Drouin bird surveys

The second bird survey for 2019 is almost complete. The October survey has taken a little longer this year due to some inclement weather – uncomfortable for the birds and the bird watchers!

A summary of some highlights include:

            Brown Gerygones and Crested Shrike-tits at Pryor Rd.

            Shining Bronze Cuckoo at Roberts Ct bush.

            Rufous Whistler at Thornell’s Reserve.

            51 species at Bellbird Park Wetlands.

Bellbird Park wetlands

Profiles of the Brown Gerygone, (link) and the Crested Shrike-tit, (link) can be viewed on Gouldiae’s Blog.

Lowlights include:

            Almost complete lack of Crimson Rosellas and very few Willy Wagtails.

            Dogs off-lead and free-ranging cats – as usual.

Where's willie?

As expected, wetlands and associated bushlands – Bellbird Park, Crystal Waters, Drouin sewerage ponds, etc - always had the greater variety of species and numbers of individual birds (hundreds of Pink-eared Ducks in Settlement Rd). About 40 baby Wood Ducks were recorded over five wetlands.

The ‘usual suspects’ Noisy Miners, Magpies, Rainbow Lorikeets and others were well represented. It has been pleasing to see that numbers of species such as Superb Fairy-wrens, Eastern Rosellas and one or two others have been maintained within our urban environment.

How lucky are we to have these in our back yards?

Our large eucalypts and their hollows are providing excellent habitat for Striated Pardalotes (link), corellas, cockatoos, rosellas, lorikeets and others. HOWEVER, most birds seen using hollows were either starlings or mynas!

When the survey is complete, results will be uploaded to eBird Australia.

BTW – the Eastern Koel has arrived again.

PS: The Friends of Drouin's Trees will be conducting another of their popular evening presentations, Monday 25th November, Drouin Library, 7pm. What's been happening? Spring has sprung, etc.