Report on bird banding at Coutts Crossing (North) 26-27 April 2014

Banding was carried out on the banks of the Orara River, at Coutts Crossing by three banders, with one assistant.  Banding has been carried out in the Coutts Crossing area since 1985 with a total of 2126 individuals of 96 species having been banded to date. 

Banders:  Greg Clancy, Bill Greenlees, Jan Patterson

Assistant: Val Clancy

Forty-six birds of nine species were mist netted on the two days, nine being retraps. 

The results are shown in the table below.

SPECIES	26/04/2014	27/04/2014	TOTALS
	Banded Retrap	Banded   Retrap	Banded Retrap
Grey Fantail	4         1	2          0	6         1
Rose Robin	1         0	0          0	1         0
Eastern Yellow Robin	4         1	1          0	5         1
Golden Whistler	6         2	0          0	6         2
Brown Thornbill	4         0	2          0	6         0
Large-billed Scrubwren	2         0	0          0	2         0
Brown Honeyeater	1         0	0          0	1         0
Lewin’s Honeyeater	4         4	4          1	8         5
Red-browed Finch	2         0	0          0	2         0
TOTALS	28         8	9          1	37         9

Orara River, Coutts Crossing

 

Mist net set along Orara River

Two Golden Whistler retraps were very interesting as they had been banded as grey female type birds on 26/05/2012, one with bright yellow underwing coverts, yellow vent, and with scattered yellow patches on belly and tibia and with black feathers around the eye.  It was aged and sexed as a 3+ male at that time.  When retrapped on 26/04/14 it was in full adult male plumage with its upper tail being about 2/3 black.  The tail wing ratio suggested that it was of the subspecies youngi, found in Victoria, Southern NSW and the western slopes of NSW.  Birds in Queensland have completely black tails and local Coutts Crossing birds would be expected to have almost fully black tails.

Adult male Golden Whistler retrap

 

Tail of adult male Golden Whistler

 

 

 

The other retrap Golden Whistler was in grey, female type, plumage when banded but had a bright yellow vent and undertail coverts, with yellow feathers on its breast, tibia and near the alula (underwing).  Although I was aware that old adult female Golden Whistlers can have some yellow feathering in these areas I thought that it was most likely an immature male.  Its markings hadn’t changed in the nearly 2 years between being banded and retrapped so it was obviously an old adult female bird.  I have heard that old domestic hens can start to assume male characteristics as the gonads deteriorate with age.  This may also happen in birds like the Golden Whistler.

 

5+ female Golden Whistler retrap





Undertail coverts and vent of 5+ female Golden Whistler


 

Yellow markings on underparts of female Golden Whistler

 

Five of the retraps were Lewin’s Honeyeaters banded in 2012 and 2013.  One was banded on 27/05/12 and was retrapped on 07/12/13 and 26/04/14 and another banded on 30/03/13 and retrapped on 07/12/13, 26/04/14 and 27/04/14.  The one Grey Fantail retrap was banded on 27/05/12.  It, and the other 6 Grey Fantails caught, had tail-wing ratios suggesting that they were of the Tasmanian race. 

 

One Black Swan was observed on the Orara River along with 5 Pacific Black Ducks.  An Azure Kingfisher was foraging along the Riverbank.  A Brown Cuckoo-Dove was calling most of the weekend.  This species is uncommon at this site.  A flock of 100+ Straw-necked Ibis flew overhead flying east.  A pile of feathers on the ground was the only indication that there had been a Russet-tailed Thrush in the area.  It had most likely been killed by an avian predator such as a Brown Goshawk.

 

 

Feathers of Russet-tailed Thrush from predator kill

 

The full list follows: birds: Black Swan, Pacific Black Duck, White-headed Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Bar-shouldered Dove, Wonga Pigeon, Straw-necked Ibis, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Rainbow Lorikeet, Australian King-Parrot, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Azure Kingfisher, Laughing Kookaburra, Superb Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Large-billed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, Brown Thornbill, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Pardalote, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Eastern Whipbird, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Golden Whistler, Little Shrike-thrush, Grey Shrike-thrush, Australasian Figbird, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow, Restless Flycatcher, Rose Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin, Silvereye, Welcome Swallow, Russet-tailed Thrush, Mistletoebird, Red-browed Finch. Reptiles:
Eastern Water Dragon, Garden Sun-skink.  

 

Adult male Rose Robin

Adult male Red-browed Finch