Deniliquin and District (NSW)
Latest News

                      
        Latitude:-35.5269 S Longitude: 144.9520 E
Elevation: 93.0 m

Philip N. Maher

Drought report : To the end of December 2007, we have had 326 mm (12.8 inches) of rain in Deniliquin. The mean average for Deniliquin is 404 mm (just shy of 16 inches).

____________________________

Latest News

spring 2006 to mid summer 2007
(September 06 to January 07)
 (with occasional references to earlier 2006 records)

Climatic conditions

My hopeful prediction of The Great Drought waning expressed in the previous Latest News came to nought. Two thousand and six saw a crippling drought in the Riverina, with barely any rain in the first six months of the year. Runoff into our major river systems was the lowest ever recorded. While 2002 was probably a drier year, the cumulative effect of six low rainfall years in succession had a catastrophic effect on vegetation. The most obvious evidence is thousands of dead, dying and stressed river redgums along the Murray/ Darling systems.

Waterbirds

(A few Australasian bitterns may have managed to breed in rice crops and storage dams east of Deniliquin in the summer of 05/06 with a probable immature seen east of Deniliquin on 11 April 2006).

On 30 September 2006 the first bittern of the season was seen at Wanganella swamp — the first at that locality for some years. Subsequently, up to four were seen east of Deniliquin during December. Not a single call was heard and no breeding recorded. There were very few rice crops in the district and all swamps suitable for breeding were dry.

To my knowledge, not a single little bittern was seen or heard in the Deniliquin district this summer.

Crakes were in abundance from late September to December with almost every pond or dam in the district with a cover of cumbungi supporting Baillon’s and spotted crake and with some spotless as well. All three species were together in great numbers at the Wanganella swamp during December until the swamp was rendered all but dry. All three species were present at a drainage lagoon at the outskirts of Deniliquin in December but this also was soon dry. There must have been a huge exodus of crakes from the district in early 2007.

Freckled duck have deserted the district; the only sighting of this species was a single bird on a pond in Deniliquin during October 06. Apart from a few flocks of black duck and grey teal and wood duck, ducks generally are in short supply.

The only ducks that appear to have bred with any success this spring/summer are wood duck and a few pairs of Australian shelduck. 

A few flocks of glossy ibis were seen in the Wanganella area, and east of town, in November and December.

A single little egret was seen fishing just below Stevens Weir in late December.

Raptors

The first sighting for around five years of square-tailed kite in the district occurred on
28 December when T. Wheller observed an adult along the Cobb Highway south of Mathoura. A British birder observed, presumedly, the same bird in the same area 1 January. The bird had probably been pushed out of the mountains by the summer bushfires.

The dry conditions inland saw the return of large numbers of black kite in this district. 

An adult white-breasted sea-eagle was seen over the highway at Gulpa on 26 November and a sub-adult at a drying out lagoon near Gulpa Creek on 31 December.

Spotted harriers were in short supply with a few passing through in September and October. They were largely absent in November; a few adults were seen over lucerne and grass paddocks in irrigation country, east of Deniliquin, during two of December’s Plains-wanderer Weekends.

A pair of brown goshawks managed to raise two young in Gulpa Island SF. Two barely fledged young were seen being fed a lizard by the male on 31 December.

Wedge-tailed eagles continue to be abundant throughout the district and some successful breeding has occurred. The same cannot be said of little eagle, which are scarce in the district despite the recent rabbit plague.  Pairs were seen in the Gulpa Island SF, around Deniliquin and a single bird at Wanganella in the spring/summer. No breeding occurred to my knowledge.

Brown falcons and nankeen kestrels have been in good numbers lately in the irrigation country. Brown falcons have raised clutches of up to four young, demonstrating the incredible resilience of this species.

Black falcons were about in low numbers. In the spring, there were a few out on the plains but mostly they were around the irrigation country in the odd paddock of lucerne or tall dead grass that harboured good numbers of brown songlark, singing bushlark and stubble quail. During November and December they were seen around farm machinery that was cutting hay or harvesting wheat. No breeding was recorded to my knowledge.

Brolga

Rather amazingly, the pair of brolgas again nested at the Wanganella swamp and appears to have successfully raised one young. The chick was last seen in mid December when it was about three-quarters grown. There was continuous fox baiting in this locality this season by the Rural Lands Protection Board (RLPB) and it seems that this is the only way this species can now successfully breed in the Riverina. The swamp subsequently dried out completely .

Button-quail

Little button-quail have been scarce with just the odd one passing through the plains country in October and November. There were no repeat sightings at the same locality.  Red-chested button-quail have not been seen for several years. Painted button-quail have been seen regularly in Gulpa Island SF since October. A female was heard calling on only one occasion and I don’t believe the species bred this season.

Waders

Plains-wanderer
After the successful breeding season of 2005/2006, it has been all downhill for this species. They have been present all year in low numbers with a possible influx in November and December in a paddock that still retained some grass cover — with five seen on the 9/10 December 2006 Plains-wanderer Weekend.

Most of their normal breeding habitat is now bare and we are finding them only in one locality that retains some of last season’s dead grass cover.

In early October we saw pairs courting; however, nothing seems to have come of this breeding attempt as no young was seen. The occasional immature-looking bird (pale legs) was seen from October to December so it is possible that some have bred elsewhere in the district. The country north of Wanganella is so dry that around 25 mls of rain in early November was not enough to stimulate breeding. 

A few inland dotterel were out on the plains early in the year with records in January and March 2006, thereafter they largely disappeared for most of the year until a couple turned up in early September. They then seemed to disappear until 11 October when good numbers started to come in to stay. By 26 October, up to 30 inland dotterels were present, and in varying numbers stayed for the remainder of that year. As far as I can tell, there was no attempt to breed, seemingly being even too dry for them!

A small number of banded lapwing managed to breed out of the plains in the early spring. Their numbers fluctuated greatly over summer although generally they have been fairly scarce. A few flocks of 20 to 30 started turning up during January 07.

Australian pratincoles managed to raise a few young despite the drought. They began turning up in fairly large numbers in early November, which is quite late for them. They kept moving from paddock to paddock and only a few pairs settled down to nest and raise young. Over 30 birds were present in one paddock on the 9 December Plains-wanderer Weekend but were largely gone by the 16 December Plains-wanderer Weekend. The rest left early, vacating the area mid to late January; their departure perhaps hastened by the big rains in the inland at that time. 

At least two Latham’s snipe were located along drains on the edge of town during December. This species is now a rarity in the district.

Good numbers of waders were present at the Tullakool Evaporative Basin during November with a couple of thousand present on 17 November. These comprised mostly red-necked stint, curlew sandpiper, sharp-tailed sandpiper and marsh sandpiper.A few hundred red-necked avocet and black-winged stilt were also present. 

There was one unusual looking wader present that I suspect was a hybrid curlew sandpiper/pectoral sandpiper. It had a long decurved bill with a pale base. The breast was heavily spotted rather than streaked and with a sharp cut-off line as in a pectoral sandpiper.

Two wood sandpipers were present all summer. A single wood sandpiper was also seen at the drying out Wanganella swamps on 9 December.

Two pairs of bush stone-curlews, located on the travelling stock routes north and west of Deniliquin in early November, were particularly satisfying records given the species has become rare in the district.

Pigeons and doves

Spotted doves have been resident in the town for about 10 years but their numbers, thankfully, have been declining due to the drought.

Common bronzewing have bred despite the drought with quite a few males calling in Gulpa Island SF and elsewhere in December. On 17 December in Gulpa a nest, on a redgum stump with coppicing regrowth, contained two small young.

No diamond doves were seen in the sandhill country in Gulpa Island this season. A few arrived in sandhill country near Booroorban in November.  Although, initially the males were calling, they appear not to have bred and had probably departed by the end of December

Cockatoos and parrots

Long-billed corellas have not been about in the huge numbers (4000-5000) that they were in during the last severe drought period of 2002-2003. They now appear to be dispersed in smaller flocks of hundreds rather than thousands. With the ground so hard for them to dig in, they are working hard for their food and of late, are targeting sporting ovals where the ground is softer. 

There were a few small flocks of little corella in the irrigation country east of town over summer; these are the first I have seen locally for some time. I suspect that the long-bills are so numerous locally that to some extent they keep the little corellas out of the district.

On our Plains-wanderer Weekend on 9/10 December, we recorded 18 adult Major Mitchell cockatoos feeding on ripening native willow Acacia salicina seedpods in sandhill country near Booroorban. Breeding was for the most part unsuccessful. One pair, at least, attempted nesting in September but the nest was soon abandoned. This is the largest flock I have encountered in the Booroorban area although R. Nevinson has recorded larger numbers west of Boorooorban. Fourteen Major Mitchells were feeding on dillon bush Nitraria billardieri berries in the same area on 30 December. In January, two Major Mitchells were seen near Booroorban, which appeared to be young birds (per comm. R. Nevinson) so it would seem at least one pair has raised young.

Cockatiels have been fairly scarce all summer with just a few small groups seen mainly to the east of town. Not a single budgerigar has appeared in the district this season. The only record of budgerigars that I know of in the Riverina is a small group seen by D Webb south of Griffith.

Superb parrots did it tough this year with only a low number of juveniles recorded. Many birds did not even return to the forest to attempt breeding this season and spent the spring/summer in the boree Acacia pendula country north of Pretty Pine and in pine country east of town. This was unheard of prior to the current drought.

Superb parrots breeding in Gulpa Island SF were having difficulty finding food in late October and about 80 were recorded feeding in a nearby canola crop. This was the first time I have seen them feeding on canola.

Breeding was more staggered this year with the first juveniles of the season seen on the Gulpa TSR on18 November, a couple of weeks earlier than what I consider normal. About 10 adults and juveniles were present, with the adults feeding on ruby saltbush berries Enchylaena tomentosa.

By 9 December most superbs had left the forest. Around 100 adults and some juveniles were recorded along a lane east of Deniliquin feeding on ripening narrow-leaf hopbush Dodonaea attenuata seeds and on Eremophila longifolia flowers. About two weeks later they were feeding on a heavy infestation of lerp on yellow box Eucalyptus melliodora trees at the same locality.

Cuckoos

Cuckoos are again a rarity in the district in particular the pallid, with just one seen in early spring in boree country and another immature bird in mid December at Gulpa TSR.

The odd fan-tailed cuckoo and shining bronze-cuckoo passed through the district in spring but none stayed to breed in the redgum as they once did. The only cuckoo that nested in the district was the Horsefields with just a few juveniles seen with groups of white-winged or superb fairywrens.

Owls

Surprisingly, quite a few pairs of boobook owl managed to raise young this season. Even out on the plains a pair managed to raise three young. Let’s hope they survived.

There seemed to be some movement going on with barn owls with six seen out on the plains on the 9/10 December Plains-wanderer Weekend and then none thereafter. Probably little breeding has occurred this year with this species.

Frogmouth and owlet nightjar

Tawny frogmouths have bred well around the town this season with at least four nests found in quite a small area along the river. All of these nests appeared to be successful and fledged young. They seemed to congregate their nests around town this year, probably due to the availability of insects around the street lights and it being desperately dry away from town.  One great sighting was a nest built inside a disused chough nest with an adult and young in the nest. Out on the plains in the box clumps there was some breeding attempted by frogmouths but none were successful.

Owlet nightjar are getting scarce in the box clumps on the plains and don’t appear to have bred this season.

Swifts

Swifts are also scarce so far this season with only three small groups of fork-tails during November and December, one each at Gulpa, Deniliquin and Wanganella.

Kingfishers and bee-eater

Azure kingfishers appear to be holding their own with regular sightings on the Edward River and Gulpa Creek over summer. Single birds were also seen on the Edward River below Stevens Weir and the Werai Forest where they had largely disappeared in the 1980s and 90s. The river is a bit clearer, possibly due to reduced flows of water being pushed through the system due to the ongoing drought. Beds of water plants have begun reappearing in the river in the last couple of years after being eliminated by the European carp invasion in the mid 1970s.

Sacred kingfishes have been about in reduced numbers and have been making an attempt at breeding.I think this is the first season I have not had a single sighting of red-backed kingfisher in the district, nor any sighting in the mallee country in north-west Victoria. They seem to have all stayed to the north this season. It is now many years since we had a breeding pair in the Deniliquin season.

Rainbow bee-eaters are also struggling to survive in the southern Riverina after being all but wiped out in the cold snap in February 2005. A few turned up in the sandhill country east of Deniliquin and in Gulpa Island SF but were late arriving and I don’t think settled down to breed. The only locality where I know breeding was attempted was in sandhill country near Booroorban to the north of Deniliquin where some birds survived the cold snap of two years ago. There have been severe cold snaps again this summer that must have taken a toll on breeding passerines and non-passerines.

Treecreepers

Brown treecreepers are progressing ever deeper into the river redgum forest as the forest dries out and the trees become more drought stressed. This species is now more common in areas that were once dominated by white-throated treecreeper.

Fairy-wrens

Variegated fairy-wrens are moving south due to the drought. I have recently recorded them in dense needlewood thickets in the Monimail  area, which is about 15 kms south of Wanganella wetlands, in nitre goosefoot, where I had previously recorded them.

The lignum and goosefoot swamps north of Wanganella, which were the stronghold of the wrens, are now so deathly dry that only the hardiest of birds could survive there.

Honeyeaters

Red wattlebirds continue to be quite common in the town area and have successfully raised young again this season.

A gratifying record was a spiny-cheeked honeyeater in a revegetation area at Gulpa in early October. It was feeding on ruby saltbush berries, a favourite of this species. This is my first record south of town. There has been the occasional singing honeyeater here in previous years.

On the 17 December Plains-wanderer Weekend, we recorded a pair of black-chinned honeyeaters in flowering river redgum in Gulpa Island SF. They were gone by the following Plains-wanderer Weekend. This is my first record here since about 2000 when the drought started to kick in.

Painted honeyeaters have been elusive again this season with just three single sightings. The first sighting was on 27 November in roadside boree, east of Deniliquin; the next sighting was about 20 km away in similar habitat on 16 December; and then again on 30 December in the first locality. All were single males although there may have been a second male calling on 30 December. They appeared to be moving around the district, futilely searching for somewhere to breed. However, it may not be too late as only yesterday (4 February) a pair of mistletoebirds was building a nest out in the boree country. The two species often nest at similar times and localities. 

Black honeyeaters were recorded regularly this season in two localities — in patches of flowering Eremophilia longifolia to the north and east of Deniliquin. They were first recorded on 4 October and the final record was12 January. Three or four was the maximum number seen.

Not a single pied honeyeater was seen in the district this season despite the dry conditions inland. It would seem that it was too dry here to attract them in.

Chats

In October Orange chats turned up south of Wanganella, which is not a common occurrence. (The last time they were south of Wanganella, I think, was the severe drought of 2002). They were present there in the dillion and cottonbush for about six weeks with flocks of white-fronted chats. There was also a scattering in the saltbush country north of Wanganella that were still present in December.

Robins, babblers, sittella, shrike-tit and whistlers

Amazingly, some species seem to have done quite well in the sandhill country in Gulpa Island SF, despite the extremely dry conditions prevailing. There were the best numbers of red-capped robins for many years with quite a few juveniles fledged. An immature scarlet robin was seen in mid December, indicating that a few are still breeding in Gulpa. A pair of hooded robin managed to raise young and white-browed babblers, a species that has been declining for many years, seems to be making a comeback.

There were at least two pairs of Gilbert’s whistlers attempting breeding in an area where previously I hadn’t had them although I doubt they bred successfully.

Possibly the birds were doing better this season because there was not the lush growth of introduced grasses that have been growing on and around the sandhills in recent years. This type of heavy ground cover does not suit Gilbert’s whistlers and other passerines, which like to feed on bare ground. 

The sandhill country looks terrible with many of the old pines collapsing due to old age and drought and many of the stressed river redgums have very sparse canopies. The understorey plants, the fringe myrtle Calytrix tetragona and dwarf cherries Exocarpus strictus, do not look great but despite this some birds are doing okay.

Although they have declined in number both varied sittella and crested shrike-tit successfully fledged young in Gulpa Island SF this season.

Cuckoo-shrikes and trillers

Ground cuckoo-shrikes continue to be a scarce in the district. There have been a couple of groups seen by D. Nevinson in the Booroorban area over summer. On the 16 December Plains-wanderer Weekend we encountered a singe bird in boree country south of Wanganella; and on 7 January a group of about six birds was seen about 20 km south of Conargo. On 13 July, I encountered five near Howlong (NSW), close to the eastern limits of their range.

Only a small number of white-winged trillers migrated into the district this season and were seen scattered about in low numbers. The only locality where breeding was attempted was in the river redgum at Gulpa Island SF; however, no fledged young was seen and I doubt many successfully bred.

Orioles

It would appear that a pair of olive-backed orioles might have successfully raised young along the river in town. B. Holden heard a male singing over a couple of weeks in November along the river and a few weeks later T. Wheller and S. Seymour located a recently fledged young in the Island Sanctuary. This is only the second breeding record I know of in Deniliquin. On 10 December, an adult was seen near Gulpa that appeared to be migrating south.

Woodswallows

There have not been as many flocks of masked and white-browed woodswallows about this season as there have been in previous years. A large mixed flock of 200-300 was present in sandhill country near Booroorban in October, November and December; however, they were restless and breeding was not attempted.

Small groups of white-browed managed to breed successfully in the river redgum forest at Gulpa and were feeding young in nests on 10 December.  Birds were well south this season with groups seen west of Kilmore, Victoria, on a couple of occasions in December.

White-breasted woodswallows have been reasonably widespread this season. There were quite a few in the irrigation country east of town, which is rather unusual. Also quite a few pairs successfully fledged young along the river.

Black-faced woodswallows continue to be a scarce in the district with just a few pairs seen around sandridges near Booroorban and on 27 January 07, a few were seen south of town – my only record south of town for the season.

A few dusky woodswallow managed to fledge young in Gulpa Island SF this season.

Bushlark and songlarks

Singing bushlark and brown songlark are quite scarce out on the plains this season and probably only a few bred in early spring. Good numbers of bushlark and some brown songlark were present in November and December in the irrigation country in small paddocks of lucerne being grown for hay or old stubble paddocks where there has been no livestock.

Very few rufous songlarks appeared this season. They were mainly along a few lightly timbered, ungrazed lanes east of town and a few possibly bred there. Probably, most had departed before the end of December.

 Finches

A few small groups of diamond firetail have been about at Gulpa Island SF and along Tuppal Creek over spring/summer; however, very few have bred and only one juvenile has been seen on sandhills near Mathoura.

The drought has pushed red-browed finches more into the town area and they were regularly seen in my garden during December. They have spread along the river well west of Deniliquin in recent times. In late January there was a small group feeding on the lawn at Stevens Weir. 

European goldfinch has all but disappeared from the town with just one seen 17 December.

Mistletoebird

Mistletoe has not been fruiting well due to the drought and the cool weather conditions in the spring/summer. Mistletoebirds are generally scarce with just a scattering throughout the district, mainly in river redgum forest and boree country. A pair was building a nest in boree on the TSR near Hartwood Station northeast of Deniliquin on18 November and pair was building a nest in an Acacia victoriae in boree country at Monimail, north of Deniliquin on 4 February 07.  Quite a disparity in breeding timeframes.

Mammals

In mid January 2007 I had a sighting of an echidna in Deniliquin SF at dusk. This was my first sighting at this locality. While I occasionally see their tracks, I have only seen about five echidnas in my life in this district.

Fat-tailed dunnarts generally have been scarce out on the plains although their numbers appeared to be on the rise in December and January. 

Swamp wallabies are continuing their spread in the district with two seen on farmland south and east of town in December, and my sister, Susan, saw one on her farm northeast of town in October.

A few Yellow-footed antechinus were seen in box country near Tuppal Creek  and in river redgum at Gulpa Island SF in October and November.

Reptiles

The drought has impacted on snake numbers.  I have seen just a few eastern browns, no red-bellied black snakes and only one tiger snake in the swamps at Wanganella.

A few curl snakes were spotlighted out on the plains north of Wanganella in late December. At the same time we located a few tessellated geckos Diplodactylus tessellates that we had not previously recorded locally. An upshot of the ground being so bare is that small creatures are easier to see at night.

Butterflies

The drought has played havoc with butterfly numbers in the district. I have not seen a single yellow admiral this season; however, I did see a few stencilled hairstreak Jalmenus ictinus (which I had not previously identified) feeding on native jasmine Jasminum lineare in boree country at Monimail, south of Wanganella 4 January 07.

Butterflies seen this season include dainty swallowtail, spotted jezabel, caper white, cabbage white, common brown, meadow argus, painted lady, chequered copper, satin azure, stencilled hairstreak, amethyst hairstreak Jalmenus icilius  (at Gulpa area feeding on flowering needlewood Hakea tephrosperma and Melaleuca lancelata), two-spotted line-blue (feeding on flowering Acacia victoriae Monimail area), saltbush blue and common grass-blue.

In my garden, I believe I saw a grass-dart, presumedly on distribution, the greenish Ocybadistes walkeri, feeding on flowers of an introduced herb.

________________________

spring/early summer 2005

The Great Drought that has wrought havoc on southern Australia in the last five years or so is showing signs of breaking. I know, I started the last Latest News with a similar statement! Reasonable rain fell from June onwards, with above average rain in October.

Although most of the passerines are breeding like crazy, there has not been enough heavy rain to fill swamps or cause major flooding of the rivers, so waterbirds are still struggling to regain their numbers. However, waterbirds are making the most of what flooding there is in the Murray River with a substantial rookery in the Reedbeds swamps near Mathoura. This flooding has been aided by 'environmental' water.

On 5 December intermediate and great egrets were starting to nest with many birds on eggs and many still building nests. At this stage, there are about 250 pairs of intermediate and 150 pairs of great egret. Many are nesting low in willow trees and present a magnificent sight. Alongside the egrets are good numbers of little pied and little black cormorants and a few darters. Nankeen night herons are starting to nest high up in adjoining river redgums. About 4000 straw-necked ibis are nesting on the beds of giant rush not far away; the majority are on eggs and a few hundred have small young. White ibis are in lower numbers, mainly with young, and about 100 pairs of royal spoonbill are just starting to nest. A couple of pairs of spotless crake were calling in the phragmites beds, as were three or four little bitterns. On a previous visit on 23 October, both Australasian and little bitterns were calling so breeding should be well under way for those species.

It is to be hoped that water levels will be maintained for sufficient time to allow the waterbirds to breed successfully. This is the first major breeding event for these species since the summer of 2000 so it is imperative that these birds succeed in 2005/06.

Undoubtedly a large hatching of grasshoppers in the Mathoura area over the last few weeks added to the inducement for straw-necked ibis to breed in the area. (The big lignum swamps north of Hay have been dry for many years so ibis would not have needed much inducement). The Reedbeds site, this season, contains the greatest nesting of straw-necked ibis that I have recorded in the river redgum forests on the NSW side of the Murray.

Grasshoppers are in good supply in the Wanganella district and several thousand pairs of straw-necked ibis are also attempting to nest in the Wanganella swamps. This area is also receiving some environmental flows to maintain water levels. Under this more favourable water regime several Australasian bitterns were heard calling in November, the first record in the Wanganella district for many years.

A few pairs of spotted and Baillon's crakes were moving about in October and on 16 October there were all three species, including spotless, at one small wetland east of Deniliquin. Some rain events followed and spotted and Baillon's have hardly been seen since, although I believe I saw a Baillon's in the talons of a swamp harrier at the Wanganella swamps a week or two later.


Summer migrants
Good rains in October brought in some reasonable flocks of white-browed woodswallow and smaller numbers of masked woodswallow; and as is (strangely) often the case, small flocks of budgerigars followed them. Most of the budgies passed through although in one locality, a large black box clump south of Deniliquin, small flocks are settling in and appear to be going to nest alongside the woodswallows.

Budgerigars have also been about in the Booroorban district in good numbers but don't appear to have settled down. White-browed woodswallows started nesting in black box clumps near Booroorban but most abandoned nests in early November after unsettled weather. Large flocks of white-browed and masked woodswallows appeared in late November in sandhill country near Booroorban with many juvenile birds that probably had been bred to the north of the Riverine Plain.

Rufous songlarks have been in reasonable numbers east of town with many juveniles starting to appear. There has been a mere scattering of brown songlarks on the plains this year, probably indicative of their low numbers due to drought. Stubble quail are also in short supply on the plains, having deserted the area in September. Singing bushlarks are also relatively scarce this season. The scarcity of these species is probably the reason that spotted harriers completely deserted the area in October. Presumedly, they have moved somewhere north east of the Deniliquin district. (Spotted harriers are also scarce in the Victorian mallee with just the odd pair seen near Mildura).

White-winged trillers have been in fair numbers both north and south of Deniliquin but don't appear to have nested as yet.

Orange chat numbers have been fluctuating widely in the cottonbush country north of Wanganella since they first arrived in about July. Initially they were in quite large flocks, then all but disappeared in September, only to return again in October. They settled down in November and some appear to have bred. Likewise, a few pairs of crimson chat appeared in October but most passed through with just a couple of pairs nesting in saltbush country on the plains in November. They now appear to have raised young and departed.

The first diamond dove of the season was located in sandhill country near Booroorban on 30 September, and it was also the first in that location for two years. Since then more have appeared in the Booroorban district, as well as south of Deniliquin in November, and on my sister's farm north east of town – also in November.

Blue-winged parrots passed through the district in October, mainly on the plains but one male was seen in a box clump south of town in late October (last seen 30 October).

A male painted honeyeater was located on the sandhills in the Gulpa Island State Forest on 27 November on a Plains-wanderer Weekend. This is the first record in Gulpa Island for about five years and the first anywhere in the district for two years. It was still present on 4 December and found a mate as they were feeding young in a nest on 18 December.


Local resident highlights
The first record of black-chinned honeyeater in the district for about five years was had in October. It was attracted by flowering eucalypts that a friend and I had planted on his property along the Tuppal Creek over 20 years ago.

Painted button-quails were calling well in Gulpa Island SF in October and November with adult females seen on several occasions.

An adult male scarlet robin was feeding young in a grey box clump in Gulpa Island SF on 16 October – the first breeding record in the district for some years.

At least two pairs of Major Mitchell Cockatoo have successfully raised young in the Booroorban area this season with two nests seen to fledge young in about mid November.

Just two pairs of Gilbert's whistler remain in Gulpa Island SF. Fortunately, one pair at least has raised young with three or four juveniles seen with adults on 20 November.

Superb parrots are also breeding well with the first fledged young seen on 21 November, a couple of weeks earlier than 'normal'. Many pairs with juveniles were seen on the 4 December Plains-wanderer Weekend.

Diamond firetails remain scarce with just a pair or two around Gulpa Island and along Tuppal Creek but they too are breeding with a pair at Gulpa seen with five fledged juveniles on 4 December.

Plains-wanderers have survived the drought and grasshopper plague much better than expected. As the grass cover returned following the rain, plains-wanderers were back in most of their old haunts. Initially they were scarce in September and early October, with just a few females calling. On foot at dusk on quite a few occasions in October and early November we managed to find a calling female. Males with three or four small chicks were seen on 13 and 21 November. A fledged immature 2-3 month old was seen on 19 November and another on 28 November, which indicates that breeding has been going on since about August. Other adult birds seemed to have arrived later as the herbage became more suitable for them in other paddocks. More mating pairs were seen in late November in areas where we have not seen them for two years. In early December an immature female and male (about 3-4 months) were located close together, which suggests that they breed in their first year as they are only seen in pairs at breeding time. I've long suspected that they are capable of breeding in their first year. Another mating pair of adults was seen in mid December, indicating that breeding will continue for some time yet.

In late October/early November a few inland dotterels passed through the Wanganella district. A few appeared again in early December and whether they stay remains to be seen.

Australian pratincoles are late arriving with the first birds, an adult and an immature, located on 10 December. Undoubtedly, the good rains in the inland have enticed them to breed further north and it will be interesting to see if any breed in our area this season, or indeed, if any hang around at all.

Little button-quails have been out on the plains in good numbers. They started moving in in early October and were calling strongly after dusk from about 10 October for several weeks. This species doesn't dillydally after arriving in the district, quickly breeding. The first juvenile was seen on 19 November and many more clutches of flying young have been seen since that time.

Banded lapwing numbers have been fluctuating widely, as is their way, over the last few months. During September, their usual breeding period, they were scarce with only a few pairs nesting on the plains. In early December, quite large numbers of adults and immatures began to appear, indicating they bred further north this season.

Black honeyeaters have almost been a non-event with just a few passing through in late October/early November.

Victorian Mallee
Birding in the Victorian mallee has been excellent this season, with all the mallee birds breeding madly. Malleefowl has once again become relatively easy after being almost impossible to see in recent years. Bill Labbit located about 10 active mounds near Annuello in October. I have seen two active mounds in Hattah NP and a third in the Sunset Country west of Hattah. On 16 November, a record five adult malleefowl were seen in one day, four near Annuello and one in Hattah, all of them away from mounds.

Red-lored whistlers are again back in their old haunts in the Sunset Country after having all but disappeared in the last two years. Three calling males were seen in late October and early November west of Hattah.

Mallee emu-wrens and striated grasswren have also been particularly easy and are obviously breeding. Quite a few groups of both species were seen in October/November.

Recently fledged emuwrens were seen with adults on 16 November in Hattah and a pair was feeding young in a nest in Sunset Country on 11 November.

Crimson chats and budgerigars appeared to be breeding in the Werrimull area west of Mildura on 11 November.

Scores of white-browed woodswallows and lesser numbers of masked woodswallows, many with fledged young, were present in belah country near Yarrara on 11 November. Also present in this locality in flowering eremophia (both longifolia and glabra) were dozens of white-fronted honeyeaters; about 10 black honeyeaters, including immatures; and one pair of pied honeyeater, also with immature young. Large numbers of spiny-cheeked honeyeaters were also present. Many of the larger honeyeaters were feeding on the big fleshy berries of Pimelia microcephala that had an abundance of fruit. White-browed treecreepers were feeding young not far away and to complete the scene, a male Gilbert's whistler was singing nearby.

Several hybrid black-eared miner/yellow-throated miners were also seen in Sunset Country in November with one appearing to be close to a pure black-eared miner.

Owlet nightjars appear to be extraordinarily scarce in the mallee at present. A concerted effort was made on several occasions before we eventually saw a single bird. They were quite common in the mallee pre-drought.

Red-backed kingfishers are also very scarce with just a single pair located south of Hattah in sand dunes.

Redthroats appear to have died out in the Pine Plains area in Wyperfield NP where we located a pair two years ago.

The poor health of the floodplain vegetation in the north end of Hattah/Kulkyne NP is immensely worrying. Due to lack of flooding many hundreds of very old river redgums and black box trees are dead or dying along the Murray River floodplain. I fear many of these trees are doomed if there is no flood down the Murray River in the next year or two – unless there is substantial local rainfall to alleviate stress and buy some time for these trees.

I have been reliably told that between Booligal and Oxley most of the ancient river redgums on the Lachlan River are already dead. This is a major environmental change that we are currently experiencing. – and a complete and utter disaster.

On a brighter note, two pairs of spotted nightjar were located in Hattah and the Sunset Country in October/November. The pair seen on 11 November was obviously on a breeding territory.

A pair of Rufous Fieldwren was feeding young on the Roak plain west of Hattah NP on 17 November.


Foothill forests of north east Victoria
There was some great birding to be had in the foothill forests around Wangaratta, Chiltern and Beechworth in October and November following the good rains.

On 11 October about three male painted honeyeaters were calling in the Killawarra Forest – the most for some years.

Spotted quail-thrushes were calling well in the Pilot Range in forest that had escaped the inferno of February 2003, with two males calling in that location on 14 November.
Another was seen in burnt forest about 10 km away on the same day, my first record in the burnt area post fire.

A pair of white-bellied cuckoo-shrike was building a nest in unburnt forest in the Pilot Range on 13 October.

Many species have yet to recolonise the worst hit areas of the February 2003 bushfires in Pilot Range NP. A one hour count in a severely burnt area that had been the best birding spot in the Pilot Range produced just 13 species on 14 November. Some of the species still to return to this area are spotted quail-thrush, chestnut-rumped heathwren and white-bellied cuckoo-shrike – and powerful owl, which I will be surprised to see again in this location as all the hollow trees big enough to support possums or owls have been reduced to cinders.

Chestnut-rumped heathwren appear to have disappeared from the Chiltern and Beechworth areas since the fires and/or drought, with no response to tape of their call at many former locations.

Species I did record in the burnt area include white-winged triller, which I think is my first record ever here and painted button-quail (female calling) and white-throated nightjar (male calling) on 14 November; the button-quail and nightjar being my first records back at this location since the fire.

Turquoise parrots were also back in the Pilot Range with about 10 feeding by the roadside in the burnt area on the Chiltern/Beechworth road on 13 October.

An unexpected prize on 14 November was a pair of regent honeyeaters feeding in planted eucalypts near Chiltern No. 1 dam. The pair was defending a flowering eucalypt from other honeyeaters. We saw a noisy friarbird chase a regent honeyeater from a flowering bottlebrush when the honeyeater ventured about 100 metres away from its territory; only for the regent, on being pursued back to its feed tree, turn around and see the friarbird out of its territory.

Ivan and Anne Gugga have planted many trees near their house in this area and while the regents weren't in their plantings, other species were, including black-chinned honeyeaters with three juvenile young, a pair of crested shrike-tit and small flocks of little lorikeet – all species that have become scarce in the forest.

A barking owl was located by chance on 13 October not far from Chiltern.

A visit to the high mountain forests near Myrtleford on the morning of 12 October produced most of the specialities of the area including pilotbird, red-browed treecreeper, Bassian thrush, rose robin, flame robin and olive whistler. There was no sign of a pair of sooty owls seen in February. This February sighting made me wonder if there was altitudinal movement in this species as they were at about 800 metres. (We got lucky with a male sooty near Marysville the following evening).

An active bower of a satin bowerbird was located near Myrtleford on 12 October.

______________________________________________________________________________

22 April 2005 Australian Bustard Tom Wheller and Steve Seymour located an adult female bustard on the travelling stock route just south of Deniliquin airport on 22 April. The bird appeared to be feeding on locusts, the remnants of a plague that was out on the plains to the north of Deniliquin. The bustard stayed for three or four days after it was found and has not been seen since 25 April to my knowledge. This is only my second sighting of a bustard in this district. Another bustard was seen southwest of Wanganella in early March by Geoff Mulham so there might be an eruption emanating from further inland where it is very dry over a large area. There were good numbers around the Tibooburra area in September last year and perhaps some of these have come south.

 

1 November 2004 to 25 February 2005

Philip N. Maher

The bad news is that bird numbers in the Riverina hit rock bottom this summer.

The good news is that the rain in November, December and January and the exceptional rain in early February suggests the drought conditions of the last five years may be coming to an end. From November to 10 February, Deniliquin received nearly 230 millimetres (almost 9 in), more than half the town's mean annual rainfall.

It will take several good seasons and flooding down the river systems for the bird life to recover from the onslaught of drought and lack of major flooding in the Murray/Darling since 2000.

The floodplain vegetation of black box Eucalyptus largiflorens and river redgum Eucalyptus camaldulensis is under severe stress in many areas where there has been no flooding for ten years or more. Several isolated clumps of redgum out on the plains are at the point of no return. A lot of these areas can no longer receive floodwater from the river systems as roads, channels and other constructions have cut them off. Some of these trees could be close to 1000 years old.

_______________________________________________________


Quail
Stubble quail had disappeared from the plains in October/November. About 13 centimetres (approx. five inches) of rain north of Wanganella in December brought some back and as these birds were calling, they were probably intending to breed. However, a plague of grasshoppers in January stripped the area of summer grasses and most of the quail dispersed. It is likely that some will return after the recent rain.

An adult brown quail with half-grown young was seen on the edge of a sandhill near the Wanganella swamps on 28 November.

Ducks
On 2 January around 50 freckled ducks were located on the Tullakool evaporative basin; numbers had increased to about 60 by 5 January and to about 100 by 18 January.

Desperate to breed, ducks were on the move after the heavy rains in December. Two or three pairs of pink-ears were seen on shallow rainwater swamps out on the plains but most of these swamps only held water for a few weeks, not long enough for burrowing frogs to breed successfully, let alone ducks.

A couple of pairs of plumed whistle-ducks, now a rarity in the district, were seen in irrigation country east of town in November and December. A few pairs of musk duck have been attempting to nest in Reedbeds Swamp along Gulpa Creek near Mathoura. I’m not sure if they were successful as the water level dropped about 30 centimetres (12 inches) in late December, which caused some other species of waterbirds to abandon their breeding attempts.

Both Australasian shoveler and hardhead are scarce in the district with just a few of each seen at the Tullakool evaporation basin during January. Unusual for hardhead to be outnumbered by freckled duck!

Waterbirds
At least 10 pairs of great-crested grebes had been attempting to breed in Reedbeds swamp, along the Gulpa Creek, near Mathoura. (The late November Plains-wanderer Weekend participants witnessed this species displaying).

However, the drop in water level of about 30 centimetres (see musk duck above) in late December caused them to abandon their breeding attempt. On my next visit to the Reedbeds, the adults were in a flock whereas previously they had been in scattered pairs. The same thing happened to little bitterns. Many males were calling in the phragmites clumps in late November/early December. After the water level dropping, not a single male was heard or seen and no nests were located. This shows how vulnerable these species are to fluctuating water levels — fluctuated by the group in charge of environmental flows, I might add!

On a brighter side, there are about 50 pairs of royal spoonbills, possibly a thousand pairs of straw-necked and white ibis and maybe a hundred pairs of great egret, which as far as I know are still nesting despite the water level dropping. The egrets must be struggling to feed their young — in early February there was a flock, ostensibly, feeding on mice out near the Cobb Highway, south of Mathoura. (Mice are starting to plague in the district).

In November and December there was a great influx of royal spoonbills with 40 to 50 birds on rice crops to the east of Deniliquin. All these birds were coming into breeding plumage but sadly, due to no major flooding in most of the Murray/Darling system, there was no place for most of them to breed.

There are not too many rice crops in the district because of the drought but Australasian bitterns have been breeding in what crops there are. They moved into rice crops in late November when the rice was barely 15 centimetres (six inches) high and were clearly visible. One crop out on the Finley Road had three pairs present in early December. Most other crops east of town had at least one pair living in them. They were also calling in crops in the Tullakool district in January. It has been a cool summer and it will be interesting to see the impact this has on breeding success.

There were a few small flocks of glossy ibis about the rice crops in November and December and also at Tullakool evaporative basin in January.

Raptors
With mice starting to plague and a grasshopper plague in full swing there have been quite a few raptors about. Also, rabbits have been in good numbers although the rabbit calicivirus has knocked them back a bit. The mice brought in plenty of black-shouldered kites. On several occasions black falcons were seen taking mice from black kites, brown falcons and ravens — and also from each other. The black kites and ravens had been picking up mice from behind working farm machinery. On 1 February there were at least three black falcons, several black kites, a whistling kite, a kestrel, a brown falcon, a wedge-tailed eagle and an immature spotted harrier all in view around a working potato harvester east of Deniliquin.

Black falcons are still hanging around the Deniliquin tip but are not as reliable as previously.

A pair of swamp harriers successfully raised three young in a small (c1 ha) water storage filled with cumbungi, east of Deniliquin.

Spotted harriers had been scarce in the district this season but the grasshopper plague and the good rains in December and early February brought a few back. Worryingly, a dead, adult spotted harrier was picked up on 30 January, north of Wanganella, after there had been grasshopper spraying in the area.

The rabbit plague has brought a few little eagles back into the district with sporadic sightings at Gulpa, Wanganella, Booroorban and east of Deniliquin; although I doubt that any bred in the district this season — unlike the1980s and ‘90s when we had many breeding pairs. (Likewise, in the Victoria mallee, where little eagles were once common, you’d be hard pressed now to see one at all).

Collared sparrowhawks have bred well in the district this season with three lots of fledged young seen over a couple of days in January, two in Gulpa and one east of town. The breeding season of this species, within this district, seems well synchronised as all young had fledged within a few days of each other.

Cranes
The Wanganella brolgas looked like they might finally raise young this season. On 28 November, the pair had a single young that was almost half grown. Sadly, that was the last time it was seen, presumedly taken by foxes, despite the Rural Lands Protection Board ranger laying fox baits before the brolgas bred. It bodes badly for the future of the species in this district.

Crakes
We were seeing the three species of crakes (spotless, spotted and Baillon’s) at waterholes east of Deniliquin during November. In December, though still present, the spotless became difficult to see, then easier again recently. After the rain in December the Baillon’s seemed to disperse, with the last sighting on 27 December. After the heavy rain north of Wanganella in December the spotted crakes moved into shallow lignum and goosefoot swamps along with hundreds of black-tailed native hens. However, the water wasn’t deep enough to sustain breeding and most of the birds had dispersed again after a few weeks. It is now over ten years since these species bred in the district in any numbers.

Button-quail
Little button-quail had disappeared completely from the plains until the heavy rains in December, when a few pairs returned to the cottonbush Maireana aphylla country and were probably going to breed. However, the grasshopper plague a few weeks later stripped the plains bare and the button-quails seem to have dispersed again.

Painted button-quails have been fairly hard to locate over summer. The only successful breeding that I observed was a male with a clutch of half-grown young seen under dwarf cherry Exocarpus strictus bushes in Gulpa Island SF in December.

Plains-wanderer
Overall, it has been another fairly tough season for plains-wanderers. Quite a few pairs were nesting in September/October although there was not much cover around for them. Some of these, at least, must have been successful as we saw a few juveniles in mid to late December. These juveniles were not seen for long, presumedly the adults, keen to breed again after the big rain in December, had given them their matching orders. With millions of little grasshoppers hatching in late December, providing unlimited food for plains-wanderers, several females were calling strongly in mid January. However, I don't think the latter breeding attempt was very successful as the grasshoppers reached plague proportions and stripped most of the cover from the breeding area.

Another 6 cm (about 2.5 inches) of rain in early February has the grass growing back and the grasshoppers have for the most part moved on, so the plains-wanderers may get another shot at breeding. Like many desert birds they are able to breed at almost any time when conditions are suitable.

Waders
There had been a few migratory waders during January at the Tullakool evaporative basin: a few hundred red-necked stints, curlew sandpipers and sharp-tailed sandpipers, and lesser numbers of marsh sandpipers and a few greenshanks. Also hundreds of red-necked avocets were there in January and up to 50 banded stilts, although these dropped off towards the end of January.

A wood sandpiper was located out on the plains north of Wanganella in late December/January at a shallow goosefoot Chenopodium nitrariaceum swamp that had filled after the heavy rain in early December. Also at the same swamp, at times, were about 200 sharp-tailed sandpipers, the odd marsh sandpiper and over 100 red-kneed dotterels. Although the water was shallow and drying out quickly, at least a couple of pairs of dotterels nested and had young. I don't know whether they were able to raise them successfully before the swamp dried out. This species must be desperate to breed after years of drought.

The same swamp produced a pair of painted snipe in late January but they didn't stay as the swamp was almost dry (R.Nevinson). There was another pair of painted snipe seen in the area in late December in a drying out patch of canegrass (D. Nevinson).

Inland dotterels have been elusive for most of the summer. One or two were seen on 15 September 2004, and then nothing, despite the area looking ideal for them, until suddenly they were back on 17 January, undoubtedly lured by the hordes of hatching grasshoppers. They had been back for a few weeks because on 30 January we saw about 10 adults and at least one chick, approximately one week old.

About six inland dotterels were seen, in a huge dust storm, on 1 February.

There were moderate numbers of banded lapwings about in November including a few immatures that had bred in the area. Most of the banded lapwings dispersed after the rain in December and the species became quite scarce. Not even the grasshopper hatchings have brought them back to the district. A few pairs nested in January after the December rain, which this species doesn't often do, preferring to nest early in the spring. Spring last year was generally too dry for them so they took the opportunity in the more conducive summer.

With the plains being so bare, there have been plenty of Australian pratincoles about. Quite a few pairs were nesting in November/December. I doubt that they had much success as it was still fairly dry in November and there was quite a bit of movement going on. When we had some big rains in early December I think that most of the nests would have been flooded. January was more successful with three or four clutches of young of various ages seen.

Bush stone-curlews
It would seem that bush stone-curlews have had another unsuccessful breeding season in the Booroorban area. One pair appears not to have nested and the other pair nested but seemingly abandoned after a fox-proof fence was erected around them. Let's hope they get used to the fence.

Pigeons and doves
Common bronzewings were calling strongly in Gulpa Island SF in December after the rain.

The first diamond dove was heard calling on 20 November on an open sandhill in Gulpa Island SF. A couple of pairs were located in the same area in early December and juveniles were seen on 12 December. They were calling again in late January so it would appear that breeding was continuing. Diamond doves have been returning to this area of sandhills in Gulpa Island SF for at least 25 years.

The Booroorban sandhill country was too dry for diamond doves this season.

Spotted turtle-doves are still about Deniliquin but are not thriving. Presumedly they have to compete with crested pigeons, which have become numerous in the town. Recently we've had a dozen or so crested pigeons feeding on our nature strip.

Cockatoos, parrots
My first record of Major Mitchell's cockatoo south of Wanganella occurred on 19 November with a single bird feeding at a small sandhill. It was very dry at the time and they were probably feeding across a wide area.

A pair of Major Mitchell's was feeding on dillionbush Nitraria billardieri berries on 22 December in the Moolamoon Station area, northwest of Moulamein; and on 5 January in the same area 18 Major Mitchell's were feeding on green Acacia oswaldii seedpods on a nearby travelling stock route (TSR).

Up to seven Major Mitchell's were also feeding on the green seedpods of Acacia oswaldii in the Booroorban area from late December to mid January. A pair seen feeding on Nitrea berries in mid January. (The acacia seedpods were getting a bit mature). All the birds at Booroorban appeared to be adults and no successful breeding was apparent.

Cockatiels have been particularly nomadic over summer, chasing rain and seeding grasses. On several occasions in December a small flock was feeding on green Acacia hakeoides seedpods east of town – a food source I can't recall having seen them feed on previously.

Small flocks of musk lorikeets were seen in the district in mid to late December, mainly around the town. On 19 December, a flock of about 10 landed briefly in a grey box Eucalyptus microcarpa near the Gulpa siding.

Quite a few pairs of superb parrots nested in the Gulpa area this season. Nesting is usually fairly synchronised but it appeared to be more staggered this season – perhaps indicative of the kind of seasons we've been having of late.

The first flying juveniles were seen along the Cobb Highway, near Gulpa on 20 November. That is quite early for them. Not many juveniles were seen after that until early to mid December. As has become their pattern in recent years, they rapidly desert Gulpa Island SF after breeding. Some had moved east of town by 26 November feeding on green Acacia hakeoides seedpods in grey box country; initially it was mainly last season's immatures, and adults that had probably failed to breed. In late December/early January, also in this area, flocks of up to 20 adults and juveniles were feeding on ripening narrow-leafed hopbush Dodenea attenuata seeds as well as Acacia hakeoides seedpods.

On 19 December, a flock of about 50 adults and juveniles south of Gulpa were feeding in wheat stubble along Leetham Road. Some of the superbs were drinking water from the table drain, which is quite an irregular occurrence – mostly their moisture requirements are met from food.

Also at this time, small flocks of last year's immatures began turning up in boree in the Smeaton Vale area, feeding in the grey mistletoe Amyema quandong var. quandong

During January small flocks of superbs were scattered all through the boree country south of Wanganella

Birds from the Murrumbidgee were also scattered through the boree country north of Steam Plains in mid January.

Overall, I don't think many young were raised this season, certainly not as many as the previous year.

Bluebonnets seemed to breed reasonably well, despite the dry conditions, with quite a few clutches of juveniles were seen during December.

Budgerigars have been a non-event with not a single sighting to date.

Cuckoos
Cuckoos have been scarce in the district all summer. Just a few, mainly immature Horsfield's about in the Gulpa Island sandhills.

Owls and frogmouths
Barn owl numbers are starting to build up in the district due to the mice plague. There is even a resurgence out on the plains where they have been in low numbers or absent for many years.

Tawny frogmouths have not bred successfully this season with only one of three known pairs raising any young. Presumedly, this is due to the lack of insects because of the drought. Some movement was occurring in January after the big rains out on the plains; three birds were seen around a black box Eucalyptus largiflorens clump, where previously there had been one.

Swifts
Several flocks of white-throated needletails were seen south and east of Deniliquin during thunderstorm activity in December and again in mid February when there was a couple over town. My sister, Susan and her husband Neil, not far to the north of Deniliquin, had about a hundred low over their house catching flying ants after a thunderstorm on 9 February. A few fork-tails were seen out over the plains in mid February by J. Nevinson.

Kingfishers
Azure kingfishers made a real comeback this summer with quite a few seen along the Edward River and Gulpa Creek. The several immatures seen affirm their breeding success. The rivers are running a bit clearer this summer and as a result some beds of water plants are starting to appear again. Water plants and azure kingfishers largely disappeared from the river system with the explosion of European carp populations in the mid 1970s.

With the exception of one red-backed kingfisher passing through in October, there's been no red-backed kingfishers seen this season. (They are also absent from the Victorian mallee where there are usually quite a few pairs).

Rainbow bee-eaters
Rainbow bee-eaters have also been in quite low numbers this season. They are having trouble nesting in the sandhill country close to Deniliquin due to introduced grasses making it difficult for them to build their nest tunnels. A tunnel in Gulpa Island SF had been dug out by a fox. The best numbers are now in the Booroorban sandhills where introduced grasses have not taken over.

Fairy-wrens
Several groups of variegated fairy-wrens were seen in the Wanganella area over summer. Groups were seen in nitre goosefoot swamps north and south of Wanganella in areas where I have rarely seen them. Also there were quite a few groups on a sandhill west of Wanganella, which is protected from grazing and consequently the undergrowth has become thicker. One group at this location was feeding a juvenile Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo on 7 November.

Thornbills, gerygones, weebills
Numbers of all the small insectivorous birds in the floodplain forests and woodlands are considerably down due to years of drought and lack of flooding down the river systems.

Honeyeaters
The larger honeyeaters such as spiny-cheeked, and little and noisy friarbirds only bred after the good rains in December. For the first time, a pair of spiny-cheeked honeyeaters successfully raised two young on Susan and Neil's farm. We have been revegetating areas of the farm for about 15 years so this observation lifts the spirits somewhat.

I have checked many of their usual annual haunts but I have not seen a single painted honeyeater south of the Murrumbidgee River this season. I think the reason is that the grey mistletoe, their main diet, has not fruited well, perhaps because the cool summer has delayed the ripening of fruit and/or the drought has thrown the mistletoe out of kilter. There is fruit on grey mistletoe south of Wanganella but no birds as yet. In my experience, this is the first time that there have been no painted honeyeaters breeding somewhere in the district.

A single white-fronted honeyeater was located in Deniliquin on 16 January in flowering Western Australian eucalypts and was still present in early February. This, I think, is only my second record for Deniliquin town area in 25 years.

Black honeyeaters have been scarce with just one brown bird near Wanganella on 30 October and a male in flowering Eremophila longifolia east of town on 6 November; then nothing until late January when two brown birds were seen by T Wheller near Wanganella.

Presumedly, they are happy somewhere up north and have not come south this year.

No sign of pied honeyeaters this season. It would seem that they only occur in the district when there is a serious drought so I'm happy for them to stay away!

Chats
No crimson chats have appeared in the district this season. Orange chats were not seen until mid February when they finally returned to the cottonbush country in the Wanganella area (R & J Nevinson). Even the white-fronted chats have been scarce with just a few flocks in the Wanganella area.

Robins
Red-capped robins have been in low numbers in Gulpa Island SF and other areas of woodland north of town. Hooded robins in Gulpa Island are doing better with at least four pairs breeding successfully over summer.

Babblers
Grey-crowned babblers are holding their own in the district with several groups seen with juveniles over summer. In contrast, white-browed babblers in Gulpa Island SF seem to be declining. I suspect this is due to introduced grasses becoming too thick in the sandhill country. They like to feed in bare areas near low shrubs.

The resident chestnut-crowned babblers unsettled by drought and rabbit plagues in the sandhill country around Booroorban have been on the move; and I don't think they have bred this season.

Shrike-tits, whistlers
Crested shrike-tits have bred successfully with several pairs with juveniles seen about town and in Gulpa Island. Their numbers are well down in Gulpa and they have retreated to the thicker, healthier river redgums along the Edward River and Gulpa Creek. Away from the permanent creeks and rivers the gums are looking very sad, with not much leaf on them.

Gilberts whistlers are in real trouble in Gulpa Island SF with only two pairs located this season. This is down from six pairs about four years ago (prior to the big droughts) and four males calling last summer. Only one pair successfully bred this season and raised one young. I haven't seen this pair since December so I don't know if the young survived. The other pair never settled down in any one area so I don't think they bred at all.

Fantails
A sighting of rufous fantail on 5 December was only my second record for the district. An adult bird was seen in native pine Callitris gracilis subsp. murrayensis on the Gulpa Island sandhills. I believe rufous fantail was late arriving back to Victoria this season, which may, to some extent, explain why this bird was still on the move in December.

The previous sighting was on 15 October 1978. Seems like yesterday.

Cuckoo-shrikes, trillers
Ground cuckoo-shrikes continue to be scarce in the district. My sister, Susan, sees a group occasionally on her farm, the last sighting was a group of five early February. D Nevinson saw a group flying south near Booroorban at Christmas.

Like most of the summer migrants, white-winged trillers have been scarce this summer. The southern Gulpa Island sandhills was the only place where there were any numbers to speak of and several nests were seen in this area in December.

Woodswallows
A few pairs of white-breasted woodswallows have been nesting along the rivers and creeks but there has hardly been any of the other species about. Low numbers of white-browed and masked have been seen in the Booroorban area and some of the white-browed, at least, nested in the black box in that area in December.

A few pairs of black-faced woodswallows nested on the sparely timbered ridges on the plains and in late January/early February there was an influx of black-faced into the district, with a few pairs seen east and south of town.

Ravens
The grasshopper plague on the plains has attracted huge flocks of little ravens to the district.

Choughs and apostlebirds
Both these species bred reasonably well despite the dry conditions. Quite a few juveniles of both species were seen.

Finches
Diamond firetail are still scarce although they have been breeding. Three or four pairs with juveniles were located, mainly on the southern Gulpa sandhills.

A group of red-browed finches were in our backyard in early February – this, I believe, is my first record of this species for the garden.

Goldfinches are still uncommon in town.

Swallows
There have been surprisingly good numbers of white-backed swallows about over summer, with several pairs nesting east of town. A good colony also nested in the southern Gulpa sandhills, and a mixed flock of about 15 adults and juveniles was seen in that area. They were perched on dead branches in the top of river redgums in company with scores of tree martens.

Small colonies of fairy martens nested successfully in the irrigation country east of town this year.

Songlarks, cisticolas
Rufous and brown songlarks were probably the most numerous of all the summer migrants. Still, there wasn't a lot about. The rufous songlarks mainly bred along roadsides east of town; and the odd pair nested in Gulpa Island.

Initially in the spring there were only a few pairs of brown songlarks out on the plains but after the big rains in December more came in to breed and I think they were quite successful.

Golden-headed cisticolas have been scarce in the district – a few in the rice crops, and in the swamps at Wanganella.


Latest News February 2004 to October 2004 & June 2003 to January 2004

June 2002 to May 2003
June 2001 to June 2002
December 2000 ro March 2001
spring 2000