Bowning, Lamb’s TSR & Manton
Description. These are sites not visited by Canberra Birds before. The cemetery is a delightful location across the Hume Highway from Bowning. Species seen include Peaceful Dove, Black Kite and Rainbow Bee–eater. Lamb’s TSR is on the Wargiela Road, north of Yass. It has open woodland and views to the distance. Birds include Dollarbird, Little Eagle and Jacky Winter. We will return via Manton and the backroads to Murrumbateman.
Meeting time and place. 8.00 am at Hoskins St beside Hall Primary School for carpooling. A $10 contribution to the driver is suggested. Numbers will be limited to 16 people in 4 cars.
Walking distance. 3 kms
Degree of Difficulty. Easy
End time. 3.00 pm.
What to bring: Sturdy shoes, hats, sunscreen, water, morning tea and lunch.
Please register with the leader by email on bsgraham1948@gmail.com with your name and mobile phone number, and the name and number of an emergency contact.
Post event report
This was another of Bill Graham’s well researched outings to the rural areas and villages north of Canberra that most of us never visit. After meeting at Hall, the 5 attendees travelled in one car to Bowning Cemetery where migrants put on a good show, with Sacred Kingfisher, a very cooperative Eastern Shrike-tit, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Olive-backed Oriole and Dusky Woodswallow. As we wandered among the gravestones, the short lives lived by many early Bowning residents gave pause for contemplation of the hardships faced by early settlers.
On the nearby Common Road, we made several stops. Highlights included a pair of nest-building Restless Flycatchers, with the nest near to completion; each visit with nesting material was followed by the bird shuffling down into the nest cup to compress the latest contribution. White-throated Gerygone, Golden Whistler and a family of White-winged Choughs with 3 very recently-fledged, short-tailed chicks were also seen. Yellow Thornbill were seen in two locations, once in an exotic, deciduous tree just coming into bud and the other in eucalypts, although there were wattles just across the road.
Lambs Travelling Stock Reserve had the expected range of woodland birds, with both pardalotes, three thornbill species, a Western Gerygone and a 4 Golden Whistlers, as well as at least 16 Grey Fantails. There were some fine, old trees but some planting of understorey species would certainly enhance the TSR.
We wended our way back to Hall via Yass River Road, continuing to see and/or hear small flocks of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters moving through. Raptors included Whistling Kite and Nankeen Kestrel. We enjoyed a late lunch stop near the river, adding Tree Martin to our list, and made a brief stop at a dam on Greenwood Road where a variety of waterbirds was seen, contributing to our total for the day of 64 species.
Many thanks to Bill for all the effort he put into planning yet another fascinating adventure and sharing various anecdotes he had gleaned from locals on his earlier exploration of our route.
Sue Lashko
