Dongara - Flora & Fauna 4

DONGARA FLORA & FAUNA

by Br W H van Veen sac

Part 4

Birds at Brennand Rd

Galahs

Only small flocks of Galahs are here. There is really no comparison with the Irwin catchments area where there are very big flocks and still plenty of suitable trees for the birds to nest in. Near the sea there are not many big trees growing and the ones that were here are long gone. There still some big River gums and some other trees growing along the river, but there is competition among the birds for this places.

Corellas
Corellas are here in a big flock. The birds that are here are the Long-billed Corellas and are the more common than the Corellas in the Irwin catchment area. It is not easy to tell the difference from afar.
All reports indicate that the Long-billed Corellas Cacatua tenuirostris (pastinator) are becoming rare.
With the coming of the white settlers, land clearing may have contributed to the decline in its numbers.

Port Lincoln Parrot Port Lincoln parrots are common but not in abundance. It is the first time I have seen the Port Lincoln parrot with red frontal-band. It is in some of these birds, but it retains its yellow abdomen.

For that reason it is still a Port Lincoln parrot and not a “twenty-eight”. The “twenty-eight” you find in the south of W.A. The birds from the south have mostly red frontal-bands and have no yellow abdomen.

The sounds of the birds are different from the Port Lincoln parrot.

Ravens

This big black bird is the largest member of the crow family in Australia. It is largely responsible for clearing carrion that is lying around. It is a useful bird because if no body cleans up disease will spread. The Australian ravens are regular visitors at Brennand Road the whole of the year.

Magpie - larks
Magpie-larks nest in July and are permanent residents in the street. The young leave the nest in September. Sometimes the birds use the nest for the second time soon after the first lot is gone. The Magpie-larks are also common at the Estuary near the Irwin river.
Some times the nestlings are taken away by the Grey currawongs, notoriously known as nest robbers.

Galahs
		Only small flocks of Galahs are here. There is really no comparison with the Irwin catchments area where there are very big flocks and still plenty of suitable trees for the birds to nest in. Near the sea there are not many big trees growing and the ones that were here are long gone. There still some big River gums and some other trees growing along the river, but there is competition among the birds for this places.