Frogmouth observed at Mount Pleasant

Frogmouths still survive in several bushland places on the edges of Ballarat, wherever trees remain. At the observatory, they are often heard but rarely seen.

In the Ballarat district, the tawny frogmouth is sometimes seen in parks, golf courses and larger gardens, including homesteads in otherwise mostly cleared country. A pair of frogmouths successfully raised two youngsters at Ballarat's North Gardens Wetlands last summer. They have not been seen for many months, but it is hoped they will return soon.

Frogmouths are usually regarded as sedentary, staying in the same area all year. However, local observations indicate they often depart for a while in mid-summer, perhaps a month or so after the youngsters fledge, with adults returning to their nest site by spring. In some places they are thought to use different parts of their territory in the breeding and non-breeding periods.

Pairs are considered to be faithful to the same general area for nesting each year, so the North Gardens Wetlands birds are expected to be seen again soon. It is now their nesting season.

Some frogmouths use the same roosting tree for weeks or months, but others change daily. It seems most frogmouths have five or more roosting trees, which may be chosen according to the weather or season. In frosty climates, the birds often roost in spots receiving early morning sun.

The boobook owl still occurs on the edge of Ballarat. Neither it, nor the tawny frogmouth, are uncommon in the district, with both species being more numerous than is generally realised.

Another local nocturnal bird - a scarcer one - is the powerful owl, which still occurs not far from Ballarat, with a sighting at Federation University last year, and several reports on the other side of Ballarat at Bunker's Hill during winter just gone.

We recently reported on a spiny-cheeked honeyeater at Rokewood. Another large unexpected honeyeater has turned up in the same general district, at Dereel.

This is a noisy friarbird, never known anywhere south of Ballarat before. Any sightings south of the Maryborough district are uncommon. There are no flowering trees in the bushland where it was seen; this makes it a surprise. This large honeyeater is the size of a wattlebird. It is a rarity in the region, with only irregular reports. Several years ago there was an influx into bushland at Dunach when eucalypts were flowering.

We have had what we think was a bogong moth in our house one night recently. It was a dark brown mottled colour with two white dots on its wings. How common is this moth in Ballarat?

J.V., Warrenheip.

Known for its clusters of millions in the high country, the Bogong moth does not seem to be common in the Ballarat district. There are occasional sightings, but no known seasonal pattern is evident. This is probably due to a lack of accurate sightings.

Your recent individual may have been on its spring migration to the alps, or it may have been blown off course by strong winds. Most Ballarat sightings are of lone specimens, or just a few at a time, and almost all have been attracted to lights. They have never been known to cluster in the Ballarat district.