Highfields Falls is always a delight to visit and on a cool overcast day it still held some surprises.
It was a great relief to finally meet as a group for a birding walk at Highfields Falls on 9 April, after a four month hiatus due to the end-of-year break, covid requirements and wet weather.
The breezy overcast weather did not deter the ten people who participated though our list of species was shorter than what this excellent park usually delivers.
On previous occasions the group has conducted a 500m-radius survey here but today we completed three 2ha-20minute surveys. These sites can be revisited on future occasions.
We were ahead of the cool-season influx of birds from southern states and a Rufous Fantail was still present in the wetter forest (not yet returned to the north). Along with some other park users, we saw a Grey Goshawk and Brown Goshawk overhead, apparently competing for territorial space. Scarlet Honeyeaters were among the nectar feeders in flowering orange mistletoe.
This is the total list for the day:
Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
Brown Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia phasianella
Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus
Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla
Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera
Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis
Galah Eolophus roseicapilla
Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa
Grey Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae
Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
Lewin’s Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii
Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum
Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus
Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida
Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis
Red-backed Fairy-wren Malurus melanocephalus
Red-browed Finch Neochmia temporalis
Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
Scarlet Honeyeater Myzomela sanguinolenta
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis
Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus
Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera
White-naped Honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus
Yellow-faced Honeyeater Caligavis chrysops
One reply on “Highfields Falls”
I was very interested to read about the Cooby Creek Bird Survey 1995, as Wes & I had started doing monthly surveys there from May 1996. We are doing fewer outings there now, but over the years have recorded 136 species and it was good to compare our sightings during that period, quite nostalgic in fact!