quite right,' he declared. We tracked it down and, sure enough, the quailthrush call was coming from a young Striated Pardalote! Apart from birdlife there were two interesting phenomena on this trip. One was seeing fogbows, which we did twice. The other was: there was water in Lake Gilles. I'm not sure how often this salt lake actually contains water - I've never seen it before - but insects were attracted to it, and large numbers of Black-faced Cuckooshrikes were attracted to the insects. We saw dozens and dozens of the empty shells from the insects (like miniature empty cicada shells) by the shore of the lake.

Altogether a great trip. What better way to spend a week in May?