Report - Mulligan's Flat Survey (Sun 6 July 2003)

After being postponed due to rain the weekend before, we re-scheduled the survey for 6 July when weather was predicted to be more favourable. It was a cold, still and foggy morning to start, but the fog lifted as the morning progressed. Conditions at the reserve were quite dry with little surface water around and sparse grass cover, and dam levels are very low, some dams are dry. The large dam has only a few small pools and it is unknown when the dam wall will be repaired as there are apparently engineering issues to be resolved.

A total of 34 species was recorded for the morning. Some sites were quiet; others had mixed feeding flocks moving through. Highlights were:

• Over 100 Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos in the reserve, mostly at the northern end (one group of 30 feeding on pine cones in a stand of pines abutting the reserve's northern boundary); this is a new species record for the surveys (and for the reserve I believe); obviously the birds have been displaced from their usual habitats in and around Namadji NP, and the various burned out pine plantations due to the January bushfires
• Mistletoebird at one site (no 22) and Eastern Spinebill at another (no 10)
• Several pairs of Scarlet Robin and good numbers of White-eared Honeyeaters (these move from the high country in autumn/winter; there seem to be more around Mulligans than usual this winter)
• Varied Sittella, 3 birds, near site 5
• Several groups of Brown-headed Honeyeaters - again more than the usual
• A Peregrine Falcon along the western side, after the survey
• 2 Black Swans on one of the small dams.

We celebrate the completion of 8 years of these surveys and the start of the 9th year at Mulligan's, COGs longest running woodland survey site - longitudinal data is very important and we need to keep this going. Thanks to all those who have assisted over this time, some of whom like Kay and Horst Hahne and Bruce Lindenmayer, have been involved for all eight years on most surveys. A number of other people manage a couple of the surveys each year as their commitments allow, and this is all appreciated. Personally, I have missed only one when I was overseas. The next survey will be Sunday 30 September - note your diaries, details in Sept Ganggang.

Jenny Bounds