It's a common fallacy to expect that the second time you visit a spot it will be exactly the same as last time, and certainly it was somewhat disappointing to arrive and start setting up at our campsite in the deep gully at the south end of this property to find it very much quieter than in September 2006. It was therefore very appropriate that we took up Richard's invitation to join him for a late afternoon walk in the NE corner of the property, where he had been seeing lots of activity on his afternoon walks with the dogs. This proved a very good decision and excellent views were obtained of a number of species, highlights being a male Hooded Robin, a Restless Flycatcher performing it scissor grinder call both while hovering low above the ground or most commonly while perched (first time I have seen this display in ages), and a flock of over 200 mostly White-browed but also about 10% Masked Woodswallows, often on the ground but also rising to give their "Check Check" calls high above us.
Despite the quiet camp site the early morning chorus was certainly very loud (though perhaps somewhat less than last year) and when I got up shortly after dawn I was able to add many species to the list from having listened to all the calls in my sleeping bag. Very few additional were added following a long and slow circle around the camp site, in fact the best birding happened when I returned to my tent where there were several species including a White-throated Gerygone in the tree above.
After breakfast we again did a long circuit around the property, with birding initially slow and highlights being lovely views of a male Red-capped Robin (a species missed last time) as well as of another red, white and black male, the Mistletoebird. However, the activity did not pick up until we reached the active spot of the previous evening where among the up to five male White-winged Trillers in a small dead wattle we located a Black-eared Cuckoo, and later a second. Both birds were so obliging that after some initial caution we were able to approach them to within focal length. This was a real thrill as it was a new species for me at Frogmore, the first anywhere for over 2 years and the first for much a longer time while I've been leading a COG trip.
After this, participants noted we had not obtained good views of Superb Parrots and as soon as we detoured slightly to where some had been seen the day before one flew past to join another two males in a nearby tree, and then dropped to the ground. As we slowly approached this male kept on feeding unconcernedly as it also moved towards us, affording the most magnificent full frontal views. For many this was the highlight of the trip, surpassing even the above cuckoos.
Another great weekend at this magnificent property, even though the list of species at 64 (66 if we count two more seen just outside) was well down on the 80 seen 13 months previously. Amazingly this now included nearly all the expected migrants and reflects the continuing and even more deeply biting drought. This was also reflected by the very little breeding activity recorded, just five species, and the much lower calling activity; for example, though trillers were very common in some spots, they hardly called with the males consorting together clearly indicating territories had not yet been set up, if indeed they would be this year. We only added one species to the property list, the cuckoo, though it had been seen earlier in the week by Richard. Other birds of interest were the Leaden Flycatcher seen near the campsite and the Silvereye, both of which are noted as being only seen once before on the property list, as were the Cockatiels also only seen by Stuart.
Once again COG is very indebted to Richard and his partner Angela for inviting COG back; we are already looking
forward to our next visit. — Jack Holland