The summer survey was in fine weather after a couple of inches of rain the week before. 55 species of birds were recorded. The most interesting sighting was a pair of Superb Parrots seen near the car park on Gundaroo Road as I arrived; later when we left the reserve, one Superb Parrot was seen flying, from possibly the Hall area, over the western ridge of Mulligan's - maybe on a feeding run. This species is not a regular in the reserve although the habitat seems to be quite suitable; we have had a few records over the years including breeding near the large dam several years ago.
Other good sightings were numerous pairs of Scarlet Robin, Varied Sittella and Dusky Woodswallow, all locally declining species, a Brush Cuckoo near site 5, 3 Hoary-headed Grebe on the large dam, a Little Corella near the large dam, and a Skylark on the western edge. Interestingly, we recorded no White-winged Trillers in the reserve, although I recorded several pairs in the new Gooroo reserve the day before. One Rufous Songlark only was recorded - numbers seem down again this year. Wildflowers and native grasses were in abundance. Thanks to the volunteers who assisted with the survey.
Jenny Bounds