Arrival of Spring Migrants – Nature News, 1 August, 2017
Posted on 16 August, 2017 by Tanya Loos
For this month’s Nature News, Newstead naturalist and photographer Geoff Park writes about the feathered migrants that are arriving in our region at the moment, and in the coming months. This article was featured in the Midland E xpress on August 1, 2017.
At this time of year the pulse quickens a little in anticipation of the arrival of the first spring migrants.
Over the coming months, an assortment of wonderfully different birds will appear in the box-ironbark country to spend the spring and summer breeding and entertaining us with their musical calls.
Most of these birds will have come from northern Australia, or even further afield, where they have spent the winter – a bit like the ‘grey nomads’ that enjoy warmer climes as they wend their caravans north in increasing numbers each year. Our avian visitors are referred to as spring migrants but in fact many arrive in the dying days of winter.
A Fan-tailed Cuckoo sings his descending trill call. By Geoff Park
The first of the spring migrants are usually the cuckoos, with five species arriving to breed in our district. Most years Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo turns up in early August along with Fan-tailed Cuckoo, followed soon after by Shining Bronze-cuckoos and the largest of all, the Pallid Cuckoo. These four are common and easily distinguished by their calls which are often uttered from a prominent vantage point. Black-eared Cuckoos are generally last to appear at the end of the month, in much smaller numbers.
All of these cuckoos are brood parasites, that is, they lay their eggs in the nests of unwitting hosts, such as thornbills, wrens and honeyeaters, which then raise the young cuckoos as their own. While the host species ‘fall into the trap’ year after year, they are suspicious and intolerant of adult cuckoos, often mobbing them relentlessly when they appear.
The cuckoos will soon be joined by other northern visitors, such as Sacred Kingfishers, and my absolute favourite the Rainbow Bee-eater – which will feature in my next Nature News article, in November.
I’m often asked about the effects of climate change on birds. There is no doubt that some species are arriving earlier each year in many places in southern Australia, with numerous studies now providing decades of evidence of this phenomenon. Each year I try to record the first sightings of spring migrants and I’d be delighted to hear of local observations for any of the birds mentioned in this article … and for the others that have been overlooked!
For more information contact Geoff Park at Natural Newstead www.geoffpark.wordpress.com
Hi Tanya,
On Sunday 20th August,
Horsefield’s-Bronze Cuckoo was heard by members of Fobif hiking group along the Poverty Gully Race about 2/3 way from Eureka St to little reservoir.
Fan-tailed Cuckoos were heard between Poverty Gully Reservoir Track & Poverty Gully.
A number of Grey Shrike Thrushes were often heard along the hike.
Hi, I have seen a Horsfield’s cuckoo at Tarrengower on 31/7/17, and on Muckleford bike track to Maldon on 13/8/17, and also 14/8/17 in the neighbours backyard at Castlemaine near old goal.
Hi Tanya, The Fan-tailed Cuckoo was heard distinctly by members of U3A Birding group on 8th August during an excursion along Wewak Track (Glenluce) and at Glenluce Mineral Springs.