May 2009 was the last time I'd seen a Flame Robin at our place on the s.e. slopes of the Mt Lofty Ranges in SA. Prior to that I'd seen them most years during the colder months when they migrate from the eastern states.
With no sightings in each subsequent year I began to fear that, at least in my neck of the woodlands, the species may have become extinct. In fact, Flame Robin numbers have dropped markedly in SA from the time when they used to be seen in Adelaide's eastern suburbs, in the Mt Lofty Ranges & in vineyards south east of the city.
So it was with high joy tinged with high excitement that Ms Woko & I saw a juvenile male Flame Robin bathing in one of our shallow bird bowls today. Given the large number of bird species which are heading towards extinction in the Mt Lofty Ranges such a sighting is to be truly treasured.
Description: A generally grey-brown Robin with washed red throat & chest. Black & white wing marks.
Tomorrow I shall sally forth to see if there are any Flame Robins on the paddock to the north of our property.
Thats a great sighting Woko and a welcome return ... i can imagine the joy and excitement you felt when you sighted flame robin on your property again after so many years
Yes, it was a great feeling, Whistling Duck. To think that this species has returned after 8 years is just marvelous! But it also saddens me to think that beautiful creatures like this are being deprived of their habitat & having their very existence threatened by the thoughtless activities of our own species.
Well, well. A juvenile Flame Robin was hanging out at our bird bath today, the first seen for this year & the first since 28th June 2017. Could this be a comeback from the brink of extinction in the Mt Lofty Ranges?
Further encouraging news on the Flame Robin front on the south east slopes of the Mt Lofty Ranges in SA. An adult male & a juvenile male, complete with red/orange throat wash, were at our bird baths today.