Bowra

A Major Mitchell's Cockatoo Lophochroa leadbeater flies over Bowra at sunrise

Last week I was at Bowra wildlife sanctuary in the Mulga lands of southern Queensland, which is owned and maintained by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. The land was previously run as a cattle station (ranch), but there are large stands of natural vegetation, particularly of the rocky Mulga woodland on the low stony ridges, Gidgee woodland on the plain and long lines of River Red Gum and Coolabah trees along the watercourses. The sanctuary is several kilometres north west of Cunnamulla and has an excellent campsite and cottage accommodation around the old homestead. Numerous rough vehicle tracks wind around and through the the various habitats giving easy access for walking through the bush to look for wildlife.

Sunrise is the best time to look for wildlife as the animals are most active before the mid-day heat 

I was there helping with a co-operative bird-banding (ringing) study organised by John Coleman from Brisbane. This was the fifth year of the project and by setting nets at the same places each year we will gradually build up a picture of the various bird species' use of the different habitats and their demography. But more of that in a later post.

The old cattle run country of Gidgee woodland - sparse mulga trees and bushes. These plains flood after heavy rains and  grasses and herbs then cover the now bare earth.

The largest and most obvious animal in the plains is the Red Kangaroo, the largest macropod, and I saw three other species, the  Common Wallaroo, Western Grey Kangaroo and Swamp Wallaby. Emus were also abundant, with some birds leading parties of up to five juveniles. Unfortunately there are stray cattle about, as well as herds of feral goats. It is not easy to control these non-native species, but the habitats were in good condition overall.

Red Kangaroos Macropus rufus (only the large dominant males are truly red). Note the large ears for keeping cool

Most animal species were reptiles such as the gecko I found on the entrance gate when I arrived, the carpet python that was high in the canopy above our tents and the numerous small lizards. My main focus was on birds this trip, so I didn't have much time to identify most of the reptiles, although I grabbed a few pictures of a skink lurking under tree bark. It seemed to be hiding there, waiting for passing prey.

A Ragged Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblopherus pannosus hides under the bark of a Gidgee tree. 

There are several pools of standing water scattered around the sanctuary and in an arid country, that is a big draw for wildlife. I saw Pied Cormorants, a Darter and a White-necked heron fishing in the larger waterways.

Gumholes Creek - standing water lined with ancient River Red Gums

There is an artificial waterhole in the middle of the camping ground, large enough to attract a Black Swan while I was there, as well as Yellow-billed Spoonbills, Red-necked Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Masked Lapwings and Black-fronted Dotterel.

A Yellow-billed Spoonbill Platalea flavipes and two Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus
- in the campsite waterhole

Another water site was the campsite toilet block, a great favourite of the Desert Tree Frog, with occasional visits from Green Tree Frogs and I would expect snakes looking for frogs, although I never I met any snakes there on my visits.

Night-time is best for looking for frogs in the dunny

As the sign in the loo states, don't mind the frogs they will survive the flush.

A Desert Tree Frog Litoria rubella in the loo

Bright yellow fungus

A cluster of the Yellow Houseplant Mushroom Leucocoprinus birnbaumii

There has been a long warm spell at the end of this summer in Canberra, with a several periods of heavy rain. All of which added up to warm humid conditions - perfect for mushrooms, such as this bright yellow fruiting species that popped up in a plant pot on the verandah.

This is a tropical/warm temperate species with a worldwide range, so the recent warm humidity must have encouraged this one to fruit. The weather in Canberra is not usually so warm and wet at the end of summer and early autumn. The fungus grows in moist, rich organic soils, so the conditions in the pot where a small orange tree grows were probably tipped in its favour as the humidity increased. This is the first time I have seen one in the garden. Although the mycelia can probably live in the soil it takes a period of warm humidity to induce them to fruit.

I saw the fungus sprouting one day and the next they had burst open.

DO NOT EAT

Visitors to the garden pond

A Red Wattlebird sits on the edge of the pond

I had a camera trap set up at our garden pond in Canberra over the summer to see what birds visit it for bathing and drinking. The temperature was up in the high 30's C in late February - early March, so the birds seemed to appreciate the ready supply of cool water. 22 species used the water, 19 native and three alien. See below for the full list, and I have included a link to a video to show several of the birds that came by. To watch the video click here.

The video opens with a group of Red Wattlebirds and Eastern Rosellas splashing in the water. Then it shows two Eastern Rosellas with three young Crimson Rosellas. A single adult Crimson Rosella has a good splash in the middle of the pond and an Australian Magpie calls while coming in for a drink, followed by a young male Satin Bowerbird. He lives in the area and occasionally brings in pieces of blue plastic, in early-learning attempts at building a bower in the garden.

The large birds seemed to come for a drink in the afternoons. A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo takes a drink followed by an Australian Raven. Then as the light began to fade the smallest birds came in. A grey Fantail flitted about nervously, and a White-browed Scrubwren took a few dips under the cover of the falling light while a flock of cockatoos call in the background as they settle to roost. It was almost dark by then.

A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo comes in for a drink

During the night, only the local Brush-tailed Possums came down, but I'll keep setting the camera up as one night something unusual might come in for a drink. Food scraps are easy for animals to find in suburbia, but clean water is not so easy to find.

The highlight of the session? That easily goes to the Giant Water Spider Megadolomedes australianus, although I never managed to catch a picture of her. She was magnificent - they grow to up to 18 cm leg span, and they can eat fish. What a spider.

The full bird list for the garden pond:

Native species:

Crested Pigeon
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Australian King Parrot
Eastern Rosella
Crimson Rosella
Grey Fantail
Superb Fairy-wren
White-browed Scrubwren
Brown Thornbill
Red Wattlebird
Noisy Friarbird
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Eastern Spinebill
Silvereye
Magpie lark
Australian Magpie
Pied Currawong
Australian Raven
Satin Bowerbird

Introduced species:

House Sparrow
Common Myna
Common Starling

Mystery Bird

Ken Bissett's photograph of the mystery bird posted on the chatline

There was a recent request for help with the identification of the above mystery bird in the local Canberra Ornithologists' Group chatline (http://canberrabirds.org.au/). The query was by Ken Bissett of a small bird he had seen at Mulligan's Flat Nature Reserve, an area of woodland north of Canberra. The first online suggestion was that it might be a juvenile Brown-headed Honeyeater Melithreptus brevirostris, and another was a juvenile Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca. It is now early autumn and there are many young birds about, with confusing plumages. The latter is correct and I present below a selection of images to help explain the reasoning for this conclusion.

A first-year Brown-headed Honeyeater

Both species are woodland birds with light greenish/grey upper-parts and pale under-parts, and they are similar in size, about 100 mm in total length. However these are relative colour comparisons which can vary between individuals at different times of the year, so it is better to refer to specific features.

The same Brown-headed Honeyeater in profile

Ken's bird has a pale grey crown and dark grey legs and feet whereas a young, first year Brown-headed Honeyeater has a pale brown crown as pointed out by Mark Clayton, and pale yellow legs and feet, as pointed out by Richard Allen, in replies to the query. This Brown-headed honeyeater also shows a faint buff/yellow line across the nape.

An adult Brown-headed Honeyeater

For comparison between young and adult Brown-headed Honeyeaters, note the dark bill in the adult and the dark greyish-brown crown and side of head, with a clear white line across the nape.

A first-year Western Gerygone

A young, first-year Western Gerygone has a grey crown with no line across the nape (there is no such line on Ken's bird). It has a white eyestripe, emphasised by a dark line between the eye and the base of the bill. This is faint on Ken's bird, but it is there.

The same first-year Western Gerygone seen from the rear

When seen from the rear, the gerygone has obvious white markings on the tips of its tail feathers, which the honeyeater does not have. An alternative, old, name for the gerygone is the White-tailed Warbler, so that is a good feature to look for.

An adult Western Gerygone

There is no ambiguity between the adults of the gerygone and honeyeater. The adult Brown-headed Honeyeater has bold dark head markings and yellow legs and feet. The adult Western Gerygone has no bold head markings, only the small eyestripe. Its main distinguishing features are its red eye, grey legs and feet, and a dark band across its 'white-tail'.

The same adult Western Gerygone seen from the rear

First year plumage

I was out west over last weekend catching birds as part the long-term study at The Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve, which is a cooperative site and the trip was organised by Mark Clayton. The most noticeable trend that I noticed amongst the birds we caught and banded was the high proportion of young birds. It is the end of the breeding season for the passerines and most of the young were free-flying and independent, although some were still being fed by attending parents. The other point I noticed was the different strategies of moult that the various species have adapted to suit their lifestyles. Below are only a few examples.

A first year Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus

This young Scared Kingfisher was in perfect condition with a full set of fully-grown flight feathers, all with fine clean edges. This is a single brooded migrant species and the adults had probably flown north already. The buff tips to this bird's crown and covert feathers indicate that it is a bird hatched in the recent breeding season. So, this bird was ready to fly north probably following innate properties to guide it to its winter quarters in the north of Australia or perhaps Papua New guinea.

A first year Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus ornatus

This young Yellow-plumed Honeyeater is clearly very young, as it still has a yellow gape - the flap of skin at the base of its bill. Therefore, this bird was from a late brood, perhaps a second or even a third reared by its parents. Unlike the kingfisher, this is less critical as it will not have to fly far very soon. At most it will probably range locally or nomadically in and around the breeding region. This bird will join a flock of its species, probably a mixed flock of several honeyeater species, unlike the kingfisher which will live singly until it returns to breed.

The same Yellow-plumed Honeyeater - face on

The plumage details which discern this bird as a youngster are: the brown feathers on its back and crown, the incompletely-grown wing coverts, some of which are still in quill, the yellow base to its bill, the pale brown streaks on its throat and breast and the thin yellow line across the side of its neck.

An adult Yellow-plumed Honeyeater - face on

The plumage details which discern this as an adult Yellow-plumed Honeyeater are: the bright yellow crown with no brown feathers, the yellow plume feathers standing out from the sides of its neck, the heavy black streaks on its throat and breast, and the lustrous black bill.

A first-year Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta

The young birds of the two previous species were both similar in plumage pattern to the adults, only less brightly marked. However, this young Restless Flycatcher is different from the adult birds, it has an orange/buff breast, the adults have almost pure white breasts. These flycatchers live singly when not breeding, or at most in pairs if they stay in their local area, but very little is definitely known of their non-breeding movements. They are also multi-brooded, so any young birds from early broods have to share habitat with breeding pairs, and those pairs would not be their parents if they move from their natal area. Therefore, by having a distinctly coloured breast any adult birds can identify them as youngsters and not regard them as a threat to their breeding, So they are less likely to attack the young birds and the immature birds can live unobtrusively with less harassment. This young bird has a fully grown set of fight feathers, but the primaries and their coverts are a dull dark grey, these are shiny black in the adults. Although, shiny black is not a true appraisal of this wonderfully coloured bird's plumage. The dark feathers have a rich metallic blue lustre, and when they raise their crest as in the image below, they present a very vivid frontage. This young bird has not quite grown all the lustrous feathers on its crown, some still have dull tips. But by next year's breeding season, they will be truly magnificent and offset by a bright white breast. A handsome bird indeed.

The same Restless Flycatcher - face on