Close encounters of the bird kind - Hooded Robins in the Capertee Valley

These Hooded Robins (Melanodryas cucullata cucullata) were filmed across three visits (in October 2018, February 2019 and July 2019) to Capertee Valley, NSW. Most of the footage shows a male and female robin using the perch-and-pounce method of hunting in the wooded area pictured (Photo 2) in mid July 2019. It’s not clear whether the close-up female calling (February 2019) or the male singing (October 2018) are the July birds. It’s possible that the site is home to two pairs as we have seen two adult males simultaneously. We also filmed Hooded Robins at this location in May 2018 - see • Up close with Hooded R... - and it’s very likely that at least some of the individuals appear both times. On this occasion we can present the calls and song of this often quiet and unobtrusive species. Note that the male also does a soft piping single note (heard during Photo 1).
While Hooded Robins are recorded quite regularly in formal surveys and birders’ lists for the Capertee Valley, the southern-eastern subspecies has declined significantly in both Victoria and NSW. In parts of their range they are now rarely seen or are locally extinct. This is the sad story for many woodland birds. The kind of habitat required by Hooded Robins - e.g. open woodland - is also often located on land considered to be ideal for agriculture and other human activities. Habitat loss, fragmentation and/or degradation are undoubtedly the biggest challenges to various woodland species. And it’s not just a matter of saving trees. Habitat needs to be preserved and restored as close as possible to its natural state. Changes that encourage aggressive birds such as Noisy Miners and/or exotic plants and ground-smothering weeds are also detrimental to Hooded Robins. Other threats include fire regimes that are too frequent and/or badly timed (e.g. spring), feral predators such as cats and foxes, and overzealous tidying or firewood collecting. Fallen timber and tree stumps provide low perches for pouncing on invertebrate prey, as well as supporting a greater number/diversity of invertebrates. Dead but standing shrubs and trees, or branches thereof, are similarly used.
With Hooded Robins now listed as “vulnerable” in NSW, it’s heartening to see them frequently (including their young) at the filming site over the 16 months since our first visit. Perhaps they are a testament to the habitat restoration efforts at this 140 acre private property. We have observed them in both relatively natural and revegetated zones, with the commonality being a structurally diverse environment (i.e. some mature eucalypts, well-spaced or sparse shrubs such as acacias, native grasses with some bare ground and leaf litter, and ground timber and/or tree stumps). In areas where weeds (e.g. thistles) still compete with native ground cover, the robins perch on trail posts and find the barer patches (e.g. wheel tracks) to scan, leap upon, or hop across. To see more of the location go to • Bird Diversity after H... For more information on Hooded Robins visit www.birdsinbackyards.net/speci... and www.environment.nsw.gov.au/th...

[@mikeanonymous4841]

Beautiful footage and birds! God Bless