Hello birders,
The autumn migration of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters through the Blue Mountains was a bit late getting started this year. The first birds started coming through just over two weeks ago, but because the weather hasn’t been favourable, these amounted to not much more than a trickle of birds. Often the first cold snap of autumn provides the impetus for greater numbers to move, and after last week’s cold change, I’ve been waiting with bated breath!
This morning I spent an hour on Narrow Neck, south of Katoomba, and for the first time this year they were flooding through in torrential numbers, probably at a rate of several thousand an hour. I didn’t do a count, as I was busy recording their flight calls for our team of counters to use as reference material. This year, for the first time ever, members of Blue Mountains Bird Observers are doing regular counts at 9 sites across the mid and upper Blue Mountains. We are planning to continue these counts every autumn as part of the IBA project.
Other birds on Narrow Neck this morning included Red-browed Treecreeper, Rockwarbler, and a Kestrel hovering over the heathland. It’s my favourite time of year in the mountains.
Cheers
Carol
Carol Probets Blue Mountains NSW
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