WINGS OF SPRING 2019

Saturday 9th November from 9am

Summary report

Far South Coast Birdwatchers hosted the first event of the Wings of Spring weekend. The morning started with a visit to a conservation property on the banks of the Sandy Creek, a tributary of the Bega River. The group then explored several points along the road south.

The bird list is impressive! 64 species for the day, including such treats as: Channel-billed Cuckoo, Leaden Flycatchers, Sacred Kingfishers, Dollarbirds and a White-bellied Cuckoo Shrike.

FSCB President’s report:

The Far South Coast Birdwatchers teamed up with Atlas of Life members to celebrate The Wings of Spring festival. We visited a 25-acre block on Niagara Lane, which includes 4 hectares set aside as a wildlife refuge under the Voluntary Conservation Agreement. On a pleasant walk through woodlands to Sandy Creek we found Yellow Thornbills, Sacred Kingfishers, a Brown Goshawk and a Swamp Harrier.

A short stop at a large dam further along Niagara Lane added local ducks and woodland birds to our list before moving on to Tantawangalo Lane. At our first roadside stop, we had a good sighting of a Dollarbird sitting on a low fence post and further along counted 22 White-winged Choughs on the lawn in front of the old school.

Our last stop was at the Tantawangalo Mountain Road Reserve and this was the only place we found water flowing in the river; at other places it had been dry or only trickling. Bell Miners greeted us but away from the colony we soon found Rufous Fantails, Leaden Flycatchers, Rufous and Golden Whistlers. We could hear Spotted Pardalotes, Eastern Whipbirds and Lewin’s Honeyeaters. During lunch we saw a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and a pair of Gang-gangs flew over. We recorded 64 bird species for the day.

A few photos from the day …