Song Thrush, Tree Sparrow and the Melbourne Zoo

Aus bush at the Melbourne Zoo

Our visits to Melbourne Zoo have given us some memorable birding moments. There was the time we went to visit a baby mandrill and was alerted to a Boobook Owl roosting in the 'African Rainforest' canopy by a group of alarmed White-plumed Honeyeaters. And the time we went to visit the tigers and heard the melodious call of the Golden Whistler and found it just off the path in the 'Asian Rainforest'. On another occasion I was waiting outside a marquee in which Jane Goodall was due to give a talk and a flock of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo descended on the giant pine which resides in the Carousel Park. One summer an Olive-backed Oriole could be heard calling near the rail gate in the mornings, one of the keepers informed us that it was nesting in a Palm Tree nearby.

These are all unusual sightings for the Melbourne Zoo, however there are also some interesting birds that can easily be found on almost any visit. Two of the introduced species that Melbourne is well known for, the Tree Sparrow and the Song Thrush can both be found in the Melbourne Zoo. Tree Sparrows can most easily be seen in the Lakeside Bistro outdoor garden, when at the zoo I usually order a coffee from the bistro and drink it while sitting in the Japanese Garden, from here it usually doesn't take more than a few minutes scanning to locate a Tree Sparrow hopping around the eves or in some other part of the outdoor courtyard. From here I can also have a good look at the Chestnut Teal, Pacific Black Duck and Dusky Moorhen on the lake. There are often some nice collection birds here too like Plumed Whistling Ducks.

Juvenile Nankeen Night-Heron

As the Song Thrush prefers forest habitat with good undergrowth the most likely place to find them is in the African or Asian Rainforests. I have seen them in both of these areas. Also in the Asian rainforest is the 'Pelican Lake', the pelicans here belong to the collection but the Great Cormorants and colony of Nankeen Night-Herons are wild birds. In 1916 Dudley Le Souef wrote 'When the gardens were first formed, more than 50 years ago, Nankeen-night Herons used to camp during the day in the the Eucalyptus trees and they and there descendants have continued to do so ever since' and so they still do today.

Meo and her cubs

A colony of Bell Miners have resided in the 'Australian Bush' precinct for many years but recently they appear to have moved into the trees outside the rail gate. Kookaburras can sometimes be seen perched in the trees overlooking the Aus Bush or Bongo enclosures and there is a small colony of Superb Fairywren which live in the garden beds near to the Finch Aviary.

Guinea Fowl Sentry

Recently I heard that a Grey Goshawk had been seen hunting over the giraffe enclosure, which is a large open area that the giraffe and zebra share with a large flock of Guinea Fowl who currently have chicks. I spent last Sunday morning lurking around on the lookout for a Goshawk. There definitely seemed to be something terrorizing the birds as the guinea fowl chicks were sheltering under some grass tussocks while other adults, acting as sentries, where sounding out the alarm from the top boulders. Unfortunately I did not see a Grey Goshawk but did see a Brown Goshawk which I assumed was causing the fuss.

In most parts of the zoo White-browed Scrubwren can be found where the garden beds are dense. During Autumn and Spring other small birds such as Grey Fantail, Eastern Spinebill and Silvereye can also be seen, while on migration during change of seasons. Rainbow Lorikeets are always present and Musk Lorikeets and Little Lorikeets can often be seen during late Summer to Winter.

For a list of birds seen at the zoo check out the Bird List .

Chicks sheltering