Spring bird migrations into the Royal

We are well into spring as I write this and migrant birds have been arriving daily over the last few weeks. First were the shorebirds coming from the Arctic….. then within days you could hear the cackle of the Channel-billed Cuckoos…you looked up and there were  a couple flying fast from New Guinea.

The shorebirds migrate incredible distances, some fly non stop for more than 11,000 kilometres. Before takeoff they feed themselves into immense balls of fat to sustain them on their flight. Then when they sense the weather conditions are favourable they launch themselves on these epic journeys. The Eastern Curlews pictured on the intertidal flats in Port Hacking would have flown from Eastern Siberia. Look how skinny the  bird on the right is…..a new arrival after perhaps ten days of non stop flying.

Those early migrants have been followed by Koels, Figbirds, Leaden Flycatchers, Rufous Whistlers, Sacred Kingfishers, Dollarbirds, Lathams Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwits and many more. Migrants from across the globe and across Australia.

Every eastern Australian resident would probably have heard the male Koel calling through the night, but have you ever seen his eyes? They have also migrated here from New Guinea. This bird was photographed a Bonnie Vale but you are likely to find them many places where one of their preferred host  species the Little Wattlebird is found.

Some Sacred Kingfishers over winter in Cabbage Tree Basin but most migrate into the Royal in the springtime. You can hear their distinctive calls in the open woodland around the park. Bonnie Vale and Wattle Forest are favourite sites. They nest in arboreal termite mounds, if you look closely you will see many of the termite mounds have small neat round holes made by these birds.

 

The Leaden Flycatchers started arriving in the Royal in early October, this bird was seen near Wattamolla but they can often be seen in summer along Lady Carrington Drive.

The Bar-tailed Godwits are the world record holders for long distance flight. In 2022 a juvenile bar-tailed godwit flew from Alaska in the US to Tasmania in Australia, covering a record 13,560kms without stopping. This  voyage took 11 days and one hour. Known only by its satellite tag number 234684  the five-month-old bird set off from Alaska on 13 October and satellite data appeared to show it did not stop during its marathon flight.

The Dollarbirds have been arriving in the Royal during October. You can hear their cackle like call  coming from the tops of  trees where they perch on dead branches to hawk insects. BonnieVale and Wattle Forest are favourite sites for these birds too.

 

This year has seen a great influx of Rufous Whistlers since late September. They can be seen on the firetrails in the centre of the Royal: try the Wises track, The Meadows and the top section of the Wallamurra track.

 

Lathams Snipe is a rare migrant from its breeding grounds in Japan. It is a freshwater wader and is sometimes seen at BonnieVale.

 

Some beautiful birds migrate into the rainforest along Lady Carrington Drive.  The Black-faced Monarchs and Rufous Fantails  have been arriving in October, they can be heard and spotted all along the Hacking valley.

 

And now in mid October the insect-like call of the Cicadabird can be heard on the valley sides above Wattle Forest as it has just arrived on its migration.

 

Many other land and shorebirds migrate into and through the Royal. Once you become familiar with their calls their arrival in the springtime brings a smile of recognition and an appreciation of the spectacular migrations of the natural world.