I was at the Bidjigal Reserve western Sydney, and in amongst a lot of small birds in the lower level of canopy, I saw what i know now is a Golden Whistler, which I have just now identified from notes i took. But i also saw an even smaller bird that had black head, brown breast. Does any one know of anything that it could be, that i can look up? Not much to go on I know. My memory isn't that great, may have had white patches on the face.
Also I saw a small bird that was hovering in the air with wings going very fast before it landed back on a branch. I didn't get much more detail as it was low light and too fast. I wish i had photos, but sadly do not.
thanks!
The hovering bird may have been a Black-shouldered Kite.
For the small bird maybe you could look up Rufous whistler? They are often in the same area as Golden whistlers.
Possibly Eastern spinebill for both birds - spinebills will hover. They are reasonably common in that sort of bush land around sydney.
I had not heard of Bidjigal Reserve - I will put it on my list of places to visit as its not too far from me. If you are venturing out in that area you might like to try Lake Parramatta - just a few Kms south and one of Sydneys best kept secrets.
Another possibility would be a grey fantail - good hovering bird too.
Hi Woko, thanks but a bit more research makes me believe it was an Eastern Spinebill. It was only a small bird.
Yes, Elsie thanks for that, I think that is right, it was a Rufous Whistler.
That was a good day out for me, I haven't seen these birds before. And I think that some of the other ones may have been female Golden Whistlers.
It is a beautiful patch of bushland, although i got quite lost and came out in a completely unfamiliar area!
elizabeth
Hi Whistling Duck, The bushland of the Bidjigal Reserve is beautiful, great walking tracks and a lot of birds, new for me, (maybe not for others). But I recently found Lake Parrammatta, and that is great too.
elizabeth
I have not got to Bidjigal Reserve yet, only checked it out on the web - what entrance point did you use?
Its wonderful to have these bush areas remaining as just a few steps into them and I feel immersed in a different world. Lake Parramatta was one of the first I experienced - a hidden gem I think.
I agree, and I felt that especially so with Bidjigal Reserve, one minute in the middle of suburbia and the next you could be anywhere, another world. And a lot of birds. I used the entrance at the end of Excelsior Avenue, where the walks seem to start from. It was the easier to find, but I would like to go in from the other entrances as well.
I want to go back to Lake Parramatta again, to explore more of it.
elizabeth
Thanks for the info - im looking forward to visiting it
Those reserves are wonderful to have & a welcome relief from the ugliness of city & suburbia. However, they are fragments of what once existed. The greater the fragmentation the greater the danger of collapse of bird populations. In fact, in SA there is evidence in the Mt Lofty Ranges that a number of species populations are sustainable for some time within these habitat fragments but after some years the populations suddenly collapse. This points to the need for not only preserving the reserves but also extending them through council parks & gardens & through front & backyards. I do hope that species populations in Sydney's habitat fragements don't suffer the same fate as those in SA.
Interesting observations Woko ... some of these pockets of bushland are indeed very sparsely populated with bird life compared to others.