The Grand Bird Banding February 12, 2016

The Grand Golf Course Bird Banding Update for February 12, 2016. 

Licenced Banders: David Braithwaite, and Rainer Ebel

Assisting: Miriam Braithwaite (C-class Banding Licence trainee)

Thanks to David B for sharing his photographs

Location: The Grand Golf Course, 346 Gilson Road, Gilston QLD 4211: 28°0’54” S 153°18’2”E,  “Dumpsite Road”.

Temperature Shade: 21-31°C; Sun Temperature: 27-32°C; Cloud Cover: 20-85%; Net Operation: 07:00 to 12:00 = 5.0 hrs. Number of nets:  11 (2m tall by 12m long, 32mm mesh) Number of net-hrs: 55 net-hrs. Birds/net-hrs (Effort): 0.10. Number of birds: 6 representing, 6 species.

Brown Thornbill 1, Eastern Robin 1 (repeat), White-throated Honeyeater 3(1 NB, 2 repeats), Red-browed Finch 3; (1 return) Spangled Drongo 5, Laughing Kookaburra 2.

           

Definitions: When we discuss recaptures the terms repeat and returns are often used.  A bird banded at a site and is recaptured at the same site after 90 days is considered a return. A repeat is a recaptured bird banded at a site and, is recaptured at the same site within 90 days.  A foreign re-trap or recapture is a banded bird from an unknown location.

Recaptures:

Band No	Species	1st Date	Last Capture Date	Min Age	Age/Sex
01A-65128	Red-browed Finch	2015 April 22	2016-Feb 12	9m 18 days	2+/ M
026-97904	Eastern Robin	2015- February 1	2016-February 12	12 m 11d	2+/M
026-97968	White-throated Honeyeater	2016-January 08	2016-February 12	1m 5d	2-/U
026-97615	White-throated Honeyeater	2015-May-06	2016-February-12	9m 1d	2+/U

Comment

Weather conditions were relatively "cool" dry and comfortable with winds audible from the tall eucalypt canopy above the station. Once in the sun it was very hot so the cloud cover was most welcoming.  Forest floor litter abundant and the shrubs spare looking although hints or greening are present and white flowers appearing on some of the shrubs. The creek beds are bone dry.  Still waiting for a major and continual rainfall and once that occurs (if it should occur) than I suspect the vegetation will change as will the bird diversity. Although the forest chatter was relatively quiet a few  desireable species could be heard . The cicadas noise was conspicuous  by its absence.  

Other Observations

An additional 35 birds were identified and recorded while at our station and travelling to and from the parking lot. 

Laughing Kookaburra. The largest member of the kingfisher family that feeds on anything found on the forest floor exclusive of banders and their fingers. Wing chord is 225mm and it weighs approximately 330-350 grs. The pictured one is an immature  (adult?) 2+ bird undergoing wing moult. Kooks live in territorial cooperative family units. Only the dominant males mate with dominant females and once eggs are laid, both share in the incubation. Other group members (helpers) may share in the incubation but most will feed the hatchlings and young. Older birds (3+?) displaying a bright blue lower back and rump may be sexed as males while females trend rufous brown to a dark brown rump. Plumage variation is problematic when sexing this species. From what I understand the moult sequencing is either unknown or poorly documented and requires more detailed studies.

Brown Thornbill. The wing chord for this tiny bird was 47 mm. Because of the blackish grey with the yellowish base to the lower mandible we concluded that it was born last year but because a number of juvenile feature aged it as a 2. Sex is unknown although females develop brood patches so do immatures which may or may not incubate.  There are 5 subspecies or races which occurs in south east Australia from south of Cairns to west of  the Adelaide region. There are 12 thornbill species. Fortunately most can be distinguished on geographic location and where they do overlap they can earlier be identified by specific field marks. 

Spangled Drongo. Perhaps one of my favourites but it is a killer on the fingers. It uses its bill as a pinching clever and its long very pointed claws with a very tight grasp will pierce the skin and leave a red ink clusters.  However there are other species that are much, much worse than the drongo.  It belongs to the Dicruridae family, which includes flycatchers, fantails, magpie-larks and monarchs. We banded 5 today,  all of them  where aged 2. Although not visible in this photo is  T6 flairs outward on a notched tail. The spangles are the poorly white streaks visible on the side of the neck.  In a breast and hind neck view of an alternate  plumaged adult bird the spangles are irridescent lancelet to rounded flecks. 

Red-browed Finch. Nothing unusual about this commonly encountered species except it is a young bird. How do you tell it has an all black bill and a brown eye where as adults display a red eye and the bill is red with a black stripe on top and bottom. The wing moult is asymetrical and complex.