Dear All,
I spent yesterday in the field around Adelaide with Frank O’Connor who was briefly in town. A most enjoyable day with some good birds, highlights being — as per the subject line — both Chestnut-rumped and Shy Heathwren. Good list of honeyeaters, though nothing “special”: Crescent, New Holland, Yellow-faced, Singing, Brown-headed, White-plumed, Spiny-cheeked, Purple-gaped, Tawny-crowned (h.o.), Eastern Spinebill, Red Wattlebird.
We started at Black Hill where it took some patience but eventually we were rewarded with decent views (though no photo op) of Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (Parkeri). Many thanks to those who responded to my RFI from a few weeks ago. It is really pleasing to see that they are still present in the hills. After breakfast we headed to Brown’s Rd near Monarto where there was a surprising dearth of robins (Red-capped h.o.), best birds being Diamond Firetail, Brown Treecreeper and Owlet-nightjar (heard by both of us, but flushed from the ground into a deep hole in a tree before I got onto it). At Monarto CP we walked the loop trail and despite the late hour (1.30-2.30pm) had good views of a pair of Shy Heathwren, and brief views of Purple-gaped Honeyeater, but Scrub-Robin was heard-only. Finished off at Laratinga Wetlands on our way back to Adelaide where there are still (at least) four Freckled Duck. Also 3 Spotted Crake and a showy Spotless, but the water levels are much higher than late summer and so not the obvious numbers of crakes of earlier in the year.
Cheers, Ian
