Hooray for Autumn Birding
Despite a historically warm March in Sydney, autumn’s here and the cooler weather headed our way signals some of the most exciting bird movements and migrations of the year! As we say goodbye to the summer birds we love, we say hello to our winter feathered friends. So who’s leaving and who’s arriving?
Goodbye Until Spring
At this very moment, our incredible, resilient and endangered migratory shorebirds have increased their body weight, begun morphing into their breeding plumage and undertaken journeys to staging areas in Australia, those final spots where they gather in large groups before taking flight over our turquoise waters headed north to the Arctic Circle, Japan, Alaska and more along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. While some have been recorded traveling incredible non-stop distances (Bar-tailed Godwit I’m looking at you), most will need to stop along the way to feed, presenting challenges where rapid coastal development overlaps with migratory shorebird sites. It was for this very reason the East Asian Austral-Asian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) was formed in 2006 with 18 partner countries, all working together to protect these incredible birds.
Also leaving us until spring are some of Sydney’s loudest and largest birds and parasitic cuckoos, the Pacific Koel and Channel-billed Cuckoo who return to New Guinea. Joining them is one of Sydney’s livelier small birds, the Rufous Fantail. Autumn is a great time to spot this bird as it migrates north through more open paths than where it's been hunkered down the past few months deep in gullies and rainforests.
We also say goodbye to Dollarbirds, Leaden Flycatchers, Rainbow Bee-eaters and Rufous Whistlers. As these birds move north, they provide many opportunities to spot them along their way and while we’re a little jealous they’re off to warmer locales, we marvel at their inspiring journeys.
Hello Gorgeous
While we say goodbye to summer migrants, we say hello to some extraordinary birds over the next few weeks like critically endangered Swift Parrots, just one of three migrating parrot species in the entire world! Quite literally swift, these birds have been recorded speeding at 88km/hr. Between bursts of flight, these noisy canopy birds enjoy eating in small nomadic groups across the mainland after their breeding season in Tasmania. Look for them at the tops of flowering trees and if you do spot one, report it or better yet, register for BirdLife Australia’s Swift Parrot search this April (click here).
Also joining us in Sydney are altitudinal migrants like Rose and Scarlet Robins, bright little birds who come down from the mountains for a bit of warmth over winter. Look for them in bushy areas along with Tasmanian Silvereyes who undertake one of the most incredible migrations full stop. These small birds, just 10g in weight cross the notoriously challenging Bass Strait and are easily seen throughout Sydney each winter, identifiable by their reddish flanks (next to their wings toward the chest).
As the weather gets colder, birds are more active throughout the day, making autumn and winter a great time to birdwatch. With snakes less active during the colder months (they won’t eat again until spring!) the colder weather offers opportunities for day trips to visit and spend time in spectacular places around Sydney.
A Sweet Migration
As we start grabbing a light jacket on the way out the door in the mornings, a phenomenon is taking place right above us. Autumn begins the great Yellow-faced Honeyeater migration north, beginning late March into April and May lasting between six and eight weeks.
Timing, route and numbers migrating depend on a variety of factors like flowering, rain, fires and drought, but each year hundreds of thousands of birds head north and if you’re lucky on a clear day, you might just catch the incredible sight of thousands of these birds travelling through. But it’s not a complete goodbye, as not all Yellow-faced Honeyeaters migrate.
While you’re out there looking for Yellow-faced Honeyeaters in the sky, keep your eyes peeled for migrating Pacific Swifts, White-throated Needletails, Spotted Pardalotes, Striated Pardalotes, Scarlet Honeyeaters, White-naped Honeyeaters and Silvereyes.
This month we quite literally encourage you to look up!
Cheers,
SBC
Your Guide To Birding in Sydney
