Hi All,
Spent 9-14 Jul on Kangaroo Island with my family. We experienced a bit of wild weather with a couple of gales passing through (one bringing wind gusts to 120 kph and 26 mm of rain). Recorded 79 species of birds including five heard only (Little Penguin, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Banded Lapwing, Southern Boobook, Striated Pardalote).
Some of the highlights were six views of Western Whipbirds at three locations though never managed to get the bins on this desperately shy bird as they were too close, a trio of Glossy Black Cockatoos at the Baudin CP near Penneshaw on 14 Jul, Sacred Kingfisher at American River, Hooded Plover at Destrees Bay, Beautiful Firetail, Southern Emu-wren, Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo, Dusky Woodswallows, several Tree Martins, Tawny-crowned and many Purple-gaped Honeyeaters. One surprise sighting was a Wild Turkey-is there an established feral population on KI? Some of the resident birds I did not see were Little Wattlebird, Shy Heathwren and Bassian Thrush.
Following the first major gale I spent a bit of time seawatching at Admiral’s Arch but no Antarctic Terns. There were at least five Fairy Terns and one White-fronted Tern on this day 11 Jul. Seabirds were quite sparse overall but managed to see two Southern Skuas and on the return ferry single Shy and Black-browed Albatrosses. The rain brought out the frogs with spectacular choruses of Crinia signifera, Litoria ewingii and Neobatrachus pictus-I had forty frogs in one sweep of the bins with my torch. Great to see and hear. Rummaging under some tin at an abandoned demolished shack I found Thick-tailed and Marbled Geckos and the four-toed fossorial skink Hemiergis peronii, right at the bottom was a wonderful Pygmy Copperhead.
Headed to the Barossa for a bit of food and wine. Dropped by Sampson Road, Elizabeth Vale and in the afternoon saw at least six Barbary Doves mixed in with Crested Pigeons and Spotted Doves near number 30 on 15 Jul.
Dion
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Hi Dion,
Re Brush Turkey. A pair were introduced in 1936 into the Flinders Chase NP. And they are doing very well but not often seen. As are Peacocks.
For any one going to KI there is a bird book called: Birds of Kangaroo Island. A book you will find very very useful. It is available from the Information Centre, which is on the feft as you climb the hill from the ferry.
Trevor Cowie
—– Original Message —– Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 12:19 PM
Hi All,
Spent 9-14 Jul on Kangaroo Island with my family. We experienced a bit of wild weather with a couple of gales passing through (one bringing wind gusts to 120 kph and 26 mm of rain). Recorded 79 species of birds including five heard only (Little Penguin, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Banded Lapwing, Southern Boobook, Striated Pardalote).
Some of the highlights were six views of Western Whipbirds at three locations though never managed to get the bins on this desperately shy bird as they were too close, a trio of Glossy Black Cockatoos at the Baudin CP near Penneshaw on 14 Jul, Sacred Kingfisher at American River, Hooded Plover at Destrees Bay, Beautiful Firetail, Southern Emu-wren, Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo, Dusky Woodswallows, several Tree Martins, Tawny-crowned and many Purple-gaped Honeyeaters. One surprise sighting was a Wild Turkey-is there an established feral population on KI? Some of the resident birds I did not see were Little Wattlebird, Shy Heathwren and Bassian Thrush.
Following the first major gale I spent a bit of time seawatching at Admiral’s Arch but no Antarctic Terns. There were at least five Fairy Terns and one White-fronted Tern on this day 11 Jul. Seabirds were quite sparse overall but managed to see two Southern Skuas and on the return ferry single Shy and Black-browed Albatrosses. The rain brought out the frogs with spectacular choruses of Crinia signifera, Litoria ewingii and Neobatrachus pictus-I had forty frogs in one sweep of the bins with my torch. Great to see and hear. Rummaging under some tin at an abandoned demolished shack I found Thick-tailed and Marbled Geckos and the four-toed fossorial skink Hemiergis peronii, right at the bottom was a wonderful Pygmy Copperhead.
Headed to the Barossa for a bit of food and wine. Dropped by Sampson Road, Elizabeth Vale and in the afternoon saw at least six Barbary Doves mixed in with Crested Pigeons and Spotted Doves near number 30 on 15 Jul.
Dion
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Hi Dion,
Last year September we had a number of Wild Turkeys on Kangaroo Island. I thought they were free-roaming farm birds? (Also 20+ Glossy Black-Cockatoos and 20+ Tammar Wallabies at American River)
Cheers,
Nikolas
—————- Nikolas Haass nhaass@yahoo.com Sydney, NSW
—– Original Message —- href=”mailto:birding-aus@vicnet.net.au”>birding-aus@vicnet.net.au Sent: Sun, July 18, 2010 12:49:15 PM
Hi All,
Spent 9-14 Jul on Kangaroo Island with my family. We experienced a bit of wild weather with a couple of gales passing through (one bringing wind gusts to 120 kph and 26 mm of rain). Recorded 79 species of birds including five heard only (Little Penguin, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Banded Lapwing, Southern Boobook, Striated Pardalote).
Some of the highlights were six views of Western Whipbirds at three locations though never managed to get the bins on this desperately shy bird as they were too close, a trio of Glossy Black Cockatoos at the Baudin CP near Penneshaw on 14 Jul, Sacred Kingfisher at American River, Hooded Plover at Destrees Bay, Beautiful Firetail, Southern Emu-wren, Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo, Dusky Woodswallows, several Tree Martins, Tawny-crowned and many Purple-gaped Honeyeaters. One surprise sighting was a Wild Turkey-is there an established feral population on KI? Some of the resident birds I did not see were Little Wattlebird, Shy Heathwren and Bassian Thrush.
Following the first major gale I spent a bit of time seawatching at Admiral’s Arch but no Antarctic Terns. There were at least five Fairy Terns and one White-fronted Tern on this day 11 Jul. Seabirds were quite sparse overall but managed to see two Southern Skuas and on the return ferry single Shy and Black-browed Albatrosses. The rain brought out the frogs with spectacular choruses of Crinia signifera, Litoria ewingii and Neobatrachus pictus-I had forty frogs in one sweep of the bins with my torch. Great to see and hear. Rummaging under some tin at an abandoned demolished shack I found Thick-tailed and Marbled Geckos and the four-toed fossorial skink Hemiergis peronii, right at the bottom was a wonderful Pygmy Copperhead.
Headed to the Barossa for a bit of food and wine. Dropped by Sampson Road, Elizabeth Vale and in the afternoon saw at least six Barbary Doves mixed in with Crested Pigeons and Spotted Doves near number 30 on 15 Jul.
Dion
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