Thanks Paul
It was good to see you and Tom, Trevor and Annie at Abberton yesterday.
Both Azure Kingfishers re-appeared this-morning. We had a wonderful
courtship display from them a couple of days ago. They sat (stood) adjacent
to each other on a creekside branch, bobbing, each repeatedly jumping to
face the alternate way, one clattering its beak at the other, and then
fluttering its wings in a crouching stance - very like a Shining
Bronze-cuckoo display we saw here recently. After all this, each bird flew
around the other to return to its original position on the branch. All of
this necessarily involved a kaleidoscope of brilliant flashing blues and
reds in the morning sun. I don't know if things broke up at this stage, or
if they merely moved out of our view for a more private consummation, but
both birds disappeared in the same direction upstream.
I managed to get out to the Green Pygmy Goose site near Lake Clarendon
this-afternoon with Ken McKeown, and we found the bird still there and very
tame. Very handy to see one female Green Pygmy Goose with several female (&
male) Cottons nearby for comparison. Far and away the furthest south I've
ever come across this bird. Does anyone know of any other southern sightings
in recent years?
Last time I mentioned a new bird for the Lockyer on birding-aus, I soon
found out that I'd overlooked some earlier sightings of the Double-banded
Plover, but this time I'm ready to call the Green Pygmy Goose bird no 317
for the Lockyer Valley list!
Around 800+ Magpie Geese, and at least 70 Pink-eared Ducks on Jahnke's
Lagoon nearby. And a magnificently coloured Black-necked Stork along Green
Swamp Road.
Bill Jolly
"Abberton", Helidon, Qld
ph 07 46976111
fax 07 46976056
email:
Visit our website at: http://www.abberton.org
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