Birdy things

Birdy things on 8 November began with sighting about 6 rather orange Cattle Egrets on the small island opposite the wharf, alongside a similar number of Royal Spoonbills.  (I had neither binoculars nor camera with me, and the optics on my phone were not up to that range.)

Back home there was a major ruckus  due to a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles deciding to fly over.  As near as I could work out (they were at least 300m up (nd climbing) they then got attacked by an Australian Raven; 

 In this shot the Raven is closer to the camera, not in the talons of the Eagle)

...an Australian Magpie (no image); 2 Masked Lapwings 

and a Whistling Kite.

No-one seemed to be injured in this event.

I then went to try to relocate a White-cheeked Honeyeater reported on eBird from the Centre Track.  I didn't find that but did have a very interesting conversation with one of the guys doing the mulching West of the Airport.  This is apparently required by CASA to keep the airport open.  Points he made included:

1. the operation is subject to a range of environmental protocols;
2. scrub is being cleared back to the original footprint of the airport (unlike a previous effort which went further);
3. they are mulching everything rather than bulldozing to bare earth and burning;
4. the approach is good for orchids (my informant cited a local orchid expert who they work with), and I agreed that there had been a magnificent display following their work;
5. birds will come into the area - he said that his staff had seen several Ground Parrots near the air navigation beacon.

All up he did a good job of persuading me that what they were doing was quite reasonable.

He then agreed to me driving around the Western fence of the airport, noting a nasty boggy bit near a corner so I headed off back in that direction.  Before I got back to Pebbly Beach road I was surprised to see White-browed Woodswallows landing on the road.  One of them was a female

and was duly fed by a male.  

Surely courtship, so a nice breeding record (there are plenty of stumps and hollows for them to nest in around this area).

I also saw Jacky Winters and heard Little Lorikeets up in the canopy.

Getting on to the airport fence I was astonished to find a flock of at least 50 White-browed Woodswallows feeding in the mulched area and inside the fence.  This was in the area shown in green.

I carried on around to the Gun Club track, noting an Australasian Pipit on the way.

 I did a lap of the beacon (on foot, to keep my tyres in a good state) but found no Ground Parrots.  Possibly they were hiding inside the beacon fence where the heath is higher.  Getting back to the airport fence it was good to see 6 Dusky Woodswallows (the more expected species in the area).

All in all a pretty good day