Our Activities

Past Events

Gungahlin Hill

Sunday 18 February 08:00
Lachlan Duncan

Note the change of date for this outing.

This Reserve is often missed by birders as they head along the Barton Highway either into or out of town. Once a quarry, the area is now well revegetated and consists of various habitats ranging from a stony rise with Brittle Gum to grassy woodlands of Blakely’s Red Gum and Yellow Box. The Reserve is little known and well worth a visit.

 

Meet at 9:00 am at the pull-over on the left-hand side of the Barton Highway heading into town situated between Crace and the Print Handicap Radio Station. No booking required and weather permitting it will be worth bringing along morning tea.

Post event report

Some 41 species were seen or heard on this morning walk, led by Lachlan Duncan who was in charge of a COG outing for the first time. We met at the stile in Cocoparra Crescent, Crace, where we began the walk in auspicious fashion with a flyover by seven Superb Parrots. In the first hundred metres or so of the walk itself, we saw nine other parrot species including a pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos which posed nicely for the photographers in the group. Both Sulphur-crested cockatoos and Rainbow Lorikeets were observed checking out possible nest sites. Also seen in this open forest area was a group of Striated Pardalotes. Walking south down the hill, we came to a spot enlivened by the presence of Superb Fairy-wrens and Red-browed Firetails. After passing the 1RPH radio station in the south-east corner of the Nature Reserve, we came to a sizeable dam where we saw two Australasian Grebes, two Eurasian Coots, one Pacific Black Duck, a single Little Pied Cormorant and two Australian Reed-Warblers. In the same vicinity a couple of participants heard a Golden-headed Cisticola calling. Two raptors were seen towards the end of the open country, before we re-climbed Gungahlin Hill; one was a Brown Falcon perching on a transmission tower and the other a Nankeen Kestrel in flight. Other highlights were the sighting of Sacred Kingfishers, a Black-faced Cuckooshrike and several Dusky Woodswallows. One final note: the wasps we saw at a nest among the grass stalks have been identified in Canberra Nature Map as Asian Paper Wasps, and have not been recorded in that area before. Thanks to Lachlan for leading this most enjoyable and parrot-filled walk. Wendy Whitham