Tuesday 15-12-09 report

Sparrowhawk: not at nest - feels like they have abandoned the nest - very quiet around - just get that feeling.
Peewees- watched changeover and male feeding(?) hatchlings maybe certainly busy in nest.
Sacred Kingfisher near nest.
Dollarbirds up my end.
Fantail cuckoo SLP
No channelbills this morning no whipbird calls.
oh and the tortoise of course

first sunlight

Saturday 12-12-09

Sparrowhawk not at nest when I walked past and back later.
Peewee: watched peewee male with food in bill trying to feed chick (couldn't see chick)
Sacred Kingfisher: watched SK enter and disappear into nest hole in termite nest.
Just missed getting more pics of turtles near the rock FSC
Heard Horsfield's cuckoo Suger Loaf Point bush.
Silvereyes - watched them flying in wind the other day -- just like leaves being swept about in sky by the wind.

Friday 11-12-09 report fro walk

Sparrowhawk sitting at edge of nest cup and higher up suggesting maybe making room of hatchling(s). hopefully. Lots of curra wongs around - one was diving on the sparrowhawk the other day.
Whipbirds chasing each other around right next to me on track down to creek - watched it for some time - they were out in the open a lot not seeming to mind or notice me right there.Peewees- watched the change over at the nest.
Dollarbirds around Sugar Loaf Point.
Rufous fantail - immature - close to me watched for a while - interesting markings.
Black-faced cuckoo-shrike - immature just the black mark thru eye.
Sacred kingfishers mating - did I mention that before. then no sign of for the last few days.
Lorikeet nesting no sign of
Finches nest - no sign of.
Storm birds still racous calling of the four flying around over the last week.
The turtles this morning.
Photos of white orchids this morning - hard to get a good pic of this.

Turtles in Buffalo Creek Fri morn. 7.00am 11-12-09

Can you find this little turtle feeding under water on plants?

Wednesday 9 Dec 2009 6.30 am walking the 6 k

Collared sparrowhawk: sitting high in nest, wings seem spread alittle, looking around and down - maybe chick has hatched;
also note the bird on the nest is not in brooding mode seems obvious from body language

Sacred Kingfishers: my end: saw them mating this morning nearby their termits nest hole.

Peewees: still brooding
Cat: saw a domestic cat on boardwalk - must be cats about but this is the first time I have ever seen one in FOM

Lorikeets exploring termite nest above track two of them in the nest - this one was used as a nest by kookaburras before my end

Tues 8 Dec 2009

This morning 6.30 am on
keep seeing this little longneck tortoise I think it is in the creek.
Sparrowhawk - sitting higher up in nest looking around - question have we got hatchlings yet - maybeSaw a fox on Tuesday morn.
Peewees still brooding - amazingly different facial markings on peewees male and female
Sacred kingfishers: saw one near termite nest this morning where they had been burrowing into it; two others in clearing.
Finch: about four or five nests in the vicinity -no sign of them though.
Bush very very DRY

This morning Monday 7 Dec 2009

Sparrowhawk still brooding
Young Grey Butcherbird with parents in Buffalo Creek reserve
Heard Sacred kingfisher near nest site
no sign of firetail near nest or lorikeet
four storm bird still flying around
peewee still brooding

Squiggley-gum bark shedding time of year

FOM Walking track montage

Channel-billed cuckoos this morning plus other birds

Two channel-billed cuckoos this morning 6.10am one making unusual sound get food and feeds the other. Seen CBC around a lot over the last few weeks - up to four in a group.
Eastern rozellas this morning and yesterday.
Whipbird again on boardwalk area in plain view very close to me watched it calling - wide open bill.

NESTS this November

At the moment I am watching the following nests:
Sacred Kingfishes building nest in termite nest my end of FOM
Rainbow lorikeets my end FOM - tree hollow only about 3 mtrs up close to rack my end - sits looking out brooding
Red-browed finches - watched build nest my end FOM edge of track - other RBF nests nearby - now brooding I think
all these near each other
Collared Sparrowhawk on creek Buffalo half way along boardwalk - brooding
Peewee near bridge over creek - brooding
Brown Thornbills eadge of clearing my end FOM watched with nest buidling stuff can hear in bush.

CSH (Collared Sparrowhawk) restless in nest this morning

I am looking out for signs that the chicks have hatched. This morning around 7 am the adulton nest seemed restless , sitting quite high in nest and kept shuffling and putting head down under - have the chicks arrived???

Whipbirds courting this morning

Observed two whipbirds chasing each other around along creek near Field Studies Centre end - ntoable because much of it was right out in the open - they didn't seem to be wrried out this - they cetainly rushed across open areas at great speed as it usual.

Collared Sparrowhawk Nesting FOM 20-11-09

Field of Mars Wildlife Refuge

Spotted Pardalote this morning

This spotted pardalote was a few feet away from me just above eye level -LOOKING AT ME!!

First day of autumn 2009 -from walk this morning

Lots of red wattle birds about in sugarloaf point bush near blossoms.

unknown raptor

This morning perched on the dead tree my end - size- about 40 cm; colour: very dark all over, nor specific head markings, front seemed rather mottled dark and light grey, type - I's say falcon; - I was about 50 meters or so away, not a long look, the bird was harassed by another small bird so flew off, glided liesurely pace down at tree-top height - maybe brown falcon?; none of the usual raptors sighted here. 9.00 am 28-2-2009

Fox cubs 7-2-09

Two fox cubs and adult out playing in open area my end of FOM 6.30 am this morning I saw them before they saw me so a brief time to observe them unobserved. Lots of rabbits in this area for them.

Noisey miners on grasstree flower early this morning 7-2-09

Today Friday 6-2-09

Lots of spotted pardalottes near my end. Eastern Robin close to me around the path. Grey Thrike-thrush in distance. Lots of lorikeet activity over the last week or so - maybe because of blossoms on tree tops. Very dry- paths covered in dead leaves. Dollarbird chasing mudlark - dollarbirds very active lately - four of five of them. Had a good look at a white browed scrubwren today in mangrove shoots - mostly only fleeting glimpses but this was good. otherwise all the usual - a few people walking their dogs in FOM.

WOW Today I saw-- Wed 4-2-09 7-9 am

Today has a good look at two black-faced monarchs over near Pittwater Rd end at base of climb down. wonderfull, great view
aslo: saw two fox cubs playing together and an adult foc at the open area near my end. 7.30 am. saw an adult ofx the other day too - also ran into each other on the track.

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Possum woken hasselled by noisey miners on my early morning walk today 25-1-09

Lots of Grasstrees in Field of Mars in flower now 24-1-09

My Field of Mars (plus Sugarloaf Point area) Birdlist

I have detailed notes on these sightings if you want more info.

1 Pacific Black Duck
2 Chestnut Teal
3 Pied Cormorant
4 Little Pied Cormorant
5 Little Black Cormorant
6 Australian Pelican
7 White-faced Heron
8 Striated Heron
9 Nankeen Night Heron
10 Australian White Ibis
11 Royal Spoonbill
12 Black-shouldered Kite
13 Grey Goshawk
14 Collared Sparrowhawk
15 Peregrine Falcon
16 Dusky Moorhen
17 Purple Swamphen
18 Masked Lapwing
19 Silver Gull
20 White-Headed Pigeon
21 Spotted Turtle-Dove
22 Crested Pigeon
23 Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
24 Galah
25 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
26 Rainbow Lorikeet
27 Australian King-Parrot
28 Crimson Rosella
29 Eastern Rosella
30 Pallid Cuckoo
31 Fan-tailed Cuckoo
32 Common Koel
33 Channel-billed Cuckoo
34 Powerful Owl
35 Tawny Frogmouth
36 Sacred Kingfisher
37 Laughing Kookaburra
38 Dollarbird
39 White-throated Treecreeper
40 Superb Fairy-wren
41 Variegated Fairy-wren
42 Spotted Pardalote
43 White-browed Scrubwren
44 Brown Thornbill
45 Yellow Thornbill
46 Red Wattlebird
47 Little Wattlebird
48 Noisy Miner
49 New Holland Honeyeater
50 White-cheeked Honeyeater
51 Eastern Spinebill
52 Scarlet Honeyeater
53 Rose Robin
54 Eastern Yellow Robin
55 Golden Whistler
56 Rufous Whistler
57 Grey Thrike-Thrush
58 Black-faced Monarch
59 Eastern Whipbird
60 Magpie-Lark
61 Willie Wagtail
62 Grey Fantail
63 Rufous Fantail
64 Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike
65 Olive-backed Oriole
66 Grey Butcherbird
67 Australian Magpie
68 Pied Currawong
69 Spangled Drongo
70 Australian Raven
71 Red-browed Finch
72 Welcome Swallow
73 Fairy Martin
74 Red-whiskered Bulbul
75 Red-browed Finch
76 Silvereye