March J 1973

ROBINSON, The Grey Grass-Wren

The Grey Grass-Wren By LEN ROBINSON, Murrumbeena, Victoria

251

The Grey Grass-Wren ( Amytomis barbatus) was first glimpsed by Norman Favaloro of Mildura, Victoria, on September 24, 1942. This accidental sighting occurred while he and a companion (A. Storer) were returning from a visit to the Onobootra Water Hole. T he latter is in the Bulloo River region in south-western Queensland and to the north-east of Tibooburra, in north-western New South Wales.

Almost 25 years passed befo re Favaloro was able to revisit the area of his first sightings. On the morning of July 7, 1967, he and a different companion (W. Adams) observed several grass-wrens as they perched on the tops of lignum bushes. It was apparent immed­iately that these grass-wrens differed in colour and plumage-pattern from other known species of this genus with which Favaloro was familiar.

Subsequently, specimens of four adults, nests and three clutches of eggs were procured and taken to the National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, for identification and classification. Later,* it was announced that the new species was named the Grey Grass-Wren, from its basic grey plumage on the back, and Amytornis barbatus indicating its diagnostic facial markings.

In September 1967, in company of Roger Cowley of Melbourne, and Eilis McNamara and Paddy Brown of Mount Kembla, New South Wales, a visit was made to central and western New South Wales. Prior to our departure. advance info rmation concerning the very recent unpublished discovery of an entirely new species of grass­wren, as yet undescribed and unnamed , was brought to our attention. These particular grass-wrens supposedly inhabited lignum and cane­grass swamps "somewhere in the north-west of New South Wales" and we were advised to " keep an eye open for them" .

Late in the afternoon of September 22, 1967, we a rrived at the Caryapundy Swamp. This is a cane-grass, Eragrostis australasica, and lignum, Muehlenbeckia cunninghamii, marsh which extends over many square miles of country north and south of the sta te border between Queensland and New South Wales, and in the far west of those states.

Next morning we separated to cover a wide area in quest of the "new" grass-wren. Reassembling later, we each reported seeing one or two of these extremely secretive birds. It was a unique experience to observe a bird ; to know to what genus it belongs but, because it is not yet illustrated, described or classified, to be unable to enter its name in the field notebook.

At times, individual birds perched amongst the topmost canes of the lignum where they sunned themselves and preened; thus afford­ing fine views for the observers. One pair was accompanied by two fledglings. Because of the shortage of time and the necessity to return to our respective homes, no comprehensive observations were possible during that brief visit.

252 ROBINSON, The Grey Grass-Wren [ Bird W atcher

In early July 1968, McNamara and Brown set out for the same locality but failed to reach it because of local flooding. A month later they were more successful and subsequently found a nest with young. After much difficulty. McNamara was able to obtain a few photographs of the adult birds. Before departing, he lett directions at a nearby station homestead for me as to where to look for this particular nest.

On the afternoon of August 18. 1968. I arrived alone in this are& and within a short time had located the nest of the Grey Grass-Wren. It was situated in a clump of lignum through which grew sparse grasses and a green daisy-like plant. (Senecio?) The nest was con­structed of dead, brown grasses and had a frail hood. The wide opening was near the top and faced upwards in an easterly direction. The lining was of finer grasses and some sparse plant-down. A plac­form of grasses extended about an inch from the base of the opening.

The nest contained two well-fledged young. The head, hind-neck, back and rump were dark grey flecked and streaked with off-white (actually the feathers were off-white with dark margins). A faint, dark grey crescent line extended from behind each eye to below the eye and was separated from it by a narrow white margin. The wing­coverts were buffish-white edged with dark grey; the secondaries being dark grey with the central shaft and outer edges buff; the short, developing primaries were dark grey with buff outer edgings. The entire under surface (from chin to under tail-coverts) was off-white and the short tail-feathers were brownish-grey with buff edges. The upper mandible was medium grey; the lower mandible being buff. The legs and feet were dark bluish-grey.

The following morning the nest was revisited with the hope of obtaining photographs. The adults and young were very vocal; both keeping up persistent "tsit-tsit" calls. However, the adults called the nestlings from the nest before photographs were obtained.

On one occasion three adult Grass-Wrens perched together in the open in a clump of lignum. Whilst perched the birds appeared quite greyish on the wings and back; with whitish under parts, white faces and chins and conspicuous black markings on their faces and throats. However, when flying away, they appeared much browner.

They were extremely difficult to observe; keeping close to the ground and low in the clumps of lignum. All the while they main­tained constant communication calls with the fledglings.

I then decided to investigate the area where Grass-Wrens, with young, had been observed the previous September. The method employed was to thoroughly inspect every clump of cane-grass and lignum; even getting down on one's knees to peer into the densest parts near the ground. After about two hours of this tedious search­ing, muted lisping calls were heard which I thought were Grass­Wrens; but none was seen. In spite of the calls persisting, I did not appear to be approaching any closer to them.

Suddenly I caught sight of a Grass-Wren as it flashed across some clumps of cane-grass growing in shallow water. Calls were still heard

The Grey Grass-Wren. This is the first coloured photograph of this new species to appear in an ornithological journal.

Plate 42 Photo by Len Robinson

Colour blocks by courtesy of the Trustees of The Australian Museum

nearby, but no birds were seen. This was not surprising as the Grass­Wrens are masters at the art of deception and can move from one dump of cane-grass or lignum to another without being detected.

Many more lignum and cane-grass clumps were searched before

254 ROBINSON [ Bird W atcher

some soft twitterings were heard emanating from a small isolated clump of lignum. In it was a nest containing small, naked young birds. This nest was more domed than the other and being uncertain as to whether or not it was a nest of these Grass-Wrens, I vacated the area.

Upon returning, an adult Grass-Wren with food was seen in the vicinity of the nest. It repeatedly hopped in and out of some low vegetation and appeared reluctant to venture near the nest.

Again the area was vacated and when later the nest was approached, an adult Grass-Wren hurriedly departed and flew some 20 yards over the surrounding lign um and cane-grass before drop­ping down out of view.

This nest was on the eastern side of the clump of lignum and faced towards the centre and westwards. It was made of soft, brown grasses, had a semi-hood and was quite deep inside. The interior was lined with finer grass and a little plant-down. There was a short platform of grasses at the entrance. The nest contained three young; the other nest contained two nestlings and the three nests collected by Favaloro in 1967 each contained two eggs.

The following morning. August 20, I sat on the ground in the vicinity of the nest to watch the behaviour of the adults. Eventually both birds appeared with food but were a little hesitant in going to the nest. I can only surmise that the young were fed by the con­centrated twitterings which the nestlings uttered at times.

A brush hide. consisting of branchlets from dead and dying salt­bushes. lignum and cane-grass. was constructed about 30 feet from the nest.

No detailed observations were made either that or the following day. and it was not until the morning of the 22nd that the hide was entered and a watch kept to observe the activities of the birds. They were very active; comipg into the lignum and cane-grass clumps near the nest. but were not detected entering the nest-clump itself. This was not surprising as later observations proved. Twice a Grass-Wren came through the cane-grass alongside the hide and remained for a minute or so; on both occasions the bird being no further than three feet from me.

Occasionally crows flew over causing the Grass-Wrens to scurry for cover. Whilst a Nankeen Kestrel hovered around, the Grass­Wrens stayed under cover until it had glided away. Often they perched in the tops of the lignum or dead tips of salt-bush, A triplex; but dived for cover immediately any other bird flew overhead. This included an unidentified bird which was either a triller or honey­eater.

Quite frequently they came out onto open ground and hopped about as if searching for food. When moving over the ground they hopped. or bounced along and on several occasions actually ran; remmdmg me very much of dotterels, Charadrius. In moving from one clump of cane-grass or lignum to another, they hopped across open ground .

The tail was held erect whenever the birds were on the ground or

March J 1973

The Grey Grass-Wren 255

in the bushes. However, there were occasions while perched when the tail was drooped and allowed to hang below the stem on which the bird was perching. Whenever the adults flew across the tops of the lignum or cane-grass, or when crossing areas of open water, they flew with the tail trailing horizontally.

More observations were made the following morning when again the Grass-Wrens spent a considerable time on the ground and away from overhead cover. However, they were always speedy in making the shelter of the lignum clumps whenever danger threatened.

The nestlings uttered a constant, soft disyllabic "tsit-tsit" , where­as the adults had a three syllable call of "tsit-tsit-tsit" uttered rapidly. Once, when a crow flew over, the adults gave soft, piercing alarm­calls which caused the nestlings to remain silent until the adults resumed their normal calls.

When perched in the top of a nearby salt-bush on one occasion, one of the adults, apparently, called to its mate in the usual "tsit­tsit-tsit" notes. In making these calls, it threw its head back so that its bill pointed almost vertically upwards. It repeated this perfor­mance several times.

No apparent plumage difference between the adults could be seen. When viewed from a distance they appeared quite greyish but, when observed closely, as when they foraged within a few feet of the hide, they appeared much browner.

The adults invariably came into a salt-bush nea rby before drop­ping to the ground for several minutes to make sure all was clear before entering the nest-clump. They always approached the nest from the northern side, opposite the hide which was on the south­ern side of the nest. They deftly manoeuvred through the tangle of lignum canes and grass stems before jumping onto the platform in front of the nest and from where they fed the nestlings.

The young were fed on insects; at times the food dangled from the parents' bills as if it was either a grub or caterpillar. Sometimes wings could be seen and I surmised they were moths which aboun­ded in the area. The droppings were always carried away from the nest.

On a few occasions an adult was seen to remain in the open in short grass and repeatedly peck at the ground in a manner similar to that of a finch when feeding. It was possibly consuming seeds, as the stomach contents of the birds collected by Favaloro in 1967, con­tained predominantly seeds plus a few small pebbles.

The Land Rover was driven from the camp-site and pa rked in the same spot a bout 100 yards from the nest on each of six consecu­tive days. Lunch was eaten whilst seated on the lowered tail-board so that a constant watch was mainta ined over the surrounding lig­num and cane-grass in the opposite direction from where the nest was situated. Occasionally I thought I hea rd Grass-Wrens calling and it was not until the sixth day that one was actually sighted as it perched right at the top of a clump of lignum. It remained for a short time while it preened in the sunshine. There appeared little doubt that this was the territory of another pair and indicates how sec­retive and elusive they can be.

256 WICKSTEED, Painted Honeyeater [ Bird Watcher

Although Grey Grass-Wrens are usually difficult to observe, if the observer sits patiently, they eventually make their way to the tops of the clumps of lignum, cane-grass or saltbush. There they frequently sit on the topmost canes or twigs where they preen. It is then that they are seen to advantage. The most noticeable features which attract immediate attention are the white under pa rts and the con­spicuous black and white facial markings.

Memoirs of The National Museum of Victoria, No. 28, 1968.

The Painted Honeyeater in Northern Victoria. Between March 10 and 13, 1972, a party of members of the Bird Observers Club camped at Melvilles Caves, in northern-central Victoria, where an isolated granite outcrop, surmounted by huge tors, dominates the plains.

The forest contains some magnificent stands of yellow gum, box and stringybark, with an understory of broombush, which provided good cover for the Gilbert Whistler, Pachycephala inornata, and the small thin Acacia paucijuga, which throughout the park was thickly decked with Drooping Mistletoe, Amyema quandang.

Wherever one explored in searching for birds the call of the Mistletoe-bird rang through the trees. But the mistletoe also attracted to the area a summer visitor, which many of us had not previously had the opportunity to observe, the Painted Honeyeater, Conopophila picta. The unusual preference of this species for a diet of Mistletoe berries, enabled us to obtain good views of the bird during our stay.

The dark head and back with the very clear white under parts and reddish bill, coupled with the clear resonant call of "Georgie-Georgie", made recognition of this bird unmistakable.

Usually the suggested translation of most bird calls is utterly confusing, and it was a surprise, and an advance warning, to recognise the call when approaching a small grove of the Acacias with their clumps of mistletoe. It was not long before a movement could be seen among the leaves, as the bird worked its way very thoroughly up and down and around and through each clump, during which time it was clearly viewed in the open, as it obligingly showed itself at all angles.

On one occasion the honeyeater was seen to expel a string of seeds, contained in a glutinous film and then turn to nip them off before proceeding with the gathering of berries.

Although the Painted Honeyeater was seen throughout the three days of our stay, when we made a return visit, four weeks later, we could not discover any evidence of its presence. The mistletoe still had some berries, and the Mistletoe-birds were still busy, but the Painted Honeyeaters appeared to have moved on in their continuous search for the berries of the mistletoe.

Pauline Wicks teed (Mrs.), Surrey Hills, V ictoria, 15 I 3 I 1972