Anthea Fleming said : " So we were close
to the boatdriver. We were very lucky because when he realised we were
serious bird fans, he took care to point out all the birds and accurately
identify them. This included running the boat in close to some waterside
vegetation in hopes -fulfilled- of a pair of Shining Flycatchers. I forget
how many species we saw but it was a splendid list. Cormorants, all 3 Ibis,
Egrets, Pied Herons, Sea Eagles, Black and
Whistling Kites, Whistling and many other ducks, Sacred and Forest
Kingfishers etc etc! We thanked him heartily. His comment was "It's such a
nice change from people who only want to see crocodiles!" So
your guide's knowledge can be very much the luck of the draw. But I do
think misidentifications should be *politely* pointed out."
As she said, very much luck of the draw. Even where you sit on the boat is
luck; you could be just at the point in the queue to be last on one boat,
where if you had been one back in the queue you would be first in the next
boat. We were unlucky and got a driver who called a Cisticola a Robin. He
took unkindly to our politely pointing out his mistake and later when we
spotted a Little Kingfisher he pointedly ignored our request to get closer
or even slow down, so that a glimpse was all we got. Meanwhile the boat
behind us veered closer to the bank and stopped so that the occupants could
get a better look. Nevertheless, the Yellow Waters cruise is a must for
anyone visiting Kakadu.
Paul Osborn
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