G'day all
After last week's brief visit to Lake Linlithgow (16k east of Hamilton in
sw Victoria) I went back yesterday for a proper survey. The lake is
rapidly drying and the waters' edge is a long way out. This made it hard
to identify the waders. A couple I managed to get close too were
Red-necked Stints and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Ducks were mainly Grey Teal
and Australian Shelduck (1000's of each). A few Pacific Black Ducks and
Pink-eared Ducks were also seen. 17 Yellow-plumed Spoonbills were feeding
way out in the middle indicating how shallow the lake must be. Whiskered
Terns were also present (~200).
The highlights were the Avocets and Banded Stilts. I estimated about 800
Avocets and 300 Banded Stilts. Amazingly I was unable to pick out any
Black-winged Stilts. Many of the Banded Stilts (about a quarter) were in
non-breeding or immature plumage without the band. Avocets are often seen
on the lake. My highest count was 77 in April 1991. This is my first
record of Banded Stilts here.
Cheers
Steve
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Steve Clark
45 Carmichael Street, Hamilton, Victoria, Australia 3300
ph 0355 719 048
www.ansonic.com.au/clarks/sw_birds.htm
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