1.6.26
Minnippi
Not a bad morning’s birding but nothing on the scale of the previous day – unfortunately. Bright, sunny, calm – a bit nipply in the early part, but warmed up well.
Mostly usual stuff with some increase in numbers from recently: Noisy Friarbirds in noisy number on both tracks – probably about 40 birds in total – Little Friarbirds (~15) along tree line at the top of the hill included a single Striped Honeyeater, approx 30 Scarlet Honeyeaters along with 40+ Silvereyes in a couple of moving flocks, but I was unable to convert anything to the hoped for species reflecting Oxley’s status. Bird of the morning was a pair of Spotted Pardalotes at head height on the M1 track, not, for me, a common bird at Minnippi. (52 species)
Only butterfly seen was a Black Jezebel, but that was probably due to the general weather conditions – i.e. not warmed up enough before I quit.
2.6.26
Anstead & Moggill Pocket Swamp
On site at 7, another bright, sunny, chilly start, once again warming up to a very pleasant morning. I took a very slow approach to walking the tracks checking everything, but was a little disappointed in the end.
Dominant bird – Noisy Friarbirds, probably around 70, maybe more, calling and chasing through the canopy. Encountered several flocks of Scarlet Honeyeaters (~100), Yellow-faced Honeyeaters (~75) and Silvereyes (~50) with smaller numbers of Australian Golden Whistlers, Striated and Spotted Pardalotes and Grey Fantails mixed in, but was unable to extricate anything unusual.
Had 4 Red-necked Wallabys Macropus rufogriseus during the walk and a Frasers Banded Snail Sphaerospira fraseri under the usual log, along with 2 Cane Toads Bufo marinus which I despatched.
One fungus – Rhubarb Bolete Boletellus obscurecoccineus and a tree I wanted to ID – Northern Grey Ironbark Eucalyptus siderophloia.
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| Frasers Banded Snail Sphaerospira fraseri |
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| Rhubarb Bolete Boletellus obscurecoccineus |
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| Northern Grey Ironbark Eucalyptus siderophloia |
I finished at 10, my hopes of a ‘Vagrant from the West’ unfulfilled, but a nice morning none the less.
I picked up a coffee from The Reserve at West Vets and headed out to Moggill Pocket Swamp. The water level was pretty low, considering all the rain we have had lately, but 30+ Grey Teal and smaller numbers of Pacific Black Duck and Australian Wood Duck, Eastern Cattle Egrets, Intermediate Egret, White and Straw-necked Ibis, Masked Lapwings, Purple Swamphens and Dusky Moorhens still infused the location with activity to keep the two resident Water Buffalos amused.
The only butterfly of the day was a single Monarch Danaus plexippus at the Swamp.
