Which bird is that?[1]

Introduction

This is an activity that can take all day but should be limited to about 20  minutes for young children and teenagers. It is suitable for groups of people older than about 6 years of age (maximum 30).

Materials

Optional (depending on expertise): Fullagar, P. and Slater, E. 2004. CD: Field Guide to the Birds of the ACT: The Calls and Songs Compiled and Edited, and battery-operated portable CD player that can select tracks on request.

Optional: pictures of commonly seen birds tagged in a Field Guide or pasted onto cardboard cards.

Preparation

The leader of this activity should familiarise themselves with the calls of birds commonly seen in the Aranda Bushland, and how to locate them readily on the Fullagar and Slater CD.

Commonly seen and easily recognised birds in Aranda Bushland include:

Galah

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Crimson Rosella

Eastern Rosella

Grey Fantail

Superb Fairy-wren (usually near the ground)

White-throated Treecreeper (creeping up gum trees)

Red Wattlebird 

Common Myna

Australian Magpie

Pied Currawong

Australian Raven

There are often little brown birds flitting around in the trees.  These are usually thornbills but it is hard to tell one sort (species) from another.

Birds not so commonly seen but easily recognised include:

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo (usually seen flying overhead in flocks, wailing)

Australian King Parrot

Laughing Kookaburra

Spotted Pardalote

White-browed Scrubwren (usually near the ground)

Noisy Friarbird (in Spring or Summer)

Eastern Spinebill

Scarlet Robin

Grey Shrike-thrush

Australian Magpie-lark

White-winged Chough (usually in groups, on the ground)

Red-browed Firetail (usually near the farmland, on the ground)

On site

Stop at various spots along to the Frost Hollow to Forest Walk to listen for bird calls. Participants should stand or sit quietly without damaging plants and away from ants’ nests, listening carefully. If a bird call is heard, the participants should point in the direction of the call and see if they can see the bird. When the call stops, or if there is a break in the call, ask the participants if they can identify the bird or birds. If you can, play the relevant track from the CD to aid identification. You may wish to hold up a picture of the relevant bird heard or seen.

Specific activity for autumn

Look out for the significant flocks of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters (Lichenostomus chrysops) and the White-naped Honeyeaters (Melithreptus lunatus) which fly from the Brindabellas towards the coast in autumn, usually from late March to late May, especially on sunny mornings between 8.00am and 11.00am.

The Canberra Ornithologists’ Society

Visit the website to learn about the group and to see pictures taken by members of the group.

Some pictures from our own area.