Greetings,
--- Paul Walbridge <> wrote: > Hi
all, I recieved news last night (19th) of the
> reappearence of the Shoveler near Grafton. So I was
> down there again today with Darryl Price, not A.S.
> this time, for my second attempt. No worries, the
> bird was resting on a bank in the swamp where seen
> previously. A.S. by the way was approx. 3.5hrs
> behind and frantic. No worries he had got it by
> mid-afternoon in the same spot, plus a female
> Australian Shelduck performing a fly-past for good
> measure.
Yes, it was a bit of a white-knuckle ride, but I got
there in the end. If resting on the small embankment
visible from Tullymorgan Road as was the case here,
the brilliant white breast of the Northern Shoveler
stands out from a considerable distance. Beware
however that there are many rushes for the bird to
hide in when swimming, so it may pay to be patient if
it's not immediately visible. A scope is
near-mandatory. The Australian Shelduck was a bonus -
quite a rarity in its own right this far north.
If coming from the north, it is considerably quicker
to drive through Maclean rather than doubling back
from Grafton. Take the first (northern) turnoff from
the Pacific Highway to Maclean, head through town and
turn right across the Clarence River bridge to
Lawrence, a further 13 km. Take the Bluff Point ferry
to cross the Clarence again into the town and continue
straight on until you get to the Grafton-Casino
T-junction. Turn towards Casino, drive up the town's
main drag and follow the road until you get to
Tullymorgan Rd.
I did double back to Cowan's Ponds in the late
afternoon, but the Pintail appears to have departed.
Have fun
AS
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