
The first visit by our group to the bushland reserve ‘Ruthven St South’ on Toowoomba’s southern edge proved to be enjoyable, with relatively rich birdlife.
In sunny weather with only light winds, the eight observers followed the maintenance track across the plateau and down the escarpment into the reserve’s lower areas.

The reserve is covered in eucalypt woodland with dominance varying from gum-topped box at the top to yellow box and (mountain) forest red gum lower down, narrow-leaved ironbarks being present throughout.

Understorey has a mix of tussock grass and native and weedy shrubs. Some of the shrubland, a mix of native and weedy shrubs, in upper sectors well beyond the firebreak, had been slashed to ground level; this is of some concern because manicured woodland leaves no habitat for many of the small bush birds and encourages incursion by Noisy Miners—which on this day were confined to top south-western edges of the reserve.

Three standardised 2.0-hectare, 20-minute surveys were completed, each yielding 10 to 13 bird species. Within the overall total of 40 species, Bell Miner (a colony of 50 along the main gully), Silvereye (42), Australasian Figbird (13) and Grey Fantail (10) were counted in highest numbers.


Interesting interactions between three Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and five Galahs seemed to involve contest for a nesting hollow.

Two pairs of Spotted Pardalote were perching low near grassy banks, perhaps checking out potential nest sites.


A Grey Goshawk quietly snuck into view, undetected by the alarm-raising birds, before soon slipping away.
Full sighting list for the day:
Australasian Figbird | Sphecotheres vieilloti |
Australian King-Parrot | Alisterus scapularis |
Australian White Ibis | Threskiornis moluccus |
Bar-shouldered Dove | Geopelia humeralis |
Bell Miner | Manorina melanophrys |
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike | Coracina novaehollandiae |
Brown Cuckoo-Dove | Macropygia phasianella |
Brown Honeyeater | Lichmera indistincta |
Brown Thornbill | Acanthiza pusilla |
Collared Sparrowhawk | Accipiter cirrocephalus |
Crested Pigeon | Ocyphaps lophotes |
Eastern Whipbird | Psophodes olivaceus |
Eastern Yellow Robin | Eopsaltria australis |
Fairy-wren spp | |
Galah | Eolophus roseicapilla |
Golden Whistler | Pachycephala pectoralis |
Grey Fantail | Rhipidura fuliginosa |
Grey Goshawk | Accipiter novaehollandiae |
Grey Shrike-thrush | Colluricincla harmonica |
Laughing Kookaburra | Dacelo novaeguineae |
Lewin’s Honeyeater | Meliphaga lewinii |
Magpie-lark | Grallina cyanoleuca |
Mistletoebird | Dicaeum hirundinaceum |
Noisy Friarbird | Philemon corniculatus |
Noisy Miner | Manorina melanocephala |
Pale-headed Rosella | Platycercus adscitus |
Rainbow Lorikeet | Trichoglossus moluccanus |
Red-browed Finch | Neochmia temporalis |
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet | Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus |
Silvereye | Zosterops lateralis |
Spotted Pardalote | Pardalotus punctatus |
Striated Pardalote | Pardalotus striatus |
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo | Cacatua galerita |
Torresian Crow | Corvus orru |
Varied Sittella | Daphoenositta chrysoptera |
Varied Triller | Lalage leucomela |
Variegated Fairy-wren | Malurus lamberti |
White-browed Scrubwren | Sericornis frontalis |
White-naped Honeyeater | Melithreptus lunatus |
Wonga Pigeon | Leucosarcia melanoleuca |
Yellow-faced Honeyeater | Caligavis chrysops |