Greg's Wildlife Ramblings: Report on bird banding at Iluka Nature Reserve 23-25 August 2014

Banding camp Iluka North

Banders: Greg Clancy, Greg Little

Trainees: Alan & Wendy Pilkington, Christina Buelow, Rob Kite

Assistants/Visitors: Val Clancy, Bill O’Donnell, Russell Jago, Ron Felzer (USA)

Strangler Fig Ficus watkinsiana shading the camp

Banding was carried out at the northern end of the Nature Reserve, off the Iluka Bluff Road, on 23 & 24 August and at the southern end, off Long Street, on 25 August. Five Australian Brush-turkeys were caught and banded at Woody Head using a leg noose.

First year female Australian Brush-turkey

Alan with his Brush-turkey

Thirty-four birds were mist netted and noosed over the three day survey. Six were retraps, having been banded previously, and twenty-eight were banded as first time captures.

The results are shown in the table below.

SPECIES	23/08/2014	24/08/2014	25/08/2014	TOTALS
	Banded Retrap	Banded Retrap	Banded Retrap	Banded Retrap
Australian Brush-turkey	2 0	0 0	3 0	5 0
Fan-tailed Cuckoo	0 0	1 0	1 0	2 0
Rufous Fantail	3 0	0 0	0 0	3 0
Eastern Yellow Robin	1 1	2 3	1 1	4 5
Golden Whistler	0 0	0 0	2 0	2 0
Little Shrike-thrush	1 0	0 0	0 0	1 0
Brown Thornbill	0 0	1 0	0 0	1 0
White-browed Scrubwren	0 0	0 0	1 0	1 0
Large-billed Scrubwren	2 0	0 0	0 0	2 0
Silvereye	0 0	2 0	0 0	2 0
Eastern Spinebill	0 0	1 0	0 0	1 0
Lewin’s Honeyeater	1 0	1 0	1 0	3 0
Red-browed Finch	0 0	1 0	0 0	1 0
Regent Bowerbird	0 0	0 0	0 1	0 1
TOTALS	10 1	9 3	9 2	28 6

Little Shrike-thrush

Adult male Fan-tailed Cuckoo

All species trapped, except for the Australian Brush-turkeys, were ones that are regularly banded at the site, including some very colourful species such as the Rufous Fantail and Regent Bowerbird.

Adult Rufous Fantail

Immature male Regent Bowerbird

The six retraps comprised five Eastern Yellow Robins and one Regent Bowerbird all originally banded at the site of recapture. Their banding and retrap details are as follows:

Adult Eastern Yellow Robin

Eastern Yellow Robin

024-39798 Banded (first year male) by me on 30 Aug 2007, retrapped three

times, by Anthony Overs on 5 May 2009, Bill Greenlees on 21 Feb

2011 and by me on 25 Aug 2014, nearly 7 years after banding;

026-42427 Banded (first year) by Bill Greenlees on 30 Jan 2010, retrapped by

me on 23 Aug 2014, over 4 years 6 months after banding.

026-79018 Banded by me (2+) on 19 Feb 2011,retrapped by me on 24 Aug

2014, over 3 years 6 months after banding;

026-79084 Banded by me on 17 Dec 2011, retrapped by me on 24 Aug 2014,

over 2 years 8 months after banding;

026-94987 Banded (1) on 23 Aug 2014. Retrapped on

24 August 2014, one day after banding.

Regent Bowerbird

062-65942 Immature (2+) male banded by me on 14 Oct 2013, retrapped on

25 Aug 2014, over 10 months after banding.

Interesting records were of White-eared Monarchs and Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves calling in the Nature Reserve. Noisy Pittas were seen and heard at Woody Head. As usual Bill O’Donnell and I photographed some Greenhood orchids.