Bird Biodiversity at Eaglerise Farm

We have kept an opportunistic bird list updated for the past 20 years. Since 2014 we have had a Birds Australia expert conducting official bird surveys along 5 transects. Dr John Shepherd has forwarded this outline as of Feb 2020.

Systematic bird species recording has been carried out regularly since June 2016 using best practice BirdLife Australia methods. A total of 34 surveys at three sites across the farm revealed that 71 species are present. On a hillside farm at an elevation of 300-500m above sea level, this is a remarkable result. The organic farming methods practiced, and the provision of some small dams and the significant revegetation undertaken on the lower hill slopes and in the gullies have provided a sustainable habitat and the farm is a good example of how to bring back birds.

The species range across most of the main bird groups and many are resident breeders in the revegetation. Australian Wood and Pacific Black Ducks, Australasian Grebes and White-faced Herons are found on the dams. Red-rumped (Grass) Parrots, Galahs, Eastern Rosellas and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are common, together with Crested Pigeons. Five species of raptor inhabit the slopes, including nesting Wedge-tailed Eagles and Brown Falcons.

Of a special importance are the numerous small woodland species that are generally uncommon or rare in the Albury, Table Top and Mullengandra districts. These include six vulnerable (to extinction) birds: Brown Treecreeper, Flame Robin, Hooded Robin, Varied Sittella, Dusky Woodswallow, and Diamond Firetail. Another vulnerable bird, the Little Eagle, has also been sighted. As well, Southern Whiteface, White-browed Babbler and Crested Shrike-tit are also present. Rainbow Bee-eaters arrive from the north for each summer to nest in the gully banks. This summer (2019-20) a pair of rare Red-backed Kingfishers have been present, a seldom recorded species in the district. Each winter significant numbers of Flame Robin feed in the pastures along the lower slopes of the farm. In one paddock alone, in 2018, 29 of these robins were counted.

To find all these species on the farm is a testament to the success of the revegetation program and farming practices.

Compiled by John Shepherd, President of BirdLife Australia, Ovens and Murray Branch.

Rainbow Bee Eaters

Here’s a video of our Rainbow Bee Eaters. They are a highlight of our year when we hear them arrive. Their beautiful song signifies the end of the cold weather and the start of the hot dry season. We don’t normally know when they leave. We just notice one day that we haven’t heard them for a little while. This clip shows them getting ready to fly north after breeding in our gully banks.

Superb Fairy Wrens

Just a little bit of Australian birds joy. These are Superb Fairy Wrens, malruscyaneus. The male is the blue one. This is filmed in real time, the soundtrack from ABCjazz was a complete fluke. It was playing on the TV in the background. These birds are having a birdbath in water going into one of our grapevines. These are the joys of observation.

Australian Grebes

Here is our pair of resident Australian Grebes. This pair live on our front dam. It’s great to take our evening walk and see these small birds scurry around the dam. Their nest can sometimes be seen floating around the dam. When their chicks hatch, they are tiny and if we approach the dam, the chicks climb on their mother’s back and she swims off with them to safety. I’ve seen her hide three chicks on her back and you wouldn’t know they were there.

They hide their eggs in their nests with wet grass as they try to direct us away from their nest site.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Here is the largest bird of prey in Australia.
Mullengandra means a place where eagles fly. That is why we call our farm Eaglerise Farm. Our aim was always to develop an ecosystem that encourages the return on the mighty Wedge Tail Eagle. Well!!! Here you have it!

Welcome Swallows

The farm’s population of Welcome Swallows has had a boost with plenty of insects providing much feed. We have them breeding around the house and sheds.

On a recent evening, after dinner stroll, we were treated to these magnificant scenes. Goodness knows how many insects were harvested and eaten/taken back to nests, just in the space of the video. We stood on the bank at Lake Allen and marvelled at the sight.

This was during mid-February 2024. There had been fairly frequent rainfall events to encourage the insect hatches.

Birds on Farms

The “Birds on Farms” project is an initiative of our local Birds on Farm group in conjunction with Birdlife Australia and partnering with many landholders. It has been picked up and now covers large areas of Australia where it is instrumental in collating many quarterly surveys.

This long term data is valuable in desigining management plans for protected and endangered birds.

Eaglerise Farm has 4 transects that have contributed surveys for many years.

More information on this important project can be found on the Birdlife Australia website.

Eaglerise Farm Opportunistic Bird Sightings

	Common Name	*Scientific name*	Occurrence
1	Australian Wood Duck	Chenonetta jubata	often
2	Grey Teal	Anas gracilis	Often
3	Australian Shelduck	Tadorna tadornoides	Once
4	Hardhead	Aythya australis	Sometimes, seasonally
5	Pacific Black Duck	Anas superciliosa	Common
6	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Occasionally
7	Australasian Shoveler	Anas rhynchotis	Occasionally
8	Australasian Grebe	Tacyhbaptus novaehollandiae	residents
9	Darter	Anhinga melanogaster	Occasionally
10	Little Pied Cormorant	Phalacrocorax melanoleucos	common
11	Australian Pelican	Pelecanus conspicillatus	Seldom
12	White-faced Heron	Ardea novaehollandiae	Common
13	Australian White Ibis	Theskiornois molluca	Occasionally
14	Whistling Kite	Haliastur sphenurus	Seldom
15	Little eagle	Hieraaetus morphnoides	Occasionally
16	Wedgetail Eagle	Aquila audax	Resident
17	Black-shouldered Kite	Elanus axillatis	Common
18	Brown Goshawk	Accipter fasciatus	Common
19	Nankeen Kestrel	Falco cenchroidess	Common
20	Australian Hobby	Falco longipennis	Occasionally
21	Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	Common
22	Brown Falcon	Falco berigora	Occasionally
23	Red-kneed Dotterel	Erythrogonys cinctus	Residents
24	Crested Pigeon	Ocyphaps lophotes	Common
25	Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo	Calyptorhynchus funereus	Seldom
26	Gang-gang Cockatoo	Callocephalon fimbriatum	Rare
27	Little Corella	Cacatua tenuirostris	Common
28	Sulphur-crested Cockatoo	Cacatua galerita	Common
29	Galah	Cacatua roseicpilla	Common
30	Rainbow Lorikeet	Trichoglossus haematodus	Rare
31	Australian King-parrot	Alisterus scapularis	Rare
32	Crimson Rosella	Platycercus elegans elegans	Common
33	Eastern Rosella	Platycercus eximius	Common
34	Red-rumper parrot	Psephotus haemotonotus	Resident
35	Black-eared Cuckoo	Chrysococcyx osculans	Seldom
36	Tawny Frogmouth	Podargus strigoides	Common
37	Red-backed Kingfisher	Todiramphus pyrrhopygia	Rare
38	Sacred Kingfisher	Todiramphus sanctus	Occasionally
39	Laughing Kookaburra	Dacelo novaeguineae	Common
40	Rainbow Bee-eater	Merops ornatus	Seasonally common
41	Dollarbird	Eurystomus orientalis	Rare
42	Brown Treecreeper	Climacteris picumnus	common
43	Superb Fairy-wren	Malurus cyaneus	Common
44	Striated Pardalote	Pardalotus striatus	Common
45	Yellow-rumped Thornbill	Acanthiza chrysorrhoa	Common
46	Chestnut-rumped Thornbill	Acanthiza uropygalis	Common
47	Southern Whiteface	Aphelocephala leucopsis	Common
48	Little Wattlebird	Anthochaera chrysoptera	Relatively common
49	Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater	Acanthagenys rufogulris	Occasionally
50	Noisy Friarbird	Philemon corniculatus	Occasionally
51	White-plumed Honeyeater	Lichenostomusflavescens	Common
52	Brown-headed Honeyeater	Melithreptus brevirostris	Rare
53	Eastern Spinebill	Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris	Rare
54	Mistletoebird	Dicaeum hirundinaceum	Common
55	Crimson Chat	Epithianura tricolor	Rare
56	Hooded Robin	Melandryas cuculata	Common
57	Flame Robin	Petroica phoenicea	Common
58	Scarlet Robin	Petroica multicolour	Often
59	Red-capped Robin	Petroica goodenovii	rare
60	Eastern Yellow Robin	Eopsaltria australis	Rare
61	Jacky Winter	Microeca fascinans	Sometimes
62	White-browed Babbler	Pomatostomus superciliosus	Common
63	Grey-crowned Babbler	Pomatostomus temporalis	sometimes
64	Varied Sitella	Daphoenositts chrysoptera	Rare
65	Crested Shrike-tit	Oreoica gutturalis	Sometimes
66	Olive Whistler	Pachycephala olivacae	Rare
67	Golden Whistler	Pachycephala pectoralis	Rare
68	Rufus Whistler	Pachycephala rufiventris	Common
69	Grey Shrike-thrush	Colluricincla harmonica	Often
70	Restless Flycatcher	Myiagra alecto	Often
71	Grey Fantail	Rhipidura fuliginosa	Sometimes
72	Willie Wagtail	Rhipidura leucophrys	Often
73	White-winged Triller	Lalage tricolor	Sometimes
74	Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike	Coracina novaehollandiae	Often
75	White-browed Woodswallow	Artamus superciliosus	Sometimes
76	Black-faced Woodswallow	Artamus cinereus	often
77	Dusky Woodswallow	Artamus cyanopterus	Sometimes
78	Pied Butcherbird	Cracticus nigrogularis	rare
79	Australian Magpie	Gymnorhina tibicen	Often
80	Pied Currawong	Strepera graculina	Sometimes
81	Australian Raven	Corvus coronoides	Often
82	White-winged Chough	Cororax melanorhamphos	Rare
83	Apostlebird	Struthidea cinerea	Rare
84	Australian (Richards) Pipit	Anthus vovaeseelandiae	Often
85	Zebra Finch	Taeniopygia guttata	Rare
86	Double-barred Finch	Taeniopygia bichenovii	Rare
87	Diamond Firetail	Stagonopleura guttata	Common
88	Red-browed Finch	Neochimia temporalis	Common
89	House Tree Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Common
90	European Goldfinch	Carduelis cardue;is	Rare
91	Welcome Swallow	Hirundo neoxena	Common
92	Fairy Martin	Hirundo ariel	Common
93	Clamorous Reed-Warbler	Acrocephalus stentoreus	Sometimes
94	Rufous Songlark	Cincloramphus mathewsi	Common
95	Silvereye	Zosterops lateralis	Sometimes
96	Common Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Common
97	Common Myna	Acridotheres tristis	Rare
98	White-naped Honeyeater	Melithreptus lunatus	Seldom