Fifteen HBOC (Hunter Bird Observers Club) members huddled around an imaginary campfire in the Maitland Railway Station car park, all conventionally dressed for a winter morning’s bush outing, except trip leader Rob, who sported a bright pink matted hair-do and matching pink painted nails (after effects of a night out on the town, he says!).
By 8.15 there were unlikely to be any stragglers turning up, so, after arranging car-pooling we headed for Martins Creek, northeast of Paterson. It was a pleasant rural drive, and following a frosty start to the day, we were treated to sunshine and clear skies.
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Our destination was private property; our friendly and generous host was Kathy. Kathy is a carer of neglected and unwanted pets and farm animals, and we were greeted by the enthusiastic tail-wagging component of her menagerie. Her property comprises varied ecosystems from eucalypt woodland and heath, to rainforest. Kathy is enlisting professional help to undertake weed reduction and native plant regeneration, and, as with much of the Hunter, the major shrubby weed appears to be Lantana.
Like many conservation-minded landowners, Kathy shuns the use of herbicides, so the eradication of Lantana is a labour-intensive exercise. I had not previously put much thought into the possible detrimental effects of weed eradication on our native wildlife, but as Ann pointed out, undergrowth reduction must be a gradual process in order to allow the birds and animals to adapt to the changing environment.
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As we gathered ready for our birding excursion, Rob cheerily announced, “Sorry about the hill” - (he didn't sound one bit sorry!) And as we were confronted by “the hill”, I felt a little daunted. Slowly and steadily I managed the steep, rocky, lengthy hill climb, and was relieved when the terrain levelled out.
Righto, on with the bird watching! But, as with any bushwalk, I was soon distracted by the native flora, most notably the terrestrial orchids. I was delighted to discover another amateur orchid enthusiast amid the birding group – Tom. We compared notes and observations, and together we spotted and photographed four orchid species: Pterostylis nutans (Nodding Greenhood), Taurantha concinna (Trim Greenhood), Acianthus fornicatus (Large Mosquito Orchid or Pixie Caps), and Petalochilus catenatus (White Caladenia or White Fingers). We also saw one pink-tinted specimen of Petalochilus catenatus. [For interested readers, I have information, along with my images, on my Hunter Valley Nature Blog here: Orchid Index]
The group wandered along the ridge line, binoculars pointed skywards. The Shining Bronze Cuckoo was a highlight for me, only the second time I have observed this bird in any detail.
We were all a tad amused to see a pelican fly overhead, but very pleased to admire the White-naped Honeyeaters, female Golden Whistler, Grey shrike-thrush and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters flitting through the eucalypt foliage in a flurry of activity; and then they were gone, and we moved on.
Half of the group descended a gully into rainforest country, and came back with interesting tales of a nest – a huge stick construction of an unoccupied Wedge-tailed Eagle nest.
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Negotiating the rocky downhill track back to base, a group spotted a flock of Striated Thornbills. Ann is a mine of information, which she is keen to impart to novices. I was keen to listen, observe and learn: Striated Thornbills are not normally ground-feeders, so it was interesting to note the initial ground feeding taking place.
Now that I have quality binoculars, I was able to distinguish the detail that people were pointing out. Brown and Striated Thornbills can be confusing for novices to tell apart as they both have striations leading from under the bill onto the breast, but the Striated will have striations on the crown, absent on the Brown Thornbill.
Further down the hill, Ann pointed out the identifying features of the Buff-rumped Thornbill, which I was able to recognise with the close encounters we were treated to, right down to the white iris. A Speckled Warbler was spotted, and it was all eyes following this beautiful little bird. I was fortunate to get a detailed look at the superb, heavily streaked plumage of this scrub bird.
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The thought of coffee was enticing us to continue walking, and once we were relaxing on Kathy’s veranda, she offered us freshly prepared fruit salad and whipped cream, followed by coffee and biscuits. What an exceptionally gracious host! Chat was interspersed with bird spotting in Kathy’s wild, rambling garden. And then it was time for the Bird Call, with 49 species recorded, and another three species added later.
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With rested bodies and nourished bellies, we all headed out to wander up the unsealed country road in search of more birds. A male Satin Bowerbird posed for easy identification, and Galahs finally put in an appearance, along with Crested Pigeons. A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo was cleaning out a hollow while her mate watched on, and I am reasonably sure that I correctly identified a Brown Thornbill as I recalled Ann’s earlier tips.
Following a group photo, lunch was had on the veranda, but Grahame and I had to leave at that point to head home. Many thanks to welcoming landowner, Kathy, trip leader Rob, and the friendly group of HBOC members; a special thank you to Ann who is a wonderful teacher.
