Report on Bird Banding at Gibraltar Range and Washpool National Parks 04-08/12/2014

REPORT ON BIRD BANDING AT GIBRALTAR RANGE NATIONAL PARK 04-08.12.2014

Banders:  Greg Clancy, Bill Greenlees,

Trainee banders: Wendy & Alan Pilkington, Lindsey Nietmann.  

Assistants/Visitors: Val Clancy, Bill O’Donnell, Paul O’Callaghan, Kirsten Wallis, Koby Lindsell.

Banding was carried out near the residence at Dandahra Creek (Rangers Office) on Thursday December 4 and Friday December 5 and at Surveyors Gully on Saturday December 6 and Sunday December 7, both sites in Gibraltar Range National Park, and at Bellbird, in Washpool National Park, on Monday December 8.

Adult male Yellow-throated Scrubwren

One hundred and eleven birds of 22 species were mist netted over the five day session.  Seventeen were retraps, having been banded previously.  Ninety-three were banded as first time captures.

Species	Rangers 04/12	Rangers 05/12	Surveyors 06/12	Surveyors 07/12	Bellbird 08/12	Totals   B   R
Azure Kingfishe	B      R  0       0	B      R 0       0	B       R   0        0	B       R   0        0	B       R 1        0	1    0
Grey Fantail	0       0	1       0	1        0	0        0	0        0	2    0
Rufous Fantail	0       0	0       0	2        0	0        0	5        0	7    0
Scarlet Robin	0       0	0       0	0        0	2        0	0        0	2    0
Eastern Yellow Robin	0       0	2       1	3        0	1        0	0        0	6    1
Golden Whistler	0       0	0       0	0        1	3        0	0        0	3    1
Rufous Whistler	1       0	0       0	0        0	5        0	0        0	6    0
Grey Shrike-thrush	0       0	1       0	0        0	0        0	0        0	1    0
Brown Thornbill	1       0	2       0	2        2	3        2	0        0	8    4
White-browed Scrubwre	0       0	2       0	1        0	0        0	1        0	4    0
Yellow-throated Scrubwre	0       0	0       0	3        2	0        0	0        0	3    2
Large-billed Scrubwre	0       0	0       0	1        0	0        0	0        0	1     0
White-throated Treecreeper	0        0	0       1	0        0	0         1	0        0	0     2
Red-browed Treecreeper	0        0	5       0	0        0	0         0	0        0	5     0
Spotted Pardalote	0        0	1       0	0        0	0         0	0        0	1     0
Silvereye	0        0	2       0	0        0	1         0	0        0	3     0
White-naped Honeyeat	0        0	4       0	0        0	0         0	0        0	4     0
Eastern Spinebill	0        0	1       1	2        1	1         0	0        0	4     2
Lewin’s Honeyeat	0        0	0       0	0        1	0         0	1        0	1     1
Yellow-faced Honeyeat	0        0	7       1	0        0	4         0	0        0	11    1
White-eared Honeyeat	0        0	1       0	0        0	0         0	0        0	1     0
Red-browed Finch	1        0	2       2	4        0	11        1	1        0	19   3
TOTALS	3        0	31     6	19       7	31        4	9        0	93  17

Adult female Red-browed Treecreeper

Juvenile White-naped Honeyeater

Adult male Spotted Pardalote

Adult White-eared Honeyeater

The retraps were:

Eastern Yellow Robin:  Banded as adult (2+) at Rangers Office on 11/09/12.

Retrapped on 05/12/14, nearly 2 years 3 months after banding.

Golden Whistler: Banded as 4+ male at Surveyors on 16/11/07.  Retrapped

on 06/12/14, over 7 years after banding.

Brown Thornbill: (1) Banded at Surveyors on 24/08/13 retrapped on

                09/09/12, 24/08/13 and 07/12/14 the last occasion over 4 years

                after banding.

            (2) Banded as 2+ female at Surveyors on 26/08/13.  Retrapped on

                  06/12/14, over 1 year 3 months after banding.

            (3) Banded at Surveyors on 16/11/07.  Retrapped on 28/08/13 and

     06/12/14, the latter occasion being over 7 years after banding.

            (4) Banded (2+) at Surveyors on 27/11/10.  Retrapped on 07/12/14,

over 4 years after banding.

Yellow-throated Scrubwren: (1) Banded (2+ female) at Surveyors on

                  26/08/13. Retrapped on 06/12/14, over 1 year 3months after

      banding.

(2) Banded (2+ male) at Surveyors on 21/11/09.  Retrapped on

     06/12/14, over 5 years after banding.

White-throated Treecreeper: (1) 1^st year female banded at Surveyors on

     27/11/11.  Retrapped on 07/12/14, over 3 years after banding.

(2) Banded (2+ female) at Rangers Office on 23/08/13.  Retrapped on

      05/12/14, over 1 year 3 months after banding.

Eastern Spinebill: (1) Adult (2+) female banded at Rangers Office on

     15/11/07.  Retrapped on 11/09/12 and 05/12/14, the latter occasion

     over 7 years after banding.

(2) Adult (2+) male banded at Surveyors on 26/08/13.  Retrapped on

     06/12/14, over 1 year 3 months after banding.

Lewin’s Honeyeater: Adult (2+) female banded at Surveyors on 21/11/09.

    Retrapped on 06/12/14, over 5 years after banding.

Yellow-faced Honeyeater: 1^st year bird banded at Rangers Office on

    11/09/12.  Retrapped (3^rd year male) on 05/12/14, nearly 2 years 3

    months after banding.

Red-browed Finch: (1) 1^st year male banded at Rangers Office on 11/09/12.

    Retrapped on 05/12/14, nearly 2 years 3 months after banding.

(2) 2+ female banded at Rangers Office on 04/12/14.  Retrapped on

    05/12/14, the next day.

(3) 2+ male banded at Surveyors on 06/12/14.  Retrapped on

    07/12/2014, the next day.

One of the two Grey Fantails banded was of the Tasmanian race based on its tail to wing ratio while the second was in the overlap zone of measurements.

Adult male Scarlet Robin

Adult male Golden Whistler

Adult Azure Kingfisher

Red-bellied Black Snake in banding camp

Three Glossy Black-Cockatoos, a pale morph Little Eagle and a Crested Shrike-tit were interesting observations near the residence at Dandahra Picnic Area.  A Rufous Scrub-bird was heard calling at Surveyors Gully on December 5 & 6.  A Crested Shrike-tit and two Musk Lorikeets were also present at the same location.  A Red-bellied Black Snake decided to join us at the banding site in Washpool National Park on December 08.  Three species of skink were also observed - the Cunningham's, White's and Grass Sun-skink.

Cunningham's Skink

White's Skink

Grass Sun-skink

Birds coping with the heat wave

The past weekend in the Clarence Valley, as in many other parts of Eastern Australia, has seen the temperature rise to the low forties.  This has put a strain on the electricity supply with everyone running their air conditioners and fans at full power.  There was a blackout last night, presumably due to the excessive demand.

Birds don't have the luxury of air conditioners but their feathers are good thermal regulators and they adopt behaviours to reduce heat stress.  One behaviour is to sit on a perch with wings drooped and spread and with the bill open and the bird panting.  Yesterday our bird bath was the centre of attention with an immature male and and adult female Australian King-Parrot spending many hours perched on its rim.  They weren't seen to drink or bath but just sat there above the cool water.  I suspect that they did drink when I wasn't watching.  A whole line-up of other birds came and went as they sat there, not moving.  A Noisy Friarbird took charge and chased off two Lewin's Honeyeaters but they quietly returned when the aggressive Friarbird had moved on.  The Little Wattlebirds, that usually own the bird bath, were in and out as the larger parrots and pugnacious Friarbird seemed to make them a bit shy for once.  A Willie Wagtail popped in for a drink.

A Lewin's Honeyeater baths as the King-Parrots sit nearby (3 photos)

An Olive-backed Oriole drank at a water dish nearby and two or three Grey-crowned Babblers came in to the bird bath for a drink.  They don't usually visit the bird bath so the extreme heat must have influenced this behaviour.  A Little Friarbird also tried its luck against its larger relative and successfully managed a short drink.

Immature male and adult female Australian King-Parrots sitting on edge of bird bath

This morning three Bar-shouldered Doves walked in to the water dish and drank.

Hopefully these heat wave conditions will subside soon but with the predictions about the effects of climate change we are likely to be in for some regular bouts of extreme weather on a regular basis.

Trip to Bingara

On Saturday June 11 Val and I drove to Bingara to attend the Myall Creek Massacre Memorial on the Sunday June 12 with some of our family.  We travelled from Coutts Crossing to Grafton and then along the Gwydir Highway to Glen Innes, where we had a 'cuppa' stop and then on to Inverell.  From Inverell we travelled to Delungra and then turned off towards Bingara.  Before arriving at Bingara we passed the Myall Creek Massacre Memorial site.  West of Grafton we found a road-killed immature  Superb Lyrebird.  The habitat was dry open forest so it is unlikely that the bird was killed at that site.  It was most likely carried by a vehicle from the Gibraltar Range, to the west, and dropped off the vehicle at this point in unsuitable habitat.  A dead Superb Lyrebird was found some years back in the car park of Shopping World, in the middle of Grafton.  It had obviously been transported from somewhere in the ranges.

Road-killed immature Superb Lyrebird

We stayed at the Riverside Caravan Park and after booking in explored the town.  I have been in the area frequently in the past 5 years deploying and retrieving cameras for the National Parks & Wildlife Service's Wildcount project but hadn't spent much time in the town.  It is an interesting town with many old and historic buildings including the Roxy Theatre.

Bingara viewed from the lookout

 

Along one back street we found a yard full of Wallaroos, obviously a wildlife carer's home.  On the nature strip of another street were 2-3 Spotted Bowerbirds.  They were eating the flatweeds in the lawn.  I didn't check the species of weed but they looked like Catsears Hypocheirus sp.

Spotted Bowerbird feeding on flatweeds Bingara

The Myall Creek Massacre Memorial was a moving and uplifting event as it remembered a shocking massacre but has resulted in a wonderful act of reconciliation.   Check out the website (myallcreek.info) if you want to know more about this part of Australia's history that is often swept under the carpet.

Indigenous dancers at the ceremony

On the return trip we travelled via the Copeton Dam and had lunch near the dam wall.  Red Wattlebirds, White-plumed Honeyeaters, Superb Fairy-wrens and a White-browed Scrubwren joined us.   Leaving the Dam area we found a freshly road-killed Grey Shrike-thrush.  The orange-buff eye-brow indicated that it was an immature bird.

All in all a weekend with mixed emotions with the enjoyment of visiting such a nice piece of Australia and seeing some of the local wildlife while remembering the tragic past history of colonization.

Silver lining in clouds

This week's east coast low that battered the coast of eastern Australia with dramatic and damaging effects has also brought some benefits.  The extremely dry conditions experienced for many months across much of eastern Australia had caused the local Clarence Valley wetlands to dry up.  Wetland birds had been concentrating on the small remnants of water sitting in a few wetlands or around farm dams, which themselves were beginning to dry out.

Deadmans Swamp full after the rain

Deadmans Swamp, Coutts Crossing

The low brought with it hundreds of mm of rain in 24 hours causing most local wetlands to fill.  The water flowing into the Orara River flooded out over the paddocks at Coutts Crossing.  The Orara River drains areas behind Coffs Harbour so the rise in the River included local runoff and runoff from the Coffs Harbour hinterland.



On Sunday afternoon an adult female Black-necked Stork was foraging at Deadmans Swamp, Coutts Crossing, along with a number of White-necked and White-faced Herons, two Royal Spoonbills, a flock of Straw-necked Ibis and others.  At Brothersons Swamp I photographed a Yellow-billed Spoonbill that was roosting with a group of Royal Spoonbills.  On our walk on Monday we couldn't reach Brothersons Swamp as the Orara River had broken its banks.

Adult female Black-necked Stork at Deadmans Swamp

Yellow-billed Spoonbill and Royal Spoonbill loafing in dead tree Brothersons Swamp

Yellow-billed Spoonbill preening, Brothersons Swamp, Coutts Crossing

Royal Spoonbill, Brothersons Swamp

                               The cloud formations at the tail end of the low decorated the sky.

Clouds over Coutts Crossing on Sunday

Brothersons Swamp - full to the brim on Sunday

Black Swans enjoy the water at Brothersons Swamp

On Monday the floodwaters had backed up from the Orara River and flooded the small bridge over McIntosh Creek.

Flood waters covering the bridge at McIntosh Creek

By Wednesday the River had receded but the water remained in the wetlands.   The bridge at McIntosh Creek was again passable.

Bridge at McIntosh Creek after the flood

Whether this dump of water will encourage our local Black-necked Storks to breed this season will become apparent in future months.  Prior to the east coast low the chance of them breeding was virtually zero.

A fruity meal

Common Eggfly

After 30 years of developing our local native plant garden at Coutts Crossing, north coast New South Wales, the ecological benefits are very obvious.  Planting and regenerating local native plants means that the local fauna is pre-adapted to these plants and many species, in particular the insects, rely on a narrow range of native species for their life cycle to play out.  Common Grass Yellow (Butterflies) lay their eggs on the leaves of the Coffee Bush or Dwarf's Apple Breynia oblongifolia and other butterfly and moth species use other local plants species.

Caterpillar of moth Psilogramma menephron in backyard, Coutts Crossing

Adult male Eastern Koel perched on fruits of a Bangalow Palm with a Native Grape in front

In recent weeks a number of these local plants have been fruiting and this has attracted the frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds to the garden.  These include the Eastern Koel, Australasian Figbird, Olive-backed Oriole, Lewin's Honeyeater, Satin Bowerbird, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Mistletoebird and White-headed Pigeon.  The main fruiting plants have been the Bangalow Palm Archontophoenix cunninghamiana,  Cockspur Thorn Maclura cochinchinensis, Red-fruited Rice-flower Wikstroemia indica, Cheese Tree Glochidion ferdinandi and Native Grape Caryratia clematidea.

Adult male Eastern Koel eating a Bangalow Palm fruit

 The red fruits of the Rice-flower are toxic to humans but have no detrimental effect on birds.  There are a few old-wives tales (or maybe old-husbands tales to be politically correct) concerning the toxicity of wild fruit.  One states that if a bird eats a fruit it is not poisonous to humans - this is certainly incorrect with the Rice-flower being a good example.  Another states that all red fruits are toxic but the fruits of the Walking Stick Palm are red and are very sweet and tasty to humans and are not toxic.  In determining the potential toxicity of wild fruits there is no easy rule to follow.  You have to rely on a knowledge of other people's experience such as whether the fruit was consumed by aboriginal people or what has been written in the various books on wild fruits.

Immature Australasian Fig perched in bottlebrush searching for fruit on nearby vines

The stage of ripeness can also be a factor in the toxicity of fruits and closely related species may also vary in their effects.  Most Lilly Pillys are edible but I know of a group of people who became ill after eating the fruit of a particular species in northern New South Wales.

Immature Australasian Figbird eating the fruit of the Cockspur Thorn

Adult male Mistletoebird