Hi Folks, We have been getting a Noisy Pitta come around the Lodge feeding area for the last few weeks and was first observed eating banana that a honeyeater had dropped. So we put some more out on the ground and it came in to eat this but on several occasions when there was no banana on the ground it jumped up onto the honeyeater feeder and grabbed some from there. It disappeared after a bit of rain but came back as it dried out and was seen one day sunning itself in front of our units. A image of this can be seen on our blog http://kingfisherparkbirdwatchers.blogspot.com/. This bird looked to be a first year bird as it still had a small dull buffy patch at the base of its bill. Our neighbours had what appeared to be the same bird in their garden two days ago which is when it stopped coming into the feeder. Maybe fancied a change of diet from banana!
Also one of our guests reported seeing an Orange-footed Scrubfowl bashing a frog onto the ground before eating it – not a food item mentioned in HANZAB or any behaviour we have noticed.
Regards, Keith & Lindsay.
I heard a Noisy Pitta yesterday at Coffs Harbour Botanical Gardens. One of the staff said that they are in the Melaleuca section during the winter. They also winter at Bruxner Reserve just north of Coffs – and may be there year round in the higher inland areas. I didn’t get a chance to visit Bruxner yesterday, but it is described well in FINDING AUSTRALIAN BIRDS (Tim Dolby & Rohan Clarke’s new book, which was my constant companion on a quick trip from Geelong to Brisbane over the long weekend). Russell Woodford On 8 June 2014 12:28, Jill & Sue < cassiter@bigpond.com> wrote: _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org
Hi Jill and Sue, Noisy Pittas are thought to be altitudinal migrants moving from high altitudes to lower altitudes during the autumn-winter. I doubt whether i tis really that simple as I suspect some latitudinal migration may also occur. As Pittas are quite rare in the Sydney area I would expect that the Warriewood bird/s would have flown down from further north. The photos show that it has a pink gape and is therefore a first year bird so any sightings in previous years would be of different individuals. We have had many more reports of Pittas turning up in new areas on the NSW north coast during the cooler months over the past couple of years and although it may be due to an increase in observer effort I suspect that there has been a small ‘explosion’ in their numbers. Regards Greg Dr Greg. P. Clancy Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide | PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460 | 02 6649 3153 | 0429 601 960 http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au/ —–Original Message—– Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2014 12:28 PM Having recently seen the Irrawong Noisy Pitta in the same area as in previous years we wonder whether there is anything known about this species migration / winter movements. A google search on ‘behaviour’ only yielded articles about it’s observed behaviour and nesting / breeding behaviour. As the Irrawong bird (there seems to be only one) only appears in winter where has it come from etc? They don’t seem to be great fliers. Obviously the one recently seen near Newington raises similar questions. Any clues? Jill & Sue Jill Rossiter & Sue Casson cassiter@bigpond.com PO Box 17 HORNSBY NSW 1630 02 9487 2496 Mobiles: 0409 578320(Jill); 0417 578320(Sue) _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org