Birding About

Rob Palazzi conducts a monthly bird survey around Coal Point- Carey Bay, ably assisted by Michael Paver. They’ve been monitoring a Satin Bowerbird nest on the West Ridge over the past 10 months and have provided some background on the bower habits of the local bowerbirds.

"The Satins like all birds need a rest period to get a break from the non-stop worry about breeding! The effort needed and the motivation to keep at it (bower-building) probably doesn’t go 12 months of the year. What will be interesting is how that old bower shows over the next several months.

The other bower in the Carey Bay Wetlands has been non-functional for some time now. It is unlikely, given the distance separating the bowers, that this is the same bird, so we might see both become active again come spring. Michael and I often see a male in Noorumba and he will sometimes fly off in the direction of the Wetlands reserve. There appears to be at least one female around that area as well. We have also recorded the two sexes down the school end of the Ridge, so probably two pairs.

Of note otherwise - the numbers of lorikeet (particularly Musk) will be reducing as the Spotted Gum blossom fades. They also like the Swamp Mahogany, which is flowering now, although there are only a few of these trees in the reserves.

We found a few of the smaller birds this month particularly on the Ridge reserves. A lone Lewin’s Honeyeater (a first for our surveys) plus a pair of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike were nice visitors." 

Images courtesy Rod Palazzi.